Off the Blocks, On the Board

Cougars begin defense of PCSC title in Monterey Park.

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – All the practices and meets over the past four months have led to these four days as the PCSC swimming and diving championships kicked off today in the swim stadium at East Los Angeles College.

The Cougars got off to a strong start during the morning prelims as Angelica Benitez and Aleena Herrera both qualified for the finals in the 200 IM, while Adele Brush and Courtney Seljeseth both performed well enough to earn points for Azusa Pacific. Meanwhile, in the mad dash that is the 50 freestyle, Sydnee Wilson emerged with a finals-qualifying time of 23.72, earning the second seed in the evening's final, while Gillian Sato also finished in the top 24 to earn points toward the overall team standings.

In prime time, the evening started off well with Herrera finishing third in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:23.62, with teammate Kya Guikema right behind her in fourth. Benitez followed with a second place showing in the 200 IM final, finishing in a time of 2:03.00. And in the final event of the day, the quartet of Wilson, Mikaela Maemura, Guikema, and Herrera finished a strong second in the 4x200 freestyle relay.

Every point earned, from the 32 points available for winning an event down to the 1 point for finishing 24th, can be crucial in the standings, whether it results in a championship or in deciding which of Azusa Pacific or Biola will earn the 10 Cornerstone Cup points also available this weekend.

Thursday's action will include the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 free, both the 4x100 medley and the 4x50 freestyle relays, as well as the finals in the 3-meter diving event.

Top 5 after Day One: