The Aggies win 11 out of 16 individual events
By MEGAN JOSEPH — sports@theaggie.org
The UC Davis women’s swim and dive team recently hosted the first tri-meet competition of the season. The competition was rigorous with the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack and the Cal State East Bay Pioneers coming from out of town. Nonetheless, that did not stop the Aggies from putting on a thrilling performance for their fans as they won first place in 11 out of 16 events.
Two of the 11 wins came from none other than second-year Elena Gingras, who obtained two individual wins in the 1000 and 500-yard freestyle races. This marks Gingras’ first tri-meet with Davis in her collegiate career, as she previously swam at Tulane University.
The Oregon native impressed everyone with her ability to dominate long-distance events, even though she has just started swimming with the Davis team. With a time of 10:32.15 in the 1000-yard freestyle event and a time of 5:05.4 in the 500-yard freestyle, Gingras has a lot left in store this season that could potentially get her into the championships.
Along with Gingras, the Aggies had six other individual wins, with most of them coming from freestyle events. First-year Nalanie Marinel Cortez showed her stamina as she won the 200-yard freestyle event against 15 other competitors. In the 50-yard freestyle race, first-year Sophi MacKay took first place with a substantial lead and a time of 23.88 seconds.
First-year Paige Dailey got her first individual win of the season in the 100-yard breaststroke competition by utilizing her ability to stay calm in the water. Following her lead, third-year Sam Rhodes earned her individual title in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke with a battle against tough competition that came down to the last 0.35 seconds.
The last two individual wins of the competition came from second-year team members Emma Hermeston and Mackenzie Young. Hermeston, the only Davis competitor in the meet to win an individual title in backstroke, dominated the 200-yard backstroke event, coming in first place. Young, one of the strongest divers on the Aggie’s team, took first place in the three-meter diving competition with a final score of 276.30. Young was the only diver from the Davis team to win an individual event; nevertheless, with such hard competition, the diving team put up good scores.
Even though there was only one winner in the 50-yard, 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races, as well as the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events, the Aggies won the top three spots in each event listed. This is an incredible performance for the beginning of the year that should make the Aggies and their fans proud.
Although individual wins proved to be the strongest part of the Aggie’s performance, the team also placed first in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Second-year Katie McLain led the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay team with first-years Emily Scheberies, Paige Dailey and Naomi Boegholm. Together, the team showed their determination and ability to work well together in a variety of competitions that earned them the win over other teams.
In the end, the tri-meet competition was a success that exemplified the potential the Aggies have for the rest of the season, leaving fans and coaches enthusiastic for what is to come.
Written by: Megan Joseph — sports@theaggie.org
