Saddleback swim set for OEC championship
I BELIEVE I CAN FLY
This weekend, the Orange Empire Conference Championships will be hosted at Saddleback College. The championship involves seven teams, and lasts from April 24-26. In preparation for this event, Saddleback’s swim team is simply taking it easy.
“We are tapering down,” said coach Jennifer Higginson. “You try to rest the athletes so that they swim their best.”
The teams have done well at past OEC Championships, and are confident that they will qualify for the State Championships, which are also being held at Saddleback, the following weekend.
So far, the season has gone well for the men’s team, and even better for the women’s. The women remain undefeated, and hope to uphold their record this weekend.
“The girls have beaten every team this year,” said Taylor Odonnell, 19, criminal justice. “I don’t know of a team they have lost to, and the boys have done fairly well too.”
With such an impressive reputation, Higginson is doing her best to keep the athletes well-rested, and has great expectations for her teams.
“We are confident that they will qualify for state,” said Higginson. “Everybody should have a great meet.”
An entire season of hard work and dedication from the Saddleback swimmers is paying off at competitions, and should continue to do so this weekend. The men’s team did well at the OEC Preliminaries, and the women’s team has received first-place awards in 10 out of 20 events at the OEC Preliminaries.
“We have a lot of great swimmers on our team,” said Alex Geronimo, 18, kinesiology. “The girls have a good chance of winning state.”
The swimmers are optimistic about their performances, and hope their hard work will pay off in the form of more wins and a state championship qualification.
READY, SET, GO
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