Waterski Opens 2023 Season with Win Against Rollins

GROVELAND, Fla - Florida Southern College waterski team took down Rollins College in the season opener as the Moccasins defeated the Tars, 1,520 to 930 on Saturday. 
 
Florida Southern dominated in every event but one, as the women swept in all three team events. The women's A team finished with 660 points for a first-place finish. Rollins Women's A team scored 290 points. The men's A team won two out of the three team events scoring 860 points. (Rollins 640) 

"Great competition yesterday as FSC won 5 out of six events and swept the combined events of male/female slalom, trick skiing, and long-distance ski jumping," stated head coach Curtis Rabe. "Several personal bests for our Mocs. Josefa Gonzalez in slalom, Olivia Chute in tricks, and Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah in slalom and jump. On the Men's side, Chris Horwood was on fire as he claimed the overall award. Also, contributing big in jump, were John Horwood, Vicente Tizza, and Evan Robbins. All of them flew over 150. The future looks bright and we are grinding hard as we prepare for the collegiate Regionals in two weeks!"
 
The women finished first in all three of the event competitions slalom (220), trick (260), and jump (180), as sophomore Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah earned the only individual first-place finish. Yoong Hanifah's first-place finish came in the jump with a 135-foot jump, earning 60 points for her team. Senior Rebecca Ramsay finished in second with a 115-foot jump, along with sophomore Sierra Klinchuch (89 feet) in third.  
 
The Mocs took home second place in other two individual events, first in the Slalom as graduate student Josefa Gonzalez scored a personal best of 2 buoys at 38 off, earning 70 points. Sophomore Olivia Chute captured the other second-place medal finishing with 4,190 points individually with 80 points in the trick competition. Where Rollins athlete Neilly Ross set a new pending NCWSA Division 1 Trick record.  
 
In the men's jump competition, FSC dominated coming away with 340 points as sophomore Evan Robbins finished first with 100 points toward the team score with a 154-foot jump. The Mocs took away first through fourth, as sophomore Vicente Tizza (152 ft) placed second behind Robbins followed by junior John Horwood (152ft) and senior Alex Gaharan (148ft) in fourth.  
 
In men's slalom, Chris Horwood finished in a three-way tie with a score of 2 buoys at 38 off with two other Rollins athletes. Florida Southern, Collin Frucci rounded up the podium with a 5th-place finish adding 60 team points.  
 
In men's trick, FSC took second place through fifth as Gaharan finished second with 90 points scoring 3,040. Chris Horwood (3rd), Tizza (4th), and John Horwood (5th) all contributed to the overall team score to earn first place in the trick competition. During this event, Rollins athlete Patricio Font, and current professional World Record Holder set a new pending NCWSA Division 1 Trick record.  
 
We had some alumni who came and supported us. Thank you to former Mocs: 
-Lauren Morgan 2016
-Rea Jöerger 2022
-Tanguy Dailland 2020
-Vale Gonzalez 2021 & 2022

The Mocs will be back on the water competing in the SAC Collegiate Regionals in three weeks as they head to Harmony, N.C. The regional championship is set to begin on Oct. 7 and go through Oct. 8.