MALIBU, Calif. – The Cougar swimming and diving team competed in their final meet of the season, dropping a dual contest against Pepperdine on Saturday by a final score of 184-116.

How It Happened:  Azusa Pacific may not have won the team competition, but they still had their fair share of winners on the day, starting with the third event in the pool as Montana White was first to the wall in the 200 freestyle, finishing in a time of 1:52.12 and earning nine points toward the overall standings.  Mikaela Maemura made it two on the trot with a first-place finish in the 100 backstroke immediately following that heat, recording a 57.73.  Capturing the Cougars' third straight event was freshman Lana Irene Abasolo, who won the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:02.70.

After several events won by the host Waves, Marci Yanagawa got the Cougars back in the win column by beating everyone to the wall in the 200 backstroke at 2:08.99.  White then captured her second event of the day, winning the 500 freestyle in 5:02.09.  Maemura picked up another first place in the 100 butterfly, with her 57.20 giving the Cougars their sixth event win of the day.  The team would add a seventh in the closing event, as White, Maemura, Sydnee Wilson, and Hannah Swailes were first to the wall in the 400 freestyle relay, finishing in a time of 3:32.85.

This is the fourth meeting between the two programs.  Pepperdine has won all four meetings, though this was the closest final score since the first meeting in January of 2020.  Azusa Pacific finishes the season with a 2-1 record in dual meets.

Up Next:  Now comes a two-and-a-half week sprint to the finish as the Cougars' next scheduled event is the PCSC Conference Championships, scheduled for February 12-15 at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park.