Artistic Swimming History

1907 - Australian Annette Kellerman, performing in a glass tank, attracts national attention at the New York Hippodrome as the first underwater ballerina.

1915 - Katherine Curtis, a student at the University of Wisconsin, experiments with diving actions and stunts in the water.

1923 - Curtis starts a water-ballet club at the University of Chicago. The group executes strokes, "tricks" and floating formations

1934 - Sixty of Curtis' swimmers, called the Modern Mermaids, perform in the lagoon at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago.

1939 - The first U.S. competition, held May 27, is a dual meet at Wright Junior College between Wright and Curtis' team,the Chicago Teachers' College ... showman Billy Rose develops an Aquacade for the World's Fair in New York featuring Olympians Eleanor Holm and Johnny Weismeuller.

1940 - Esther Williams, U.S. freestyle champion and Olympic contender, popularizes water ballet with her performances in the San Francisco World's Fair Aquacade and subsequent MGM movies ... the Central Association of the Amateur Athletic Association [AAU] begins competitions in synchronized swimming. The first CAAAU meet is held March 1, 1940 in Wilmette, Ill.

1941 - The Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] adopts synchronized swimming as an official competitive sport for duet and team events ... Clark Leach of the CAAAU is the first chairman.

1942 - A Trial National Championship for Teams is held Aug. 14-16 in Neenah, Wisconsin ... of the three participating Chicago clubs, Lakeshore Athletic Club wins.

1946 - The first Official National Team Championship is held Aug. 11 at Riis Park in Chicago ... the duet event is held Sept. 8 in Hinsdale, Ill. Chicago Town Club wins both competitions.

1950 - The solo event is added to the program of events ... June Taylor of Ontario, Canada, wins the Indoor Solo title while Beulah Gundling of Cedar Rapids, Iowa wins the Outdoor Solo title.

1951 - The U.S. and Canada demonstrate at the I Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1952 - The U.S. And Canada demonstrate at the Olympic Games in Helsinki.

1954 - FINA, the international aquatics federation, is formed .... FINA makes synchronized swimming a competitive division of aquatics.

1955 - The II Pan American Games in Mexico City includes synchro as an official event for the first time. The U.S. sweeps all three events in its first-official international competition ... Beulah Gundling wins solo, Ellen Richard and Connie Todoroff win duet and the Athens Club of Oakland win the team event.

1956 - The USA establishes the first Age Group rules and competition ... synchronized swimmers from Athens Club of Oakland, Calif., demonstrate at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

1958 - Stunt (figure) competition is added.

1959 - The first Junior Olympic rules and program begin ... the U.S., represented by the Athens Club, and Canada demonstrate at the III Pan American Games in Chicago. Annette Kellerman and Katherine Curtis are inducted into Helms Hall of Fame.

1960 - After a world tour, U.S. swimmers demonstrate at the Olympic Games in Rome.

1963 - The U.S. wins gold in all events at the IV Pan American Games in Sao Paulo - Roberta Armstrong (solo), Barbara Burke and Joanne Schaak (duet), Athens Club team of Oakland (team).

1964 - The U.S., represented by the San Francisco Merionettes, and Canada demonstrate at the Olympic Games in Saporo, Japan.

1967 - Pam Morris is the first synchronized swimmer inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame ... the U.S., represented by the San Francisco Merionettes, and Canada demonstrate at the V Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. Margo McGrath wins solo at the Golden Gate International Solo, the first international competition in the U.S.

1968 - The U.S., represented by the Santa Clara Aquamaids, demonstrates at the Olympic Games in Mexico City.

1971 - The first National Junior Olympic Championship is held in Norfolk, Va. The U.S. wins gold in all events at the VI Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia - Heidi O'Rourke (solo), O'Rourke and Joan Lang (duet), San Francisco Merionettes (team) ... O'Rourke and Lang receive perfect 10's for their duet routine.

1973 - The first World Aquatic Championship is held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Led by Teresa Anderson, who wins four gold medals, the U.S. team sweeps all events and its gold medals push the U.S. aquatic team (swimming, diving, water polo and synchro) to the overall victory at the Championships.

1974 - The first World Synchronized Swimming Conference is held in Ottawa, Canada ... American Kathy Kretschmer wins the World Solo Invitational competition held in conjunction with the conference. The U.S. sweeps gold at the first Pan Pacific Championship in Honolulu - Gail Johnson (solo) Johnson and Sue Baross (duet), Santa Clara Aquamaids (team).

1975 - The first Masters National Championship is held in Reading, Pa. The U.S. wins gold in all events at the II World Aquatic Championships in Cali, Colombia, and at the VII Pan American Games, Mexico City - Gail Johnson (solo), Amanda Norrish and Robin Curren (duet), Santa Clara Aquamaids (team).

1977 - AIAW Intercollegiate National Championships are held for the first time in Lansing, Mich. ... Ohio State University wins all events.

1978 - The first National Sports Festival, organized by the USOC, is held in Pueblo, Colo. Synchronized swimmers are selected from the figures results of the previous National Championships ... 10 swimmers from each zone for the East, West, North and South teams. Congress passes the Amateur Sports Act mandating a new, independent structure for amateur sport in the United States. Santa Clara wins the team event at the III World Championships in Berlin.

1979 - U.S. Synchronized Swimming Inc. [USSS] is established as the national governing body for the sport of synchronized swimming in the United States. Based on the success of the previous year's Sports Festival, the United States establishes its first national team ... Team USA wins the team event at VIII Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico and at the first World Cup in Tokyo.

1980 - The first American Cup is held in Concord, Calif. The U.S. team wins all events - Linda Shelley (solo), Shelly and Suzanne Cameron (duet), Team USA (team) ... the International Olympic Committee [IOC] accepts the duet event for the 1984 Olympic Games.

1981 - USSS establishes its national headquarters at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. ... Paula Oyer is hired as the first executive director.

1982 - Tracie Ruiz wins solo at the World Aquatic Games in Guayaquil, Ecuador, while the U.S. takes silver in duet and team. Orlando, Fla., hosts the first ASUA [Pan American countries] Age Group competition in the U.S.

1983 - Team USA performs before the IOC at the IOC meeting in Los Angeles ... the U.S. wins gold in all events at the II American Cup in Los Angeles. At the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, Tracie Ruiz wins solo, Ruiz and Candy Costie win duet, and Team USA wins silver. USSS relocates to Indianapolis to launch a nationwide grassroots development program funded by the Lilly Endowment.

1984 - IOC officially accepts the solo event into the 1984 Olympic Games two months before the Games begin. Synchronized swimming premieres at the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles. Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie win the first Olympic medals in the duet event ... Ruiz captures an additional gold medal a day later in the solo event. Sarah Josephson, alternate, is sixth in figures. The three athletes are coached by Charlotte Davis ... Olympic Manager is Gail Emery. Ruiz and Costie attain their first "perfect" International Routine score at the Rome Open II in Rome. USSS adopts a Coaches Certification Program and hires a full-time national coach, Charlotte Davis, to oversee national team programs.

1985 - II FINA World Cup is held in America (Indianapolis) for the first time ... Team USA wins silver medals in all of the events.

1987 - The United States captures all events at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis - Tracie Ruiz (solo), Sarah and Karen Josephson (duet), Team USA (team). The U.S. also wins the team title at the III FINA World Cup.

1988 - At the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul, Korea, U.S. Team members Tracie Ruiz-Conforto and Karen and Sarah Josephson win silver medals in the solo and duet competitions.

1989 - The United States, for the first time since 1975, sweeps all events at the IV FINA World Cup in Paris - Tracy Long (solo), Long and Michelle Svitenko (duet), Team USA (team) ... the first FINA Junior World Championship is held in Cali, Columbia, with the U.S. team sweeping all events - Becky Dyroen (solo), Dyroen and Jill Sudduth (duet), USA's first National Junior Team (team).

1990 - USA's Kristen Babb wins solo and Karen and Sarah Josephson win duet as the sport makes its debut at the Goodwill Games in Seattle.

1991 - At the VI World Aquatic Championships in Perth, Australia, the U.S. Team captures the World Team title. Karen and Sarah Josephson win their first World Duet title .... based on their performances, the USA is now ranked number one in the world. The IOC votes to replace the solo and duet events with the team competition starting at the 1996 Olympic Games. The U.S. Team sweeps all events at the XI Pan American Games in Havana ... it is the sixth time that the United States has done this. At the V FINA World Cup in Bonn, Germany, the U.S. Team captures the gold medal ... Karen and Sarah Josephson win their first FINA World Cup title.

1992 - At the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona, Spain, the U.S. team sweeps gold medals in both the solo and duet events. Kristen Babb-Sprague is crowned solo champion* ... Karen and Sarah Josephson dominate the duet competition to win their first-ever Olympic gold medals.

1993 - The United States wins all events at the VI Synchronized Swimming World Cup. America's Becky Dyroen-Lancer has her second grand slam performance of the year winning gold medals in solo, duet, team and figures.

1994 - Team USA sweeps all events at the VII World Aquatic Championships in Rome ... Becky Dyroen-Lancer leads the Americans with another grand-slam performance. Dyroen-Lancer wins more gold medals than any other American at the event, which includes swimming, diving, and water polo.

1995 - For the second consecutive time, Team USA, led by Becky Dyroen-Lancer, sweeps the NationsBank Synchronized Swimming World Cup in Atlanta ... Dyroen-Lancer records her ninth-consecutive grand slam. At the Olympic qualifying event held at the conclusion of the World Cup, the United States sets a new record by receiving a perfect score of ten 10's. U.S. Synchronized Swimming selects its first-ever 10-member Olympic team for the 1996 Games.

1996 - In the team event's premier at the 1996 Olympic Games, Team USA performs flawlessly. After winning the technical routine portion, the USA's free routine "Fantasia on an Orchestra" captivates the audience and judges ... Team USA receives a perfect score of 100 in the free routine to earn the first Olympic gold medal in team competition. Bill May of Syracuse, N.Y. enters the national spotlight by earning a place on the U.S. Junior National Team ... he is the first male to achieve such an honor in the U.S.

1997 - The International Olympic Committee announces on May 20 that duets will be re-introduced to the Olympic program for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney ... following the full retirement of the Olympic Team, the United States places fifth in team, sixth in duet and seventh in solo at the VIII FINA World Cup in Guangzhou, China.

1998 - The United States regains its medal status by earning the bronze medal in team at the 8th World Championships in Perth, Australia. Bill May and Kristina Lum win the duet title at the Jantzen Nationals, gaining international exposure for the possibility of mixed duet competition in the future. May and Lum represent the United States in the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York, where they win the silver medal in duet and help Team USA earn second place in team ... two weeks later, ASUA rules May is not eligible for Pan American Games competition in 1999. At the 1998 USAS Convention, May is named USSS Athlete of the Year. The U.S. Junior National Team wins the team gold medal at the V American Cup.

1999 - Team USA's "Magic" routine places second in the Pan American Games in front of a decisively Canadian crowd in Winnipeg, Canada ... the duet of Emily Marsh and Becky Jasontek also takes second. A fourth-place team finish at the FINA World Cup in Seoul, Korea leads the U.S. to third place overall under FINA's new championship points-calculation system. Bill May leads Team II to a sweep of the Swiss Open and repeats as USSS Athlete of the Year. Three weeks later, Russian Olympian and four-time Jantzen national champion Anna Kozlova is sworn in as an American citizen ... Oct. 7 marks the end of her five-year, 84-day process to compete for the United States.

2000 - The Games Down Under bring Team USA to Australia twice - first for the qualifying event in April and then for the Olympic Games. The USA's "Storm" routine excels in difficulty and earns the team a fourth-place finish in the qualifier ... Anna Kozlova and Tuesday Middaugh finish fourth in duet in their elite international debut. Russia captures its fist-ever Olympic medals, with Japan taking both silvers and Canada and France splitting the bronze. The sport's lone, elite male swimmer Bill May sweeps the Jantzen Nationals, the eighth consecutive sweep for Santa Clara, in the absence of the Olympic-team members ... May also leads National Team II to a sweep of the Rome Open. The U.S. Junior Team finishes second at the American Cup, hinting at a promising 2001 Jr. Worlds in Federal Way, Wash. Ohio State reclaims its collegiate crown after a two-year stint in the hands of Stanford. Team USA coach Chris Carver and Olympic gold-medalist Tracie Ruiz-Conforto are inducted into the Women's Sports Foundation International Hall of Fame. The end of the year marks the resignation of National Team Director Charlotte Davis, the spark behind the U.S. National and Olympic Team programs since 1979.

2001 - Team USA begins anew in 2001 following the retirement of eight-of-nine Olympians ... the half-and-half mix of veterans and newcomers venture to the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. They return with fourth-place finishes across the board, including those by Anna Kozlova in solo and Lauren McFall and Becky Martin in duet. Ten athletes originally from ten different age- group programs make up a Team II roster that enjoys success at the Swiss Open. Bill May wins solo gold, the duet of Andrea Nott and Mary Hofer take third and Team USA wins bronze. The Juniors take on the world in North America's first-ever Junior World Championships, held in Seattle ... Alison Bartosik finishes fourth in solo, teamed with Sara Lowe for sixth in duet, and the team finishes fifth. The USSS National Office welcomes aboard a new Executive Director in November ... Terry Harper comes to USSS from U.S. Sailing to replace Debbie Hesse, who resigns after seven years of service.

2002 - The United States is back on the podium capturing bronze at the FINA World Cup in Zurich ... the Junior Team duet of Sara Lowe and Stephanie Nesbitt also wins bronze at the FINA Junior World Championships in Montreal.

2003 - Anna Kozlova and Alison Bartosik are named the 2004 Olympic Games duet, the first Americans to be named to the 2004 Olympic Team. The United States continues its climb in the world by capturing bronze in the team competition and silver in the combo team routine at the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. The team and the duet of Kozlova and Bartosik reclaim gold at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic ... the U.S. takes home silver in 1999 as runners-up to the Canadians, but win back the gold in 2003.

2004 - The U.S. returns to the medal stand with third-place finishes in both the team and duet events at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece ... Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova represent the U.S. in the duet, marking Kozlova's third Olympic-Games appearance.

2005 - The United States heads to Montreal for the XI FINA World Championships and walks away with a fifth-place solo finish (Christina Jones), a fourth-place duet finish (Sara Lowe, Stephanie Nesbitt), a fourth-place team finish and a fifth-place combination-routine finish. After taking bronze in the 2004 Olympics, Lowe and Nesbitt reunite to swim in the duet, which marks their final competition as members of the U.S. National Team.

2006 - The United States doesn't bring home any medals from the FINA World Cup, but fourth-place finishes in all three disciplines forecast a promising future ... Christina Jones serves as the soloist in her second major-international competition competing in the senior ranks. Jones teams up with Andrea Nott in the duet and both join their teammates in the team competition, resulting in the U.S. barely missing the medal stand each time. Team USA redeems itself at the inaugural FINA World Trophy Cup with its combo routine and gold-medal performance in the combination event ... this marks the first time the U.S. finds itself in gold-medal position during a major-international competition since the 1996 Olympic Games,where the U.S. posted a perfect score. In December, Jones and Nott win the 2008 U.S. Olympic Duet Trials and are the first athletes named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for any sport.

2007 - At the FINA World Championships, the U.S. snags a bronze medal in the combination routine ... Christina Jones grabs a fourth-place finish in the solo tech and a fifth-place finish in the solo free to mark the first time a medal was awarded in both the tech and free disciplines. Jones' efforts result in fifth-place finishes with Annabelle Orme in the duet-tech and with Andrea Nott in the duet-free. The U.S. claims fifth-place finishes in both the team-tech and team-free events. The 2007 Pan American Games serves as the qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games ... the U.S. solidifies gold medals and Olympic spots in both the team and duet (Jones and Nott) competition.

2008 - At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Team USA's brand-new free-routine programto the theme of “light” makes its debut ...the routine features innovative and groundbreaking choreography which has never been brought to the competition pool before. The U.S. swims its way to a fifth-place tie with Japan. The duet (Christina Jones, Andrea Nott) also earns a fifth-place finish.

2009 - Ohio State claims the U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championship. Sandra Mahoney is named USSS National Team Director. USA joins the top synchro nations to compete at the 4th FINA World Trophy in Canada. Lyssa Wallace claims eighth in solo, the team takes seventh in thematic team, eight in free combo and seventh in highlight coached by Kim Wurzel-Lo Porto, Kim Probst and Emily Van Vleck. The duet of Alyson Haylor and Alexa Tchekmarev also takes sixth.

2010 - New branding and logo for USA Synchro were released in January. The logo was designed to capture the beauty, grace and physical strength of synchronized swimming. Team USA takes bronze at the Spanish Open in the solo and duet events among competition that included brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela. Mary Killman represented the stars and stripes in solo and Meghan Kinney paired with Ona Carbonell for duet. The national team is coached by Jenny Ekhilevsky and Kimmy McKinley. Nancy Weiman, Karen Rosolowski and Lizzi Jakobsen are crowned world solo champions at the 13th FINA World Masters Swimming Championships. Team USA travels to the 2010 FINA World Cup in China led by Jenny Ekhilevsky and Kimmy McKinley, claiming fifth in duet, sixth in team and fifth in solo.

2011 - At the Masters National Championships USA Synchro received the Guinness World Record for “The World’s Largest Floating Pink Ribbon” in honor of breast cancer survivors. Mayuko “Mayu” Fujiki, former Japanese Olympian, is named Head Coach of the 2011 FINA World Aquatics Championship and Pan American national teams. Team USA places sixth in duet at the German Open represented by Mary Killman and Megan Hansley. OSU once again takes the high-point title at the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Championships by a margin of three points with Stanford coming in second. Killman captures second place in technical solo at the Brazil Open and teams up with Lyssa Wallace for a fourth-place finish in technical duet. Team USA earns bronze medals in both team categories. Killman and Wallace improved their routine to take second-place in technical duet at the 2011 Barcelona Trophy. In the free competition, Team USA grabbed fourth. USA is edged by Canada for Olympic Qualification at the Pan American Games despite improving two points in the technical competition. Lori Eaton is named USA Synchro Assistant Coach. The national team closes out the year finishing sixth overall at the 6th FINA World Trophy in Bejing.

2012 - Mary Killman and Maria Koroleva are named the 2012 US Olympic Qualification duet pair after an impressive performance at the 2011 Pan American games. Competition begins in February where the national squad earns bronze in the team free and team technical events at the Spanish Winter Open. Ohio State snags its 28th overall Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championship title ahead of University of Incarnate Word. Team USA falls short in bid to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games, finishing sixth at the FINA qualification tournament. Killman and Koroleva are able to qualify in the duet category, finishing in seventh-place. USA Synchro ushers in the inaugural Synchro de Mayo week to promote the sport. The Olympic duet pair records an 11th-place finish at the Olympic Games in London. Julie Fabsik-Swarts is named USA Synchro Executive Director, working collaboratively with President Judy McGowan. Members of Walnut Creek Aquanuts represent the united States at the 7th FINA World Trophy Cup and claim seventh in Mexico.

2013 - Myriam Glez, former British Swimming assistant coach, is named USA Synchro High Performance Director. Stanford tops Ohio State to be crowned US Collegiate Champions. USA Synchro celebrates 35 years of serving as the national governing body for synchronized swimming. The eleven best collegiate athletes in the country travel to Russia for the World University Games where Killman represents Lindenwood and takes fourth in the solo events. The team, made up of athletes from Stanford, Incarnate Word and Ohio State, grabs bronze while the duet of Megan Hansley and Morgan Fuller claim fourth in duet free. Fuller paired with Rosilyn Tegart in free duet and also earned fourth. Walnut Creek Aquanuts participated in Americas Got Talent. The US Open is hosted in Texas and Team USA is awarded silver in the team event. The FINA World Championships are held in Barcelona, Spain. Killman swims to a 10th-place finish in technical solo while Rebecca Moody takes 13th in free solo for her first performance in the category on the world stage. Claire Barton and Sarah Rodriguez are selected to represent USA at the FINA World Trophy event. With just a few weeks to prepare, they finish seventh in thematic duet. Julie Fabre, former French national team coach and Olympic athlete, is named the new coach of the senior national team.

2014 - Kevin Warner is named Executive Director of USA Synchro. Anita Alvarez and Sandra Ortellado compete together for the first time at the French Open and score land in 11th place in free duet. Lindenwood University claims its first US Collegiate title, sweeping the solo, duet, trio and team events.The national duet training squad is announced and is composed of Anita Alvarez, Claire Barton, Mariya Koroleva and Alison Williams. USA Synchro hosted the 2014 UANA Pan American Championships in Riverside, California where national team members grabbed gold medals in 13-15 team, 13-15 duet, 12&Un Team, and 12&U duet.

2015 - Alvarez and Koroleva claim sixth in the free duet and seventh in the tech routine at the French Open. Barton and Williams earn 10th in free and 11th in tech. Alvarez and Koroleva advance to finals to finish sixth. Ohio State University reclaims the US Collegiate Championship. Koroleva switches partners and pairs with Williams, winning silver medals in duet at the China Open. Shari Darst is named High Performance Coordinator. Alvarez and Koroleva re-pair to represent the USA at the Pan American Games in Toronto after winning bronze at the US Open. Mixed duet is introduced at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Bill May wins two medals, earning gold with Christina Jones in mixed duet tech and silver with Kristina Lum Underwood in mixed duet free. Mary Killman ties for eight in women’s solo free and takes ninth in solo technical. Team USA takes tenth in team technical and 12th in team free. Team USA is edged at the Pan American Games, finishing in third with bronze medals in duet (Koroleva, Williams) and team. USA Synchro moves headquarters from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs. Alvarez and Koroleva are selected as the 2016 US Olympic duet. The senior national team performs in Times Square in one of the largest ever constructed swim tanks to showcase the new line of Epson EcoTank Printers.

2016 - Olympic hopefuls begin their season at the 2016 German Open and French Open, Anita Alvarez and Mariya Koroleva win a Bronze at both events. The duet goes on to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio after finishing in seventh for both free and tech, Team USA is unable to qualify the team. After returning from retirement, Bill May winsFINA Male Synchro Athlete of the Year. Stanford claims its eighth U.S. Collegiate Title, also taking gold in duet, trio and team. In April, the Olympic duet participates in the China Open, bringing home a gold in duet free and a silver in duet tech. They fall to fifth at the Synchro America Open when competing against five Olympic duets. The pair advances to finals at the Rio Olympic Games and finish in ninth place. Bill May and Kanako Spendlove claim gold at the UANA Pan American Championship in mixed duet. USA also wins 13-15 team, 13-15 duet, 13-15 solo, 13-15 figures, 12&U team and 12&U duet. USA Synchro is awarded the Diversity and Inclusion Advancement award from USOC.

2017 - Following the retirement of Koroleva, Victoria Woroniecki pairs with Anita Alvarez to become the new Team USA duet representatives. They compete together for the first time at the French Open, notching seventh in the free final and 10th in the technical event. Ohio State adds a 30th national championship to its resume, taking gold in team, solo and duet. Alvarez and Woroniecki take two silver medals at the China Open and Alvarez notches a gold in tech solo. The pair then travels to Tokyo where they claim eight at the Japan Open. Team USA sees success at the Synchro America Open, taking gold in team. Other notable wins from the event include Bill May and Kanako Spendlove taking first in mixed duet free, Team USA duet with bronze and Anita Alvarez with bronze in solo. USA athletes traveled to Budapest, Hungary to claim 12th in team free, 11th in duet free, 12th in duet tech and 3rd in mixed duet tech.

2018 - Ohio State repeats as collegiate national champions, claiming the institution’s 31st national title in synchro. OSU takes gold in team and duet and Stanford, the runner-up for Overall Institution Award, takes first in solo and trio. The US senior national team begins the season in April, competing in Bejing at the China Open. Alvarez pairs with a new duet partner in Ruby Remati to take bronze in duet tech and free and the team earns silver in both the technical and free event. The duet then travels to Japan and claims 11th in the duet free final and 10th in the duet tech final. The Canadian World Series is the first time Remati pairs with Yara Elain to finish eight in free duet and Alvarez and Remati take seventh in duet tech. Team USA is awarded fifth in team free and tech and a silver medal in combo free. The US once again hosts its annual Synchro America open where the same free duet pair finishes seventh and the same tech duet takes fifth. The senior national team earned bronze medals in free team and combo and fourth in tech team.USA finishes the competition circuit strong at UANA Pan American Championship where the senior national team is crowned champions inteam tech and free team. Yara Elian and Ruby Remati win the senior free duet. Remati and Nicole Goot claim silver in senior duet tech. Andrea Fuentes, Spain’s most decorated female aquatic Olympian, takes over the national team program in September as Head Coach followed by Adam Andrasko who takes the reins from Linda Loehndorf as Chief Executive Officer. Bill May, Natalia Vega and Kanako Spendlove are named to the 2019 U.S. Senior Mixed Duet Squad and 2016 Olympian Anita Alvarez, Ruby Remati, Lindi Schroeder and Abbygayle Remmers named to Senior National Team Duet Squad.

2019 - The Ohio State University achieves a collegiate sweep the Collegiate Championship, garnering gold in solo, duet, trio and team and winning the Overall Institution Championship for the third straight year. This is the fifth time the program has achieved a collegiate sweep and the first since 2002. FINA World Championships in South Korea prove to be a highlight. 2016 Olympian Anita Alvarez and partner Ruby Remati swim to "It's Oh So Quiet" for the tech duet and finish 12th place and their risky, rap-inspired free duet lands 12th. Bill May and partner Natalia Vega barely miss the podium in both mixed duet events, placing fourth. Team USA unveils a brand-new technical routine to "It's Raining Men " and showed off the robot-themed free routine, both placing 11th. Alvarez makes her World Championship debut as a soloist for the US, performing an emotional free solo to Jessie J's "Rose Confessional” that places her at 12th. USA Synchro wins back-to-back bronze medals at the Pan American Games in Peru after nailing an extremely difficult lift in the team competition and an impressive performance for duet. Lara Teixeria, three-time Olympian, is named the Junior National Team Assistant Coach and High Performance Manager. Alvarez and Lindi Schroeder are named USA duet representatives with Ruby Remati serving as alternate.

2020 - USA Synchro rebrands as USA Artistic Swimming, launching with the leading motto “We Move As One”. The team edges host city France at the French Open with their ‘Robot’ routine to record the highest score for Team USA in over a decade with 89.2333, a five-point improvement from their last performance. Unfortunately, a roster oversight causes a disqualification, or the squad would have secured silver medals. In a show of pure class, the French athletes proudly display the American flag as they stand at third on the podium. Team USA also takes second in technical team.Ruby Remati earns silver in technical solo and Anita Alvarez secures silver in free. Schroeder and Alvarez make their duet debut, securing third in both categories.This was the only competition the team is able to participate in before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe and causes massive shutdowns. Just a week after the momentous result, USAAS announces the postponement, and eventual cancellation of all competition events. The rest of March is much of the same with the Tokyo Qualifying event postponed before it is announced that Tokyo 2020 is moved to the following year. Athletes everywhere train from home via Zoom and are forced to get creative to stay sharp. The national teams do not return to the pool until July. In August, the California wildfires force the national team to train in Las Vegas, simultaneously welcoming three new team members to the training squad. In September, a coaching structure change means all-hands-on-deck as the junior national team Head Coach (Anna Voloshyna) and Assistant Coach (Lara Teixeria) are both promoted to dual-roles to help with the senior national team. This structure change includes the intention to have the junior and senior national teams compete the same routines in 2021.

2021 - USA hosts the first-ever virtual FINA World Series event as pandemic lockdowns make international travel impossible. The organization returns to in-person events, first with the 2021 Collegiate Championship that Stanford University sweeps during what was supposed to be the program's last year at varsity level. The artistic swimming and Stanford Athletics communities were able to get the department to reverse the decision, saving Stanford Synchro as a varsity sport at the university. The 13-15 Championship and 12U Invitational and Junior and Senior National Championships are held jointly in Mesa, Arizona and see large turnout as the nation resumes in-person competitions. The senior national team misses Tokyo Olympic Qualification by .2 after two incredible team performances. With three spots left, their tech program places them in fifth place behind Greece and France, but with the three countries within a .5 margin. Their iconic, robot-themed free routine propels them up a standing and they finish fourth, .2 behind Greece, for the final Olympic team spot. They miss the Olympics, but they inspire the global artistic swimming community and usher in a new era of the sport in the United States. Anita Alvarez scores a career-best in her free solo at the FINA Super Final and ears a silver medal, Nikki Dzurko earns bronze with tech. Anita and Lindi Schroeder execute two amazing duet performances the next day. Alvarez passes out after their free performance. Ruby Remati steps in on the final day to compete the free duet final alongside Lindi, securing the duet a place at the Tokyo Olympic Games.