Ragin 'Cajuns Win Fifth Consecutive National Collegiate Water Ski Title
by Scott N. Atkinson
The University of Louisiana-Lafayette won the Division 1 national title at the Syndicate Waterskis 45th Collegiate Water Ski National Championships, Oct. 10-12, at the San Marcos River Ranch in Martindale, Texas. The Ragin’ Cajuns tallied 12,850.0 points in winning their fifth consecutive and 11th overall national title since the inception of the event in 1979. The University of Louisiana-Monroe finished second with 11,705.0 points. The University of Alabama, which tallied 11,220.0 points, placed third. Florida Southern College finished fourth with 10,050.0 points and Arizona State University was fifth with 9,350.0 points.
The Nationals included 12 teams in Division 1 and 12 teams in Division 2. National team champions were declared in both divisions. Individual medals for slalom, tricks and jumping were awarded based on athletes' placements within their division. Overall titles were awarded in each division to athletes competing in all three events. Athletes finishing in the top five in each event of slalom, tricks, jump and overall in Division 1 earned All-American honors.
The Division 1 field was comprised of: University of Alabama, Arizona State University, Clemson University, Florida Southern College, University of Kansas, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Miami of Ohio University, Rollins College, San Diego State University, Texas A&M University, and University of Wisconsin.
Athletes winning individual national titles in Division 1 were: Rollins College’s Charlie Ross (Canada), men’s slalom (2 buoys at 41 feet off); Rollins College’s Patricio Font (Mexico), men’s tricks (7,260 points); Alabama’s Will Roberts (Dow, Ill.), men’s jump (183 feet); Arizona State University’s Blaze Grubbs (Rio Linda, Calif.), men’s overall (1,625 points); Arizona State University’s Luisa Jaramillo (Colombia) and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Ali Garcia (Winter Garden, Fla.), women’s slalom (tie-1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off); Florida Southern College’s Olivia Chute (Canada), women’s tricks (3,910 points); Alabama’s Agustina Varas (Chile), women’s jump (140 feet); and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Lara Butlin (Australia), women’s overall (1,585 points). Roberts won men’s jump for the third consecutive year.
The Division 2 field was comprised of: Baylor University, Auburn University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Michigan State University, University of Nebraska, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, University of Texas, UCLA, Western Washington University, and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the Division 2 team title, scoring 10,010 points. Ohio State University placed second (9,250.0 points), followed by the University of Nebraska (8,780.0 points), Purdue University (8,095.0 points) and Southern Illinois University (7,670.0 points).
Athletes winning individual national titles in Division 2 were: University of Nebraska’s Samuel Weber (Lincoln, Neb.) and UCLA’s Paul Wesley Cory (Sacramento, Calif.), men’s slalom (tie-4 buoys at 35 feet off); Michigan State’s Aidan Hughes (Fenton, Mich.), men’s tricks (2,510 points); UCLA’s Paul Wesley Cory (Sacramento, Calif.), men’s jump (129 feet); and University of Nebraska’s Samuel Weber (Lincoln, Neb.), men’s overall (1,505 points); Auburn University’s Anna Warren (Enterprise, Ala.), women’s slalom (4 buoys at 15 feet off) and tricks (1,100 points); Ohio State University’s Quincy Bizjak (Columbus, Ohio), women’s jump (65 feet); and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Faith Passehl (Shawano, Wis.), women’s overall (1,475 points).