National Collegiate Championship: 2014
Synchronized swimming swept all four finals events on the final day of competition 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.
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, narrowly beating the team from Ohio State. 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. 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.
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. 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.
By winning the title, the Lady Lions put a dent in the stranglehold that perennial powers Stanford and Ohio State had held on the sport the previous 34 years. Lindenwood became the first program other than the Cardinal or Buckeyes to win the Collegiate Championship since 1980. For her role in earning the title, Coach Eaton was named the USA Synchro Collegiate Coach of the Year.
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U.S. Senior National High Point Championship: 2015
The Lindenwood synchronized swimming team won the 2015 High Point title, the first in program history, at the U.S. Senior National Championships April 1 through April 4 in Moraga, Calif. The Lady Lions earned four gold medals, four silver, and two bronze at the event, finishing with 80 points overall to easily outdistance perennial power, the Santa Clara Aquamaids with 52.
Mary Killman won her third straight crown in both solo and duet, and junior
Daniela Garmendia won the Individual High Point title.
Killman and freshman
Vasilisa Mironova battled Lady Lion sophomores
Irene Montrucchio and
Laia Pons for the duet title. Killman and Mironova built almost a five point lead, earning a score of 85.1599 in the technical event on Thursday, then added a score of 86.8333 with their vampire themed free routine to win the gold medal with a total of 169.9932. Montrucchio and Pons finished second with 160.8748 to win the silver medal. Garmendia and
Sarah Rodriguez took fourth, with
Hannah Sphatt and
Kirsten Hutzlertaking fifth.
Killman opened up a dominating four point lead with her sultry interpretation of "Sexy Silk" from Jessie J. during the technical solo event on Friday, earning 84.6584. She performed her "Young and Beautiful" free solo on Saturday to earn 87.4000, the highest mark of the entire meet. Her total of 172.0584 was almost seven points ahead of Rebecca Moody from Santa Clara in second place.
Allyson Haylor took third while Garmendia finished fourth.
The Lady Lions faced their stiffest competition in the team event, going head-to-head with the U.S. National Team. Team USA won with a score of 168.5430, but Lindenwood took home the silver with a total of 162.7989.
In addition to individual event medals, U.S. Nationals also employs individual and team high point scoring, where routines earn points for placement, much like a track meet. While the Lady Lions finished first in the overall team standings, Garmendia became the surprise winner in the individual standings. She took fourth in solo, fourth in duet, and with the first place overall finish by Lindenwood, she earned 35 points to win the Individual High Point title. Killman was second with 29 points, and Haylor tied for third with 26.
The solo event win for Killman was her fourth overall, which moved her into a tie for third all-time in USA Synchro history. In addition to the current streak of three straight titles, she also claimed victory in 2010.
More than 350 swimmers, including members of the 2015 U.S. National Squad, participated at the U.S. National Championships. Swimmers advanced to the event through various qualifying measures, including top placements at zone championships, past national championships, and other qualifying scores. Medals were awarded for both the technical routine and the free aggregate final, a combination of the technical and free routines.
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U.S. Senior National High Point Championship: 2016
Lindenwood synchronized swimming team won its second consecutive U.S. Senior High Point Championship Title at the U.S. Senior National Championships April 6-9 Mesa, Ariz. The Lady Lions finished with an overall point total of 111, an improvement of 31 points over last year's total, and went completely undefeated in every event, taking gold in Solo, Duet, and Team, a historical moment in the eight years history of the program.
Senior and 2012 U.S. Olympian
Mary Killman, started the competition off during the technical solo event Thursday morning performing an emotionally charged routine to "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera, and earned a score of 81.8300. Her free routine on Saturday, with a suit that gave a nod to Assassin's Creed, used a remixed version of the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde, scoring an 83.7000. The aggregate mark of 165.5300 gave her a 3.9265 point lead over second place finisher, Emma Baranski from Ohio State University, earning Killman her fifth overall U.S. National Solo Championship. In addition to the four consecutive years of titles, she also claimed the championship in 2010, tying the record for the most solo titles in United States history.
Sophomore
Vasilisa Mironova brought what she had learned from Russia with a maturity known to few. Her "Whispering" and "Witch" themed routines earned scores of 78.1559 and 79.3000, winning her the bronze medal in the solo event with a total of 157.4559.
Allyson Haylor placed fourth while
Kate Goncharova took fifth. Both performed heart stopping routines, showing the depth and talent in the Lindenwood program.
Killman and Mironova teamed up to prove that two soloists can combine to make a duet that can stop a crowd. The pair performed two very different routines, starting with one to the song "Bringing Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake in the technical event, and ending with a free routine that embodied "Mechanical Puppets." Their overall score of 164.0550 proved to be nearly seven points ahead of second place.
Laia Pons and
Irene Montrucchio came together to proudly earn a bronze medal with two extremely upbeat routines and an overall score of 154.4390. The trio of swimmers consisting of
Hannah Sphatt and
Kirsten Hutzler swimming free, but Sphatt and
Cosette Leblanc swimming tech, combined to place fourth in the duet event with an energy that made the audience want to dance.
The team event Saturday afternoon was the cherry on top for the Lady Lions. The Lindenwood "Temptation" team of
Estafania Garcia,
Emily Emmanuele,
Erika Guilbault,
Kelli Gustafsson,
Carol Ross,
Natalia Zenoni,
Maria Escalona, and
Marina Velaproudly took second place with a routine that captivated the viewer and featured lifts that seemed to touch the sky. Team "Hip-Hop" took a risk and swam to music that many wouldn't consider, including songs by Missy Elliot and Lil Jon. Killman, Pons, Montrucchio, Haylor, Goncharova, Sphatt, Hutzler, Leblanc, and
Sarah Rodriguez came together with a performances set to "Get Low" and "Out of Your Mind" that earned them an aggregate score of 162.2956 and a gold medal finish.
For their role in earning the championship title, coaches
Reem Abdalazem and
Lori Eaton were named the USA Synchro Coach of the Year.
Swimmers advanced to the event through various qualifying measures, including top placements at zone championships, past national championships, and other qualifying scores. Medals were awarded for the free aggregate final, a combination of the technical and free routines for Solo, Duet, and Team.
Click Here for more 2016 U.S. Senior National Championship Details
U.S. Senior National High Point Championship: 2017
Synchronized swimming won its third consecutive U.S. National Championship title April 4-7 in Oro Valley, Arizona. The Lady Lions pulled off a clean sweep of the solo, duet and team technical and free events. Led by Individual High Point Champion
Allyson Haylor, Lindenwood became the first program to pull off three consecutive sweeps since Santa Clara in 2004, and is now the only collegiate program ever to sweep three consecutive U.S. Nationals in the 67-year history of the sport.
Haylor and fellow senior
Daniela Garmendia finished first and second in the solo event. As the youngest of the top five athletes, the "Bird Set Free" routine from Haylor earned a 75.933 and boosted her to a 2.82 margin over her teammate.
Haylor and freshman
Kyra Hoevertsz finished first in duet tech by 1.3 points, and teamed with sophomore
Sarah Rodriguez to finish a close second in the duet free final. When added together, the three Lady Lions narrowly won gold in the Duet Final (Aggregate) by just 0.280 points over Garmendia and
Marialaura Villasana, 149.6618 to 149.3818. The Lindenwood pairing of Carol Alonso and Maria Vasquez made it a clean sweep of the top three positions in duet, capturing bronze with a final composite mark of 141.4819.
The Lindenwood "Hip Hop 2.0" routine set to songs by Missy Elliott, Lil' Jon, and DJ Snake proved to be the crowd favorite, as well as the judges, winning gold by an 11-point margin with a final composite mark of 151.9593. Haylor, Hoevertsz, Rodriguez, Ross, Vasquez, Villasana, and
Kirsten Hutzler, along with with Alonso and
Sommerlyn Stevens in tech swam for Lindenwood.
Placements at U.S. Nationals are a combination of technical and free routine scores. In addition to individual event medals, U.S. Nationals also employs individual and team high point scoring, where routines earn points for placement, much like a track meet.
U.S. National Championships
April 4-7, Oro Valley, Ariz.
Solo Tech
1. Lindenwood University, Allyson Haylor, 73.2212
2. Lindenwood University, Daniela Garmendia, 71.5314
3. U of F Gator Synchro, Yoojung Rhee, 70.5344
Solo Final (Aggregate)
1. Lindenwood University, Allyson Haylor, 149.1545
2. Lindenwood University, Daniela Garmendia, 146.3314
3. U of F Gator Synchro, Yoojung Rhee, 143.8011
Duet Tech
1. Lindenwood University,
Kyra Hoevertsz/
Allyson Haylor, 73.9618
2. Lindenwood University,
Daniela Garmendia/
Marialaura Villasana, 72.6818
3. Lindenwood University, Carol Alonso/Maria Vasquez, 68.3152
Duet Final (Aggregate)
1. Lindenwood University, Kyra Hoevertsz/Sarah Rodriguez, 149.6618
2. Lindenwood University, Daniela Garmendia/Marialaura Villasana, 149.3818
3. Lindenwood University, Carol Alonso/Maria Vasquez, 141.4819
Team Tech
1. Lindenwood University (Stevens, Garmendia, Haylor, Hoevertsz, Hutzler, Vasquez, Villasana), 73.9093
2. University of Arizona (Chadwick, Dixon, Hafner, McKinney, Pinto, Schmisseur, Stallworth, Stallworth), 68.1587
3. Indy Synchro (Crane, Hernandez, Lehmann, Powell, Ronnau, Woodahl), 65.6268
Team Final (Aggregate)
1. Lindenwood University (Haylor, Hoevertsz, Hutzler, Rodriguez, Ross, Vasquez, Villasana), 151.9593
2. University of Arizona (Chadwick, Dixon, Hafner, McKinney, Pinto, Schmisseur, Stallworth, Stallworth), 140.6254
3. Indy Synchro (Crane, Hernandez, Lehmann, Powell, Ronnau, Woodahl), 134.6268
U.S. Senior National High Point Championship: 2018
Synchronized swimming captured its fourth consecutive U.S. Senior National high point championship April 1 at the Oro Valley Aquatic Center near Tucson, Arizona. Despite the 70-point margin over the nearest club, the outcome was much closer than the score indicated, thanks to a couple of familiar faces.
Marialaura Villasana earned gold for the Lady Lions in the solo technical event on Saturday with a score of 75.3002, topping teammate
Kyra Hoevertsz with 74.1357. In the solo free final, Lindenwood graduate Alyson Haylor, swimming for the Scottsdale Synchro Club, won gold by the narrowest of margins with an 80.2333, compared to 80.2000 from Hoevertsz. Haylor returned to partner with Xinya Zhang to take duet gold with a score of 81.000, topping the Lady Lions duo of
Sarolta Lukovszky and Villasana with 80.5667.
The Lady Lions also were challenged in the team event, squaring off against perennial power Santa Clara. The Aquamaids grabbed top honors in the technical team competition by a fraction of a point, just 0.0817, with a score of 78.7827, compared to 78.010 from Lindenwood. The Lady Lions turned the tables in the free team event, posting the high score of the meet with 82.1000 compared to 79.6000 from Santa Clara. The performance earned the gold medal and ultimately secured the overall title in the process.
In addition to awarding individual event medals, U.S. Nationals employs team high point scoring, where routines earn points for placement, much like a track meet, to determine an overall champion. Lindenwood finished first with 148 points, followed by Santa Clara with 78 points.
2018 U.S. Senior National Championships
April 1, 2018
Oro Valley, Arizona
Overall Standings (top 3)
1. Lindenwood University, 148
2. Santa Clara Aquamaids, 78
3. Houston SynchroStars, 42
Solo Tech
1. LU, M. Villasana, 75.3002
2. LU, K. Hoevertsz, 74.1357
3. OPT, L. Schroeder, 74.0096
4. LU, O. Evliya, 72.2571
Solo Free
1. SAZ, A. Haylor, 80.2333
2. LU, K. Hoevertsz, 80.2000
3. LU, M. Villasana, 79.6333
5. LU, O. Evliya, 76.4333
Duet Free
1. SAZ, A. Haylor, X. Zhang, 81.0000
2. LU, S. Lukovszky, M. Villasana, 80.5667
3. SCA, K. Chow, K. Hoang, 75.3000
6. LU, R. Richardson, M. Escalona, 74.2333
Team Tech
1. Santa Clara Aquamaids, 74.7827
2. Lindenwood University, 74.7010
3. Carolina Synchro Club, 66.1738
4. Lindenwood University, 66.0013
Team Free
1. Lindenwood University, 82.1000
2. Santa Clara Aquamaids, 79.6000
3. Lindenwood University, 78.6667
