Artistic Swimming | 3/24/2024 5:37:00 PM
Lewisville, Texas (March 23, 2024) - The Texas Woman's University artistic swimming team created magic and broke records at the 2024 USA Collegiate National Championship, held in their own backyard pool in Lewisville, Texas during Friday and Saturday, March 22-23.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Barb Nesbitt Ng, the team performed strong routines that were among the best of the National Championship. TWU was a force to be reckoned with the past couple of days in Lewisville as they faced historically successful programs such as: Stanford University and the Ohio State University.
The event had the participation of five varsity programs, TWU, Stanford, Ohio State, University of Incarnate Word and Wheaton College, as well as other club teams from the University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of Michigan, University of Richmond, Boston University, University of Arizona, UCLA, and Colorado State.
Ada Monteys Vinardell, Eva Fernández-Montenegro Serrano, and Maria Fernández-Montenegro Serrano led the Pioneers in the technical events. They demonstrated their skills and precision, securing top placements in C Figures and B Elements. In the C figure category Monteys Vinardell earned the first place, a first in program history with a 64.2234. Eva Fernández-Montenegro Serrano took the 12th place in the same event. Maria Fernández-Montenegro Serrano from Guadalajara, Spain was the only Pioneers competing in the Elements B category and took the 12th place home.
Maya Schwickert's captivating and incredibly difficult solo performance brought the first medal for TWU. Schwickert finished in third place behind Olivia MacDonald from Wheaton College and Lindi Schroeder from Stanford University.
Schwickert and Montey's medals are the first hardware earned by the Pioneers in the National stage.
Candela Fidalgo Garcia, the sophomore from Vigo, Spain captured fourth place in the solo event right behind Schwickert with her new and improved Spiderman routine.
Fidalgo Garcia teamed up with sophomore Regina Ramirez and presented a mesmerizing flamenco routine that earned a historical fourth place finish for the Pioneers in the National stage. The pair from Spain and Mexico were partners during the 2023 season where they placed sixth at Collegiate Nationals. Two placements improvement for the duet further solidified TWU's prowess at the end of day one of competition.
Day two of competition was an unforgettable one as the Pioneers brought home two base mark free routines in the trio and team events.
TWU started the day with the best swim of the season from their 'Cha Cha' trio. Schwickert, senior Makayla Crichton and junior Ashley Latchford secured another history placement with the trio by placing fifth out of 18 trios, beating their seventh place finish from last year in the trio event.
Their 'Cha Cha' routine was the first of the base mark free swims for the Pioneers, as they cleanly performed and executed their routine with no errors and received credit for all of their elements. The Pioneers were just behind two trios from UIW and two trios from Stanford.
In the team events TWU truly shone. Team Minerva, comprising Schwickert, Fidalgo Garcia, Ramirez, Crichton, Latchford, Maribella Falconer, and Kimberly Poitras, wowed the audience and the judges with their Moulin Rouge themed routine, earning a well-deserved fifth place and a first in program history. This team routine was another base mark free routine for TWU, who completed all of their declared elements successfully and received full credit for all of them.
Meanwhile, team Oakley, featuring Monteys Vinardell, Haiden Long, Anaya Kashikar, Laura Klein Paredes, and the Fernández Montenegro-Serrano sisters, showcased their talent and energetic routine and claimed seventh place.
The competition took place amidst a backdrop of roaring cheers and enthusiastic support from fans, friends, family, and alumni, creating an electrifying atmosphere that made the Pioneers feel right at home. The crowd's energy soared, helping the Pioneers elevate their performances to new heights.
After two days of competition and unmeasurable hard work, the Pioneers took home the third place overall for the first time in program history defeating the 2023 Reigning National Champions, Ohio State. University of Incarnate Word took the top of the podium, leaving Stanford with the second place. This is also the first time since 2019 that another team other than UIW, SUS or OSU finishes in the top three spots at Collegiate Nationals.
This National Championship puts an end to an incredible 2024 season for the TWU artistic swimming led by Head Coach Nesbitt Ng in her first year with the Pioneers.
-PIONEERS-
