The University of Louisiana at Monroe Water Ski Team opened the first tournament of the season with a solid win last weekend at the National Collegiate Water Ski Association South Central Region tournament in Austin, Texas.

ULM finished first with an overall 6,320-point spread, while the University of Louisiana at Lafayette finished next with 4,370. The University of Texas, Texas State University, and Texas A&M University finished out the top five.

Collegiate water skiing competition features three events: slalom, trick skiing and jumping.

Freshman Martin Bartalsky of Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, placed second in slalom and jump, and fifth in tricks to win overall. ULM took 1-5 in men’s jump, and Kyle Dammann of Lynchberg, Tenn., won it with a 150.

ULM freshman Karen Stevens of Morrisburg, Canada, won the women’s slalom with 1 at 35 off and the jump with a 118. Senior Natallia Berdnikava of Novopolotsk, Belarus, won tricks with a 4040 total. Stevens won women’s overall.

The ULM Water Ski Team is the current national champion team and holds 19 National Collegiate Water Ski Association Championship titles; winning 19 of the 27 years the competition has been held. They will compete for their 20th championship this year.