Valley College hosted Pierce, Santa Monica, Ventura and Citrus colleges in the Western State Conference competition Feb. 21.
By: Natalie Gazazian and Toby Douglas, Staff Writers
Valley College men’s and women’s swim teams finished second overall at the first Western State Conference meet, scoring 318.7 points in the men’s and 298.3 points in the women’s events.
The Monarchs competed against Pierce College, Santa Monica College, Ventura College, and Citrus College. The meet featured 28 events, with the women’s team participating in nine and men’s competing in 11.
Despite a number of freshmen on both teams, the second-place showing displayed their competitiveness.
“Some of these guys, it’s something they’ve never done before,” said assistant coach Levon Gukasyan. “Training and consistency lead to us being successful at swim meets.”
The Men’s team showed steadiness throughout the meet. Freshman Chase Martsolf has shown his success by placing in the top five in a number of freestyle events.
Martsolf took part in several swimming events. He won first place in the 200 meter freestyle, finishing at 1:57.12. In the 100 meter freestyle, he finished second with a time of 52.05. Martsolf also swam in the 200 meter freestyle relay with Greg Carrillo and Ryan Nevsky, placing second at 1:33.72.
“It’s [being repetitive]... you can’t show up to a meet and just lock in,” said Martsolf. “It comes from weeks and months of training, your zone comes from training.”
The Monarchs had another swimmer who displayed consistency in their efforts. Sophomore Greg Carrillo contributed to the team and placed in the top five.
In the 200 meter backstroke, Carrillo came in third at 2:14.06. Carrillo finished fifth in the 200 meter individual medley with a time of 2:13.35. In the 100 meter backstroke, Carrillo placed fourth with a time of 1:04.21. “Last swim meet was practice and getting back into shape,” said Carrillo. “I warm up a bit and practice my breathing,...I step on the block and just close my eyes and go for it.”
Ciera Center, Valley’s newest diver in her freshman year, spent some time perfecting her dives before the beginning of the meet and is looking forward to the upcoming season.
“I feel pretty good. I’m confident about the season,” Center said. “I do consistent training every day, Monday through Sunday.”
Center’s motivation is “to show everyone what I’m capable of.”
She said visualizing the dives prepares her for meets before she competes in them. She also credits using muscle memory when locking in.
In a 200 meter freestyle relay, swimmers Brisa Chajan, Gianna Double, Mariane Avila, and Ann Donahoe combined to secure second place overall for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs head to Santa Monica College for the second Western State Conference on March 15 and take their mark at 11:30 a.m.
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