Feb. 7, 2009
Stanford, Calif. - Stanford synchronized swimming defeated Incarnate Word for a second straight day, this time in routines. The Cardinal took the top spot in three of the four events to cruise to an 88-78 victory Saturday afternoon at Avery Aquatic Center.
Head coach Heather Olson was pleased with the effort: "This was our first meet this season with the whole team together and I was very pleased with how we swam, especially in the team event."
The Cardinal scored 93.167 points in the team competition to easily outdistance Incarnate Word who scored 88.667. The Stanford team of Alex Bollaidlaw, Erin Bell, Debbie Chen, Taylor Durand, Maria Koroleva, Michelle Moore, Olivia Morgan and Corinne Smith unveiled their new routine to the large crowd at the Avery Aquatic Center.
"The team routine was great, especially against a strong team like Incarnate Word," said Olson. "They swam a lot better than they have been in practice."
The afternoon began with the trios with the Stanford team of Durand, Koroleva and Morgan winning with a score of 89.500. Their teammates Bell, Chen and Moore finished second with a score of 86.000.
The top duet was also a Stanford team made up Koroleva and Morgan. Their score of 89.167 just edged their teammates Chen and Durand who scored 89.000.
Lyssa Wallace of Incarnate Word captured the solo competition with a score of 89.500. The lone Stanford swimmer entered in the event was Koko Urata who finished second with a score of 85.000.
Stanford improved to 3-0 with the win and will look to stay undefeated on the season when they face Incarnate Word on Sunday in Elements and Figures. The action begins Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Avery Aquatic Center.