Kwong Wins Twice, Diaz Adds Another Crown to Help Hancock Swimming Finish Third at WSC Championships

Allan Hancock College swimmer Dria Kwong smashed her conference record by nearly four seconds and won two more titles, while sophomore Maddie Diaz won her second crown in as many days to help the Bulldogs finish a program-best third overall in the team standings at the Western State Conference Championships on Saturday at the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center.

Hancock entered the final day of the three-day meet in fourth place, eight points behind third-place Cuesta and 47 behind Ventura. After Saturday's events, Hancock finished in third place with 474 points, 15 points more than fourth-place Cuesta. Santa Barbara defended its conference title with 635 points. Ventura finished second with 537 points. A total of ten women's programs competed at the meet.

Kwong defended her title in the women's 200-yard backstroke. She broke the conference record she set last season of 2:14.07 by finishing first this year in 2:10.91. The Orcutt Academy graduate won by nearly two seconds. Later in the day, Kwong successfully defended her 2016 title in the 200-yard butterfly event. She won the final by nearly five seconds with a time of 2:18.26. Kwong finished the weekend with three individual conference titles, matching her total from last season. The sophomore broke the program record set by Leanna Bramble in 2014-15 for most career individual conference titles by securing her sixth title. 

Diaz won the 1,650-yard freestyle title with a season-best time of 18:41.47. She entered the final as the number-two seed, but won with a 10-second margin. The Pioneer Valley High School graduate won the 400-yard individual medley title on Friday. Hancock freshman Meagan Stevens finished third in the 1,650 final with a time of 19:38.23. Shannon Copeland placed ninth with a time of 20:59.42.

Freshman Ellyn Clardy finished eighth in the 100-yard freestyle final with a time of 30.48 seconds. During the weekend, she also finished sixth in the 200-free final and ninth in the 50-free final.

Sophomore Rebecca Gonzalez earned her second runner-up finish of the weekend with a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke final. The Nipomo High School graduate came in at 2:29.24, second only to Cuesta's Lauren Davis, who broke the conference record with a time of 2:21.28.

Makena Blanco also finished eighth in the 200-butterfly final with a time of 2:44.72. She finished eighth also in the 100-fly final.

Clardy, Diaz, Stevens, and Kwong ended the meet by teaming up for a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Their time of 3:51.27 broke the school record by nearly four seconds.

Hancock finished the weekend with five individual conference titles, three runner-up finishes, three third-place finishes, and four fourth-place finishes.

The next step for the Bulldogs will be the CCCAA State Swimming and Diving Championships from May 4-6 at East L.A. College.