Julia Klein, a UAS freshman from Juneau, won first place in her division of synchronized swimming at the Western Regional Collegiate Championship. She competed against swimmers from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Arizona and won in category C figures. She will represent UAS at the national competition in Ohio March 15-18.

Since the Juneau campus has no athletic teams, Klein organized a campus club. "I swim at meets representing UAS," she says, "but I train with the Juneau Aurora Knights." The Knights are a Juneau synchronized swimming club for girls age 10 through high school. Klein is also working as one of the interim coaches for the Juneau club team.

In the figures category, competitors execute specific moves without music and are scored by judges. At the regionals, Klein performed four figures: Herron, Tower, Ballet Leg, and Back Walk-Over. "The A and B figures are quite a bit harder," Klein says. "I'll be doing those next year."

Klein traveled by herself to the regional competition. The other schools had teams and coaches. "They really thought it was cool to have someone from Alaska come down," she says.

At the nationals Klein will do where 3 1/2-minuite solo routine that is done to music in addition to her figures. Klein says, "I have a good chance of placing again," in her figures. The competition in the solo routine category will be more difficult. "It's fun just to go. I like to compete."