Synchronized Swimming: Buckeyes Prepare for Competition in Keuka Park, N.Y. – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Artistic Swimming
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State synchronized swimming team will travel to Keuka Park, N.Y. to see how its routines matchup against Keuka, Canisius and Wheaton in the Keuka College Invitational Saturday. The Buckeyes then will put their 4-0 record to the test against Canisius in a dual meet Sunday. Keuka Park represents familiar waters the squad, as it traveled to Keuka Park last year, where they finished first with 100 points. The Buckeyes also defeated the Storm at the OSU-Tri Meet in the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion earlier this season.
A WIN IN HONOR OF JESSICA
Ohio State continued its domination in the pool last Feb. 2 in honor of former teammate Jessica Beck. The Buckeyes swept the solo, duet, trio and team competition at the memorial meet to record a team total of 93 points to top Ball State, Miami, Ohio and William & Mary. The Jessica Beck Memorial meet marked the second time this season the Scarlet and Gray swept all categories of competition.
The second home meet of the season also gave the Buckeyes their first opportunity to show their team routines. Both the Scarlet squad (95.500) and the Gray squad (91.167) excelled in their performances, claiming first and second place, respectively.
GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME
With this Ohio State team, improvement is inevitable. The trio of Barbara Nesbitt, Caitlin Stewart and Michelle Theriault has improved its marks dramatically from the OSU Tri-Meet, its first outing of the season. Performing a routine that earned a score of 94.833 vs. William & Mary, the trio has brought its marks up by more than a point.
Similarly, Nesbitt has shown no sign of faltering in the solo competition. With scores of 94.667 and 95.833 vs. Richmond and William & Mary, she has improved her marks at each meet this season and has captured her third and fourth solo win, keeping her win streak alive.
The Buckeyes also are getting better as a team. Performing their third team routine of the season, Ohio State earned marks of 95.833 vs. William & Mary, improving upon their previous score of 95.000.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
The Ohio State University will have the privilege of welcoming the best synchronized swimmers in the nation in March when it hosts the 2008 U.S. Collegiate Nationals. 2008 will mark the first year Ohio State has hosted the event since 2000 and the team’s first chance to show off the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
The Buckeyes may be preparing to host talent from around the nation, but they too are some of the best. In the 31-year history of collegiate nationals, Ohio State has taken the crown 24 times, including five-consecutive titles from 2000-2004. Falling short to Stanford for three-consecutive years beginning in 2004, the squad is eager to take back the title this season and record its 25th Collegiate National title at home.
BEIJING BOUND
The Buckeyes will be missing a key contributor, not only this weekend, but for the remainder of the 2008 season. Soon-to-be senior Becky Kim, who competed for Ohio State in 2005 and 2006, has traded in her Scarlet and Gray for the Red, White and Blue. Kim is currently training with the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Kim will once again compete for Ohio State when she returns for her senior season in 2008-09.
UP NEXT
After two weeks on the road and a two-week hiatus from competition, the Buckeyes will return home to host the 2008 U.S. North Regional Championships. Ohio State will host the event March 1, beginning at 2 p.m., at the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
