The UCSD water ski team took second place at the Western Conference Regional Championship on Oct. 6 in Bakersfield, Calif., which qualified the team for the Division IA Nationals, which Southwest Texas State University is hosting in Austin, Texas, on the weekend of Oct. 19 and Oct. 20.

At the regional event, UCSD finished behind Arizona State University, which has a roster filled with professional-caliber skiers.

“”Basically, a second-place finish behind ASU is like a first place finish,”” said UCSD team captain Tim Odell.

Freshman Lindsay Baxter, who had been a member of the UCSD water ski team for just four days, landed a 40-foot jump in her first attempt on the ramp to help the women’s squad solidify a position near the top of the standings.

Junior Peter Merhoff landed a 91-foot jump, and his strong performance clinched second place for UCSD ahead of Cal State Sacramento, which finished in third.

This is the first time UCSD has qualified for the national tournament. UCSD will be the lone nonscholarship team in attendance.

“”We couldn’t be happier,”” said coach Bill Schneiderwind. “”It’s been my goal, and the goal of this program since the beginning, to send a team to nationals, and now we’ve finally done it. All the hard work has paid off.””