Day 1 Results (PDF)

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. -- The No. 21 Cal State East Bay swim team is in fourth place with 135 points following the first day of competition of the the 2016-17 Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference championships at East Los Angeles College. The Pioneers broke three program records on the first day of the championship meet.

After 3-Meter diving events, the Pioneers started the meet off with the 1000 Free. Senior Kayleigh Davidson led the way in 15th place with a time of 10:31.74, followed closely by Ryleigh Weight in 16th place (10:41.27.). Both of those times are lifetimes bests. Madison Chase notched her fastest time as a Pioneer, placing 23rd in 10:51.04.

"Fast Swimming is contagious and our 1000 freestylers really help set the tone for the entire team today," said head coach Shane Pelton. "It's never easy being the first ones to swim at conference championships, but the distance athletes stepped up in a big way! They are a big reason why the squad was successful."

Senior Mariam Lowe swam a time trial in the 200 Back and finished in 2:01.55, which eclipsed her own school record by nearly a full second and ranks her 13th in the nation. 

Junior Claire Beaty did the same thing in the 200 Breast, and she also topped her own program record, shattering the previous mark by nearly three seconds. She has the sixth-best time in Division II this season, and both she and Lowe notched NCAA "B" cuts with their performances.

The day closed with two straight relay finals, both of which were extremely successful for the Pioneers. They took third place in the 200 Medley Relay as the foursome of Lowe, Beaty, Vivy Hua, and Madison Hauanio touched the wall in 1:43.54. The time was just shy of the program record, but nonetheless ranks CSUEB among the top 10 teams in the nation.

East Bay did manage to set a record in the final event, the 800 Free Relay. Hauanio, Morgan McClure, Victoria, Zukeran, and Kali Kearns checked in at 7:33.56, besting the mark set at last year's conference championships. McClure had a particularly impressive split of 1:49.9 to lead the way, as the Pioneers recorded the No. 10 ranked time in the country.

"Mariam, Claire, and Morgan showed why they are the captains of this team," Pelton praised. "All three stepped up in big ways. Mariam's energy and emotion carried over into two monster swims. Claire's work ethic and dedication proved powerful as she shattered her own record in the 200 Breast, while Morgan picked up her teammates and put the 800 Free Relay in excellent position to break the third record of the day with her split. I also have to acknowledge that Kali Kearns has proven herself to be a leader of this program. From a non-scoring swimmer last year at this meet, to now a school record holder in the 800 Free Relay. She proved that when you are determined, tough, and willing to put in hard work, good things will happen."

No. 9 Fresno Pacific leads the team standings after one day with 208 points, followed closely by No. 4 UC San Diego in second at 205. Azusa Pacific is also just ahead of East Bay in third place with 154 points. 

"The first day of championships is one I won't forget," Pelton noted, "but we have a long week ahead and we need to continue to stay focused and driven. This team is special and I can't wait to watch them do even more special things tomorrow."

The meet continues on Thursday morning with prelims of the 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, and 200 Free Relay. After more diving in the afternoon, those four swim events will hold their championship finals starting at 4:35 p.m.