Lauren Rabaino
The Cal Poly water ski team competed in the Collegiate Water Ski National Championships for the second time over the weekend.
The championships, held in Louisiana, brought out 20 of the best collegiate water ski teams in the nation.
Cal Poly placed 11th overall after competing against other Division I teams. Each team competed in slalom, tricks and jump events.
“Everyone stepped up this weekend and put up good scores,” said team member and mechanical engineering senior Colin Gibbs.
The University of Louisiana at Monroe took the Division I Team Overall title for the second consecutive year. Texas State University took the title for Division II.
Cal Poly earned a total of 5,135 points in the three events.
“I think it went great. We didn’t get last. Everyone did great,” team president Kyle Desautels said.
The women’s slalom team came in seventh place overall. Ashley Gunlund, an ag business major, tied for 24th place in the event.
The women’s tricks team placed seventh. Liz Seman, an animal science major, came in 22nd place.
The women’s jump team came in 11th place. Erin Gainous, an ag business major, came in 25th place.
Gunlund had the highest overall ranking from Cal Poly in the women’s division with 815 points.
The men’s slalom team placed 11th. Brian Morris, a forestry and natural resources major, tied for 35th place. Morris won the “Best Crash Award.”
The men’s tricks team placed eighth and set three personal-best scores, Gibbs said. Gibbs came in 25th place with a score of 360.
The men’s jump team came in 12th. Patrick Wyatt, an ag business major, came in 32nd place.
Gibbs ranked the highest overall from Cal Poly in the men’s division with a total of 690 points.
Desautels was unable to compete in Nationals because of a broken ankle. “I really wish I could have gone. I still feel like a part of the team. It just wasn’t as good not being there,” he said.
The team’s next competition will occur this weekend in San Diego.