Men's Swimming takes 3rd at Big 8, Qualifies 10 to State Championships

Freshman Drew Sipple won the 1650 Free at Big 8 Championships in a time of 16:22.58. Photo by Allen Kezer.
Freshman Drew Sipple won the 1650 Free at Big 8 Championships in a time of 16:22.58. Photo by Allen Kezer.

Led by individual wins by sophomore Jesse Schmidt (100 Breast) and freshman Drew Sipple (1650 Free), the Bear Cubs finish 3rd overall in the Big 8 Conference last weekend at the championship meet in Pleasant Hill. The Big 8 Conference is annually one of the most competitive two-year college conferences in the state, and this year was no exception.

Meet highlights included Schmidt taking 2nd in both the 200 and 400 IM's as well as winning the 100 Breast in a nasty "double" just one hour after he had competed in the 400 IM. Sipple took 2nd in the 500 Free, 4th in the 200 Free, and won the Big 8 title in the 1650 Free on the final day of competition with a dramatic come-from-behind finish over Sierra's Slava Illin.  Sophomore Brandon Miguel posted two life-time best in the 500 Free (4th) and the 1650 Free (5th), as well as finishing 4th overall in the 200 Fly on the same day!

Other breakout performances included:  Ryan Roland finishing 4th on the 3M board, Quinn Kezer finishing 3rd in the 400 IM with a state-qualifying time, two personal bests in the 100 and 200 Breasts by Franklin Manolio, three top 8 finishes by Nathan Boas in the IM's and 200 Back, and stellar relay performances by sprinters Will Hardman and R.J. Williams, and distance swimmer Collin Campbell.

As a result of their strong performance, SRJC qualified 10 swimmers and all 5 relays to the CCCAA State Championship Meet, hosted by East LA College, in Monterey Park, on 5/5-7. 

State Qualifiers

  • Jesse Schmidt:  200 IM, 400 IM, 100 Breast, Relays
  • Drew Sipple:  500 Free, 200 Free, 1650 Free, Relays
  • R.J. Williams:  50 Free, 100 Fly, 100 Free, Relays
  • Bradley John Erickson:  200 IM, 100 Breast, 200 Breast, Relays
  • Brandon Miguel:  500 Free, 1650 Free, 200 Fly, Relays
  • Quinlan Kezer:  200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Back, Relays
  • Nathan Boas:  200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Back
  • Franklin Manolio:  Relays
  • Collin Campbell:  Relays

Big 8 Championships Complete Results

Final Team Scores: 1. Sierra 931 2. Diablo Valley 680 3. Santa Rosa 542 4. Delta 429 5. American River 38 6. Modesto 181 7. Sac City 155

SRJC Top Event Finishers: 200 Free Relay-3rd, Williams, Schmidt, Hardman, Manolio 1:24.76; 500 Free-2nd, Drew Sipple, 4:40.41; 200 IM-2nd, Jesse Schmidt, 1:54.47; 50 Free-5th, R.J. Williams, 21.15; 400 Medley Relay-3rd, Sipple, Schmidt, Williams, Hardman, 3:30.96; 3M Diving-4th, Ryan Roland, 118.00pts; 200 Medley Relay-3rd, Sipple, Schmidt, Williams, Hardman, 1:35.15; 400 IM-2nd, Jesse Schmidt, 4:13.06; 100 Fly-6th, R.J. Williams, 52.49; 200 Free-4th, Drew Sipple, 1:44.12; 100 Breast-BIG 8 CHAMPION, Jesse Schmidt, 57.77; 100 Back-5th, Will Hardman, 56.07; 800 Free Relay-3rd, Sipple, Miguel, Campbell, Kezer, 7:12.70; 1M Diving-9th, Ryan Roland, 105.20pts; 1650 Free-BIG 8 CHAMPION, Drew Sipple, 16:22.58; 200 Back-6th, Nathan Boas, 2:00.55; 100 Free-9th, R.J. Williams, 47.59; 200 Breast-7th, Franklin Manolio, 2:14.81; 200 Fly-4th, Brandon Miguel, 2:00.56; 400 Free Relay-3rd, Williams, Schmidt, Hardman, Sipple, 3:09.45