Ohio State Synchronized Swimming Shoots for Another Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Artistic Swimming
April 28, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State synchronized swimming team (22-2) will head west to compete in the 2004 U.S. National Championships Thursday-Saturday in Stanford, Calif. The event will be held at the Avery Aquatic Center on the campus of Stanford University. More than 140 athletes will vie for national titles in the solo, duet and team competitions in the nation’s most prestigious domestic compeition. The solo technical competition will kick off the 2004 U.S National Championships Thursday at approximately 11:05 a.m. Pacific time. Results will be posted to www.usasynchro.org.
A LOOK AT THE COMPEITION
The competition at U.S. Nationals will feature not only collegiate programs like Ohio State and Stanford, but many club teams who practice anywhere from 10-14 hours a day. The Santa Clara Aquamaids enter the event with 12 consecutive titles and seeking their 13th. The Walnut Creek Aquanuts also are a top program, claiming titles from 1980-89 but Santa Clara has won the U.S. Nationals crown every year since 1993.
The Santa Clara squad is led by synchronized swimming’s Bill May, and Junior National triple gold medal winner Christina Jones.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Ohio State qualified for the U.S National Championships after the Buckeyes finished in first place at the Collegiate National Championships in March.
2004 COLLEGIATE NATIONAL CHAMPS
The Ohio State synchronized swimming team claimed first place honors at the 2004 Collegiate National Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. It marks the fifth consecutive crown for the Buckeyes and 24th title in the 28-year history of the event.
The Buckeyes captured first-place finishes in the duet, trio and team events. The freshman pair of Becky Kim and Kate Hooven earned their first collegiate titles with a victory in duet, posting a score of 95.667. Sophomores Carly Grimshaw and Chelsea Luker finished third in the event with a mark of 92.833.
Hooven, Kim and junior Lindsay Newbill won the trio event with a score of 95.667 while Grimshaw, Luker and Lauren Marsh took home third with a mark of 93.833.
The Buckeyes also finished in the top spot of the team competition. The ‘A’ team garnered first place with a score of 98.167. The ‘B’ team also had a nice showing, earning a respectable fourth-place finish with a mark of 95.167.
SEASON BESTS
All of Ohio State’s 2004 season bests have either come at their home facility during the OSU College Association Meet or on the road against William & Mary. In the solo event, freshman Katrin Eggenberger recorded a season-high mark of 89.500 against William & Mary. The trio of Kate Hooven, Becky Kim and Lindsay Newbill also grabbed a high score at the event with a mark of 93.500. In the duet competition, Hooven and Kim recorded a mark of 94.375 during the OSU College Association Meet. In addition, the Ohio State ‘A’ team recorded 94.625 at the same meet.
A LOOK BACK
The Ohio State synchronized swimming team finished third at the 2003 U.S. National Championships in Long Island, N.Y.
The Buckeye ‘A’ team earned a score of 94.500 for a third-place finish in the team event. The ‘B’ squad placed sixth with a mark of 89.250.
The Santa Clara Aquamaids swept all three final events, claiming first and second in solo and duet and first in team to win their 12th consecutive overall title.
Then-senior Victoria Bowen finished third in the solo event, earning a score of 91.168. Then-senior Suzanna Hyatt and then-freshman Chelsea Luker placed fourth in the duet event (91.168). Bowen and then-sophomore Lindsay Newbill finished seventh in the event.
Additionally, freshmen Kate Hooven and Becky Kim tied for fifth place in the duet event last year (90.251) while swimming for Walnut Creek. Kim also placed eighth in solo with a mark of 88.584.
BUCKEYES NAMED ALL-AMERICANS
Five Buckeyes earned All-America honors this past weekend as the Ohio State synchronized swimming team won its fifth consecutive and 24th overall title at the 2004 Collegiate National Championships. The event was held Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Junior Lindsay Newbill and freshmen Becky Kim and Kate Hooven were three of 16 student-athletes named 2004 All-Americans. It was the second honor for Newbill and the first for Kim and Hooven. All-Americans are given to the Top 14 finishers (including ties – thus 16) who are United States citizens. In addition, sophomores Chelsea Luker and Carly Grimshaw, who both have dual citizenship in Canada and Great Britian, were two of seven participants named honorary All-Americans. It was the second honor for each of them.
Kim and Hooven were two of three athletes to earn All-Collegiate honors in Division 1. All-Collegiate status is awarded to the Top 3 individuals in each division (Division I, II and NAIA, III and club). Kim and Hooven tied for second place, while Stanford’s Katie Norris was the High Point Scorer.
Ohio State assistant coach Holly Vargo Brown earned her first Collegiate Coach of the Year accolades. Vargo-Brown took over the reigns for Linda Witter while she is serving as assistant coach to the U.S. National Team as they prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games.
SUCCESS OUT OF THE POOL
In addition to success in the pool, 10 Buckeyes were honored as 2004 Academic All-Americans, including Marjorie Ardio, Jessica Beck, Heather Burdick, Katrin Eggenberger, Laura Green, Grimshaw, Valerie Jolibois, Katie Meyer, Megan Mikulecky and Stephanie Raftery. A record 158 student-athletes earned the status from 28 universities. Honorees must earn at least a 3.25 grade point average.
WITTER NAMED U.S. ASSISTANT
Head coach Linda Witter has been named the assistant coach for the 2004 U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team. The squad will be representing the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Witter, who has led the Ohio State program to six national titles in eight years, has also been involved in various international events with U.S. National teams and most recently was the assistant coach for the 2003 Pan American Team that captured gold in Santo Domingo over the summer.
“This means everything to me because the athletes selected me,” Witter said. “It is such an honor to be able to go to Athens, where the Olympics originally began. That has got to be the biggest high. It’s scary because the pressure is unbelievable, but it will be an amazing experience.”
Former Ohio State athlete, Becky Jasontek (1994-97) also has been named to the 2004 National Team. Jasontek was selected for the team in May 2003. The final three spots for the team were announced after the final trials procedure in Santa Clara, Calif.
Witter will assist head coach Christine Carver, with whom she coached at the Pan Am Games. Witter’s previous U.S. National Team coaching stints were from 1978-83, 1992-95 and from 2001-present.
The 2004 Olympic Summer Games will be held Aug. 13-29, 2004. Events for synchronized swimming are slated for Aug. 23-27.
REPRESENTING WITH PRIDE
In addition to Witter playing a significant role in international competitions throughout her career, several Ohio State student-athletes also have had experience at the international level. Newbill was named to the United States National Team II and competed in the Swiss Open last May, among other events. Competing in the duet, Luker and Grimshaw hope to represent Great Britain in the 2004 Athens Games and Eggenberger has competed in several events on the Swiss Team.
