Feb. 11, 2006
In their first home meet of the season, Stanford Synchro hosted the University of Arizona and the University of Alabama at Birmingham on February 11th. Saturday afternoon proved to be an exceptional day for competition with warm weather and a large Stanford fan turn-out. The Cardinal team swam to victory with 90 total points over Alabama's 59 points and Arizona's 32 points.
Stanford shined in the trio event. The routine featuring Poppy Carlig, Melissa Knight, and freshman Erin Bell had their best performance of the year to claim their first gold medal with an 89.5. Samantha Bongiovanni-Duclos, Elizabeth-Anne Markman, and Courtenay Stewart finished second with a score of 88.0.
Powerful routines also earned Cardinal swimmers the top two places in the duet competition. A confident performance by 2004 Olympians Sara Lowe and Courtenay Stewart showcased their elegance and superior technical skill. Lowe and Stewart claimed gold with a 93.2, their highest mark of the season. With an energetic and athletic swim, Bongiovanni-Duclos and Carlig captured second at 89.0.
Stanford soloist Lowe capped off the individual events by swimming to gold with a score of 93.8, mesmerizing the crowd with her graceful and passionate routine.The competition concluded with the team event where again the Cardinal triumphed. In their best performance of the year, Stanford's lineup of Bell, Bongiovanni-Duclos, Carlig, Knight, Lowe, Markman, Stewart, Hilary Homenko, and alternate Katie Norris captured the gold with an impressive score of 95.5.
Stanford Synchro travels to Boston this weekend to compete in the Wheaton College Invitational. The Cardinal squad is enjoying an undefeated season and remains on track to defend their collegiate title. This year's Collegiate Nationals meet will be held at Stanford, March 23rd - 25th.
Results
Elements (Top 10):1. Stanford - Courtenay Stewart2. Stanford - Samantha Bongiovanni-Duclos3. Stanford - Melissa Knight4. Stanford - Erin Bell5. Stanford - Hilary Homenko6. Stanford - Elizabeth-Anne Markman7. Stanford - Poppy Carlig8. Stanford - Katie Norris
Final Overall Rankings:1. Stanford - 90 points2. Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham - 59 points3. Univ. of Arizona - 32 points