In their final home meet against UC Santa Cruz, the Cal Poly men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept every event they competed in on Saturday. Honoring the senior swimmers in Anderson Aquatic Center, Cal Poly posted a total of 30 victories.
Sophomore diver Lauren Pierce broke the Cal Poly program record on the 3M board, earning an aggregate score of 310.80. Her scores on both the 3M and 1M boards both qualify her for the NCAA Zone E Regionals in March.
Each of the seven senior swimmers claimed at least one victory during the senior meet. Alisha Bender, Belen Enguidanos, Taylor Guy and Gabby Lindblad were honored from the women’s team. The men’s side recognized Blake Faris, Mickey Mackle and Alan Peterson.
“All of our seniors are shining this year,” junior Dani Orlandi said. “Everyone is on top of their game, focused and swimming faster than they ever have.”
Bender, last week’s Coca-Cola/Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week, does not plan on letting up now as she nears the end of her collegiate career.
“Individually, my main goal is to get top eight in any of my events at conference,” Bender said. “I’ve never done it before.”
Bender dominated both the 100 freestyle and the 100 back races on Saturday.
“The 100 free is one of my best events,” Bender said. “The more I race it, the better I feel and the better I’m going to do at the end of the season.”
The victory against UC Santa Cruz, an NCAA Division III team, propels the Mustangs into the last stretch of their season with the Blue-Green Rivalry meet against UC Santa Barbara in two weeks. Following their final dual meet, the Mustangs head to the Pac-12 Conference meet in February.