Citrus Splashes into the New Season
Citrus College opened the new season at the RCC Sprint Friday with the women taking second as a team with 180.5 points and the men placing third with 67 points.
The 200-yard medley relay kicked off the event with the Owls taking second with a time of 2:12.63.
Charly Figueroa had a busy but successful day, helping the 200-yard medley relay team kick off the event with a second-place finish after finishing in two minutes, 12.63 seconds. She followed with third in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 37.71 seconds and took second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:19.86. Figueroa kept the day going with a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley (2:37.29) and followed with the 50-yard fly, where she took second in 32.64 seconds.
Andrea Hayler was right on Figueroa's tail in the 100-yard breast, taking third with a time of 1:20.30. She also finished in third place in the 100-yard free, touching the wall in 1:01.09.
Sierra Beltran, who led off the medley relay team, took third in the 100-yard back with a time of 1:13.71, while Stephanie Azizeh followed in fifth after touching the wall in 1:28.88 and also grabbed fifth in the 50-yard free (28.44 seconds).
Delaney Latham led the Owls in the 50-yard free, clocking in at 28.36 to take fourth. Genesis Moradel took ninth (29.83 seconds) and Beltran rounded out the top 10 with a time of 29.92 seconds.
Latham also took fourth in the 50-yard fly with a time of 34.40, while Frankie Pacheco grabbed sixth in 36.01 seconds.
Citrus capped the event with three teams racing in the 200-yard free relay, with one team taking second with a time of 1:57.12.
On the men's side, Citrus had two teams in the 200-yard medley relay with one taking third place.
Jullian Nichols won all three of the heats he competed in. He opened with fifth place in the 50-yard free (23.05 seconds), winning his heat by almost two seconds. He also won his heat in the 200-yard free with a time of 1:56.15 to take fourth overall and won his 100-yard free heat with a time of 50.60 to take fourth overall.
In the first heat of the 50-yard breast, it was all Citrus swimmers with Cristian Duran beating out his fellow teammates with a time of 35.16 seconds. Matteo Velasquez followed in 35.75 seconds, while Jacob Cruz clocked in at 38.82 seconds.
Velasquez won his heat of the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:17.94.
The men's 200-yard free relay closed out the meet, with one of Citrus' two teams finishing in third in 1:43.77.
Citrus continues the season next week at the first Western State Conference meet of the year, hosted by Bakersfield College on Friday, Feb. 17.