The Cal State East Bay women's swimming team turned in a strong showing at the Slug Shootout, collecting multiple individual victories and impressive relay performances across two days of competition. The meet provided the Pioneers an early opportunity to compete against several conference opponents while continuing to develop their race strategies.
East Bay opened the competition with a victory in the 400-yard medley relay, as Jaydah Godbolt, Alyssa Corkery, Tehani Kong and Amaya Rocheleau combined for a first-place time of 3:57.18.
Senior Taylor Kolsch added another victory for the Pioneers in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing first in 58.53 seconds. Sophomore Rocheleau also turned in a strong performance in the 50-yard freestyle, placing second with a time of 24.43.
The Pioneers claimed the top two spots in the 100-yard butterfly, with junior Alexia Fajardo taking first in 57.01 seconds. Senior Kong followed in second at 57.66.
"Great start to the Slug Shootout! It's a nice preview racing a handful of conference teams," the Pioneers' coaching staff said.
East Bay carried that momentum into the second day of competition, which featured longer races and additional opportunities to refine race strategy.
Sophomores Malana Kollath and Viviana Perez delivered one of the closest finishes of the meet for the Pioneers in the 500-yard freestyle. Kollath placed second with a time of 5:18.16, while Perez finished third in 5:18.64, just 0.48 seconds behind her teammate.
Fajardo and Kong continued their success in the butterfly events, finishing first and second, respectively, in the 200-yard butterfly. Fajardo touched the wall in 2:06.54, narrowly edging Kong, who finished in 2:06.66. The two were separated by just 0.12 seconds.
Freshman Bridget Chandler and senior Reese Veron also turned in matching performances in the 200-yard butterfly, tying for sixth place with identical times of 2:11.51.
Kong added another individual victory in the 50-yard butterfly, finishing first with a time of 25.73 seconds. Kolsch also returned to the top of the standings, claiming first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:08.19.
The Pioneers also put together a strong performance in the 400-yard freestyle relay, as Rocheleau, Kali Mull, Godbolt and Fajardo combined for a time of 3:34.54.
The second day also provided an opportunity for East Bay to work through the challenges of longer races and evaluate its approach to different events as the season progresses.
Throughout the two-day meet, East Bay demonstrated its depth across several events while gaining valuable experience against conference competition. With multiple individual victories, closely contested finishes and strong relay performances, the Pioneers continued to build on their early-season progress.
