BAKERSFIELD, Calif.-- The Roadrunner swimming and diving teams are prepared to take on the biggest team meet of their seasons. CSU Bakersfield has sent its men's and women's squads to San Antonio, Texas to take on the Western Athletic Conference Championships Feb. 25-28.
“This is going to be a fun meet,” said Chris Hansen, Director of Swimming at CSUB. “I think we are going to turn some heads in the swimming community. Both sides just might shock some folks.”
For the men, Hansen expects a tough battle in the top tier: “CSUB, UNLV, Wyoming, Grand Canyon, and Air Force could potentially all fight for a spot in the Top 5. I think we are in a better position going into the championships this year than last year. We are a much stronger team physically and mentally. Our advantage is that our divers are stronger than last year, our relays are stronger than last year, our freshmen have been on fire all year long, and all of our returners are hungry and positive. That is what a championship team is made of!”
Mitchell Huxhold (Sr., Escondido, Calif., San Pasqual HS) figures to lead the 'Runners again after winning two individual events in 2014 and being named the WAC's Swimmer of the Year as well as Male Athlete of the Year. The senior distance swimmer has won 25 of the 27 events he has competed in this year and his coach is ready for another big meet: “I am super excited to watch Mitchell Huxhold, not only try and defend his WAC titles, but to repeat his goal of making the NCAA Championships in March.”
“In order for us to break into the Top 3, we will need Lovre Soric, Gabriel Bertrand, Carson May, Mihael Vukic, and the Greenwald brothers [Tyler Greenwald and Brayden Greenwald] all to try and make as many finals as they can,” said Hansen. The 'Runners will look to dominate the distance races in the hunt for the ultimate prize.
On the women's side, Bakersfield's Director of Swimming is looking for a cohesive team to show up big this week: “This has been one of the most positive and motivating teams I have coached since taking over the women's program. We have come a long way in three years and I am super proud of this team. The problem we might come across is our numbers. We may be a small team but we will win events.”
Hansen expects a strong core of female leaders to help keep the team in the hunt with individual wins: “Paola Hernandez, Delise Batiza, Michaela Paige, Lauren Kaufman, Kelsey Lange, Nicolette Goncalves, Sarah Barker and, Carlee Burks are seeded very high in their events, which puts them in contention to gain a WAC title.” Heading into the Championships, Burks, Barker, Lange, Kaufman, Paige, and Hernandez all rank among the Top 5 WAC performers this season in at least one event. Batiza ranks sixth in two events while Goncalves is 10th in one.
“In order to break into the Top 3, we need to win events and try and get as much scores as possible,” said Hansen. The 'Runner diving squad will figure to score big points while Paige, Hernandez, and Batiza should be the CSUB leaders all week.
For more information on the 2014-15 WAC Championships, see the swimming and diving championships central page. Thanks to the new WAC Digital Network, the conference championship can be seen for free at WACSports.com/watch.
~GoRunners.com~
