Diving into Action: A Thrilling Weekend as Swimming Welcomes Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara!

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific swimming program is gearing up for a busy home lineup as January concludes, hosting Cal Poly at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center on Friday at 3 pm and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at noon.
 
The Tigers will host four home events over the next two weeks, kicking off with the Mustangs and Gauchos in consecutive days of competition. Pacific has been flawless at home with victories over Cal State East Bay, Fresno Pacific, and CSU Bakersfield.
 
“We are at a stage in our season where we are striving to be fast,” head coach Katelyne Herrington expressed. “I am thrilled that we are concluding our season with a series of back-to-back swim meet weekends at home. We wrapped up the team’s winter training camp this past weekend with a fantastic meet against CBU and hope to leverage that momentum this weekend. Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara are both formidable teams, and we will need to give our utmost for a competitive meet.”
 
The Tigers kicked off the 2025 segment of the season with a split against California Baptist, where the men’s team (4-0) achieved a hard-earned win against the Lancers away from home, while the women’s team (4-2) suffered a close loss by seven points.
 
Junior Mattia Giurgevich and senior Paige Sondgeroth were honored as MPSF Athletes of the Week on Tuesday, marking the third instance this season that two Tiger swimmers received MPSF Athlete of the Week distinctions. Giurgevich and Sondgeroth played essential roles in the team’s performance against the Lancers last weekend, earning the highest individual points on their respective sides.
 
Freshman Javier Lopez Guillen has emerged as a significant competitor in the men’s 200-yard fly and 500-yard free, achieving first-place finishes at both home meets this season. Guillen also established a school record for the men’s 200-yard fly with a time of 1:43.62 during a timed trial at the UNLV Invitational.
 
Senior Alexia Ferguson aims to extend her success at home, where she has recorded three top-three finishes, including a first-place recognition in the women’s 100-yard free during the season opener. Freshman Josephine Fields also seeks to build upon a strong inaugural season, having set a personal best in the women’s 200-yard free.
 
Pacific and Cal Poly face off for the third consecutive season, with each team having won at home during this period. The Tigers claimed victory over the Mustangs in the 2023 season. In that matchup, Alex Kurotori secured first in the 200 back and 200 individual medley, while Ethan Cole achieved the same in the 1000 free and 500 free.
 
Saturday will be the third occasion since 2020 that the Tigers host the Gauchos in Stockton. UC Santa Barbara triumphed in the previous encounter during the 2023 season. The Pacific women’s team claimed victory five years ago with a score of 149-108 while the men’s team is aiming for its first win over the Gauchos in that timeframe.
 
Both home events will be livestreamed on Overnght with Friday’s meet scheduled for 3 pm and Saturday’s meet set for noon.
 
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