STOCKTON, Calif. - The Pacific men's and women's swim teams had another successful season, reaching numerous accomplishments both in and out of the pool. Multiple members of the team achieved personal best times, as the program saw big swims from both the upper and lower class, while finding significant success in the classroom. 

One of the most notable accomplishments of the year was Dylan Parente's final 50-yard freestyle of his collegiate career, swimming at the CSCAA National Invitational (NIC). The graduate student has had improvements each and every year, but in his final swim of his collegiate career, Parente was able to pull off a huge career milestone, swimming a sub-twenty second 50 freestyle. Parente spoke about how proud he was of his team's perseverance, togetherness, and his excitement for the team's future; 

"As a fifth year, it was awesome to see the rest of the team do incredibly well,' Parente said.  "Pacific Swimming has a very talented future ahead, especially with the upcoming recruiting class. I am excited to watch them compete in the coming years as an alumni."

The men's team with only seven swimmers finished seventh at NIC's, and a respectable fifth place finish at the MPSF Championships with the entire team. With some outstanding performances at the conference championship, the team had three swimmers from the men's team make the MPSF All-Conference list. Leland Baltazar and Aidan Scott both made the second team all conference list for their seventh and eighth-place finishes in the 100 backstroke. Mitchell Hopper made the first team list for his stellar performance in the 100 freestyle, reaching the podium at third place overall. He also made the second team list for both his sixth-place finish in the 200 individual medley, and his fourth-place finish in the 100 butterfly. 

The team also found great success outside of the pool this year, with Leland Baltazar, Ethan Cole, Aidan Scott, Dylan Parente, and Mitchell Hopper all receiving MPSF All-Academic honors. The team also had the opportunity to grow close throughout the year. They got to go on a training trip to Las Vegas and compete in several meets across the nation. Senior veteran of the team, Aidan Vollmar, spoke on how the team bonded collectively.

"This season was very memorable and our team grew very close during fun trips such as our training trip to Las Vegas and our trip to NIC in Florida," Vollmar said.

The women's team also found significant success this year in both the pool and the classroom. With several career high swims, high placing finishes, and all-conference academic and athletic accolades being awarded.

One of the many major accomplishments of the year was the women's 400 medley relay at the MPSF Championship meet. The collective of Annelise Thomas, Paige Sondgeroth, Caitlin Tan, and Alexia Ferguson placed fourth in the event, making it the highest this relay has placed since 2018. They were able to out-touch both UC Davis and CSU Bakersfield who were seeded ahead of them going into the final. Junior captain Paige Sondgeroth mentioned how this was one of her favorite moments of her career so far.

"Seeing the whole team cheering for us on the side of the pool made it definitely a highlight of the meet and one of my favorite races and moments so far at Pacific," Sondgeroth said.

The team's connectedness and cohesion shined through, as they were able to push and support each other at the end of a long and grueling season.

Two female tigers were named to the MPSF All-Conference team. Caitlin Tan made the first team list for her outstanding performance in the 100 butterfly, and was named to the second team for her fourth place finish in the 200 butterfly. Diana Chan was named to the second team as a result of her impressive eighth place finish in the 100 backstroke. 

In the classroom, the women's team earned a tremendous achievement of having eleven athletes named to the MPSF All-Academic team. June Akpata, Diana Chan, Alexia Ferguson, Jordyn Gonzales, Katie Honey, Emma Hooper, Kelly Kermoian, Jadyn Phillips, Paige Sondgeroth, Caitlin Tan, and Annelise Thomas were all recognized for their stellar performances in the classroom.

Overall, the Pacific swim team had an amazing year. Their dedication to their athletic and academic performance presented a plethora of accolades to crown their success. They grew as athletes, as teammates, but also as people which at the end of the day is crucial for collegiate sports.