Slow start, strong finish: inside the 27th national title

A dynasty is a family or team that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time. The ULM Water Ski team is nothing short of an example of this.

Under new head coach, Joey McNamara, the ULM Water Ski team claimed it’s 27th National Championship last weekend in El Centro, California.

“Never has it been more imperative for everyone to ski their best. In the past, skiers might only have to train and ski two of the three events, but this year everyone had to focus and ski well at all three,” coach McNamara said.

The 37th National Collegiate Water Ski Tournament was hosted by San Diego State University at Imperial Lakes where all colleges in the competition were

divided into two different divisions.

ULM took on some big-name schools in their division. Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and in-state rival UL-Lafayette were among the tough competitors.

The competition was three days long and consisted of three different events for each water skier on the team, slalom, trick and jump.

Through the first couple of the days, it appeared as if ULM wouldn’t even make the podium in some events, but after a first place finish in the “jump” category, the Warhawks reclaimed the national title that they are so familiar with.

Finishing behind ULM in second place was UL-Lafayette and in third place was Florida Southern.

“It really came down to the jump event where nine out of our 10 members had a personal best. Water skiing championships are won with a team that skis well and consistently as a whole, not just individuals,” coach McNamara said.

A notable performance by ULM came from graduate student Martin Koleman who finished first overall in the tournament after placing fifth in slalom, second in trick and first in jump.

His jump on day three gave the Warhawks their first lead in the tournament and ultimately clinched the title for the team.

On the women’s side of the team, Sasha Danisheuskaya finished second overall in the tournament by placing eighth in slalom, sixth in trick and second in jump.

Alex King, a sophomore on the team who placed third in jump, talked about what the future holds for the water ski team.

“We’re going have to keep improving, but the mindset is still the same, we can’t lose the hunger next year,” King said.

Recruiting will only go up from here according to coach McNamara. Winning a national title will help fill in the spots they will lose to graduation this year.

The Warhawks will not have to travel far to compete as national champions next season as the national tournament will be held at Bennett’s Water Ski and Wakeboard School in Zachary, La.