HOUSTON, TX – Today marked the first session of the 2026 Big West Conference Championship meet. After the first session, the women's team took hold of first place (UCSB 70, UCD 66, USD 60, Seattle U 54, Cal State Bakersfield 54, UCSD 40, Hawaii 34). The men sit in fifth place; in the men's standings, three teams lead the pack: GCU - 88, Hawaii - 85, and Cal State Bakersfield - 58. UC San Diego is in fourth place with 32 points, followed by UC Santa Barbara with 28 points. Seattle University is in sixth place after session one.

How It Happened

The Blue and Gold set the tone strongly on day one. The first event of the day, the women's 200 Medley Relay, set a new school and meet record. Hazel Derr, Ashley Ray, Makena Leacox, and Miranda Stevenson combined for a time of 1:37.69. The men's relay team placed fifth. Taisei Saito, Michael Peterson, Bryden Thienlenhaus, and Zachary Tamusaitis worked together to finish with a time of 1:27.53.

What's Next

Tomorrow, the Gauchos will be back in action for two sessions. The morning session begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time. The afternoon session will get underway at 4 p.m. The Big West Conference Championship meet will run two sessions a day, Thursday through Saturday. Any Gauchos who qualify will prepare for the National Championships at the end of March.