Pirates claim 18th-straight OEC Women's Swimming title!

FULLERTON -- While former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley coined the expression "Three-peat", there still hasn't been an expression trademarked for a team that has won 18 consecutive titles. However, the Orange Coast College women's swim team managed to complete its "Eighteen-peat" by winning the Orange Empire Conference title for the 18th straight year this past weekend at Fullerton College.

Led by another strong performance by Rebecca Aguilar, the Pirates rolled through the three-day meet and topped the field with 886 total points, well ahead of runner-up Riverside (583) and third-place Cypress (487). 

Aguilar was named the OEC's Co-Swimmer of the Year after putting together a performance worthy of such an honor, winning three individual events and helping the Pirates to OEC titles in four relay events.

The El Toro HS grad ripped through the field in three freestyle events, earning OEC titles in the 50 free (23.48 seconds), the 100 free (51.10) and the 200 free (1:52.71). 

Taking the anchor leg in all four relay wins, Aguilar joined Nacinda Paap, Alta Cox and Lucy Lightle and won the 200 free relay (1:38.29). She then finished up the 400 medley relay and helped Alexa Clayfield, Hannah Veseth and Alexis Hill to a winning time of 3:37.05.

In the 800 free relay, it was Paap, Cox, Clayfield and Aguilar who claimed the top prize in the 800 free relay with a time of 7:44.93. That same foursome wrapped up the OEC Meet by winning the 400 free relay with a 3:31.5.

Coast managed to earn two new OEC Meet records throughout the championships. The first came in the 400 individual medley where Clayfield touched the wall first with a record-setting time of 4:36.16, blistering her own meet-record time of 4:42.06, which was set last year. On Day 1, Clayfield also earned the OEC title in the 200 individual medley with a winning time of 2:12.04.

In the 200 butterfly, freshman Lauren Weins raised the bar with a meet-record time of 2:10.06 in the prelims, but she was topped in the finals by teammate Lexi Hill, who defended her OEC title from last year with a time of 2:10.78, edging out Weins, who touched the wall with a 2:11.17.

Another double winner for the Pirates came from freshman Hannah Veseth, who claimed victories in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.55) and the 200 breaststroke (2:31.24). She edged out teammates in both events, with Paap in the 100 breast (1:08.19) and Morganne Goodson in the 200 breast (2:36.75).

In the 200 medley relay, Weins, Veseth, Hill and Clayfield topped the field with a winning time of 1:47.33. In all, OCC won 12 titles in individual races and relays.

The Pirates will wrap up the season at the 2016 California Community College Athletic Association State Swimming and Diving Championships, held at East Los Angeles College, from May 5-7, beginning at 10 a.m. on each day.