Bear Cubs claim Big 8 championships

<p>The Santa Rosa Junior College swimming teams won Big 8 Conference titles in style Saturday.</p><p>The Bear Cubs men's and women's teams combined to break four school records and romped to victory on the final day of the three-day Big 8 Championships at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. It marked the first time in 28 years that both programs had won conference crowns in the same year.</p><p>The women's team, which won its second conference title in four years, topped second-place Sierra, 902-645. The men's team beat runner-up Diablo Valley College, 889-748. DVC had won at least 10 consecutive conference championships.</p><p>"They just swam out of their minds tonight," said SRJC coach Jill McCormick, who was named the Big 8 Women's Coach of the Year. "They were just outstanding."</p><p>SRJC freshman Tyler Hannis won the 200 backstroke in 1:52.73, crushing the school record 1:55.22 set by Jason Craighead, now the coach at Sacramento City College, in 1996.</p><p>Bear Cubs freshman Walter Gault won the 200 breaststroke in 2:07.54 to break the 11-year-old school record of Scott Valley (2:09.91).</p><p>On the women's side, freshman Heather Cramer broke her own school record en route to victory in the 100 butterfly. Cramer won in 57.88 to top her previous standard of 58.56.</p><p>Freshman Allie King finished second in the 100 freestyle in a school-record time of 53.30. The previous mark of 53.31 was set by Terry Kraemer in 1980.</p><p>SRJC's 400 freestyle relay of Cramer, King, Mandy King and Tiana Singley won in 3:36.55.</p><p>The Bear Cubs' William LaBarge was named the men's Diver of the Meet.</p><p>SRJC will travel to the three-day state meet, which begins Thursday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.</p>