Orange Coast College, based in Costa Mesa, Calif. revealed photos of their newly renovated aquatics facility. Pictures reveal an all-outdoor 65-meter-long pool along with a 25-meter-long diving and water polo space. Originally constructed in 1956, the facility houses the 2019 California Community College Athletic Association State Swimming and Diving Champions (CCCAA) on the women’s side.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, construction began on the pavilion just after the close of the season last year. The cost of construction was estimated at $29 million. Along with updates to the aquatics facility, the renovation included new locker rooms, covered bleachers, equipment, cardio and aerobics spaces.
After the announcement of the planned renovation, athletic director Jason Kehler told the LA Times, “It’s huge for the athletics department, we have our swim and dive teams who have continuously competed for state championships; this now gives us a facility that matches the level of competition that we’ve been producing.”
The Pirate women won nine overall events at the CCCAA Championships in May of 2019 en route to their 20th state title. Riley Crow and Meghan Kluck were the Pirates’ strongest competitors, each taking home two individual titles and adding to the team’s combined 553 points. For the men, Kevin Chen placed fourth in the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:08.01.
Say hello to the new aquatics pavilion at Orange Coast College, pretty spectacular! 🏊♂️🏊♀️🤽♀️🤽♂️💦💯@ocvarsity @orangecoast @OCCAthletics @swimswamnews pic.twitter.com/9jtgzgPQSL
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) September 12, 2020
Previously, the Orange Coast College facility had a shared diving well and six-lane, 25-yard-long pool along with a four-lane practice pool.
Looks very similar to the Riverside City College aquatics center. 65×25 and can host any aquatics event (including reality TV shows)