Stanford artistic swimming repeats as national champions

Stanford artistic swimming added another chapter to one of the most decorated programs on The Farm Saturday afternoon, winning its second consecutive USA Artistic Swimming Collegiate National Championship title. The Cardinal finished with 98 points, ahead of Incarnate World’s 83 points and Ohio State’s 82, to bring home the program’s 11th national title.

The weekend win at Avery Aquatic Center marked Stanford’s first back-to-back national crowns since its four-year run from 2005-2008 and its fifth title while hosting the championship. Artistic swimming has the fifth-most national championships among all programs on The Farm, with only women’s tennis, men’s tennis, men’s water polo and women’s swimming and diving possessing more trophies. 

The championship win was secured with a dominant final day of competition. Senior Yara Elian, sophomore Audrey Kwon and sophomore Calista Liu won the trio event with a score of 239.7192, while another Stanford trio of sophomore Megumi Field, freshman Karen Xue and sophomore Dalia Ovadia took second at 236.7187.

Stanford’s top squad then won the team event with a finish at 234.920, and another set of Cardinal swimmers finished runner-up at 230.7211. Stanford also placed second and third in duet, with Kwon and Liu finishing ahead of Field and Ovadia. 

The championship capped a season that looked like a legitimate title defense from the very start. This season opened with Elian winning Tech A and trio titles at the OSU Invitational back in late January, and although Stanford finished runner-up at the Incarnate World Invitational, the Cardinal quickly reasserted itself. By mid-February, Stanford had won its fifth-straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) championship, remaining the only conference championship since the MPSF began sponsoring the sport in 2022.

At the Western Regionals on Senior Day, the dominance did not stop. Stanford swimmers swept all five event titles, providing one of their more impressive performances of the season heading into nationals. Elian, Kwon and Liu again led the way with multiple wins, while freshman Morgan Woelfel claimed the solo title.

The title repeat also came in the first season under head coach Elvira Khasyanova, who was elevated last October after seven seasons serving as an assistant coach. Khasyanova was named Coach of the Year after the national meet, and Field earned High Point Athlete honors.

Following this season, six seniors will be departing the team, meaning the roster will go through significant change.

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