AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Florida Southern College water ski team saw its first action of the season on Saturday at Champions Lake in Auburndale. The annual showdown with Rollins also featured individuals from UCF and the University of Florida.
The competition was cut short during the jump portion of the event, preventing a final team score from being determined. Florida Southern won the combined slalom competition with 560 points, while Rollins took the combined tricks competition with 550 points to the Mocs' 470.
Florida Southern opened the day with a strong performance in slalom. On the men's side,
Jacopo Gargaro led the Mocs with a second-place finish after recording 3.00 buoys at 39.5 off for a score of 111.00.
Chase Sparks followed in third with a score of 110.50, setting a personal best, while
George Malinovski and
Dominic Kuhn finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The depth helped Florida Southern win the men's slalom team competition with 300 points, 110 ahead of Rollins.
Kate Pinsonneault led the women's slalom field, winning the event with 2.00 buoys at 38 off and a score of 98.00.
Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah added a third-place finish with a score of 91.50 as the Mocs tied Rollins for first in the women's slalom team standings with 260 points.
The combined performances gave Florida Southern 560 points in slalom, securing the event victory over Rollins, which finished with 450.
The Tars responded by taking the combined tricks competition, but the Mocs produced several of the event's top individual performances. Kuhn paced the Mocs with a first-place finish in men's tricks, posting a score of 6,320.
Evan Robbins finished fifth with 2,210 points, while Sparks and Malinovski placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
Yoong Hanifah and Pinsonneault led Florida Southern in women's tricks, finishing second and third. Yoong Hanifah posted a score of 3,880, while Pinsonneault finished with 2,380.
Solie Stenger,
Avery Crain and
Chloe Ellingsen also scored for the Mocs.
Florida Southern also picked up victories in the B divisions.
Trenton Oberndorf won the men's B tricks competition with a score of 2,220, helping the Mocs take the top team score in the event.
Rebecca Dugan added another victory for Florida Southern in women's B tricks with a score of 770.
The Mocs closed the competition with a dominant start in men's jump. Sparks led the field with a jump of 169 feet, followed by Malinovski at 158 feet and Kuhn at 136 feet, giving Florida Southern a sweep of the top three spots. The performances gave the Mocs 120 points in the unfinished men's jump standings compared with 30 for Rollins.
The jump competition was cut short before the men's event could be completed and before the women's event could start, leaving no official final team score.
UP NEXT
Florida Southern returns to action Oct. 3-4 at the SAC Regional Championship.
