The UC Santa Barbara men’s and women’s swim teams both defeated Cal Poly on Senior Day at Campus Pool on Saturday.
Both wins were commanding, the men (7-0, 4-0) taking the meet by a score of 163-99, while the women (6-1, 4-0) won 164-90. The men finish the season undefeated for the first time since the 2011-12 season, while the women won their seventh straight dual meet.
Prior to the meet, all 11 of the women’s team seniors were honored. The group is an esteemed one, holding a combined six school records, six MPSF Championships, 26 MPSF first-team selections, and 24 MPSF second-team selections. The class consists of Emily Boggess, Nicola Churchill, Lucy Fellner, Rachel Forbes, Maddie Johnson, Tara Middleton, Haley Schreiber, Brittney Straw, Emily Ward, and captains Haley Herzberg and Heaven Quintana.
At the first break of the meet, the men’s seniors were also honored. The group of eight seniors were members of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 MPSF Champion teams and own four MPSF Championships, 21 MPSF first-team selections, and nine MPSF second-team selections. The class is made up by Theo Andrews, Riley Ferguson, Chris Havton, Joe Lastelic, Doug Nogueira, and captains Fischer Basham, Marcello Quarante, and Jake Rollo.
Head coach Matt Macedo emphasized the importance of this meet for the senior class, saying “This meet has always been and always will be about our senior class. With 19 graduating seniors swimming their final meet at Campus Pool, the team fed off their energy and finished our dual meet season with some season bests and a great win against a tough opponent.” Macedo continued, “This was our final tune up heading into our conference championship and I can’t wait to see what his group will accomplish in a couple of weeks.”
The women’s team had 18 different swimmers with top-three finishes, and the men had 14, displaying once again the depth of both squads.
The Gauchos started the day on a strong note in the 200 Medley Relay. The women’s “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D” teams won first, second, third, and fourth places, respectively, setting the tone for the rest of the meet. The men’s team also dominated the event, with the “A”, “B”, and “C” teams winning first, second, and third, respectively.
Top performers on the women’s side were Quintana and Boggess, as well as freshman Zoe Cosgrove. Quintana finished first in the 100 Breast (1:03.88) and 200 Breast (2:17.29), while adding on a second-place finish in the 100 Fly (56.62). Boggess contributed first-place wins in the 200 Free (1:50.11) and 500 Free (4:54.80), while Cosgrove touched the wall first in the 100 Back (55.76), 200 Back (2:01.29), and 200 IM (2:04.75). Forbes, Ward, and freshman Maelynn Lawrence each added first and second-place finishes, while juniors Bryn McGowan and Jacqueline Harris each had first-place wins of their own.
For the men’s team, Nogueira finished off his dual meet career on an impressive note, outpacing everyone in both the 200 Back (1:50.20) and 200 IM (1:51.11), while finishing third in the 200 Free (1:40.27). Sophomore Justin Nguyen added two first place finishes of his own in the 100 Free (44.85) and 100 Back (49.60). Seniors Ferguson and Rollo each had first-place victories as well, Ferguson in the 50 Free (20.61) and Rollo in the 1000 Free (9:32.87), while junior Kian Brouwer touched first in the 100 Fly (49.50).
Over the next two weeks, the Gauchos will continue preparation for the MPSF Championship Meet which will take place Feb. 19-22 at East Los Angeles College.