STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford produced several strong performances on Saturday afternoon in its season opener, edging defending national champion Incarnate Word 63-54 at Avery Aquatic Center.
Competing in the first of three home events this season, the Cardinal received balanced efforts across the board in a shortened meet that did not include full routines.
“I am very proud of our team’s first competition of the season,” said head coach Megan Abarca, who enters her seventh season on The Farm. “This year ushers in another new iteration of the World Aquatics difficulty system and features a wider variety of choreography. It offers us the opportunity to showcase what this team is capable of, and we are excited to perform the rest of our routines in our upcoming competitions against Wheaton College and Ohio State. This team has a ton of potential, and I look forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish as we get deeper into the season.”
Boasting a dynamic combination of national title experience and promising young talent, Stanford remains poised for yet another impressive season.
The Cardinal’s depth was on full display Saturday, accumulating enough points in each discipline despite only claiming one event title. Freshman Megumi Field, one of three newcomers who also helped lead Team USA to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, teamed up with fellow rookie and Junior World Champion Dalia Ovadia to capture the duet title.
In the trio, freshman Calista Liu, a Team USA alternate at the 2024 Paris Olympics, partnered with senior Lindi Schroeder, who competed with Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and junior Yara Elian, a member of the 2024 team event championship, for a runner-up finish. Placing third in the trio was the grouping of Field, Ovadia and Audrey Kwon, who also earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fifth-year senior Emmanuella Tchakmakjian, who provides a veteran presence and anchors the squad as a four-time individual national champion, placed second in the solo.
The Cardinal is seeking its first national championship since 2021, having produced three straight runner-up finishes at the USA Artistic Swimming Collegiate National Championship.
Stanford returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 25, competing against Wheaton College. It’s the first of two trips to Norton, Massachusetts, for the Cardinal, which returns on Feb. 15-16 for the MPSF Championships. Stanford has won all three MPSF titles since the conference began sponsoring artistic swimming in 2022.