Cal Baptist vs Pacific
- December 2, 2023
- Stockton, Calif.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: CBU Athletics
STOCKTON/RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University men’s and women’s swim and dive had a busy day on Saturday, as the swim team swept the Tigers of the University of the Pacific in their dual in Stockton, and the divers posted impressive numbers on the platform at the Riverside Collegiate Invite.
SWIM
In their first competitive action since Utah Tech in mid-November, the Lancers traveled north to take on the Tigers of the University of the Pacific. The men’s side earned a solid 138-127 victory, while the women’s side won more comfortably, 147-118. CBU and UoP evenly split the 28 events, but the CBU women claimed nine first-place finishes, while the Lancer men took home the remaining five.
The men claimed top finishes in the 200-yard Medley relay while Mark Kovacsics continued his incredible sophomore season with multiple victories again, winning the 500 and 800-yard freestyle races. Brendan Man claimed the number one spot in the 100 fly, with Tyler Mansheim claiming the final win of the day in the 100 free.
All nine women’s wins came from three individuals and one relay effort. True freshman Kia Flanagan continued her impressive debut season with three more victories, topping the podium in the 500 and 800 free and the 200 individual medley. Naya Koc also claimed a trio of victories, touching first in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle. Fellow freshman Olivia Walton earned her first pair of individual first place finishes in the 100 and 200 backstroke.
DIVE
The Lancer divers took a shorter trip across town to Riverside Community College on Saturday. Both squads competed in just the platform, with the women claiming second through fourth place and tenth through twelfth. Audrey Thordarson-Wehner placed second with a score of 267.90, Audrey Easter in third with 235.85, and Natalia Bedolla a fraction of a point behind in fourth at 235.00. All three have secured a spot in the NCAA Diving Zone qualifiers for platform with today’s efforts.
Unfortunately, the men only competed against themselves, making their scores invalid for NCAA qualifying. That didn’t stop Mario Del Valle and John Angelovic from easily reaching the NCAA Zone Qualifying scores of 377.20 and 346.00, respectively.
The final meet of 2023 will send CBU to Las Vegas for the UNLV Invitational starting on December 16 and running through December 19 at Jim Reitz Pool.
MEN’S WINNERS
200 Medley Relay – 1:32.30 (Rinkenberger, Chauvapun, Man, Mansheim)
500 Free – 4:38.53
800 Free – 7:39.90
100 Fly – 49.12
100 Free – 46.08
WOMEN’S WINNERS
200 Free Relay – 1:37.97 (Drossel, Pienaar, Maspers, Koc)
800 Free – 8:29.06
500 Free – 5:11.65
200 IM – 2:10.82
200 Free – 1:56.04
100 Free – 53.46
50 Free – 24.53
100 Back – 58.17
200 Back – 2:07.07
Courtesy: Pacific Athletics
STOCKTON, Calif. – Five Pacific swimmers were double winners, but it was not enough as the men’s and women’s swimming teams each dropped its dual meet to California Baptist on Saturday at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center. The men (2-2) won eight individual events plus captured the 200 free relay, but lost the close decision, 138-123. The women’s team (2-4) had a pair of double individual winners plus won the medley relay, but fell 147-118 to the Lancers.
On the men’s side, Pacific seniors Aidan Scott, Alex Kurotori and sophomore Ethan Cole were double winners. Kurotori was the top finisher in the 100 and 200 back. Cole captured the 100 and 200 breast. Scott won the 200 fly and 200 individual medley.
Senior Dylan Parente won the 200 free and finished second in the 50 free, behind junior Mitchell Hopper, helping the Tigers to a 1-2 finish in that event. Pacific captured the last event of the meet, the 200 free relay with Hopper, Leland Baltazar, Kurotori and Cole racing to first.
In the women’s competition, junior Paige Sondgeroth and senior Caitlin Tan were both double winners. Sondgeroth won both breast events, plus helped the Tigers capture the 200 medley relay. The Tigers also scored well in the two fly events with senior Caitlin Tan sweeping first place in both races, and junior Noemi Melendez finishing right behind in both for 1-2 finishes. The first-place medley relay team included Diana Chan, Sondgeroth, Melendez and Alexia Ferguson.
“I was pleased with how well we raced today,” said head coach Katelyne Herrington. “We focused on starts and exchanges in today’s meet, so I was happy to see us win a couple of relays.”
“We wanted to close the scoring gap from last season, and we were successful in that regard,” Herrington observed. Last year, the Lancer men had a 50-point win when the two teams competed in Riverside. This year, the margin was just 15 points. On the women’s side, Pacific cut the California Baptist edge from 33 to 29 points.
Pacific closes out the fall semester portion of the schedule at the UNLV Invitational on December 17-19.
“We are in a good spot as we get ready for our second mid-season invitational at UNLV,” Herrington said.
