In their last regular season and dual meet appearance of the year, the California Baptist University swim and dive teams fought hard against the University of California, San Diego, before ultimately losing to the UCSD Tritons.
The men’s swim and dive team lost to UCSD with a final score 172-117 while the women’s team lost with a final score of 167-128, according to a press release from CBU Athletics.
“The meet was challenging. Most if not all of us are pretty worn down from the long season, and this was our fourth meet in January,” said Trevor Van Law, senior mechanical engineering major and member of the CBU men’s swim and dive team. “The team had an off performance. We were all pretty tired and some of our big scorers were injured. UCSD did very well, posting some pool records throughout the meet. The main challenge we faced was the cold. It was cloudy and windy, low 60s to high 50s, which made it hard to stay warm for our races.”
While the Lancer men battled tough conditions and the fatigue of a long season, they were still able to win some races against the Tritons. The relay team consisting of Estevao Hornos, Josh Walters, Matthew Niculae and Jacob Leahy won the 200-yard freestyle relay. Robert Moseley won an individual first-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley, while Jonathan Reiter won the 100-yard breaststroke for the second of the Lancer men’s two individual wins.
The CBU women’s team also won several victories against UCSD. Giulia Decataldo won the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle races, and the relay team of Mia Maspers, Lauren McKenna, Vianka Hoyer and Hannah Houlton won the 200-yard freestyle relay as well. Patricia Van Law had the final victory for the CBU women’s team, with her individual win in the 200 IM.
“I think the team collectively did not have the greatest meet,” said Patricia Van Law, biomedical sciences graduate student. “We had some ups and some downs, but we all tried our hardest and that’s what matters at the end of the day. UCSD had their senior meet, and there is always just a different energy at those types of meets. They did not want to lose in their home pool. The weather was definitely chilly, so it was a matter of figuring out how to best keep our muscles warm and loose. There were also plenty of bee stings, which are no fun.”
The Lancer swim and dive teams competed well against a very tough and seasoned opponent. They are working hard to prepare for the postseason, with the Western Athletic Conference championship starting on Feb. 23.
“Our team is incredibly competitive this year, so we’ll place highly at conference. My personal goal is to place top eight in my backstroke events,” Trevor Van Law said.
“I can’t believe that the regular season is already over,” Patricia Van Law said. “I really wish, personally, that I had ended the dual meet with a better performance. However, there is nothing I can do about it now besides move forward and focus on what is ahead of me.
