By Melvyn Rivas

By Melvyn Rivas

After a long and wet season by the Riverside City College swim and dive team, the Tigers sent three freshman swimmers to the 2009 California Community College Athletic Association Swim Championship at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach April 23-25.

Patrick Griffitts and Kevin Garcia both competed in the 400 intermediate relay and the 500 free.

Griffitt then went on to compete in the 1650 free and Garcia would compete in the 200 backstroke.

Chelsea Ankeny, the only woman swimmer that RCC sent to the state championship, competed in the 1650 free, 500 free and the 100 backstroke.

Of all the swimmers that RCC sent to the state championship, Ankeny stole the show.

Ankeny became the first woman swimmer to win a state individual title for Riverside City College in the 1650 freestyle this past weekend, recording a time of 17:24.77

Ankeny was the only individual winner for RCC at this year’s state championship.

As a team, this weekend was not easy for the men’s and women’s teams as every school out there was looking to bring home a state championship.

This year, the men’s swim team placed 27 out of the possible 31.

The women’s swim team did a little better, placing 18 out of a possible 26.

This year was also a first for coach David Almquist who failed to qualify a diver in this year’s state championship.

This year’s state championship was won by two different colleges.

On the men’s side, Orange Coast College took state and on the women’s side, it was Santa Rosa Junior College who earned bragging rights.

The men’s swim and dive team completed their season with a fourth place finish in the 2009 Orange Empire Conference.

The women’s swim and dive team finished second just 390 points behind Orange Coast College who swept this year’s 2009 Orange Empire Conference for both men and women.

The 2008-2009 season was record-breaking not only for the individuals who set school records, but for the Tigers swimming and diving program as a whole.