By Jimmy Friery
WALNUT, CA – The Santa Barbara City College Women's Swimming & Diving team won the Mt. SAC Invitational for the first time in program history, competing Friday and Saturday.
"There were so many exciting swims," head coach Chuckie Roth said. "The team displayed true grit and mental toughness."
Despite the inclement weather Friday and Saturday, the Vaqueros rose to the occasion, never shying away from adversity. SBCC amassed 946 points, 125 points over second place Sierra and 441 points over third place Santa Rosa.
The Vaqueros won all 5 relays of the Invitational: 4x50 Medley, 4x50 Free, 4x100 Free, 4x100 Medley, and 4x200 Free.
During the water polo season, it was undoubtable that Lily Carrick was the fastest player in the water. It was not much different this weekend, as she scored 105.5 points for the Vaqueros by herself. The freshman from Australia finished in the top 3 in all her individual events—including first in the 200 Free and 500 Free—and first in 3 team relays. Her 500 Free time of 5:12.14 is second in school history, just behind Kelee Shimizu's 5:11.87 in 2018.
Maddie Myers scored 81.5 points, finishing top 3 in all her events including first on 4 relay teams. Myers and Carrick had identical scores on the 50 Free at 25.25, tying for second place.
Erin Otsuki had 72 points, placing top 3 in 3 of 5 individual events—including first in the 200 Back—and winning all 5 relays. She is now second in program history in the 50 Back and 200 Back with times of 28.44 (Reese Ellestad, 28.37, 2016) and 2:12.59 (Isabella Urlando, 2:01.56, 2023), respectively.
Lila Waechter set a program record in the 50 Fly with a time of 28.46. Her Fly split in the 4x50 Medley Relay was even better at 27.87.
Morgan Cederholm won the 1-Meter Diving with a score of 237.90, good for second in program history (Gina Jacobson, 246.85, 2017).
"I am very proud of this group. They put the work in and treat each other right," Roth added. "I am happy for each of their successes and excited about where this is going. Every team member contributes, and it creates an amazing team dynamic."
The Vaqueros are 3-0 on the season and will head up to the Cuesta Invitational next weekend beginning Friday.
1st place finishes:
1-Meter Diving – Morgan Cederholm (237.90, second in school history)
4x50 Medley Relay – Erin Otsuki-Maddie Myers-Lila Waechter-Lily Carrick (1:54.46)
500 Free – Lily Carrick (5:12.14, second in school history)
4x50 Free Relay – Erin Otsuki-Sofia Paez-Caroline Oates-Maddie Myers (1:42.89)
4x100 Free Relay – Maddie Myers-Erin Otsuki-Caroline Oates-Lily Carrick (3:40.84)
4x100 Medley Relay – Erin Otsuki-Maddie Myers-Lila Waechter-Caroline Oates (4:14.43)
200 Free – Lily Carrick (1:57.99)
200 Back – Erin Otsuki (2:12.59, second in school history)
4x200 Free Relay – Erin Otsuki-Sofia Paez-Lily Carrick-Caroline Oates (8:10.15)
2nd place finishes:
50 Back – Erin Otsuki (28.44, second in school history)
50 Free – Maddie Myers (25.25) / Lily Carrick (25.25)
100 Fly – Lily Carrick (1:01.91)
100 Back – Erin Otsuki (1:01.31)
1650 Free – Caroline Oates (19:03.02)
100 Free – Maddie Myers (54.26)
3rd place finishes:
1-Meter Diving - Carleigh Carrano (158.40)
3-Meter Diving – Morgan Cederholm (165.00)
200 IM – Sofia Paez (2:22.54)
50 Breast – Maddie Myers (33.96)
50 Fly – Lila Waechter (28.46, school record)
500 Free – Caroline Oates (5:28.14)
100 Breast – Maddie Myers (1:14.55)
100 Back – Lily Carrick (1:03.05)
200 Free – Maddie Myers (2:00.23)
100 Free – Lily Carrick (54.80)
Team scores:
- SBCC (946 points)
2. Sierra (821)
3. Santa Rosa (505)
4. Mt. SAC (463)
5. Santa Monica (298)
6. LA Valley (252)
7. Long Beach (224)
8. El Camino (152)
9. Sequoias (126)
10. Orange Coast (118)
11. Ventura (99)
12. San Diego Mesa (51)
13. Palomar (50)
14. Bakersfield (49)
15. Cuesta (28)
16. Canyons (26)
17. East LA (18)
18. Pasadena (4)
Full Results: https://www.swimphone.com/meets/meet_menu.cfm?smid=16483
