ST. GEORGE, Utah – After 36 years in the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference and three-straight runner-up finishes, the Pepperdine women's swim and dive team claimed the first team title in program history after rolling through the 2022 PCSC Championships to win by more than 100 points.
The Waves held commanding leads after each of the first three days before a strong showing on Saturday put an exclamation mark on the week's events. Pepperdine ended the week with 1,476.50 points. Cal State East Bay came in second with 1,370 points.
Overall, Pepperdine set five new school records and won three PCSC championships.
In addition, head coach
Ellie Monobe was named the PCSC Championships Swim Coach of the Meet for the second consecutive season.
MEET RECAP
Much like Friday,
Kara Coughlin (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen HS) led the Waves with a strong individual performance, setting the school record in the 200 back – one day after setting the school record in the 100 back. Her 200 back time of 2:01.89 gave her second place in that event. Coughlin ended the meet with 86 individual points, fifth-most among all female swimmers in the PCSC and most among the Waves.
Additionally in the 200 back,
Lindsay Hemming (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS) claimed the fourth spot all-time in Pepperdine history with a 2:04.04 showing in the final, securing her fourth place in Saturday's final.
Emily Morton (Golden, Colo./Lakewood HS) became the third Wave to place in the A final after taking sixth with a time of 2:04.11.
Also taking second place was the 400 free relay team of
Alexandra Browne (Arlington, Va./Washington-Liberty HS),
Paige Tattersall (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS),
Emma Purdy (Truckee, Calif./Truckee HS) and
Jenna Sanchez (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley HS), which earned a time of 3:28.50 in the final event of the meet.
The 200 fly saw a Wave place in the A final as well, as
Jessica Calderoni (Los Altos, Calif./Sacred Heart Preparatory) took fourth with a 2:09.06 time.
Purdy also competed in the A final of the 100 free, taking seventh with a 52.24 time. This time entered her name into the 10
th spot all-time at Pepperdine in this event.
In the 200 breast final,
Olivia Kayye (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill HS) came in eighth with a time of 2:28.58.
The prelims saw an entry into the Pepperdine record books, as Sanchez's 52.16 time in the 100 free gave her the eighth all-time spot for that event. In the 200 back time trials,
Tay Thomas (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS) claimed the ninth spot in the Pepperdine record books after a time of 2:07.16.
QUOTABLE
Head coach
Ellie Monobe said: "We showed a lot of grit and I couldn't be happier to celebrate this well-deserved win.
"This wouldn't be possible without the support of our parents and staff. Everyone had a role and delivered. This is how championships are won and it's good to say we finally did it."
NEXT UP: Lexie Martin and
Paulina Holmberg will compete at the NCAA Diving Zone Championships from March 7-9, with the location to be determined. The CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Elkhart, Indiana, run from March 10-12. Pepperdine participants are yet to be determined.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesSwimDive on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
