Four U.S. Water Ski Athletes Win Titles At 62nd Masters

U.S. water ski athletes Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Lauren Morgan (St. Louis, Mo.) and Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.) won titles in respective events at the 62nd Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament, presented by GM Marine, May 28-29, at Callaway Gardens’ Robin Lake in Pine Mountain, Ga. It was the first time since 1992 that U.S. female athletes swept the respective Masters water ski titles.

Jaquess won her eighth career Masters slalom title, scoring 1 buoy at 41 feet off in the finals. Canada’s Whitney McClintock finished second (2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off) and Australia’s Venessa Vieke placed third (4 buoys at 38 feet off).

Lang won her fourth career Masters tricks title, scoring a Masters course record 10,930 points in the finals to clinch it. Canada’s Neilly Ross finished second (10,530 points) and Germany’s Giannina Bonnemann placed third (10,020 points).

Morgan won her first career Masters jumping title with a distance of 167 feet in the finals. U.S. athlete Brittany Greenwood (Little Rock, Ark.) finished second (160 feet) and defending champion Hanna Straltsova, representing the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation, placed third (159 feet).

Smith won his sixth career Masters slalom title, scoring 3 buoys at 41 feet off in the finals. U.S. athlete Jon Travers (Groveland, Fla.) finished second (2 buoys at 41 feet off) and Great Britain’s Will Asher placed third (1 buoy at 41 feet off).

Other champions from the 62nd Masters were: Mexico’s Pato Font, Men’s tricks (Masters course record tie of 12,250 points), and Great Britain’s Joel Poland, Men’s jumping (218 feet). It was Font’s third consecutive Masters title and Poland’s first career Masters title.

Among other highlights from U.S. athletes, Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.) finished third in Men’s jumping (211 feet); Taylor Garcia (Winter Garden, Fla.) placed fourth in Men’s jumping (204 feet); Anna Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.) finished fourth in Women’s tricks (8,140 points); Dane Mechler (Davidson, N.C.) placed fourth in Men’s slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); and Allie Nicholson (Gallatin, Tenn.) finished fourth in Women’s slalom (4 buoys at 38 feet off).

In other events, U.S. athlete Mary Morgan Howell (Dothan, Ala.) and Australia’s Cory Teunissen won the women’s and men’s wakeboarding titles, respectively.

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee designated the 2022 Nautique Masters as the Operation Gold event for 2022. U.S. water ski and wakeboard athletes finishing among the top-four placements in their respective disciplines earned additional cash-prize funds from the USOPC.

U.S. water ski athlete Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.) won Junior Men’s tricks on Friday (May 27) at the 29th Nautique Junior Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament. Some of the world’s top junior water ski athletes (age 17 and under on Dec. 31, 2021) competed for titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall. Abelson won Junior Men’s tricks, scoring 8,680 points in the finals. He earned the top seed for the finals with a Junior Masters course record 11,230 points in the elimination round. Chile’s Matias Gonzalez finished second (8,260 points) and Mexico’s Pablo Font placed third (5,320 points).

Other champions from the Junior Masters were: Colombia’s Daniela Verswyvel, Junior Women’s tricks (6,770 points); Peru’s Cristhiana De Osma, Junior Women’s slalom (5 buoys at 35 feet off); Canada’s Charlie Ross, Junior Men’s slalom (Junior Masters course record 1 buoy at 41 feet off); Canada’s Shae O’Brien, Junior Women’s jumping (133 feet); Italy’s Florian Parth, Junior Men’s jumping (177 feet) and overall (2,749.0 points); and Canada’s Nellie Allard, Junior Women’s overall (2,700.2 points). Italy’s Stefano Comollo and U.S. athlete Kira Lewis (Clermont, Fla.) won the Junior Men’s and Junior Women’s wakeboarding titles, respectively. Among other highlights from U.S. athletes, Kendra Nathan (Canyon Lake, Calif.) placed third in Junior Women’s overall (2,175.2 points).

The Ski Nautique was the exclusive towboat. For complete results, visit www.masterswaterski.com.