The UA synchronized swim team continued its pursuit of a return trip to the U.S. Nationals competition with its Pac-10 Regional meet Sunday.

The Splashcats and conference foes Stanford and Washington jockeyed for a Nationals berth at the Student Recreation Center.

Arizona overcame injuries and gave a strong all-around performance, finishing in second place with an overall score of 70.5.

The Wildcats easily topped Washington, which finished with a mark of 42.

Defending Pacific 10 Conference and national champions Stanford claimed top honors, boasting a score of 103.

The UA's Ami Kidder and Stanford's Katie Norris each performed brilliantly in their solo routines, scoring 10 and 14, respectively.

Kidder's performance placed her among the top five solo swimmers in the nation and earned her a spot in the Senior Nationals competition.

Arizona gave Stanford solid competition throughout the event, culminating in a nearly even performance in the team routine.

Arizona's six team swimmers swam to a score of 16, while Stanford posted an 18 with eight swimmers.

The UA missed out on bonus points that would have been available had the team been able to field an eight-swimmer squad.

Despite losing the bonus points, the outing was a positive for Arizona, head coach Jill Ranucci said.

"I feel (we) did an amazing job," Ranucci said. "Our team swim was strong."

Arizona travels to Seattle this weekend for the West Zone Regional meet at Washington. The meet provides the Splashcats with another opportunity to improve their standing for the Collegiate National Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich., March 25-27.