Aug. 15, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - SKATING Magazine announced that Miami University's senior synchronized skating team has been chosen as the winner of the Readers' Choice Michelle Kwan Trophy, awarded annually by SKATING Magazine, the official publication of U.S. Figure Skating, to the skater or skaters of the year. Miami was one of 31 individual skaters, pairs and skating teams eligible to win the award.

Voting was conducted on the U.S. Figure Skating web site (www.usfigureskating.org) from May through July and open to the public. Nearly 5,800 votes were cast with Miami receiving 1,148 of them. U.S. men's champion Evan Lysacek finished second and World Junior Champion Caroline Zhang was third.

The RedHawks' senior synchronized skating team is coming off a year in which they made history by placing second at the 2007 World Synchronized Skating Championships in London, Ontario. They were the first team in U.S. history to earn a medal at the World Synchronized Skating Championships, grabbing the silver by placing third in the short program and second in the free skate.

In February, the team finished second at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Colorado Spring, Colo., after winning the competition in 2006.

Miami became only the second team ever to win the award and joined the likes of Sasha Cohen, Tara Lipinksi and Kristi Ymaguchi as recipients of the Michelle Kwan Trophy, named after the seven-time winner of the award and the only person or team to win the award multiple times. Kimmie Meissner, who won individual gold at the World Championships in 2006, was awarded the trophy last year.

Other eligible skaters for the award included: the top five senior skaters in each discipline at the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships; the top five senior teams at the 2007 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships; medalists at the 2007 World Championships; medalists at the 2007 World Junior Championships; medalists at the 2007 World Challenge Cup for Juniors; and medalists at the 2007 World Synchronized Skating Championships.

The team will be awarded the trophy during the 2007-08 season.