Jan Stuebbe, athletic director of Bakersfield College, personally asked Charlie Pike to coach the newly formed swim team.
Since then, the swim team, which has been absent from BC for nearly 20 years, has been training and competing with 21 new swimmers. Pike coaches the women’s team and the men’s team.
Though most of the swimmers are freshmen, according to Pike, they all have what it takes to be on the swim team.
“There are no key players in the team,” said Pike, “but everybody has a different skill they bring to the group.”
According to the BC Web site, the swim team has had four competitions since Feb. 15. The overall record for the men is 1-5; the women’s team is 3-3.
In the Cuesta Invitational in mid-March the men’s team captain Matt Moon took second place in the 100 breaststroke, Jordan Urmston got seventh place on the 200 backstroke.
From the women’s team, Allison Duran won first place in the 100 backstroke, second place in the 100 butterfly stroke and second in the 200 IM.
The women’s team captain, Skylar Van Auken, got seventh place in the 100 breaststroke and got ninth place in the 200 IM. Overall, the women’s team got seventh place and the men got 11th place out of 21 different teams.
There was a competition against Los Angeles Pierce Community College on March 28 and it was considered the first victory for the men’s team. The men scored 67 points out of 95 and L.A. scored 28. The women’s team scored 54 and L.A. scored 15.
“The team is small,” said Charlie Pike, “but we get along very well. Plus, it’s a new program.”
The swim team practices at the Jeffrey Townsend Pool at BC. Mondays through Thursdays they practice from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, they practice at 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
“We usually practice 6-7,000 yards to stay in shape,” said Pike.