by Amanda Stutevoss
Staff Writer
A little cloud in the water in the pool at Cerritos was enough to delay the swimming conference championships, but not enough to put a stop to the University of La Verne swim team.
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) held the men’s and women’s swimming conference championships at Cerritos starting on Feb. 15.
However, the cloudy water from a broken filter pump, created several accidents in the pool on Thursday. Two swimmers from Pomona-Pitzer were swimming and collided, which resulted in concussions.
After a vote from coaches and officials, the event was rescheduled for Feb. 16.
Nevertheless, the Leopards came out with a vengeance. The ULV women, finishing fourth last year, had high expectations for the weekend. With only 14 swimmers, the Leopards had a hard time competing with last year’s turnout.
“I felt that taper was too long for the girls. They were all very quick at the beginning and faded at the end,” said Coach John Hallman.
With three returning All-American swimmers, juniors Katie Aimone and Summer Hammons and sophomore Katie Lyons, the ladies felt disappointment.
“We don’t have really strong individuals to carry the team, but overall we have a strong team, with competitive relays,” said Aimone.
In the midst of disappointment, senior Rachel Eldredge, who will be the first original member to graduate from the ULV swim team, had a record meet.
Eldredge took off more than one minute from her 400-meter individual medley and set a new personal record in every event she swam.
“I don’t think that anyone had any expectations that I would take off that much time. I think that it just took a lot of hard work and time,” said Eldredge.
The ladies finished on Sunday with the lowest finish in ULV swimming history in fifth place.
The big surprise was the ULV men. After finishing fifth last year the men felt they had something to prove.
“I think that the men exceeded my expectations,” said coach Hallman. “All the guys really stepped up.”
Freshman Jason Walters was the fastest finisher for the Leopards finishing second in the 100-meter backstroke, second in the 200-meter backstroke, and first in the 200-meter individual medley.
Walters’ times were good enough to make national B cuts. This could possibly carry Walters to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in Buffalo, New York.
Junior Ryan MacDonald also had a record meet. Finishing second in the 200-meter breaststroke, he also made national B cuts, which could take him to the NCAA Nationals for the first time in his career here at ULV.
“For Ryan, every swim is pressure packed, and he steps up,” said Hallman.
Another swimmer that stepped up is Rey Lopez.
“Rey really stepped up. He had to accept being our No. 2 backstroker after Jason Walters joined the team, I think that this made him stronger and faster,” said Hallman.
The men finished third overall in SCIAC. “As a team we were more of a family this year, we had a lot of heart,’ said Lopez.
