Jan. 26, 2013
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -The Stanford synchronized swimming team dropped the opening competition of the 2013 season at Lindenwood University, Saturday, in St. Charles, Mo. Final overall team scores were Lindenwood 71 and Stanford 70.
"I was excited to see the team compete this morning in their first routine competition of the season," said head coach Sara Lowe. "We did not compete out full routines at this competition so it was great to see the athletes swim well and finish strong."
Swimming for the Cardinal in the team competition were seniors Madison Crocker, Morgan Fuller, Mariya Koroleva, Michelle Moore and Olivia Morgan, juniors Megan Hansley and Leigh Haldeman and freshman Evelyna Wang. Alternates for Stanford in the event were junior Jessica Guenther and freshman Carolyn Morrice.
In the duet, Hansley and Morgan teamed up to capture first place, while Crocker and Fuller came in second for the Cardinal. Lindenwood's Simona Placha and Carmen Salazar took third.
Lindenwood's Reem Abdalazem, Anouk Eman and Mary Killman, who was the duet partner of Koroleva in the 2012 London Olympics, finished first in the trio competition. Stanford's Hansley, Morgan and Wang came in second, while Crocker, Koroleva and Moore finished third. Also swimming as a trio for the Cardinal were Morrice, sophomore Anna Boyle and rookie Mina Shah.
"Lindenwood is a tough competitor. I hope by seeing them early in the season, it will help our team grow stronger as we work toward Collegiate Nationals," said Lowe.
The next opportunity to see the Cardinal will be on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Avery Aquatics Center on the Stanford campus. The squad will be holding an exhibition swim at 11 a.m. PT and admission is free.