Sierra College Men, Mt. San Antonio Women, Claim 2025 3C2A State Titles
The 2025 California Community College Athletic Association State Championships brought together the very best of California community college swimming. A half dozen state records went down, and history was made on both the men’s and women’s sides. Mt. San Antonio picked up its first 3C2A state title in team history, while the Sierra College men wrapped up their fifth straight title.
Men’s Day One
The meet kicked off with a bang, when in preliminary heats of the men’s 200 individual medley, Cayden Pitzer set a new 3C2A record at a 1:46.80. The American River College sophomore exploded to shatter the previous record by three tenths.
ARC picked up the first of many meet wins in the finals session in the 200 freestyle relay. Gar Long (21.04), John Branson (20.37), Davyd Tsypan (20.24) and Pitzer (20.01), came up just short of the state record but claimed the win at a 1:21.66. Cuesta’s Grant Huston took the first individual event, claiming the 500 freestyle in 4:24.98. Huston, brother of Cal Poly swimmer Drew Huston, won the event by eight seconds.
Pitzer backed up his prelims record with the third fastest 3C2A swim ever and a gold medal 1:47.63. Sierra College’s Genoa Nixon won silver at 1:50.73. Bakersfield sophomore Cody Hart claimed the 50 freestyle title (20.22) in a tightly contested field that saw six swimmers under 21.00.
American River College picked up a third overall event win on Day One, shattering the 400 medley relay 3C2A record by nearly a second at a 3:16.58. The Beaver men were all on fire. Branson (50.64), Pitzer (52.81), Tsypan (47.84) and Long (45.29) gave an indicator of records to come, besting the field by three seconds.
Men’s Day Two
ARC opened up the finals session in lockstep with their Day One performances. Once again in the 200 medley relay, it was Branson (22.88), Pitzer (23.89), Tsypan (21.76) and Long (20.33) besting the 3C2A record by a second to slot in at 1:28.86. Finishing second, the Riverside City College team of Lennon Franklin (23.42), Jared Ladinez (25.16), Zeke Serrano (21.13) and Yousef Nahali (19.79) also got under the previous record by 29 hundredths, swimming a 1:29.50.
Jake M. Kiss brought a 3C2A title home for Golden West College in the 400 individual medley. M. Kiss came in at a 3:57.68 to clear the field by six seconds.
Tsypan opened a dirty double with a win in the 100 butterfly at a 48.12. Continuing a showing of depth across all schools, three men were under 49.00 and a further six under 50.00. Cuesta College’s Huston doubled up with the 200 freestyle, blasting a 1:37.69 to best Sierra’s Troy Quintana (1:39.29) by a second and a half.
After lowering the record to a 53.07 in prelims, Pitzer exploded to a 52.98 in finals of the 100 breaststroke. Pitzer’s swim slots within the top 50 times in the country this year. RCC’s Ladinez took the runnerup position well back at a 55.63.
Tsypan doubled up in the 100 backstroke, winning at a 49.17. He split 24.31/24.86, which saw him third at the 50 before roaring home for gold.
There was no stopping Sierra College in the 800 freestyle relay, as the school threw down a 6:44.70 statement for gold. Brock Sippola (1:41.76), Rhett Wildenradt (1:41.32), Tyler Nattrass (1:42.08) and Quintana (1:39.54) won by eight seconds over Bakersfield.
The men’s 1 and 3 meter diving events were taken by College of Marin phenom Ben Lentz.
Men’s Day Three
The preliminary heat of the men’s 1650 could have been mistaken for a finals swim with medals on the line. Santa Rosa’s Kai Holt and Los Angeles Pierce’s Jhan Lonina held pace with each other for nearly the entire race. The athletes, cheered on by roaring teammates, finished just 24 hundredths apart, Holt in 16:39.72 to Lhonina’s 16:39.96. Holt’s mark ended up finishing eighth overall. Jack Painton put Mt. San Antonio on the map with a win in the championship final at a 15:53.60. The final once again had a fantastic race on display between Painton and Golden Wests’ Ryan Novak (15.54.43).
The men’s 100 individual medley, an event being contested for the first time at the 3C2A level, was taken by RCC’s Serrano in a 50.67. By virtue of the event’s inaugural final, Serrano set a new 3C2A record. Tsypan completed triple No. 2 for the ARC Beavers in the 200 backstroke (1:44.75), once again a state record.
Huston completed a third triple in the 100 freestyle, holding off the rapidly closing field to win at a 44.26. Pitzer made it three triples completed in as many men’s events in the 200 breaststroke, narrowly missing the record with a 1:58.39 win. Sierra College’s Michael Hansen challenged him all the way through, settling for silver at 1:59.12. Nathaniel D’Aloisio from LBCC waited around all weekend before making his move on the final 50 of the 200 butterfly, taking the win in a 1:48.63.
American River College sealed up a hard fought meet in the 400 freestyle relay. Pitzer (45.10), Long (46.29), Branson (45.05) and Tsypan (44.62) combined for a 3:01.06, just under a second ahead of Riverside City College.
Men’s Top 10 Team Scores
- Sierra College- 443
- American River College- 434
- Mt. San Antonio College- 417
- Orange Coast College- 379.5
- Riverside City College- 324
- Cuesta College- 224
- Bakersfield College- 221
- Diablo Valley College- 220.5
- Golden West College- 211
- Ohlone College- 134
Women’s Day One
The first event of the women’s meet, the 200 freestyle relay, brought a state record in the 50 free. Camille Seiley of Grossmont clipped the mark by a hundredth, leading off in a 23.23. Santa Barbara City College’s Lily Carrick (24.67), Erin Otsuki (25.25), Leah Rummelhoff (23.72) and Maddie Myers (23.47) combined to a 1:37.11 win.
Carrick took the first individual event for SBCC, winning the 500 freestyle in a 5:00.64. The women’s 200 individual medley went to Allen Hancock sophomore Noemi Bravo-Guzman, who ran down the field to swim a 2:05.71, just hundredths ahead of El Camino’s Iyanah Samayoa (2:06.00).
Grossmont’s Seiley broke the record outright in the 50 freestyle final, lowering it to a 23.16 for the win. Mt. San Antonio took the 400 medley relay, with Paige Fast (1:00.04), Spencer Damaske (1:07.76), Elleanna Ramos (57.13) and Carolyn Kao (51.67) working together. LA Valley’s Ciera Center took the 1 meter diving, scoring 276.50 points for a new 3C2A record.
Women’s Day Two
Mt. SAC doubled up in the 200 medley relay, with Fast (28.11), Damaske (30.42), Ramos (25.92) and Kao (23.66) sealing the deal at a 1:48.11. Carrick (4:27.00) doubled up in the 400 individual medley, running down Bravo-Guzman (4:27.47) as both swimmers shattered the state record by over two seconds.
ARC’s Caitlin Wham made it a second straight women’s record in the 100 butterfly, winning in a 54.77. SBCC’s Myers took the 200 freestyle in a 1:53.72, just ahead of Kao (1:54.63). Samayoa redeemed her runnerup finish on Night One in the 100 breaststroke final, winning in a 1:03.41. In an upset victory, De Anza’s Joyce Lin hacked 1.3 seconds off her seed to claim the 100 backstroke title at a 57.02.
ARC took the 800 freestyle relay, with Audrey Ng (1:57.15), Sara Ashby (2:07.08), Mia Verwoest (1:57.26) and Wham (1:53.08) sealing the deal at a 7:54.57.
Center doubled up in the 3-meter diving, winning at 287.15 points, another 3C2A record.
Women’s Day Three
The women’s 100 individual medley gave De Anza’s Lin a second win, once again a huge best time of 58.85. Bravo-Guzman secured a second win, narrowly missing the 3C2A record in the 200 backstroke with a 2:01.70.
Seiley, redeeming a disqualification in the 200 freestyle, stormed to the 100 free win in a 50.97. Also securing a second win in the 200 breaststroke was El Camino’s Samayoa with a 2:15.93. She was out like a rocket, 1:05.31, before coming home to break the mark by two seconds. San Diego Mesa’s Sydney Fortune took second, also under 2:20 with a 2:19.65.
Ramos took the women’s 200 butterfly, four seconds ahead of the field for a 2:06.74. Grossmont’s Maya Garcia-Hale took second at a 2:10.46. Both swimmers were well ahead of the field, with RCC’s Nicole Robertson claiming third in a 2:20.00.
SBCC took the final event of the meet, with Rummelhoff (53.85), Sofia Paez (53.61), Carrick (52.61) and Myers (50.66) combining to a 3:30.73 in the 400 freestyle relay.
Women’s Top 10 Team Scores
- Mt. San Antonio Collee- 440
- Santa Barbara City College- 424
- American River College- 305
- Diablo Valley College/Sierra College- 270
- –
- Santa Rosa Junior College- 245
- Orange Coast College- 236
- Long Beach City College- 207
- San Joaquin Delta College- 175
- San Diego Mesa College- 170