INDIANAPOLIS – Close to 200 athletes representing 24 clubs from the U.S., Canada and Japan recently competed for titles at the U.S. Masters Synchronized Swimming National Championships in Panama City, Fla.
Lieneke Keihl from the Dayton Synchronettes won the Mae McEwan Award, which is awarded to a Masters swimmer who exemplifies the spirit of the sport.
Swimmers in six age groups (20-29s to 70-79s) from ages 19 to 83 competed for national titles in solo, duet, trio, team, combo and figures at Frank Brown Park Aquatic Center.
20-29 Age Group
Solo: Team Florida’s Ciana Miller won the solo final with 143.0667 points. TeammateJordan Thompson was second at 129.8500.
Grand Masters Duet: Heidi McMahon and Jessica Naranjo of the Arizona Desert Gems teamed up to win the Grand Masters duet with 149.6500 points. Ali Bodin and Juliet Schmit of the Minnesota Northern Pikes finished second at 138.3667, and the Arizona Desert Gems’ Jana Cunningham and Sally Harwood were third at 137.6000.
Duet: Team Florida’s Ciana Miller and Shea Soulliere won gold at 141.9666.
Grand Masters Team: The Arizona Desert Gems won gold with 138.7166 points, followed by Missouri Synchro Masters at 132.6667.
Team: Team Florida won gold, finishing with 132.8333 points.
30-39 Age Group
Grand Masters Solo: Unsyncables of La Mirada’s Teresa Liccardo was the Grand Masters champion in the solo final with 151.3167 points. Beth Nelson of Missouri Synchro Masters was second at 146.6334, and Diana Wolff of Team Florida finished third at 139.1334.
Solo: Ymajahi Brooks of Unsyncables of La Mirada was first with 131. 8667 points, followed by Wisconsin Water Loons’ Jeanne Bartolucci (129.5334) and Arizona Aqua Stars’Sarah Sottile (124.2667).
Grand Masters Duet: Alice Gawronski and Diana Wolff from Team Florida took gold in the Grand Masters duet, scoring 137.6500 points to top second-place finishersMarghuretta Bland and Beth Nelson of Missouri Synchro Masters, who finished with 133.2667 points.
Duet: The Wisconsin Water Loons’ Carly Schulz and Meg Stahl won the duet at 124.3000 points. Christina Mansson and Sarah Sottile of the Arizona Aqua Star) took silver.
Grand Masters Trio: The D.C. Synchromasters (Anne Bernier, Julie Ost, Vicki Valosik) won gold in the Grand Masters trio competition, finishing with 122.6000 points.
Trio: The Arizona Desert Gems (Kelly Hinz, Rebecca Pressnall, Jessica Walko) won trio with 131.7833 points.
Team: San Francisco Tsunami Synchro won gold in the team event, scoring 126.4167 points. The D.C. Synchromasters were second at 123.0000, followed by the Unsynchables of La Mirada at 122.5500.
40-49 Age Group
Grand Masters Solo: Team Florida’s Alica Gawronski won the Grand Masters solo with 137.2334 points.
Solo: Two members of D.C. Synchromasters went 1-2 in solo, with Wendy Carter grabbing gold after scoring 135.0500 points. Susan Horab took silver at 121.0167.
Grand Masters Duet: The Grand Masters duet of Jennifer Herrington and Mary Lou Woods from the Unsynchables of La Mirada won gold with 135.3000 points, just edging the Dayton Synchronettes’ Mary Kay Adams and Megan Kreill, who totaled 133.8833 points. CD Synchro’s Amy McGeoch and Betsy McGeoch finished third at 111.5500.
Duet: Kelly Carter and Pamela Mathues from Seattle Cascades Synchro won duet with 127.7666 points. Team Florida’s Suzanne Blackstone and Lorraine Valerino finished second at 118.8167, and Elena Fishel and Peggy Ann Giles from California Synchro Masters were third at 118.1834.
Trio: The Unsynchables of La Mirada (Ymajahi Brooks, Jocelyn Fernandes, Catherine McKay) won trio gold, finishing with 127.5667 points. The Wisconsin Water Loons (Linda Beckley, Amy James, Heidi Lurenz) took silver at 125.1834, and the D.C. Synchromasters (Kristine Hopkins, Susan Horab, Tina Jones) grabbed bronze at 121.4000.
Team: The Unsynchables of La Mirada won the team event, finishing with 135.0834 points, followed by the Dayton Synchronettes (126.3166) and the Wisconsin Water Loons (121.6500).
50-59 Age Group
Grand Masters Solo: Mary Lou Woods (Unsynchables of La Mirada) won Grand Masters solo with 133.2000 points, and Claudia Salazar (D.C. Synchromasters) was second at 127.0667.
Solo: Robin Kramer from the California Synchro Masters won gold, finishing with a 131.9667 total. Elyse McBride of the Missouri Synchro Masters was second at 126.1333, and Team Florida’s Lorraine Valerino was third at 124.7333.
Grand Masters Duet: Claudia Salazar and Nancy Weiman of the D.C. Synchromasters teamed up to win Grand Master duet, totaling 129.6333 points. The Arizona Aqua Stars’Deborah Anderson and Laurie Stiff won silver at 112.0167, and Seattle Cascades Synchro’s Gloria Dillan and Darla Schlumberger took bronze at 69.5000.
Duet: Robin Kramer and Mika Soya-Kelly of the California Synchro Masters won duet at 128.3500. Laura Kimball and Laurel Netznik from the Minnesota Northern Pikes were second at 122.1500. The Wisconsin Water Loons’ Amy James and Heidi Lurenz were third at 121.4167.
Trio: The D.C. Synchromasters (Wendy Carter, Vittoria De Maurizi, Laura Soles) won gold in trio, finishing with 120.5167 points. The California Synchro Masters (Peggy Ann Giles, Dawn Jungemann, Lou Anne McKeefery) were second at 116.4000.
Grand Masters Team: Seattle Cascades Synchro won gold in Grand Masters team, finishing with 126.2000 points.
Team: The California Synchro Masters won gold with 122.9167 points. The Minnesota Northern Pikes finished second at 120.2000, and the D.C. Synchromasters were third at 114.4500.
60-69 Age Group
Grand Masters Solo: Nancy Weiman of the D.C. Synchromasters won Grand Masters solo with 134.6333 points.
Solo: Mika Soya-Kelly (California Synchro Masters) won gold, scoring 132.0833 points.Rebecca Meitin (unaffiliated) took silver with 124.1167 points, and Lynn Hovde (Tsunami Synchro) was third at 121.3833.
Duet: Breathless of Central Ohio’s Nan Louise Bliss and Cathy Brooks won duet with 115.9500 points. The Missouri Synchro Masters’ Ruth Bailey and Nancy Percy finished second at 109.7000, and Carol Hall and Karla Yale of the Indy Aquatic Masters were third at 102.2500.
Trio: Breathless of Central Ohio’s Nan Louise Bliss, Cathy Brooks and Cheryl Roller won trio with 118.3500 points.
Team: The Ramapo Aqua Masters won the team event with 107.3500 points, followed by Missouri Synchro Masters (106.8666) and Olympia YMCA Synchro Club (100.3833).
70-79 Age Group
Solo: Beth Carey of the Ramapo Aqua Masters won the solo event, scoring 112.333 points, followed by Martha Beard-Copeland of the D.C. Synchromasters (110.7333) andJeanne Carlson of the Dayton Synchronettes (106.6333).
Duet: The Dayton Synchronettes’ Ann Denlinger and Sue Wilkinson won duet with 99.8333 points.
Trio: Ann Denlinger, Kathy Marchione and Sue Wilkinson of the D.C. Synchromasters won trio at 100.9333.
Team: The Dayton Synchronettes won the team event with 99.6000 points.
Full results from the U.S. Masters National Championships can be found at http://www.teamusa.org/USA-
The above is a press release submitted by USA Synchro.