MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – Cal State East Bay opened the 2026 PCSC Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday with a dominant showing at ELAC Swim Stadium, finishing the first day in first place. The highlight of the day came in the 1,000‑yard freestyle, where the Pioneers delivered a record‑setting performance and a one–two finish to ignite their postseason push.

Maggie Clemens raced to first place and the gold medal in the 1,000 free in 10:06.84, an NCAA Division II 'B' Standard and a new program record. The time surpassed the previous school mark set by teammate Malana Kollath on January 24. Kollath followed closely to earn the silver medal in 10:15.38, also hitting the NCAA 'B' Standard .

East Bay continued to stack medals in the sprint events. In the 50‑yard freestyle, Amaya Rocheleau secured first place and the gold medal in 23.42 seconds, adding another NCAA 'B' Standard to the Pioneers' total. Tehani Kong finished third in 23.70 seconds, earning the bronze medal and giving East Bay two swimmers on the podium.

The Pioneers closed the evening with another top‑three finish in the 800 freestyle relay, taking the bronze in 7:35.84.

Through the opening day of the four‑day championship meet, Cal State East Bay sits atop the standings and carries strong momentum into the next slate of races.

Cal State East Bay returns to ELAC Swim Stadium on Thursday for day two of the 2026 PCSC Championships. Expected events featuring Pioneer swimmers include the 100‑yard butterfly, 400‑yard individual medley, 200‑yard freestyle and the 400‑yard medley relay.