Cox helps lead Pirates to seventh-place showing at state swim championships
LOS ANGELES -- The Orange Coast College women's swim team wrapped up the 2017 season with an individual state title and a strong seventh-place team finish at last weekend's California Community College Athletic Association State Swim Championships, hosted by East Los Angeles College.
Coast finished with 214 points over the three-day event and was led by the strong, all-around performance from sophomore Sierra Cox, who claimed OCC's lone individual state title.
That title took place on Friday during the 400-yard individual medley, where she rallied in the final freestyle leg (59.68) to wrap up the state crown with a winning time of 4:35.99, pulling away from Sierra's Claudia Guillory (4:37.09) down the stretch.
That win helped take some of the sting from a second-place finish on Thursday in the 500 freestyle (5:04.13), where she was edged out late by Sierra's Melissa Cienega (5:03.83). Cox also placed fourth on Saturday in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:11.46.
In fact, Cienega broke the heart of more than one Pirate swimmer during the State Meet. In the 1,650 free, OCC's distance specialist Katya Burjakowsky had to settle for the silver medal with a time of 17:47.66, but Cienega used a final push to touch the wall first with a 17:46.85.
Another strong silver-medal performance came in the 800 relay as the Coast foursome of Burjakowsky, Cox, Lexi Heyerly and Sian Davis touched the wall in second place with a time of 7:55.78.
Another top-five time was turned in by the 400 free relay team of Heyerly, Cox, Sian Davis and Darian Davis, who finished fifth with a time of 3:39.6.
