Both Bakersfield College men’s and women’s swimming teams are now in full motion as more swim meets are being held week-by-week, and BC has been working hard, placing second in the one of the meets with Jennifer Quan and Brian Bender leading in points.

On March 4, the BC swim team ended in second place at the Western State Conference Invite at Canyons College in Valencia, with the men totaling 334 points in all competitions and the women finishing with 278 points.

For the women, Quan took first in the 500 freestyle and placed second in the 200 IM. Cynthia Maner finished in second in the 1000 free and finished third in the 100 breast, and in the women’s 200 medley relay of Victoria Hernadez, Quan, Maner and Niquelette Rimer finished in second place.

For the men’s team, the top performers of the meet were Steve Santana winning first in the 200 free and finishing second in the 100 butterfly, Andrew Martinez winning first in 100 free and finishing second in the 500 free, and Bender finishing second in 100 breast and third in 200 IM. In the 200 free relay, Santana, Cameron Reeves, Cesar Zepeda, and Bender finished second.

At the Cuesta Invite at Cuesta College, both men’s and women’s swimming teams ended in fifth place overall, with Quan and Bender getting the highest points throughout the three-day meet.

Bender participated in five events and totaled 63 points, and Quan participated in five events as well and scored 65 points. Bender finished first in the 50yard breast with a time of 28.40 and second in the 200 breast with a time of 2:23.37. Quan won first in the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:08.27, and finished second in the 50-yard breast with a time of 34.45. Individually the men’s swimming team finished in third with 382 points and the women’s team finished in 11th place with 155 points, and combined finished fifth with 537 points.

The next swim meet for the men’s and women’s swimming teams will be on March 17 at the Western State Conference meet #2 at LA Pierce.