Hancock Breaks School Relay Record to Open CCCAA State Swimming and Diving Championships
Meagan Stevens, Rebecca Gonzalez, Alexandria Kwong and Ellyn Clardy teamed up to break an Allan Hancock College record in the women's 400-yard medley relay to close out the first day of the CCCAA State Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday at East LA College. The relay team finished 10th overall with a time of 4:10.53 to earn 14 points in the team standings and break the previous record by two seconds. The four Bulldogs were the first relay team in program history to compete at the state meet.
Earlier in the day, sophomore Maddie Diaz finished 24th in the women's 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 5:32.97. Diaz will swim in the 400-yard individual medley event on Friday and the 1,650-yard freestyle on Saturday. She won the Western State Conference title in both events two weeks ago. She finished 15th in the 400 IM and seventh in the 1,650 free at last year's state meet.
The Sierra College women lead after the first day with 153 points. Las Positas and Santa Barbara City College are tied for second with 96 points. Cuesta sits in seventh place with 75 points. Hancock sits in 22nd place with 14 points.
Kwong, a six-time Western State Conference champion, will spring into action Friday with the 100-yard butterfly. She will compete in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly events on Saturday. Last year, Kwong placed fourth in the 100 fly, ninth in the 200 back and 11th in the 200 fly. Gonzalez will swim in the 100-yard breaststroke event on Friday and the 200 breaststroke on Saturday. She finished 17th and 22nd last year. Nikki Gurgiolo, the first diver in program history to qualify for state, will compete in the 3-meter springboard on Friday.