KITCHENER/WATERLOO -- In the first meet of the season, Durham Synchro sent 35 provincial and national level athletes to the 2005 Lisa Alexander Figures Meet at Wilfred Laurier University in Kitchener-Waterloo.

In Tier 6 competition, Brianna MacLellan (Whitby) was fifth place in a field of 77 competitors.

In Tier 7 Jr. competition, Durham Synchro took two of six podium placements, with Katie LePage (Whitby) in fifth place, and teammate Chelsey Matthews (Uxbridge) in sixth place.

The club fields four full eight-member teams plus alternates this year, with swimmers aged from eight to 16 years old. Durham's Tier 1 team is made up entirely of new swimmers who have moved up from recreational to the competitive ranks. Tier 1 Coach Sarah Rowe says she could not be happier with her young team's results.

"My swimmers are aged eight to 12 years, and we ended up right in the middle of the Tier 1 results," she says. "This was a great success for a first-time meet, and leaves lots of room for improvement later in the season."

Tier 1 swimmers include: Shannon Blaney (Brooklin), Kaitlin Bishop (Oshawa), Meagan Caulfield (Whitby), Heather Clarke (Whitby), Lindsay Evelyn (Courtice) and Taylor Summers (Whitby).

In Tier 4 competition, Durham garnered a podium placement, with Stephanie Geller (Whitby) taking second.

Durham Synchro is one of the largest synchro swim clubs in Ontario. The club currently provides recreational, competitive and masters opportunities to over one hundred swimmers in Durham Region. Visit www.durhamsynchro.com for information about recreational, competitive and masters synchronized swimming programs in Durham Region.