Palomar College’s swimming and diving teams start the new season off with many accomplishments.
The men’s and women’s swimming teams had quite a few wins last year. In 2022, the team won 11 First place finishes during the PCAC championships. Jacob Rochman won the men’s 400-yard with a time record of 4:11.52. During last year’s PCAC, Sophie O’Loughlin placed second with a time record of 24.27. Swimmers Sydni Dickson and Timothy Godin came in First place in the 200 Yard Free. Dickson Finished with a time of 2:04.79 and Godin finished with 1:43.02.
“I feel super proud of our accomplishments.” Sydni Dickson said. Dickson talked about feeling lucky to have the opportunity to compete for the states last year. She expressed her fondness for the relay event, stating it was her favorite during the season.
The swim team had a total of six women last season. “We put our hearts out for every race and gave what we could. It was very rewarding!” Dickson said.
In 2022, five men and three women competed in the California Community College Athletic Association State Swim and Dive Championships. The men placed in seventh and the women placed 29th.
Palomar’s swim team began 2023 off on a good start with their first event of the season. The team attended the Waterman Pentathlon, where Godin placed first after finishing with 24.27. Another one of Palomar’s swimmers placed second, Kevin Brunia, with a time of 24.34. Jacob Rochman placed fourth in the 50 Yard butterfly with a time of 24.56
The Golden West Sprint Invite, located at Orange Coast College, was another victory for the team where they competed in 15 events. One of Palomar’s relay teams placed sixth in the 200 Yard Medley relay. The team was able to finish the invite with a time of 1:48.38. The team was able to leave the event with a winning time of 3:38.43 in the 400 Yard Medley. In the 200 Yard, the team finished with a time of 1:38.43 placing them in third. Palomar’s B relay team took sixth place in the 400 Yard with a time of 1:30.05.
Last month, the swim and diving team attended their first event of the season at MT. Sac’s Swimming and Diving Invitationals in Walnut, California. The men’s swimming and diving team won five out of nine events at the invitational. In the 200 Yard Fly, Palomar’s Ansel Johnson won with a recorded time of 2:04.83. Johnson also placed second in the 400 Yard. The team took another victory in the 800 Yard Free where they placed the fastest time of 7:35.78. Palomar’s only diver this season, Taylor Donovan, scored 233.65 which named him first place in the 1M. Donovan also won first place in the 3M.
Star player Sydni Dickson was able to transfer to a 4-year recently but left a few words of advice for future swimmers. “The advice I would give is to really put your heart into it.” Dickson put in the hard work and believed in herself which led her to accomplishments she thought would never happen. Through the hard work and anxiety, she felt, Dickson stuck with it and found it all to be worth it. “The word pays off!” Dickson said.
