STOCKTON, Calif. -- This weekend, UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's swim teams will return to Stockton to kick off the 2026-2027 season at the University of the Pacific Invite. Competition will get started at 10 am on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3.

The Gauchos will face swimmers from Cal State Bakersfield, Stanford University, Saint Mary's College, UC Davis, and host University of the Pacific.

Both teams hope to defend last year's titles, with UCSB's men finishing first among four teams with 918.5 points, and the women placing first of three teams with 1,436 points. 

This season, they welcome 15 new faces to the roster, adding depth to both squads as they look to uphold last year's success. They also welcome Assistant Coach Ezra Dickerson. 

Following the invitational, the Gauchos will head back home the following two weekends to host Saint Mary's on Oct. 9-10 and BYU Oct. 16.

MEN'S NEWCOMERS
The Gauchos welcome five freshmen: Breck Boyd, Laird Delbridge, Chase Lewis, Cillian McBride, and Will Titley. Junior Josh Noonan also joins the squad from American River College.

WOMEN'S NEWCOMERS
Nine freshmen join the women's roster this season: Lillia Barlow, Elaine Birkhold, Maeve Collins, Viola Griebenow, Lilli Perner, Melina Seider, Stela Sufuentes, Abigail Tamayo, and Kayla Thompson.

FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the action by watching on Overnght's platform.