The SIU Waterski team traveled to Rio Linda, California on Oct. 15-17 to compete in 2026 National Collegiate Water Ski Association (NCWSA) tournament. This marks the second time that the club has qualified for nationals in its history. (Photo provided).
October 23, 2026
SIU Waterski Club competes at nationals for second time in club history
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Water Ski Club competed at nationals for the second time in the club’s history, with the team finishing 11th overall.
Club members traveled for the 2026 National Collegiate Water Ski Association (NCWSA) tournament on the waters of Bell Acqua Lakes in Rio Linda, California, on Oct. 15-17. They earned a spot at the tournament where they competed against a dozen teams after taking fifth at regionals in Cambridge, Iowa.
Nicholas Pinedo, the club’s president, competed with the team at the 2024 nationals in San Marcos, Texas, when the team placed fifth overall. He described this second nationals adventure as “surreal.”
“You're surrounded by a bunch of people whose favorite pastime is simply having a good time,” Pinedo said. “For a weekend, you get to forget about everything else going on in life and just enjoy being with your team, skiing, and being surrounded by great people and great vibes.”
The journey to nationals
The club meets three times a week to practice on the lake at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds under the guidance of David Adams, whom Pinedo described as “an incredible coach who’s always willing to help.” Other than regionals, the water ski team competed in four other tournaments leading up to nationals this year:
- Saluki Showdown in Du Quoin, Illinois
- Spartan Ripfest in South Haven, Michigan
- Sunflower Showdown in Lawrence, Kansas
- Illinois Collegiate Cup in Du Quoin, Illinois
“One of my favorite things about these tournaments is being surrounded by teams from bigger schools all across the country,” Pinedo said. “A lot of them have no idea where SIU is, what it stands for, or even what a Saluki is. We get the opportunity to show them.”
However, there’s extra pressure during tournaments as athletes only get one attempt at each event, including regionals where the Salukis narrowly qualified for nationals this year.
“We struggled to perform as well as we knew we were capable of,” he admitted. “It was stressful knowing how close we came to missing out, especially after seeing how much work everyone had put in throughout the season.”
After qualifying for nationals, the team had another obstacle to overcome — paying for a trip to California, including lodging, transportation and meals. The club created an online fundraiser, which received more than a dozen contributions from donors near and far. One contributor wrote, “Good work and good luck from a random person in San Francisco.”
The club received support from the university, alumni and other donors who made the trip to nationals possible, Pinedo said.
Competing at nationals
This season, SIU Water Ski started a new tradition by dancing on the dock around the teammate who’s getting ready to compete to the tune of “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles. The nod to Southern Illinois being known as Little Egypt followed them to nationals. Pinedo credits having some fun during the competition as a way to calm nerves before getting out on the water.
Nationals consisted of six competition categories: women’s slalom, men’s slalom, women’s trick, men’s trick, women’s jump and men’s jump. All SIU club members competed in the tournament, including:
- Oliver Bernard of Batavia, Illinois; junior in finance.
- Allison Bradford of Decatur, Illinois; law school candidate.
- Abbey Dorsey of Carterville, Illinois; sophomore in exercise science.
- John Freese of Decatur, Illinois; senior in forestry.
- Toby Fry of O’Fallon, Illinois; sophomore in aviation technologies.
- Thomas Imboden of Carbondale, Illinois; sophomore in forestry.
- Clarissa Johnson of Oak Creek, Wisconsin; junior in journalism with a concentration in advertising.
- Julia Lasley of Anna, Illinois; medical student.
- Nicholas Pinedo of Lake Zurich, Illinois; senior in aviation flight and management.
- Jessi Rudloff of Du Quoin, Illinois; sophomore in mechanical engineering.
- Brendan Schultz of Dow, Illinois; senior in electrical engineering.
- Bryn Southerland of Decatur, Illinois; sophomore in nursing.
- Samantha Varness of Peoria, Illinois; senior in business analytics.
Overall, unofficial scores show that two Salukis had standout competition rounds — Schultz took first place in the men’s trick and men’s jump, and Lasley took first place in women’s jump, setting two personal records at 67 and 69 feet.
However, Pinedo adds the tournament goes beyond scores, medals or trophies. Instead, teammates get to keep something much more valuable — memories with teammates.
“There's so much more to these tournaments than just skiing and competing,” he said. “It's about the people, the friendships, and the atmosphere that brings everyone together.”