The Ohio State synchronized swimming team made the most of their last home meet of the year by putting on a powerful display of their skill and depth.The team dominated the competition in the North Regional Championships, posting a score of 110 points. Michigan State finished second with 74 points, followed by: Iowa with 63.5, Miami (Ohio) with 57.5, Minnesota with 52.5, Michigan with 26, Carlton College with 23.5, and Indiana, whch managed only 16.5 points.Coach Linda Lichter-Witter said the team looked extremely strong. “I was very pleased with our performance,” she said. “Our depth is amazing; we’re just really in a good place right now.””Everything came together in this meet,” assistant coach Holly Vargo Brown said. “Both the A-team and B-team received positive feedback from the judges,” she added. “We were extremely impressed with both teams.” Senior Lisa Nielsen said the team performed nearly flawlessly last week, but said the team was more focused on having fun. “It was our (seniors) last chance to swim at Larkins in front of a home crowd,” she said. “We just stayed relaxed and tried to have a good time. It turned out we swam better anyway.””It was really exciting swimming in our last home meet,” senior Ana Cukic added. “The team has made some really big strides in the last few weeks, and it was time for us to have some fun.”The Bucks will now have to get serious and focus on getting ready for the national championships that will take place in Minnesota on March 26-28.Lichter-Witter said the team will not make any changes in their routines, but just needs to perfect them. “We’re now in a taper period,” she said. “We have to focus more on quality and the real intricate parts of the routines,” she said.”We will cut back on the work load, but will try to keep the intensity high,” Brown added. “We’ll be focusing on a lot of imagery and repetition.”The Bucks will concentrate on making their team routines as strong as possible before the national tournament, Lichter-Witter said. “If our A-team can finish high enough at nationals, our B-team might be able to finish right behind them,” she said. “The team routines are the key to beating Stanford and winning another national title.””The team is ready and confident,” Brown said. “They know they have big shoes to fill, but they don’t just want to fill them; they want to be better. It has less to do with beating Stanford in the finals, but more about carrying on the Ohio State tradition,” she added.”We need to go into the finals with the confidence that we are national champs,” Nielsen said. “If we can take that confidence in, I’m sure it will carry us through.”