BAKERSFIELD, Calif.  – The holidays came early for the UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's Swim teams against Cal State Bakersfield. The women put up 177.5 points to the Roadrunners' 102.5 and the men toppled their Big West foe 190 to 104. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Freestyle events were the name of the game in Santa Barbara's dominant performance. The Gauchos won nine individual and two relay freestyle events! In the 50-yarder: Matt Driscoll (21.17) and Eugenie Lanilis (24.15). The 100-yarder: Samantha Banos (51.99) and Justin Wong (42.18). For 200 yards: Anna Brill (1:54.81) and Mason Wendler (1:41.37). In the 500-yarder: Connor Martilla (4:39.86) and Annie Andres (5:07.00). Jack Hendrick took the 1650 freestyle (16.06.84). Miranda Stevenson, Tyryn Empremsilapa, Hazel Derr, and Samantha Banos teamed up to win the 400 freestyle relay. Their male counterparts in Austin Sparrow, Justin Wong, Zachary Tamusaitis, and Matt Driscoll did the same with their time of 3:05.56.
 
Miranda Stevenson (1:03.88) and Austin Sparrow (54.84) helped the Gauchos sweep both 100 breaststroke events. The same feat occurred in the 200 breaststroke with Lucy Huang (2:21.54) and Owen Bohi's (2:04.76) stellar showing, and in the 200 IM via Silvia Faraboschi (2:10.52) and Austin Sparrow (1:52.42). The final sweep of the day came in the 200 mixed relay events. The women (Derr, Stevenson, Ray, Banos) swam a time of 1:42.91 and the men (Driscoll, Sparrow, Wong, Tamusaitis) 1:30.94. 
 
Good fortune doesn't have to come in pairs though. Taisei Saito earned a victory in the 200 backstroke (1:49.86) and Samantha Banos bested the 100 butterfly (55.82) to get the Gauchos to 21 victories out of 32 events on the day.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos host the Rainbow Warriors and Wahine in Malibu, Calif. this Friday, Dec. 20 at 12 p.m.