After a standout performance by the swimming and diving teams at the annual conference meet, both the men and women of Delta College’s Aquatics program are ready for state.
Diver Josh Hamby is a part of the team’s success, winning on both one- and three-meter boards.
His wins in the Big 8 Conference also earned him the title of Nor-Cal Champion of the Year on both boards.
“The one thing that’s a little bit different about our competition at conference is that it’s not just conference, it’s also the Nor-Cal Championships … It’s all the dive teams from the Fresno-Clovis area on up to Shasta,” said Delta College diving coach Robert Wimberly.
Hamby began the sport in high school with a diving club in Las Positas before switching to Wimberly’s around his sophomore year.
He splits his time with water polo, only diving a few months out of the year and is currently in his fifth year with Wimberly.
However, his late start and limited practice regarding the sport compared to other athletes hasn’t hindered him.
Hamby is currently the number one-seeded diver heading to the state championships among both Northern and Southern California competitors and is looking to defend his titles on both boards. He also has another goal in his last State Championship meet as a Delta College: beating the school record for one-meter diving.
“At State last year…I was only like five to six points away from the school record…If I compete my dives like I’ve been practicing, I feel very confident I can get past that record.”
Nick Misasi also successfully qualified for state on the men’s team in his first year of competitive diving. Despite a failed dive on both boards he placed in the top ten, setting a personal best record on the three-meter board.
The women also had a solid turnout. Jessica Hurdubei qualified on both boards for state, taking fifth for Nor-Cal and second in the Big 8 Conference on both boards. Krystal Garcia qualified as a first alternate for State. After struggling during the season to complete one, Garcia came through during the meet to successfully execute a reverse dive on both boards.
Their points scored also contributed to the overall success of the men and women’s swim team, placing fourth and third overall at Conference.
Men’s swim had three of their five relays qualify along with two individual swimmers. Despite being down swimmers this year for the men, Coach Nate Leroy remained hopeful of who he has representing the school, Julio Marguia and Jordan Knapp.
Murguia is swimming three Freestyle events: the 500, 200, and the 100. He is currently a top-eight seeded athlete in two of his main events
Knapp is going for the 500 and 1650 Freestyle along with the 400 individual medley.
Standouts on the women’s side include: Leti Mosqueda, Maddie Wittkowske,Natalee Lamie, and Madison Lincoln.
Wittkowske is the defending 1650-yard Freestyle champion, ranked number one in State. At conference she swam a 17:30 mile, 25 seconds faster than she was last season. Having also been runner-up in last year’s 200 and 500- yard Freestyle, she is heading to State with tough competition in all three events.
Mosqueda is a more all-around swimmer, qualifying in races such as the 50-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Butterfly, and the 800-yard relay.
Lamee and Lincoln rounded out the other two individual competitors heading to state. Lamee is going for the 200-yard Individual Medley, Freestyle, and Butterfly. Lincoln is also going to state for the 200-yard Individual Medley along with the 400-yard Individual Medley and the 100-yard Breaststroke.
All five relay teams also will be going to State, with the 800-yard relay ranked number one in the State. Coach Nate Leroy believes the team can repeat their sixth place finish last year, on top of more individual state champions.
“If we can get in that six, seven range, that would be another successful year,” said Leroy.
The 2019 Swimming and Diving State Championships are on Thursday May 2 at East L.A College in Los Angeles’s Monterey Park suburb.