Women’s swimming team splits home opener
October 12, 2016
It was a welcoming return for the Cal State East Bay women’s swimming team on Friday.
The Pioneers kicked off the 2016-2017 season by going 1-1 at Pioneer Pool on the Hayward campus.
It was the first meet of the year for CSUEB’s new women’s swimming head coach Shane Pelton. He took over at East Bay in August following a search by then Athletic Director Joan McDermott. Pelton replaced Ben Loorz who was hired as the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May.
“We have an awesome lineup for next season and whoever takes over this program is going to have a great time,” Loorz said before he left for UNLV.
That awesome lineup got off to a great start in the first match against Mills College from Oakland. The Pioneer dominated the Cyclones and cruised to a blowout win, 216-43. However, East Bay fell to the University of the Pacific in their second match, 162-99.
In the third event of the day, the 200-yard freestyle, senior Madison Hauanio took first place as she edged out UOP junior Becca Aguilar by less than half a second, 1:54.69 to 1:55.13.
A pair of Pioneers took first and second place in the next event, the 100-yard backstroke. Sophomore Morgan McClure and senior Mariam Lowe nabbed the top two spots and it was a close race between teammates. McClure just out-touched Lowe by two tenths of a second, 58.65 to 58.86.
CSUEB swimmers also placed first and second in the sixth event, the 200-yard butterfly, as freshman Victoria Zukeran and junior Madison Faulkner took the top two spots respectively.
McClure took another first place finish in one of the last events of the day, the 200-yard individual medley. McClure beat UOP freshman Whitney Jorgensen 2:07.32 to 2:08.50.
The next match of the season for East Bay is Oct. 21 against Biola University at 3 p.m. at the Trefethen Aquatic Center in Oakland. The Pioneers will go on the road for the next five matches and return to Hayward on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. when they host Colorado College at Pioneer Pool.
