The Cal Poly Swim and Dive team broke four program records at Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships that took place from Feb. 20-23. The men’s team finished fourth overall with 446.50 points and the women’s team finished in seventh place with 264.50 points.
Prior to the championship, the team had strung together a series of successful head-to-head meets, including the men’s team upsetting rival UC Santa Barbara.
“I think swimming well toward the end of the year preparing for the championships, when you are swimming fast going into it, gives you a great deal of confidence,” head coach Tom Milich said
However conference meets tend to emphasize certain aspects of a team more.
“In a dual meet it’s all about winning races,” Milich said. “In the conference championships it’s about depth— how many bodies you have that can score in the finals.”
The Men’s team finished fourth overall with 446.50 points, and the women’s team finished seventh overall with 264.50 points, but some of the team’s stars shined brightly on what was an unusually dark and rainy day.
“I don’t think the weather was what we would want, but I’m really proud of the team,” junior Amelia Feick said. “I feel like we swimmed really well.”
Records broken
Junior Paul Rodgers broke the school record for the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:35.29. The previous record time was also held by Rodgers.
Sophomore David Houston finished second in the 200 fly with a time of 1:45.55 only .24 seconds behind the first place time.
Senior Zack Allen had a historic meet setting the school record for the 50 free (19.61) and the 100 fly (46.38).
The 800 free relay quartet of Rodgers, Allen, senior Dominic Dalpiaz and junior Nic Clark finished four tenths of a second behind the school record. That same quartet (Rodgers, Allen, Dalpiaz, Clark) also swam in the 400 free, and did break the school record with a time of 2:54.79.
For the Women’s team, Feick finished 3rd in the women’s 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:14.14
“I was really excited by the two relays I was on,” Feick said. “they were by far the fastest relays I’ve ever been on.”
In the 200 medley relay, Feick along with junior Emily Peters, Sophomore Sascha Keir, and Senior Emily Imfeld finished with a time of 1:43.55 just .44 seconds behind the school record.
“We definitely moved up from where we have been, especially the men’s side,” Milich said. “There’s no doubt that we’re graduating some talented bodies, but we do have a talented incoming freshman class and they will be able to pick up the slack for those that’re leaving”.