Vaqueros take all 5 events on first day of WSC Championships

SBCC touched the wall first in all five events on Thursday, setting a trio of school records in the process, on the first day of the WSC Women's Swimming Championships at Cuesta in San Luis Obispo.

The defending WSC champion Vaqueros opened a big lead over Ventura, 222-174, in the 10-school, three-day competition. Cuesta is third with 92 points and Canyons is fourth at 88.

Kristina Hill, a 28-year-old who teaches and coaches at Santa Barbara High, broke her school record while winning the 500 free in 5:15.75. Kendra Carr led a 1-2-3 finish in the 50 free at 24.76. She tied Rachelle Visser's 2014 school mark with a 24.67 clocking in the prelims. Reese Ellestad was second (25.15) in the 50 free final and Mackenzie Richards took third (25.31).

Addison Seale won the 200 IM in 2:13.54, the second-best all-time Vaquero mark. Anna Manfreda was third in the 200 IM and eighth in the 50 free.

The 200 free relay team opened the meet with a school-record 1:39.78 that was four seconds faster than Ventura. The team consisted of Ellestad, Richards, Manfreda and Carr, who clocked a fast 24.09 on the 50-yard anchor leg.

The Vaqueros ended the day by capturing the 400 medley relay in 4:14.50. Ellestad swam the backstroke, Seale did the breaststroke, Alex Humann handled the butterfly and Carr finished up in the freestyle.

"I wasn't expecting us to win all five events," said coach Chuckie Roth. "Tina Hill went in as the No. 3 seed and she was trailing at the 200-yard mark to the top seed. Then she just took over the rest of the way."

The meet continues on Friday and Saturday with prelims in the morning and finals at 5 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.