Feb. 14, 2004
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STANFORD, CA - The No. 3 UAB synchronized swimming team upset No. 2 Stanford to win the Stanford Invitational. The Cardinal placed second, ahead of the University of Arizona, overshadowing a fine afternoon by Stanford teammates Katie Norris and Ashley McHugh in the Cardinal's first and only collegiate home meet of the season.
Stanford's trio team of Ashley McHugh, Katie Norris, and Shella Sadovnik started off the competition with an impressive 87.667 to 85.167 win over the University of Alabama Birmingham's entry.
The Cardinal continued their dominance behind a solid duet performance by Ashley McHugh and Katie Norris to hold off UAB by a score of 89.500 to 87.333. Stanford also took third place in this event with an 85.333 posting by team captain Jennifer Kibler and junior Shella Sadovnik. Freshman Mari Maekawa made the first home appearance of her Stanford career by teaming with Courtney Penn, racking up an 81.667 score.
The highlight of the day was the nearly flawless swim by Katie Norris, her third of the day. She elegantly took home the top prize in the solo competition with an extremely solid 92.667 victory over her closest opponent, UAB's Sara Petrov and her 89.500 score. This victory made Norris three for three on the day, having also won the trio and duet titles earlier. Cardinal sophomore Ashley McHugh narrowly lost second place with her 89.333 score, but she still had a fine day in the pool after having won the trio and duet events previously.
The Cardinal did not enter the team swim, perhaps costing them the day's victory. UAB earned their first event victory of the afternoon with a score of 92.167 in the team swim. UAB's B team scored an 85.917 to take second place. The Arizona Splashcats had their best performance of the afternoon in the team event, scoring an 80.500.
Stanford next travels to Keuka, New York for the Keuka Invitational, where it will square off with host Keuka College, Canisius College, and Ohio State University.