STANFORD, Calif. – Fueled by a pair of individual titles, Stanford capped an impressive opening day of competition at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals on Friday at Avery Aquatic Center.
Senior Jacklyn Luu was crowned the solo champion while sophomore Hailee Heinrich, sophomore Audrey Nguyen and senior Caitlin Klauer captured the trio title, powering Stanford into the lead with 56 points. Ohio State (46) is second and Incarnate Word (30) is third.
Stanford is chasing its ninth national championship in school history and first since 2016. The Cardinal, which is attempting to dethrone three-time defending champion Ohio State, is hosting the U.S. Collegiate Nationals at Avery Aquatic Center for the first time since 2013.
Luu's routine produced an 81.0000, outperforming runner-up Laila Huric of Ohio State (80.8000) and third-place Natalia Vega (80.7000) of Incarnate Word. Luu is Stanford's first solo champion since Clare McGovern in 2018.
Heinrich, Nguyen and Klauer totaled an 80.6000, with the Cardinal's depth coming up big as junior Grace Alwan, sophomore Ava Jih-Schiff and junior Alexandra Suarez placed second at 78.4000. Ohio State's Camryn Carrasco, Rose Homoelle and Rachel Jager took third at 78.3000. The Cardinal's most recent trio title also came in 2018, when Klauer, McGovern and Erica Slavin took home the hardware.
Luu also placed first in the A Figures Technical competition, giving the Cardinal four of the top five finishers. Freshman Emmanuella Tchakmakjian placed third, Klauer was fourth and Suarez checked in fifth.
Competition concludes on Saturday, with the duet final scheduled for 11 a.m. and the team final slated for 2 p.m.