Men's and Women's Swim & Dive teams both won today's Western State Conference Mini Meet. The victory marked the first collegiate swim meet in the newly refurbished Cuesta Pool and was the first time the teams have been able to swim the length of the pool, rather than the width, since the early '90s.
The men's 445 points easily outpaced the nine-team field, including Runner-up Ventura and Third Place Bakersfield, who scored 309 and 205.5 points, respectively. All American Gabriel Browning led the team with two of the team's four individual wins. Browning won a couple of marquee races with the 50-feestyle (:21.46) and 100-freestyle (:46.52). Freshman Kiran Heidler won the 1650-freestyle (17:48.67) and 2019 State Qualifier Satoshi Shinkawa won 200-freestyle (1:48.32) as Cuesta's trio of water polo players dominated the freestyle events
The women led a much tighter field with 341 points, yet still comfortably ahead of Santa Barbara (294) and LA Valley (172). The women only won two events, but outpointed everyone with their quality depth of talent. Cuesta posted a medal swim (Top 3) in every event except the 100 and 1650 freestyles. 2018 All American Paige Leonard won the 200-backstroke (2:17.97) and Freshman Sofia Swayne won the 200-butterfly (2:17.44) and finished 3rd in the 200-freestyle, just ahead of Leonard. 2018 State Qualifier Makenna Schwarz also took 2nd in the 200-breaststroke and 3rd in the 50-freestyle.
The Cougars take next week off to train, but are back in action in the middle of March. The Cougars host the Cuesta Sprint Meet on Thursday, March 12 as a warm up for the 42nd Cuesta/Arena Swim & Dive Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
