Olympians off to a strong start at the PCAC Championships

200-individual medley sweep.
Coming in first place Kiri Flatter (2:14.95), in second place Julie Parsons (2:15.12), and in third place Mia Lauer (2:28.71).
200-individual medley sweep. Coming in first place Kiri Flatter (2:14.95), in second place Julie Parsons (2:15.12), and in third place Mia Lauer (2:28.71).

The San Diego Mesa College women’s swim team is off to a great start at the 2019 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championships held at Southwestern College. 

The three-day event started with the preliminary rounds early Thursday morning, followed by the finals in the afternoon. The top eight times turned in from each event automatically advances to the finals. The bottom eight will compete in the consolation rounds. 

The first day of competition always brings a level of excitement and at times can serve as a precursor for the entire meet. With the success from the first day, this should be a successful finish for the women’s team. 

“We have some really good talent on the team,” states head coach Jim Fegan. “Even though this is the smallest team that we’ve ever had, most of them have competed at states and majority of them have club backgrounds. We are looking forward to being competitive in all our races.”

The Olympians didn’t have to wait long to capture their first title. In event 1 of the finals, the women’s 200 free relay team of Allyson Hanzen, Danielle Zambrana, Mia Lauer, and Thais Luiz defeated Palomar College by a margin of two seconds. Mesa College 1:39.72; Palomar College 1:41:79 

During the 200-individual medley, the Olympians dominated by sweeping the podium. Coming in first place was Kiri Flatter (2:14.95), in second place Julie Parsons (2:15.12), and in third place Mia Lauer (2:28.71). 

In the women’s 50 free, Thais Luiz finished in first place with a time of 24:46, and in third place Danielle Zambrana finished at 25.51.

The final event for the Olympians was also their most impressive. The 400-medley relay team of Julie Parsons (backstroke), Carly Lupien (breaststroke), Kiri Flatter (fly), and Allyson Hansen (freestyle), obliterated the field by finishing 28 seconds ahead of Grossmont College. 

“We are happy with our performance during the first day of competition,” adds Fegan. “Our athletes competed and turned in results with significant drops in time. We are looking forward to continued success on the second day.”
 
The team will be back in the pool on Friday starting at 10:00 a.m. Friday’s events will consist of the 200 medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, and the 800 free relay. 

 

THURSDAY'S TIMES AND RESULTS

Event 1 Women 200 free relay 
Allyson Hanzen, Danielle Zambrana, Mia Lauer, Thais Luiz 
1. Mesa College 1:39.72
2. Palomar College 1:41:79 

Event 5 Women 200 Individual Medley
1. Kiri Flatter 2:14.95 
2. Julie Parsons 2:15.12
3. Mia Lauer 2:28.71 

Event 7 Women 50 Free 
1.  Thais Luiz 24.46
3. Danielle Zambrana 25.51 

Event 9 Women 400 Medley Relay 
Backstroke: Julie Parsons
Breaststroke: Carly Lupien
Fly: Kiri Flatter
Free: Allyson Hansen 

1. Mesa College 4:06.11 
2. Grossmont College 4:34.81 
3. SWC 4:39.27