The Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team won its 11th national championship — the most in University of Louisiana at Lafayette history.
The team, which competes as a club sport rather than an NCAA-sanctioned sport, has also earned Division I national championships in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2015, 2010, 2005, 2003, 1997 and 1995. COVID-19 considerations prevented the championship from being held in 2020.
Its most recent national title came at the National Collegiate Waterski Association tournament on Oct. 9 in San Marcos, Texas. Teams must qualify to compete in the national championships based on performances during tournaments leading up to the event. The national championship included three events for women and three for men – slalom, tricks and jump.
“It was really great to see the team pull together and overcome the odds,” said Ryan Gonzales, head coach. “To be able to repeat the victory another year — having new captains and with two of our top skiers out because they were competing in Chile for the Pan Am Games — was really enjoyable for me this year.”
Skiers also competed for individual national titles in each of those events, and for overall women's and men's championships. The overall titles are based on combined performances in the three events.
The University of Louisiana Monroe finished second in the national championships, followed by the University of Alabama, Florida Southern College and Arizona State University.
UL Lafayette's Lara Butlin won the overall title in the women's competition. In the women's slalom event, Ali Garcia placed second, Annemarie Wroblewski won third and Alana Jones tied for fourth place. In the men's slalom, Florian Parth won third place and Vincenzo Marino won fifth place.
In tricks skiing, Kendra Nathan and Megan Pelkey tied for fourth place in the women's competition. Parth earned third place and Marino won fifth place in the men's competition. Emily Wenzel and Butlin tied for third place in the women's jump competition. Parth was second among the men and Lucas Pinette secured third place.
The Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team's 23 members are from nine different countries. It's led by Gonzales and assistant coach Harry Spavin. Annemarie Wroblewski and James Bryans, both from the United States, are team captains.
Gonzales said the team will host a celebratory meet-and-greet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Pete’s on Johnston Street in Lafayette.
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Photo caption: The Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team celebrates its 11th national championship in San Marcos, Texas. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team.