VC Swimmers Fight Through Weather, Illness at Cuesta

The Ventura College men's and women's swim teams traveled to San Luis Obispo over the weekend for the 40th Annual Cuesta College Swim Invitational. The Pirates battled cold, rainy weather and a bout with illness running through the team in competition with some of the top swim programs from Southern and Northern California. Anthony Amezcua turned in the top individual performance for the men while Adrianna Bese had the best swim of the meet for the women.

Amezcua turned in an eighth place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle for Ventura's top individual finish. Joseph Padilla scored in two individual events, the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard breast stroke, while Hunter Massey and Nathan Cohen joined Amezcua in scoring in the 1650-yard free. David Peterson scored in the 200-yard butterfly.

Cooper Fuchs, Padilla, Peterson and Joseph McDonald were busy in the relays. The quartet scored in three relays, the 800-yard freestyle relay, the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Amezcua joined Fuchs, Padilla and Peterson to produce the Pirates' best result of the weekend, a fifth place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

For the VC women, Bese had the lone individual place, a 10th place mark in the 200-yard breast stroke. Gracelyn De La Cruz, Sabrina Cherfane, Kelsey Golden and Bese placed in three relays, the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 200-yard medley relay, and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Christina Jimenez teamed up with Cherfane, De La Cruz, and Katia Flores to finish 10th in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

The Pirates travel to Bakersfield on Saturday March 17 to compete in the second Western State Conference meet of the season.