Synchronized swimming swept all four finals events on Saturday to win the first national title in program history at the U.S. Collegiate Championships in Oxford, Ohio. Lindenwood finished with a total of 96 team points to win the crown, edging Ohio State by five points.

It was a day of firsts for the young program in just its sixth year of competition, and it came with gut-wrenching anticipation.

The Lady Lions "Deadly Sins" trio of Mary Killman, Anouk Eman, and Dennise Ramirez started the day with a hard-fought victory in the trio event. Their score of 88.600 narrowly beat the Ohio State trio of Yuliya Maryanko, Lorraine Hack, and Elizabeth Davidson who earned 88.050. Perhaps suffering from an early draw, the Lindenwood "Usher" trio of Reem Abdalazem, Laia Pons, and Allyson Haylor settled for fifth with a score of 85.150.

While the first finals event of the day was close, the Lindenwood pair of Killman and Abdalazem left no question about the outcome of the duet final as their score of 89.350 was more than three points better than the second place performance. Their "The Game Has Changed" routine earned near-perfect marks in artistic impression for its intricate choreography and interaction between the mirror-image swimmers.

In the solo final, Killman, the reigning national champion, showcased an unmatched talent. Her lengthy underwater hybrids and superior height catapulted her to gold with a score of 90.450. Maryanko from Ohio State took second with 88.050.

Head coach Lori Eaton praised the performance of her team.

"All of our small routines were simply outstanding today. It was so important for us to have those strong trio swims to get the day started off right," she said. "Mary's solo, and the duet from Mary and Reem were the best I've ever seen them swim, and that's high praise for two Olympians!"

After the three small-routine victories, the Lady Lions entered the team event final with a two-point lead in the overall standings. Drawing early performance positions once again, Lindenwood had to perform near the beginning of the schedule and hope the judges would see some daylight between the top programs.

The Lady Lions "Jungle" team of Hannah Sphatt, Caroline Heisterova, Kelli Gustafsson, Carmen Salazar, Natalia Zenoni, Kirsten Hutzler, Emily Emmanuele, and Simona Placha performed right after the number two squad from Ohio State. Needing at least an 84.850 to maintain a comfortable margin, they delivered with a score of 85.200 to hold off the Buckeyes and add an important point to the overall total for Lindenwood.

The Lady Lions "Alien" team of Abdalazem, Eman, Ramirez, Laia Pons, Irene Montrucchio, Allyson Haylor, McKinzie Chelberg, and Amanda Mendez performed next. The team finished first in the prelims, but with the top teams from Stanford and Ohio State to follow, they needed the swim of their lives to impress the judges. That's exactly what they did, earning a score of 88.600 to leap into first place.

With all of the Lindenwood team routines completed, the only thing that could be done was to wait. If both the Cardinal and the Buckeyes could eclipse the 88.600 mark, the Lady Lions would drop to third in the team competition, which would drop them to second in the overall standings.

Stanford's young squad swam next and performed to near perfection, but when a score of 88.500 flashed, the overall title belonged to Lindenwood. The only thing left to decide was the winner of the team event. Ohio State was the last to swim, and with a decidedly home crowd in support, the Buckeyes also posted a score of 88.500. That sealed a team event victory for the Lady Lions, and completed a sweep of all four finals events.

Lindenwood co-captain Reem Abdalazem talked about the team's focus going into the final performances.

"We weren't really aware of the standings," she said. "We knew we had to have our best swims and leave it all out there in the water."

Mary Killman, the other co-captain for the Lady Lions, noted the significance of the victory.

"It's truly amazing what Lindenwood synchro has achieved in just six seasons," she said. "I'm proud to be a part of the program we're building here. It's a statement to win one or two events, but to sweep the meet is truly historic."

By winning the title, the Lady Lions put a dent in the stranglehold that perennial powers Stanford and Ohio State have held on the sport the last 34 years. Lindenwood becomes the first program other than the Cardinal or Buckeyes to win the Collegiate Championship since 1980.

For her role in earning the championship title, coach Eaton was named the USA Synchro Collegiate Coach of the Year.

The Collegiate Championships marked the final swims for seniors Placha, Salazar, and Mendez. Seniors Abdalazem and Eman have one more meet, as they will join sophomores Killman and Daniela Garmendia at the U.S. Nationals April 9-12 in Oro Valley, Ariz. Killman will be attempting to win her fifth U.S. solo title, while Abdalazem, Eman and Killman hope to defend the duet title for the Lady Lions from a year ago.

For complete information and results from the U.S. Collegiate Championships, visit the USA Synchro website. Routines will be available on-demand in the near future at www.takeitlive.tv/livesynchro/.

U.S. Collegiate Championships
Overall Standings (top 6 only)
1. Lindenwood - 96
2. Ohio State - 91
3. Stanford - 70
4. Canisius - 62
5. Incarnate Word - 56
6. Wheaton - 46

Lindenwood 2014 U.S. Collegiate Nationals Photo Gallery