EDMONTON -- In its first season of competition, Durham Synchro's Masters team has brought home gold from the recent World Masters Games in Alberta.

The team was first overall in both technical and free competition, and also claimed gold in the team championship.

In duet, Shannon Murdock and Kirsten Mills also took first in free, and first in championship, while Joy Simon's solo took silver across the board in technical, free, and championship.

Durham's Masters also brought home the Olympium Aggregate Award for the highest scoring average of all swimmers, plus the coveted Gladys Hambrook Trophy for highest routine score in Canada.

Throughout their inaugural season, the eight-member team also brought home gold and silver medals from every competition they entered. Tara Fowler-Agnew, Vanessa Reeve, Lori Durand Noiles, Robyn Parashyniak, Shannon Murdock Savage, Kirsten Mills, Joy Simon and coach Teri Pearce earned their berth to the Worlds in Edmonton when they captured three gold medals at the earlier Canadian National Masters Synchro Swim Championships in Toronto.

"We are thrilled with our results this year," says coach Pearce, who also swims with the team. "While we all had previous synchronized swimming experience, we had not swam competitively for 10 years."

Now in their 20s, most of the women have known each other since age 11 when they swam with the Durham club.

Durham Synchro provides recreational, competitive and Masters swimming opportunities to more than 100 swimmers in Durham Region, and is one of the largest synchronized swimming clubs in Ontario. For more information on fall registration, go to www.durhamsynchro.com.