Vaqueros 1st Again at WSC #2 in Ventura
By Jimmy Friery
VENTURA, CA - The Santa Barbara City College Women's Swimming & Diving team continued their streak of conference meet wins, scoring 632 points on Saturday at the Ventura Aquatic Center.
"Every meet brings new experiences that we all benefit from, so I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for us!" sophomore Caroline Oates said.
Morgan Cederholm kicked off the day with a huge win in 1-Meter Diving—her score of 243.5 was more than 100 higher than the 2nd place finisher. Later, she would take home 1st in 3-Meter Diving, as well, with a 179.9.
Like they typically do, the Vaqueros took care of business in the relays. In the first swim event—the 400 Medley Relay—Erin Otsuki, Maddie Myers, Lila Waechter, and Lily Carrick finished 1st with 10 seconds to spare at 4:15.35. In the last event of the day, Oates, Sofia Paez, Carrick, and Myers had 15 seconds to spare, finishing 1st at 3:46.24. Addie Lane-Natalie Mancinelli-Tayten Neiderhiser-Ava Smith finished 3rd at 4:05.39.
In the 500 Free, Carrick naturally took home 1st. Oates took home 2nd, shaving off 7 seconds from her previous time. Lane finished 4th to give the Vaqs 3 of the top 4 spots.
Waechter finished 3rd and Neiderhiser finished 4th in the 100 Fly, with Waechter trimming her time down 4 seconds from last time. Myers, Otsuki, Waechter, and Mancinelli all finished within a second of each other in the 50 Free, with 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th place finishes, respectively.
"There were a lot of personal battles within the team today and I'm really proud of how everyone came together and pushed through for each other," Mancinelli said.
Kate Densmore then finished 2nd in the 100 Breast. In the 200 Free, Oates dropped her score 3 seconds, finishing 1st with a 1:59.31. Paez dropped her score 2 seconds at 2:04.33, finishing 3rd.
Otsuki came in 1st in the 200 Back, with former Carpinteria High teammate Taylor Classen in 3rd and Esther Sullivan in 4th.
"Racing is always fun with this team because of the support and positive energy that everyone brings," Otsuki said. "Having such a great team dynamic makes it easier to get up and bring my best effort to the races."
The 400 IM might have been the highlight of the day. Carrick, Paez, and Neiderhiser took home all top 3 spots for an SBCC sweep. It was Carrick's first time ever competing in the event, and she was phenomenal at a 4:46.28 1st place finish.
Mancinelli then finished 2nd in the 200 Fly, before the Vaqueros showed their depth once again in the 100 Free. Myers (2nd), Oates (3rd), Waechter (5th), Paez (6th), Densmore (7th), and Lane (8th) all finished with a time under 1 minute.
Otsuki had her last of three 1st place finishes in the 100 Back, with 5 seconds to spare at 1:00.38. Reminiscent of the earlier 200 Back, Neiderhiser finished 3rd and Classen, 4th.
As always, the culture in the Aquatics program as a whole is incredible: "I love being able to dance around and have fun with these girls," Mancinelli concluded. "It makes everything so fun and supportive."
"I'm really proud of how everyone pushed out of their comfort zones today," Oates said. She was the first swimmer in the 1st place 400 Free Relay team, a position she said she has not previously been in. "We all rallied and cheered really loud for each other, which I love to see."
After winning the first two WSC meets, the Vaqueros have a weekend off until next Friday, the 29th at LA Valley for WSC #3.
1st place finishes:
1-Meter Diving – Morgan Cederholm (243.50)
400 Medley Relay – Erin Otsuki-Maddie Myers-Lila Waechter-Lily Carrick (4:15.35)
500 Free – Lily Carrick (5:14.32)
200 Free – Caroline Oates (1:59.31)
200 Back – Erin Otsuki (2:11.29)
400 IM – Lily Carrick (4:46.28)
3-Meter Diving – Morgan Cederholm (179.90)
100 Back – Erin Otsuki (1:00.38)
400 Free Relay – Caroline Oates-Sofia Paez-Lily Carrick-Maddie Myers (3:46.24)
2nd place finishes:
500 Free – Caroline Oates (5:20.99)
50 Free – Maddie Myers (25.73)
100 Breast – Kate Densmore (1:18.31)
400 IM – Sofia Paez (5:07.78)
200 Fly – Natalie Mancinelli (2:51.12)
100 Free – Maddie Myers (55.24)
100 Back – Tayten Neiderhiser (1:05.64)
3rd place finishes:
100 Fly – Lila Waechter (1:02.24)
50 Free – Erin Otsuki (25.96)
200 Free – Sofia Paez (2:04.33)
200 Back – Taylor Classen (2:33.47)
400 IM – Tayten Neiderhiser (5:11.70)
100 Free – Caroline Oates (56.13)
400 Free Relay – Addie Lane-Natalie Mancinelli-Tayten Neiderhiser-Ava Smith (4:05.39)