POLK CITY, Fla. — USA Water Ski named Jimmy Siemers of Round Rock, Texas, and Regina Jaquess of Suwanee, Ga. its Male and Female Athletes of the Month for August. The U.S. Elite Barefoot Water Ski Team was named USA Water Ski's Team of the Month for August. The athletes will now be considered for the United States Olympic Committee's Male and Female Athletes of the Month awards. The U.S. Barefoot Team is in the running for the USOC's Team of the Month award.

"August offered many competitive opportunities to our elite athletes, and Jimmy and Regina have stepped up to the occasion in every instance," says Steve McDermeit, USA Water Ski's executive director. "The impressive performances of these athletes and the athletes competing for the U.S. Elite Barefoot Water Ski Team are to be commended."

Siemers, a sophomore at Arizona State, clinched the Men's overall title with 2,921.9 points at the 2002 IWSF University Water Ski World Championships, Aug. 21-25, in Tianjin, China. He scored 10,980 points to win Men's tricks, leaped 213 feet to take the Men's jumping title and ran 5 buoys at 38 feet off to finish second in slalom.

Earlier this month, Siemers totaled 3,000.0 overall points to win his first career U.S. Open Men's overall title at the 2002 West Marine U.S. Open Water Ski Championships, Aug. 17-18, in Santa Fe, Texas. He also won his first career U.S. Open Men's jumping title by leaping 220 feet on his final attempt. He finished third in Men's tricks at the U.S. Open, tallying 10,680 points.

Siemers also won Open Men tricks at the 2002 GOODE Water Ski National Championships, Aug. 14, in Santa Fe, Texas, scoring 10,760 points.

Jaquess, an incoming freshman at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, swept all three Women's events at the 2002 IWSF University Water Ski World Championships, Aug. 21-25, in Tianjin, China, winning the overall title with 3,000.0 points. She ran 1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off in slalom, tallied 7,260 points in tricks and leaped 161 feet in jumping. Jaquess accumulated five gold medals (including individual and team overall) and set three World University Championships records and one National Collegiate Water Ski Association record over the five-day tournament.

Earlier this month, Jaquess tallied 2,982.5 points to win her second consecutive overall title at the 2002 West Marine U.S. Open Water Ski Championships, Aug. 17-18, in Santa Fe, Texas. She also won the Women's tricks title for the second consecutive year, scoring 7,040 points. She leaped a personal best 171 feet to finish runner-up in jumping by just three-tenths of a meter.