BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Seniors Max Powell and Jacqueline Samaniego shattered school records and senior Brian Wong and junior Kieran McNulty secured individual victories to highlight action for the Cal Poly swimming and diving team during meets Friday at CSU Bakersfield.
“So many positives,” head coach Phil Yoshida said after the meets Friday. “It was a thrilling day of racing and seeing the improvement from a week ago is exciting. One day at a time, one training session at a time and one race at a time we are committed to getting better each time out. The desire with this group is amazing and I am thrilled to be leading this outstanding group of student-athletes.”
In the men’s 3-meter dive at the Bakersfield Invite, Powell established a new school record with a score of 386.90 to capture first. Freshman Lyndon Kov also earned third in the event with a score of 319.80, the fifth-best mark in program history.
Powell now holds the school records in the men’s 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
Samaniego shattered the school record in the women’s 1-meter dive with a score of 298.80 to place second, besting Joelle Weltner’s 2021 mark of 281.55. The Mustangs battled opponents from San Jose State and the Roadrunners on the diving board.
In the pool, Cal Poly faced off with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals CSU Bakersfield, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, along with Cal Baptist and San Jose State in the CSUB Sprint Invitational.
McNulty claimed first in the men’s 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:28.16. Wong earned a victory in the men’s 50-yard backstroke with a personal best of 22.54. He took seventh in the 200 individual medley as well.
Senior Ryan Iannaccone also had a strong showing for the Cal Poly men, finishing second in the 50 free and seventh in the 50 backstroke.
On the women’s side, freshman Courtney Cross placed fifth in the 500 free, and freshman Kiersten Weiler tied for sixth in the 50 back and took eighth in the 50 butterfly. Freshman Melia Costa grabbed seventh in the 50 breaststroke and senior Amy Harter earned sixth in the 50 free.
In the men’s 200 free relay, sophomore Evan O’Connell, junior Sean Keegan, Iannaccone and Wong led Cal Poly to a third-place finish.
As a team, the Cal Poly men finished third with 266.5 points, while the women secured sixth with 147.
The Mustangs will be back in the pool at 10 a.m. Saturday to compete in the Roadrunner Invitational, which will feature distance events and relays.
