EP synchronized swimmers compete at sectionals, move on to state meet

The Eden Prairie High School girls’ synchronized swimming team competed in the West Sections Meet on May 18, which determined who goes on to compete at the state meet

The sections meet is split into a figure meet and a routine meet. The score each swimmer receives at each meet makes up 50% of their final score (figure score x 0.5 + routine score x 0.5 = total score). The figure meet portion is individually based. Each girl performs four figures (a figure is similar to a single cartwheel in gymnastics or something comparable) one at a time in front of a panel of judges and receives a score based on how well she executes the figures.

The routine meet portion is broken down into short, long, and extended categories (each increasing in skill level; generally, a competitor will move on to long after placing in short, and to extended after placing in long). For each of those categories, there are solos, duets, trios, and teams, for a total of 12 events. Those that place in the top four of their event go on to compete that routine at state. Eden Prairie received the following awards at West Sections:

Team awards at West Sections. Submitted photo

Short team members Aslihan Erisgen, Aditi Ginuga, Ingrid Karlin, Hannah Larsen, Lauren Mertz, and Lilly Pearson. Submitted photo

Ingrid Karlin, Lauren Mertz, and Grace Proper in long trio. Submitted photo

Lauren Mertz in short solo. Submitted photo

Aslihan Erisgen, Aditi Ginuga, Ingrid Karlin, Hannah Larsen, Lauren Mertz, and Lilly Pearson in short team. Submitted photo

Grace Proper in long solo. Submitted photo

Eden Prairie received the following awards at West Sections:

In Short Figures:

Lauren Mertz placed first

Ingrid Karlin placed second

Sophia Spradlin placed seventh

In Long Figures:

Grace Proper placed first

In Short Solos:

Lauren Mertz placed first

Sophia Spradlin placed fourth

Hannah Larsen placed fifth

In Long Solos:

Grace Proper placed first

In Extended Solos:

Ella Bruce placed fifth

In Short Duets:

Aslihan Erisgen and Lilly Pearson placed fifth

Sophia Spradlin and Lydia Wattengel placed sixth

Ella Bruce and Shagana Manigandan placed seventh

In Long Trios:

Ingrid Karlin, Lauren Mertz, and Grace Proper placed second

In Short Teams:

Aslihan Erisgen, Aditi Ginuga, Ingrid Karlin, Hannah Larsen, Lauren Mertz, and Lilly Pearson placed first

The 2024 Minnesota Synchronized Swimming State Invitational will take place on May 23 and 24. Eden Prairie’s Aslihan Erisgen and Lilly Pearson will pre-swim their short duet to give judges a baseline to judge against.

EPHS competitors at the state meet are Lauren Mertz and Sophia Spradlin in short solos; Grace Proper in long solo; Ingrid Karlin, Lauren Mertz, and Grace Proper in long trio; and Aslihan Erisgen, Aditi Ginuga, Ingrid Karlin, Hannah Larsen, Lauren Mertz, and Lilly Pearson in short team.

Head coaches of the EPHS girls’ synchronized swimming team are Faith Cornish and Tori Anderson.