Canada and U.S. Battle for First in Senior Prelims

San Diego, Calif.-- The fourth day of competition kicked off with Canada and the United States battling for first seed in Saturday’s senior finals. The two countries fought through the preliminary technical routines (solo, duet, trio and team) that make up 50 percent of the score that determines which teams advance to Saturday’s finals at the Poway Community Swim Center in San Diego, Calif.

The United States started the day with a bang—Team II took the gold while the U.S. Junior National Team captured bronze in the Combo routine. The Junior/Senior Combo routine incorporates five different routines into one seven-minute program. Canada took the silver medal. Other top finishers include California teams, the Walnut Creek Aquanuts (fourth) and The Riverside Aquettes (fifth).

2001 U.S. Open solo champion, Barb Nesbitt, returns to the competition on National Team II where she mirrored her ‘01 performance and placed first, beating Canada’s second and third place finishers. U.S. Team II member, Alicia Rice, placed fourth. In fifth place, the only male in the competition, Kenyon Smith (Santa Clara, Calif.), looks optimistic heading into finals.

Canada nabbed the first place finish in the duet technical prelims, leaving U.S. Team II duet, Poppy Carlig and Heather Burdick, in second; and Team II duet partners and twins, Leah and Leayn Pinette, in third. The New Canaan Y Aquianas’ Senior team placed fourth after their Junior team’s dynamic final performance yesterday.

Canada pulled ahead in the Senior team tech preliminary round and took first. The United States placed second with a score of 91.500, and California club, the Walnut Creek Aquanuts, placed third. Other top contenders were the Riverside Aquettes, Santa Clara Aquamaids, New Canaan Y Aquianas, and Indy Synchro.

Tickets are $10 at the door, Saturday, July 16 for the final round of Senior competition.

Combo Routines

Senior Tech Solo Prelim

1. United States Of America, Barbara Nesbitt, 91.500, 2. Canada, Sarah Eve Pelletier, 91.000, 3. Canada, Eve Lamoureux, 90.000, 4. United States Of America , Alicia Rice, 88.667, 5. Santa Clara Aquamaids, Kenyon Smith, 86.000, 6. Chile, Soledad Soto Tobar, 85.833, 7. Indy Synchro, Karen Meyer, 83.833, 7. Redwood Empire, Emily Van Vleck, 83.833, 9. Santa Clara Aquamaids, Ashley Strayer, 82.167, 10. Riverside Aquettes, Hannah Frawley, 80.333, 11. Indy Synchro, Corenn Cookerly, 79.500, 12. Northern Virginia Nereids, Liz Chinoransky, 78.500