SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The Cougar swimming and diving team got its first chance to improve on already-existing times this weekend, putting together a strong third-place finish at the Slug Shootout hosted by UC Santa Cruz.

The 400 medley relay team got things started with the quartet of Aleena Herrera, Courtney Seljeseth, Angelica Benitez, and Abby Keller coming to the line in a time of 4:03.88, good enough for fourth place.  Mikaela Maemura, Herrera, and Ellie Sivesind gave the team a strong showing by finishing second through fourth in the 200 freestyle, with all three hitting the wall in under two minutes and securing 48 points toward the team standings in the process.

Sydnee Wilson put forth a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke at 1:07.47, the first of three Cougars in the top six of that event.  Minutes later, Wilson won the 50 free in a time of 24.23 seconds, with Gillian Sato making it a 1-2 finish for Azusa Pacific.  Wilson, Maemura, Sato, and Sivesind capped off day one with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay, coming to the wall in 1:38.43.

Benitez virtually matched her seed time in the 200 butterfly, taking second place in the field with a 2:10.19.  Sato and Maemura tied for second in the 50 backstroke, each putting up a 27.53, less than a third of a second behind the leader.  Wilson led a dominant effort in the 100 free, winning the event in 52.67 as the Cougars put up four of the top five times.  Herrera won the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:11.41.  And to wrap up the leading performances, the team of Wilson, Maemura, Sivesind, and Herrera claimed victory in the 400 freestyle relay, winning in a time of 3:34.50, four seconds ahead of second place.

In all, the Cougars finished the meet with 880 points, finishing third overall and second among Division II schools behind long-time regional rival Cal State East Bay (972.5).

Up Next:  The Cougars will be back in action in three weeks on November 1st for their annual home meet against Biola.  The dual meet will take place at Slauson Pool at 10:00 a.m., and the team will be honoring their seniors at the meet.