Pirate women successfully defend PCC Invitational title

PASADENA -- For the second straight year, the Orange Coast College women's swim team ruled the pool at the 15th-annual PCC Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Pasadena City College.

With several top-three-performances, the Pirates won the team title with 673.5 points, topping rival Golden West (478), Diablo Valley (468), Santa Barbara City (414.5) and host PCC (316).

The Pirates shined the brightest in the 200-yard medley relay, where the foursome of Alexa Clayfield, Valeria Acosta, Chloe Kim and Kessy Hickey fought off a spirited effort by the Rustlers to win the event with a time of 1 minute, 50.02. GWC finished second with a 1:50.62, while Diablo Valley (1:52.14) placed third. Clayfield helped get the Pirates into the lead right away with a strong 50-yard split of 27.84 and from there, the other three OCC swimmers kept that lead the rest of the way.

Sophomore diving standout Candis Buck continued her outstanding season by sweeping the field in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Buck scored a 214.45 in the 1-meter (54 points ahead of runner-up Alexis Kerns of College of the Canyons) and 231.15 in the 3-meter (46 points ahead of runner-up Leigh Hodgson of Cypress). 

At a competition where 18 different meet records were set, Coast used its depth at several events to earn the team win. 

Clayfield, Kim and Hickey were joined by Rebecca Aguilar and that quartet finished second in both the 200 freestyle relay (1:38.18) and the 800 free relay (8:08.89). Aguliar and Hickey, along with Nacinda Paap and Lexi Hill finished second in the 400 medley relay (4:04.64), while the foursome of Hickey, Kim, Paap and Aguilar finished runner-up in the 400 free relay (3:41.78).

Other individual top-three performances turned in by the Pirates include ... 

• Aguilar in the 50 free (2nd, 24.29), 100 butterfly (2nd, 58.54) and 100 free (2nd, 53.95).
• Clayfield in the 200 individual medley (3rd, 2:13.41), 400 IM (2nd, 4:46.9) and 200 backstroke (2nd, 2:09.35).
• Paap in the 100 breaststroke (3rd, 1:10.21) and 200 breaststroke (2nd, 2:33.57).
• Kim in the 200 butterfly (2nd, 2:15.59) and 100 butterfly (3rd, 58.89).
• Hill in the 200 butterfly (3rd, 2:16.47).
• Hickey in the 50 freestyle (3rd, 24.56) and 100 free (3rd, 54.39).

The Pirates will return to action this weekend at the Southern California Diving Regionals at El Camino College. Coast will then compete at the Orange Empire Conference Championships, held at Riverside City College, on April 16-18.