Coaches Todd Herrington, Nate Leroy and Mike Maroney spurred the Mustang men and women to a solid finish at the California Community College Athletics Association State Swimming and Diving championships in 2018.
Overall, the two teams placed in the top 20 and the top 10 last year. “We had a really good year,” said Herrington. “And we’re hoping to come close to that this year.”
On the women’s side, the team finished in sixth place.
All-American Maddie Wittkowske claimed the title of state champion in the 1650 yard Freestyle.
“I don’t look at the lap counter until I hear the bell,” said Wittkowske. She also finished second in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle events.
Among being the first to win a state title in nearly ten years, she also set new school records in the 400 and 800 yard Freestyle relays with teammates Leticia Mosqueda, Maddison Lincoln, Alex Offield, and Natalie Lamie.
There were no state titles for the men’s swim team. The men placed 12th overall in the state. Top finishes included: James Berry in eighth place for the 200 yard Freestyle, Josh Monroe in 13th for the 100 and 200 yard Backstroke, followed by Cody Wickman and Jordan Knapp, taking 12th and 13th in the 1650 yard Freestyle. James Berry also finished ninth overall in the 200 yard Freestyle relay with teammates Roy Moore, Josh Monroe, and Cole Hutz.
The men’s diving team had great success at state this year, playing a key role in the team’s overall score and placing for the state meet.
Among the three qualified divers included Josh Hamby, who remained undefeated the whole season. Hamby, who Coach Robert Wimberly has worked with for five years, won on both one and three meter boards.
“One advantage that Josh had last year was that he was competing against some guys that did really clean easy dives whereas he was doing Division 1 level dives,” said Wimberly.
Both Hamby and Wimberly also were awarded the titles of Most Valuable Diver and Coach of the Year.
Jessica Hurdubei also qualified for both boards at the championship meet for the women’s side.
Both diving and swimming were positive about this new season.
Despite three top athletes moving on to compete at higher levels, Herrington had high hopes for the women’s team in this upcoming season. He expects them to once again place in the top three in the Big 8 Conference and top 10 in the state.
He also expects the men to finish in a similar position on both conference and state levels. Freshman and Backstroke/Freestyle sprinter Matt Anderson is someone that could be key to the team’s success this season.
Wimberly had similar expectations for his athletes also, with most of the divers returning for another year of eligibility.
While Hamby already has the state title, new dives are being worked on to help him repeat his undefeated season.
Hurdubei is also expected to once again qualify for state this year. Two new athletes have also joined the team, which could overall help with scoring points during the season along with conference and possibly state.
The first swim meet of the season is on Feb. 13 and March 1 for the first dive meet.
