NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) artistic swimming team competed on the opening day of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship at Balfour Natatorium on the campus of host Wheaton in Norton, Mass.
The Stanford University artistic swimming team captured the top three spots in the Collegiate "A" Figures and the top two places in the Trio.
Wheaton claimed the MPSF title in the Collegiate "D" figures behind first year Sierra Bausemer (Plainville, Mass.) with a score of 56.6184.
First year Megumi Field (Wilmington, Del.) led the Cardinal on Day One with a win in the "A" Figures and was part of Stanford's top score in the Trio. She tallied 80.5989 points to finish ahead of classmate Dalia Ovadia's (Danville, Calif.) total of 78.8446, while fellow rookie Calista Liu (Fullerton, Calif.) was not far behind in third place with a mark of 78.6977 in the "A" Figures.
Texas Woman's University sophomore Maya Schwickert (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished fourth with 77.2006, while first year Marloes Steenbeek scored 62.6356 points for University of the Incarnate Word to place fifth. Sophomore Olivia Macdonald (Toronto, Ont.) finished sixth with a tally of 58.3475 points for host Wheaton.
Field combined with Ovadia and Stanford first year Audrey Kwon (Seattle, Wash.) to total 256.1092 points in a first place effort in the Trio. Liu, senior Lindi Schroeder (Andover, Mass.) and junior Yara Elian (Walnut Creek, Calif.) came together for a runner-up score of 228.7604 points for the Cardinal.
Incarnate Word took the next two spots behind its trio from Calgary, Alberta, juniors Elizabeth Battista and Lauren Bell and senior Camryn Hooey compiling a tally of 193.8213 points for third place and senior Paige Areizaga (Orlando, Fla.), sophomore Maria Bofill Strub (Barcelona, Spain) and senior Abby Remmers (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) finishing fourth by less than a point with 192.7704 points.
First years Lisa Kizis and Eva Lafontan (Toulouse, France) grouped with Schwickert for a fifth-place effort after scoring 167.0562 points, while Wheaton's entry of junior Josephine Basco (Painesville, Ohio), Bausemer and sophomore Scout Lowrie (Franklin, N.J.) posted a mark of 108.1279 to finish seventh. The Lyons were also eighth with a score of 102.8925 behind seniors Marina Greenwood (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Hannah Halberg (New York City, N.Y.) and first year Paige Warda (Auburn, Calif.).
Steenbeek shined in the solo for Incarnate Word with the competition's top score of 192.9525 to win by more than 14 points. Stanford graduate student Emmanuella Tchakmakjian (Moraga, Calif.) placed second with a score of 178.0288, while Schwickert turned in a third-place showing with 141.3125 points for TWU. Lafontan was just over two points behind her Texas Woman's teammate with a mark of 139.2300 to place fourth. Defending champion, Macdonald, finished fifth for Wheaton with a score of 90.2125.
The Collegiate "B" Figures was hotly contested with the top five places separated by just 1.7143 points. Incarnate Word and Texas Woman's dominated, combining to take the first four spots. Sophomore Aliya Perras (Calgary, Alb.) topped the field with 73.6463 points for Incarnate Word, edging out TWU first year Maya Bell's (Birch Island, B.C.) effort of 73.4218 points. Twin Sister, Anastasia Bell (Birch Island, B.C.), nearly matched her sibling with 63.2075 points to place third for Texas Woman's. First year Kendyl Egert (Calgary, Alb.) racked up 72.8980 points to finish fourth for TWU. Wheaton sophomore Renée Goldfinger (Hoboken, N.J.) earned 71.9320 points to place fifth. Halberg finished eighth with a score of 66.4524.
TWU claimed its only win for the day in the Collegiate "C" figures behind the performance of first year Angelina Hamoen (Oranjestad, Aruba), who totaled 68.8170 points. Wheaton grabbed the next three spots. Basco was the runner-up with a mark of 62.0588, while Greenwood scored 60.7549 points to finish third. Warda placed fourth for Wheaton with a score of 59.8758 and TWU first year Jerusalem Temple (Sacramento, Calif.) slotted in at fifth with a tally of 58.6863. First year Julie Mahoney (Andover, Mass.) finished sixth for the Lyons with 57.4477 points with Lowrie slightly behind at 57.1536 in seventh for Wheaton.
The Championship meet continues tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. at Balfour Natatorium with the Duet competition, followed by the Team routines to close out the weekend.
