Merced girls win CCC swimming championship, El Capitan, Buhach Colony boys win co-titles
The Merced High girls and El Capitan boys swimming teams won the Central California Conference Championship meet at El Capitan on Thursday afternoon.
The victory put an exclamation mark on an undefeated season for the Bears, which finished with 525 team points. Buhach Colony finished in second with 495 points.
Buhach Colony and the Gauchos finish as co-champions after the Thunder went undefeated in CCC dual meets. El Capitan finished with a 494 points, edging out Buhach Colony, which compiled 489 points.
Sydney Hinman led the way for the Bears girls, winning the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events. Hinman won the 50 with a time of 26.35 seconds and the 100 59.03 second, respectively.
Merced’s Julia Nies also picked up an individual championship with a victory in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:07.35.
El Capitan’s Chloe Dingeldein won two events with wins in the 200 freestyle (2:08.51) and 500 freestyle (5:43.44).
Other local girls winners include: Buhach Colony’s Abby Perez (200 individual medley, 2:31.56) and Eliza Marquez (1-meter diving, 204.15), El Capitan’s Anali Sebastian (100 backstroke, 1:13.98) and Claudette Asenjo (100 breaststroke, 1:18.34).
The Merced girls also won the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay. The Buhach Colony girls won the 400 freestyle relay.
In boys action. El Capitan’s Rob Carpenter was a double-winner with victories in the 200 IM (1:55.82) and the 50 freestyle (21.68).
Merced’s Carter Smoot also won two events with wins in the 100 freestyle (50.31) and 200 freestyle (1:50.11).
Other local winners were Merced’s Easton Hamm (100 butterfly, 52.77), El Capitan’s Jake Parker (500 freestyle, 5:14.39), Jordan Garcia (100 backstroke, 57.63) and Copeland Camp (1-meter diving, 205.55) and Buhach Colony’s Jacob Sotelo (100 breastroke, 1:04.75).
The El Capitan boys won the 400 freestyle and 200 medley relay and Merced won the 200 freestyle.
