Miami University
Midwestern Championships (C)
Collegiate Team Wins Midwestern Championships
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Synchronized Skating
Feb. 4, 2011
ROCHESTER, Minn.--Behind a score of 96.91, Miami University's collegiate synchronized skating team seized gold at the Midwestern Championships on Friday afternoon in Rochester, Minn.
In its final competition before the U.S. National Championships, the RedHawks attacked their Brazilian Carnival-themed program, posting a score more than 10 points better than either of their previous two competitions this season.
"They were excellent. We had a lot of energy and had a nice, clean skate," said head coach Carla DeGirolamo. "We're improving on our shapes and timing and really beefing up our overall performance."
Miami boasted a 10-point margin over its nearest competitor among the nine-team field with a total element score of 50.51 and a program component score of 46.40. Western Michigan finished second behind Miami with a score of 86.80. Rounding out the Midwestern Championship field were Michigan (81.94), Michigan State (76.76), Wisconsin (75.53), Minnesota (70.87), Adrian (68.43), Illinois (58.24), Northwestern (43.01).
"I think this gives us good momentum and sets us up well for nationals," added DeGirolamo. "We have a few technical things we need to work on, but I think we are poised to break the 100-point mark and hopefully retain our national title."
The next synchronized skating team in action for the RedHawks is the senior team Feb. 11-13 at the Spring Cup in Milan, Italy.
