Hancock Swimming Hosts Western State Conference Championships Thursday through Saturday

The Hancock women's swimming and diving team will host the 2017 Western State Conference Championships this week. The three-day meet will run Thursday, April 20, through Saturday, April 22, at the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center in Santa Maria.

Hancock will enter the meet already in second place in the standings with 45 points after sophomores Nikki Gurgiolo (Righetti HS) and Rebecca Gonzalez (Nipomo HS) earned top-five finishes at the WSC Diving Championships last weekend.  Gurgiolo finished fourth in the conference and 13^th in the SoCal Region in the 1-meter springboard. Gonzalez finished fifth in conference and 18^th in the region. The following day, Gurgiolo qualified for the State Meet in the 3-meter springboard by finishing third in conference and sixth in the region. Defending champion Santa Barbara City College is in first place with 74 points after earning first- and second-place finishes in both springboard events. The diving scores will be added to the swimming portion of the WSC Championships.

Sophomore Dria Kwong (Orcutt Academy), a three-time defending conference champion, leads the contingent of Bulldogs pursuing individual titles. Last year, Kwong was named the conference's Co-Swimmer of the Year when she broke the conference record in the 200-yard backstroke, as well as earned titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. Sophomores Maddie Diaz (Pioneer Valley HS) and Gonzalez, as well as freshmen Meagan Stevens (Cabrillo HS) and Ellen Clardy (Righetti HS) are also strong candidates to win individual titles.

The Bulldogs finished fourth at last year's WSC Championships.