Santa Clara boogie-woogied itself to victory Tuesday in the 14-15 team final at the 1999 U.S. Open Synchronized Swimming Championships Presented by United Airlines, being held July 18-24 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo.

The California synchro powerhouse, swimming to a compilation of boogie-woogie standards, topped California neighbor Walnut Creek by a margin of 2.203 for the 14-15 title. Santa Clara’s 16-18 team followed suit, qualifying first for 16-18 team finals with a score of 84.748. Walnut Creek's 82.464 qualified them in second, while Tonawanda (N.Y.) rounded out the top three with 81.882. Japan’s National Junior Team’s creative choreography and sharp technical style earned them an honorary first place with a score of 87.642.

In the 14-15 duet semifinal, the perennial cross-bay rivals’ places flip-flopped, with Walnut Creek’s pair of Ashley McHugh and Lauren Rettberg earning the first qualifying spot with 80.237. Kerin Arora and Sepeedeh Nikbakht of Santa Clara weren’t far behind with 79.774, while teammates Ashley Rule and Regina Smith finished third with 78.435.

The 1999 U.S. Open Presented by United Airlines is the top open meet of the summer calendar, featuring approximately 400 athletes from across the United States, as well as top swimmers from Japan, Australia and Chile. Athletes are competing for national titles in three age categories.

Competition continues Wednesday at 6:45 a.m. with 14-15 solo semifinals, 16-18 duet semifinals and 16-18 team finals. Complete results can be found at www.usasynchro.org. For more information, contact Kaylene Riemen during the day at 314-939-2386, ext. 609 or at night at 314-928-1500, Room 310.

14-15 Team Final
1, Santa Clara (Calif.), 81.925. 2, Walnut Creek (Calif.), 79.722. 3, Cincinnati, 76.499. 4, Columbus (Ohio), 75.967. 5, San Francisco, 75.773. 6, Indianapolis, 75.395. 7, Tonawanda (N.Y.), 74.368. 8, Kansas City, 70.480.

14-15 Duet Final Qualifiers
1, A. McHugh, L. Rettberg, Walnut Creek, 80.237. 2, K. Arora, S. Nikbakht, Santa Clara, 79.774. 3, A. Rule, R. Smith, Santa Clara, 78.435. 4, C. Ramage, S. Rutenbar, Texas, 78.294. 5, R. Rife, R. Rife, Walnut Creek, 77.953. 6, S. Alborg, K. Hooven, Walnut Creek, 77.879. 7, S. Raftery, E. Schmidt, Cincinnati, 76.760. 8, J. De Fabio, J. Rosen, San Francisco, 76.658.