Feb. 24, 2006

Williamsburg, Va. - The UAB synchronized swimming team heads to Williamsburg, Va., this weekend, as they look to capture their third regional championship in the last four years.

The Blazers were two-time defending champions until last season, when one point prevented them from the three-peat.

There were several individual success stories in the Southern Regionals in 2005, as the Blazers took first place in the team competition with a score of 89.667 and had both of their duet teams finish in a tie for first. The pairing of Sara Petrov/Morgan Clarke and Stephanie Jackson/Stacey Jackson each scored 88.000 points.

In the solo event, UAB's Petrov took first place with a score of 86.333, edging out her teammate Maria Vargas, who compiled a score of 84.833.

UAB will look to continue their streak after a win and solid performance against the University of Florida on the road last weekend. The Blazers claimed the top spot with a score of 100 for the win.

The Blazers had several top finishes against UF, including the team competition where UAB took top honors. The team of Megan Kelly, Maria Garcia, Mariana Vigneron, Andrea Dash, Morgan Clarke, Sara Petrov, Hallie Todd and Frances Holloran scored 89.500, good enough to take 1st place in the event.

In the solo event, UAB's Dash sisters helped the Blazers cause by finishing 1st and 2nd with scores of 75.038 and 74.949. Rebecca Johnson and Casey Lord contributed to the effort with scores of 72.660 and 71.019.