Abernathy, Versegi Lead Golden West Across Three-Day Meet

COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Golden West College women's swim team turned in a strong and competitive showing at the Orange Empire Conference Championships, held April 16–18 at the Orange Coast College Aquatic Pavilion.

The Rustlers were highlighted by standout distance performances from sophomore Sienna Abernathy, who earned a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:26.48, scoring 17 points for Golden West. Abernathy also contributed as a key relay swimmer throughout the meet, showcasing her versatility and endurance.

Teammate Mimi Versegi delivered one of the top performances of the championships for the Rustlers, placing third in the 500-yard freestyle (5:33.08) to secure 16 points. Versegi also played a critical role in relay events, including anchoring the 400-yard medley relay squad.

Golden West showed depth in the 500 freestyle, with Sam O'Donnell placing sixth (5:46.58) and Catherine Le adding points with an 11th-place finish (6:12.67), while Crystal Fernandez rounded out the scoring with a 14th-place effort.

In the 200-yard individual medley, the Rustlers placed multiple swimmers in the finals. Zoe Esquivel led the way with a fourth-place finish in 2:20.78, followed closely by Hanna Menyhart, who took sixth (2:24.51). Kaylee Huynh (8th, 2:42.11), Monet Panter (9th, 2:42.38), and Mya Huynh (12th, 2:53.81) added valuable team points in a deep field.

Sprint events also proved productive for Golden West. Savanna Ettinger led the Rustlers in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing fifth overall with a time of 26.09. Emily Cislo (13th, 27.35) and Sophie Kresge (16th, 27.94) contributed additional points.

Relay teams played a significant role in the Rustlers' overall performance. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Ettinger, Menyhart, Kresge, and O'Donnell placed sixth with a time of 1:48.80. In the 400-yard medley relay, the quartet of Ettinger (backstroke), Esquivel (breaststroke), Abernathy (butterfly), and Versegi (freestyle) combined for a fifth-place finish in 4:27.50.

Across the three-day championship meet, Golden West demonstrated strong depth, particularly in distance and individual medley events.

The Rustlers will compete in the 3C2A State Championships in two weeks also hosted at Orange Coast College.