Swim team suffers loss in first seasonal meet
Erica Wingard (Leif Kemp)
The Saddleback College men’s and women’s swim teams participated in the season’s first competition when they took on Orange Coast and Fullerton Colleges in a dual meet at the OCC swimming facilities on Feb. 11.
Saddleback’s men lost to both OCC 160-40, and suffered defeat to Fullerton 123-75.
Mel Holley, 19, history, was disqualified when his finish in the 400 medley was deemed illegal.
“My finish was illegal, because the hands were uneven as they touched the wall,” he said.
Saddleback’s Denis White, 18, undecided, also made a tremendous effort in the 200 yard freestyle. He came up short in the last 50 meters finishing in 27.62 seconds.
Michael Huan, 18, undeclared, captain of Fullerton’s mens team said he was happy with his team’s results despite of it not being at its peak.
“Its too early in the season.” he said.
The Saddleback women were defeated by both schools as well, losing to Orange Coast 212-40 and coming up short against OCC 161-85.
Ashley Montogmery, 18, environmental studies, was not satisfied with her results in the 200 yard individual medley. She attributed her performance to lack of practice.
“I lost because I’ve had a late start to my season.” she said.
Both the men and women have another chance for victory Friday, Feb. 25, when they travel to Golden West College in Huntington Beach to take on the Rustlers.
The Saddleback teams have had to deal with a bit of a logistical headache, as the Saddleback College pool has been under construction since the beginning of the Spring semester. The home facilities should be complete this June.
Mel Holley (Leif Kemp)
Mike Bennett (Leif Kemp)