AKRON, OH: Today marked the first day of competition for UC Santa Barbara swim at Akron University's Zippy Invite and the Gauchos did not disappoint. Amidst a jam packed Thursday featuring 33 individual events and four team relay races, the swimmers clinched an impressive nine individual first-place victories, secured two relay top spots, and achieved a noteworthy Olympic trial cut time. At the conclusion of day one, the Men's team leads the pack with an impressive score of 227 while the Women's team holds the second position with a score of 206, trailing Akron University, who leads with 240 points.
In today's individual events, the Gauchos earned nine first-place finishes. The wave of success began with two freshmen securing the top spot in the 100-meter butterfly, as Samantha Hall and Bryden Thielenhaus surpassed their competition. Juniors Matt Driscoll and Taber DaCosta kept the golds coming, with Driscoll taking first place in the 200 backstroke, and DaCosta earning the top spot in the 400-meter individual medley. Standout Gauchos Austin Sparrow and Samantha Banos also clinched a first-place win for Santa Barbara, with Sparrow beating out his competitors in the 100 freestyle, and Samantha Banos dominating the 200 butterfly. Junior Hazel Derr and Sophomore Silvia Faraboschi also secured first place in their individual events, with Derr triumphing in the 200 backstroke and Faraboschi swiftly earning first in the 200 breaststroke. Finally, Junior Kyle Brill also claimed first place in the 200 breaststroke, where he not only surpassed his competitors but also earned an Olympic Trial Cut time, finishing the race with a time of 2:15.64.
Regarding the relays, Santa Barbara emerged from the pool with two first-place finishes in the men's 200-yard medley relay and the renowned 800-meter relay. Notably, the men's 800 relay team achieved a new meet record, clocking in at an impressive time of 6:25.15.
Today's races marked just the start of an eventful weekend of swimming. Stay tuned for more details on day two tomorrow.
