SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022)— The UC Santa Barbara men's and women's swim teams started their seasons off in dominant fashion, winning decisively in their first conference dual meet of the season Saturday, beating rival Cal Poly. The final score for the men and women were 186-105 and 192-99, respectively.
The 200 Medley Relays set the tone for the meet. The women took the top three spots as the "A" medley team of Nina Statler, Samantha Banos, Ashley Ray, and Reagan Nibarger finished first in 1:44.55. The men took the top two spots as the "A" team, consisting of Matt Driscoll, Alec Cullen, Justin Wong, and Austin Sparrow, took the lead and finished in 1:31.06
The women had strong performances throughout multiple individual events. They dominated 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Breast, 200 Breast, and 100 Butterfly, taking the top three spots in all these events. Freshman Hazel Derr took home her first collegiate win in the 200 Back(2:01.04). Tyryn Empremsilapa also took home first in the 100 Breast (1:05.06) and second in the 100 Butterfly(56.23). Statler also finished first in the 50 Free(23.54), 100 Back (55.73). Banos took first in the 100 (56.21) and 200 (2:02.96) Fly. Nibarger finished first in the 100 Free(52.49) and third in the 200 Free (1:53.34).
Going the distance, freshman Isabella Martinez-Spencer took first in the 500(5:05.19) and 1000(10:21.67) Free.
Like their women counterparts, the men dominated, taking the top three spots in eight of the twelve individual events. Driscoll took first in the 50 Free(21.07) and 100 Back(49.77). After a year-long absence, Cullen marked his return to Campus pool, placing first in the 100 (56.05)
and 200(2:01.08) Breast events. Sparrow also finished first in the 100(45.25) and 200(1:38.01) Free. In spectacular fashion, Wong and Dominic Falcon tied in the 100 Fly, both touching at 49.65. Falcon also took first in the 200 Fly(1:49.01).
The Gauchos rounded out their victory taking first in the 400 Freestyle Relays. The women's "A" team, composed of Statler, Empremsilapa, Ray, and Nibarger, finished in 3:29.45. The men's "A" team, Sparrow, Driscoll, Wong, and Sean Gutowski, finished 3:03.26.
UCSB will be back in action next weekend at the John S. Hillman Aquatic Center in Bakersfield as they take on the CSUB Sprint Classic. Swimming will begin on Friday, October 14 at 2pm and conclude on Saturday, October 15.
