Wheaton runs top-10 streak at Collegiate Championship to 20 years
March 29, 2008
COLUMBUS, OH- For the 20th consecutive season, the Wheaton College synchronized swimming team placed among the top 10 at the United States Collegiate Championship, as the Lyons matched last year's eighth-place finish. Wheaton totaled 37 points in a 20-squad field.
The three-day meet, which was held at The Ohio State University's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, was won for the fourth straight year by Stanford University, which totaled 94 points. The Lyons were one point ahead of the University of Florida and came in just 2.5 points behind regional rival Keuka College. The championship is an open-class meet, combining competition from NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and NAIA colleges and universities.
Wheaton's team routine came in 10th, as the Lyons tallied 84.333 points to come within 0.500 points of eighth-place Keuka and the University of Arizona. Wheaton's sextet, which placed 11th with 78.667 points during the semifinal round, was comprised of senior Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough School), junior Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West), sophomores Laura Montes (San Juan, PR/Academia San Jose) and Jenna Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and freshmen Jenna Calvino (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) and Sonvje Ryen (Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian).
Montes qualified for the finals in solo, improving upon her semifinal score of 81.833 by totaling 82.500 during a 12th-place finish in the championship round. Wheaton's trio routine, performed by Montes, Ryen and Swinkin, was good for 12th during the finals, as the three tallied 83.000 points, 2.667 more than during their semifinal showing.
Ryen proved to be the national champion during C figures, pacing a 36-athlete field with 68.416 points, which was 1.240 ahead of second place. She also narrowly beat out a pair of swimmers from regional foe Canisius College, as Golden Griffins took third and fourth. Ryen is the third Lyon to capture the C figures title in the last five years, as Kinney was the last to win the crown, doing so during her freshman year in 2005.
In D figures, Calvino finished seventh among 49 competitors with 60.596 points, falling just 1.035 shy of fourth place. Kinney took eighth out of 46 in B figures with 69.189 points, coming within 0.835 of third. During her first collegiate championship competing in A figures, Montes placed 43rd with 70.676 points. For her efforts this weekend, Montes was one of three Division III swimmers to earn an All-Collegiate accolade.
Should Wheaton have qualifiers, the next competition for Lyon athletes would be on May 1, as the three-day U.S. National Championship kicks off at the University of Arizona.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 3/29/08.
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