Vaqs Swim in 11th After Day 1 of CCCAA State Finals

LOS ANGELES – The SBCC swim team began competition at the CCCAA State Finals hosted by East LA on Thursday, resulting in what head coach Chuckie Roth called a "great day of swimming" which yielded numerous season-best times.

 

Unfortunately, an illegal pool exit technicality in the 400 Individual Medley hurt the Vaqueros' score. Despite this, out of 30 teams, they were able to finish day one just one point out of the top-10 with a score of 48.

 

"Today was a great day and ultimately reminded me of what is important in athletics. We battled hard all day and had the chance to finish the day in the top-4, however we made a mistake exiting the pool," Roth said. "The referees did not have dual confirmation as only one person saw it. It was our swimmer and coaching staff that confirmed the mistake that led to the disqualification. I am proud of our honesty and integrity."

 

A strong showing in the 200 Free Relay saw the group of Chloe McKay, Ensley Letterman, Alexis Persoon and Marilyn Weaver take third with a time of 1:41.24.

 

In the 500 Freestyle, Ensley Letterman placed third with a personal-best time of 5:19.06.

 

Orange Coast (150 points) currently leads the pack, trailed by Sierra (121) and Long Beach (87).

 

"We will swim great and will recover," said Roth. "This group has two more days together and they want to make it special."