Stanford creative swimming repeats as nationwide champions

Stanford creative swimming added one other chapter to one of the vital embellished applications on The Farm Saturday afternoon, successful its second consecutive USA Artistic Swimming Collegiate National Championship title. The Cardinal completed with 98 factors, forward of Incarnate World’s 83 factors and Ohio State’s 82, to deliver residence this system’s eleventh nationwide title.

The weekend win at Avery Aquatic Center marked Stanford’s first back-to-back nationwide crowns since its four-year run from 2005-2008 and its fifth title whereas internet hosting the championship. Artistic swimming has the fifth-most nationwide championships amongst all applications on The Farm, with solely ladies’s tennis, males’s tennis, males’s water polo and ladies’s swimming and diving possessing extra trophies. 

The championship win was secured with a dominant ultimate day of competitors. Senior Yara Elian, sophomore Audrey Kwon and sophomore Calista Liu gained the trio occasion with a rating of 239.7192, whereas one other Stanford trio of sophomore Megumi Field, freshman Karen Xue and sophomore Dalia Ovadia took second at 236.7187.

Stanford’s high squad then gained the group occasion with a end at 234.920, and one other set of Cardinal swimmers completed runner-up at 230.7211. Stanford additionally positioned second and third in duet, with Kwon and Liu ending forward of Field and Ovadia. 

The championship capped a season that appeared like a reliable title protection from the very begin. This season opened with Elian successful Tech A and trio titles on the OSU Invitational again in late January, and though Stanford completed runner-up on the Incarnate World Invitational, the Cardinal shortly reasserted itself. By mid-February, Stanford had gained its fifth-straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) championship, remaining the one convention championship because the MPSF started sponsoring the game in 2022.

At the Western Regionals on Senior Day, the dominance didn’t cease. Stanford swimmers swept all 5 occasion titles, offering one among their extra spectacular performances of the season heading into nationals. Elian, Kwon and Liu once more led the way in which with a number of wins, whereas freshman Morgan Woelfel claimed the solo title.

The title repeat additionally got here within the first season beneath head coach Elvira Khasyanova, who was elevated final October after seven seasons serving as an assistant coach. Khasyanova was named Coach of the Year after the nationwide meet, and Field earned High Point Athlete honors.

Following this season, six seniors shall be departing the group, that means the roster will undergo important change.