On Thursday, October 10th, 2019, athletes from across the country convened in Rio Linda, California for the Syndicate Waterskis 2019 NCWSA National Championship.
The tournament was split into two divisions, the country’s top twelve teams competed in the Division I tournament, and the other twelve qualifiers competed in the Division II tournament.
Division II nationals had teams from every region show out and ski their best. Auburn University represented the South Atlantic Coastal Region in the Division II tournament. Auburn’s president, Libby Burroughs, described what it felt like to be at the tournament.
“Nationals was a great time as always. As a team, we loved all the hype and dancing before everyone’s jump set. It was super fun to get our jumpers pumped up (and dancing was a way to stay warm during the cold mornings). Another one of our favorite parts was the SAC support we received all tournament. One of the highlights of that was when our skier, Sarah Switzer, was jumping. Auburn was on one side of the lake and our fellow tigers, Clemson, were on the other side. Her whole jumpset we did Auburn cheers with them back and forth across the lake. #SACAttack is real,”
Libby Burroughs, Auburn
Kyla Jo Miller from the host school, Cal Poly, gave insight into how her team felt about the tournament.
“Nationals never disappoints! Hosting it definitely gives you a different perspective but it made it that much easier to appreciate the work that goes into putting on an event of this scale. Competing in D2 is always an encouraging environment but being together with the D1 kids is so inspiring, we wouldn’t want it any other way,”
Kyla Jo Miller, CalPoly
Photo Courtesy of Kyla Jo Miller 
Photo Courtesy of Kyla Jo Miller 
Photo Courtesy of Kyla Jo Miller 
Photo Courtesy of Kyla Jo Miller 
Photo Courtesy of Kyla Jo Miller
Team Results
At the end of the three-day tournament, the Midwest’s Miami University came out on top as Division II champions, edging out the West Coast’s California Polytechnic State University. The University of Wisconsin-Madison took third.
| Team | Slalom | Trick | Jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami University | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin – Madison | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | Auburn University | 7 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Iowa State University | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Purdue University | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| 7 | University of Michigan | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 8 | University of Cincinnati | 10 | 7 | 9 |
| 9 | Michigan State University | 11 | 11 | 2 |
| 10 | Texas State University | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| 11 | University of California, Los Angeles | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | University of Texas | 12 | 12 | 11 |
The University of Wisconsin-Madison took third place.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Sampson
California Polytechnic State University came in second place.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Sampson
Miami University walked away from Nationals as the 2019 Division II Champions.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Sampson
Miami University’s women’s captain Maggie Peplow described what winning the tournament meant for her team.
“Words truly can’t describe how elated I was about Miami’s 1st Place finish in DII again this year! Every year the team dynamic is so different due to people graduating and new leadership, so I really think that getting to see so many young people on A team and at nationals had me excited not just for this past year but for the future as well,”
Maggie Peplow, Miami
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Rowan 
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Rowan 
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Rowan
Individual Performances
Women’s Slalom
The ladies were not looking to be outdone by the guys. They put up some great slalom numbers as well. The winning slalom pass came from UCLA’s Paula Jaramillo with a score of 1.50@38off. Behind her was Iowa State’s Amanda Luttschwager Rose with 2@32off. UCLA’s Soraya Saghbini took third with 3.00@22off, Texas State’s Sarag Stevenson came in fourth with 3.50@15off, and Cal Poly’s Kyla Jo Miller came in fifth with 1.00@15off.
Men’s Slalom
One of the highlights of going to a large national tournament is the amount of skiing talent pooled into one area. The top five slalomers for Division II were: Colin Menard from Cal Poly who finished with a score of 0@35off, Eric O’Keefe from Purdue with a score of 5.50@32off, Curtis Kolb from Cincinnati with 5@32off, Jack Glendinning from Auburn with 2@32off, and Iowa State’s Ryan Schipper and Purdue’s Jose Luis Tejada tied for 5th with a score of 1.50@32off.
Women’s Trick
D2 Women’s trick lake was fiercely competitive. UCLA’s Paula Jaramillo won with a score of 2,800 points, Iowa State’s Amanda Luttschwager Rose came in second with 1,180 points, UCLA’s Abbegayle Young scored 960 points to place third, Miami University’s Emilee Peterson came in fourth with her 780 point trick run, and Cal Poly’s Kyla Jo Miller finished in fifth with a 720 point run.
Men’s Trick
There were many talented trickers on the water. The top five trick skiers in the tournament were Jose Luis Tejada from Purdue who score 2,070 points, Cody Overmire from Texas State with 1,410 points, John Misina Jr. from Wisconsin-Madison with 1,050 points, Eric O’Keefe from Purdue with 980 points, and Iowa State’s Ryan Schipper with 900 points.
Women’s Jump
The women’s jumpers put up big scores as well. The winner was Cal Poly’s Kyla Jo Miller with a 92ft jump, followed by UCLA’s Paula Jaramillo who had an 89ft jump. Aura Reyna from Auburn came in third with a 79ft jump, followed by the University of Michigan’s Sonja Konzen who had a 72ft jump, and Iowa State’s Amanda Luttschwager Rose rounded out the top five with a 70ft jump.
Men’s Jump
Jump day is always exciting. At this tournament, in order to podium, skiers had to be nearing the hundred-foot mark. The furthest jumps of the weekend were performed by Hayden Brake from Cal Poly who hit a 152ft jump. He was followed by Purdue’s Jose Luis Tejada with a 140ft jump, and Iowa State’s Ryan Schipper who had a 139ft jump. Behind Schipper was Eric O’keefe who had a 122ft jump, and Christopher Kownwick from Iowa State took fifth with a 97ft jump.
Women’s Overall
Getting on the podium at nationals is always a giant feat. Five women skied well enough in each event to earn an overall medal at the end of the tournament. UCLA’s Paula Jaramillo placed first overall, Iowa State’s Amanda Luttschwager Rose came in second, followed by Cal Poly’s Kyla Jo Miller in third. Purdue’s Allie Erwin finished fourth overall, and the University of Michigan’s Sonja Konzen came in fifth.
Men’s Overall
At the end of the tournament, Purdue topped the men’s podium. Jose Luis Tejada took 1st place, and his teammate Eric O’keefe took second. Behind them, Ryan Schipper from Iowa State took 3rd place, Cal Poly’s Hayden Brake took 4th, and Texas State’s Cody Overmire placed 5th.
Full tournament results are available at USAwaterski.com
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