Golden West Finishes Second at Orange Empire Conference Invite 2

COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Golden West College women's swim team turned in another strong conference performance on Friday, March 20, finishing second overall at the Orange Empire Conference Invite 2 hosted by Orange Coast College.

The Rustlers totaled 445 team points, placing just behind Riverside City College (639) and ahead of host Orange Coast College (438) in a competitive six-team field.

Golden West was once again led by standout distance swimmer Sienna Abernathy, who captured an event victory in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:33.13. Abernathy added a pair of runner-up finishes in the 200 freestyle (2:08.88) and 400 IM (5:08.96), continuing her dominant all-around performances in conference competition.

Zoe Esquivel delivered a strong showing in the breaststroke events, placing second in the 200 breaststroke (2:40.26) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:14.06). She also contributed with a fifth-place finish in the 200 IM (2:26.60), highlighting her versatility.

Mimi Versegi continued to build momentum with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle (2:11.62), while also placing sixth in the 100 freestyle (1:00.32). Savanna Ettinger added key points for the Rustlers, finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle (26.99) and second in the 200 backstroke (2:28.47), along with multiple swims in the 100 freestyle.

In the backstroke events, Hanna Menyhart placed fifth in the 200 backstroke (2:31.11) and fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:10.35), while Sam O'Donnell contributed with a fourth-place finish in the 100 IM (1:13.90) and sixth in the 200 backstroke (2:36.02).

Additional scoring efforts came from Catherine Le, who placed eighth in the 200 breaststroke (2:58.10) and 100 butterfly (1:18.47), and Emily Cislo, who recorded a seventh-place finish in the 200 freestyle (2:25.58). Kaylee Huynh, Sophie Kresge, and Crystal Fernandez also added depth with multiple scoring swims across freestyle, IM, and backstroke events.

Golden West will get a little break when they compete in the OCC invite on Friday, April 3rd with a 9am. That will be the final invite of the regular season and then the OEC Championships will kick off on Thursday April 16th.