Monterey Park, Calif. - After four days and eight sessions, the swim and dive season ended on a great note at the final session of the PCSC Championships Meet on Saturday. Of the 48 individual races in prelims Saturday, the Golden Eagles earned 32 finalists into last night's grand finale.
Alice Stainer and
Carissa Ward led the charge all week for the women and last night was no different. Alice was 6th in the 100 free in a personal best 52.10 and came back to lead off the 400 free relay, going even faster (51.98). That is the 5th fastest time in school history. IM/backstroke specialist Carissa had a breakout meet nabbing the 2nd fastest time in school history in the 200 backstroke (2:04.68), good for 4th place overall. Each woman scored in all four individual events they swam in and Alice powered another three relay's to A-final (top-8) finishes.
The men were buoyed by a good balance of seniors going out with a bang and freshmen stepping up to take the reins.
Joey Molettieri closed out his amazing career with another huge meet. He was 8th in the 100 free getting a PB of 45.73 and then returned to lead off the 400 free relay to a hard fought bronze medal with a nearly identical 45.75. That relay swam to the 7th fastest time in school history with Tommy Kelly (45.7),
Jacob VanRensburg (46.0) and senior
Jayden Hernandez (45.6) bringing home the hardware. Jayden was 16th in the 100 free (46.05p) completing his outstanding career four finals swims at this meet.
The senior laden 200 breaststroke saw
Jack Harris earn a bronze (2:04.23, PB, 7th all time),
Hunter May get 11th (2:06.79) and
Garrison Veron, 21st (2:11.59, PB).
The freshmen made a statement on Saturday.
Jackson Rosol was 9th in the 200 back with a 1:51.25, the 5th fastest time in CUI history and
Logan Irvine was 17th in that event.
Trai Xiong popped a 2:04.50p in the 200 breaststroke, getting 6th at the meet with the 7th fastest time in school history and
Legend Storer took on a tough double finishing 15th in the 200 breast (2:07.13p) and 21st in the 100 free (47.29p).
The 200 back and breaststroke events were big point scorers for the men. Jackson,
Aidan Keane (10th, 1:51.30, 6th all time), Tommy (11th, 1:51.58, 9th all time) swept the B-final with
Lanis Webb adding a solid 14th place finish in the race. In addition to Jack, Hunter, Garrison and Trai, the 200 breast saw
Trevor Dixon win the B-final in a season best 2:06.66.
Sam Diamond and Mitch Cullen earned B-final finishes in the mile as Sam's first ever swim in the event earned a 10th place finish (16:45.08) and Mitch grabbed a season best time going 16:51.54 for 13th. Jacob (46.95, 19th, PB) and
Jonathan Dose (47.00, 20th, SB) were part of the points grab in the 100 free.
The highest finish of any CUI woman at the meet came at the hands and high flying scores from freshman diver
Chloe Dobie. She earned a silver medal in the 1-meter competition on Saturday taking home the first ever PCSC medal for CUI in a women's diving championship.
Fellow freshmen
Brinkley Hallgren,
Noelle Landon,
Julia Smirnoff finished off very successful rookie campaigns for the Golden Eagles. In the 200 breaststroke, Brinkley was 12th (2:24.94, 6th all time, PB) and Julia was 22nd (2:28.65, 10th all-time, PB). Noelle finished 18th in the 200 back (2:09.01) with a PB. These women were mentored by some fast upperclassmen this year who did their own damage at the meet. Co-captains,
Aubrie Carver (13th in the 200 back, 2:07.38) and
Ellie Hardey (10th in the 200 breast, 2:24.77) finished up with great B-final efforts.
Alex Leland was 21st in the breaststroke and
Bree Anderson who also swam a tough double Saturday was 22nd in both the 1650 free and the 200 backstroke.
Elena Argabright also doubled in the 1650 and 200 back earning 16th place finishes in each and
Payton Doak (14th, 1650 free) and
Aliyah Treadwell (24th, 200 back) were the final point scorers for CUI on Saturday.
For the week, CUI won one title (men's 400 medley relay in school record time), earned two NCAA "B" qualifying times (Alice and Joey in the 200 freestyle), and had four individual and four relay podium finishes. CUI earned 96 finals berths from their 170 prelims swims and an incredible 48 swims and 2 dives moved into the CUI All-Time Top-10 rankings.
Overall, the men finished 4th of nine for the second year in a row. This is a much deeper and faster conference from top-t0-bottom and this year's CUI roster would beat the 2022 conference championship team head-to-head. All 18 men on the scoring roster earned points for CUI and their 1,196 points are the 5th highest total in the 18 years of the men's program. The women finished 6th in the 13 team race and their 785.5 points are also 5th highest in their history. With FOUR top-25 ranked NCAA D2 programs finishing in front of them, the CUI women continue to hold their own with the top teams in this conference. The youth movement is on with only two (VERY VALUABLE) seniors departing and an enthusiastic group ready to lead, the women look to do great things in the next two seasons.
From Coach Bergen:
This was one our most rewarding seasons in my time here. The balance of senior leadership, freshmen enthusiasm and the healthy mix of connectivity with the big group in between gave us some unforgettable moments from September through this weekend. We were thrilled to see the team come blend together, overcoming personal challenges and lots of health issues to get to this point. Self-doubt over a long 25-week season can creep in and damage a team's psyche and focus. This group, led by its captains, found ways to push through. Significantly, I would credit my staff including Chadd Maurer, Ryan Martines, Paige Tattersall, Hannah Chabin and Curt Wilson for being so instrumental with the support they provide, the knowledge they possess, the shoulders they offered and the wisdom, passion and faith they conveyed. This is a most impressive senior class and they will be greatly missed. We're thankful for their efforts, the support that they're parents provided over the years and we pray for their safe, healthy, and faithful futures!
