Ventura Men and Santa Barbara Women Repeat at WSC Championships

The Ventura College Men's Swim and the Santa Barbara City College Women's Swim teams repeated at the 2016 WSC Swimming and Diving Championships. It's the second straight title for the Vaqueros who began their women's swim program in 2014, and the third straight title for the Pirates and 27th overall. 

 On the women's side, Santa Barbara ran away with things, winning a total of 14 events. The Vaqueros won the 200 Free Relay (1:39.78), 400 Medley Relay (4:14.50), 200 Medley Relay (1:53.48), 800 Free Relay (8:09.33), and 400 Free Relay (3:40.39) events. Individually, Santa Barbara claimed victories in the 500 Free (Kristina Hill - 5:15.75), 200 IM (Addison Seale - 2:13.54), 50 Free (Kendra Carr - 24.76), 400 IM (Seale - 4:49.34), 100 Breast (Haley Crowley (1:10.77), 100 Back (Reese Ellestad - 1:00.97), 1650 Free (Hill - 18:30.71), 100 Free (Ellestad - 54.08), and 200 Breast (Seale - 2:29.48).

For the men, Ventura used their depth and had to hold off a late charge by Los Angeles Valley College for their 27th title. The Priates won just seven events in total including the 200 Free Relay (1:26.66), the 500 Free (Austin Hammond - 4:48.14), the 400 IM (Hammond - 4:17.53), the 100 Back (Marcus Rodarte - 53.15), 800 Free Relay (7:07.14), 1650 Free (Thomas Bunker - 17:47.03), and the 200 Back (Rodarte - 1:56.87).

College of the Canyon's, who finished third on the men's side, was home to the WSC Men's Swimmer of the Year in Scott F. Griffin who won a pair of events and finished in second in another. Allan Hancock College's Alexandria Wong and Seal of Santa Barbara meanwhile split the WSC Women's Swimmer of the Year honors. Ventura College co-Head Coaches Larry Barratte and Mary Giles were named the WSC Men's Coach of the Year, while SBCC's Chuckie Roth was the WSC Women's Coach of the Year.