SRJC swim, dive teams win All-American honors

First it was the state title for the women’s team, now it’s a whole host of All-American honors for the Santa Rosa Junior College swim and dive program.

Seventeen athletes and all 10 Bear Cub relay squads have been named CCCAA All-Americans - six of those athletes posted event times in the top 10 nationally, according to head coach Jill McCormick, Big 8 Coach of the Year.

Sophomores Miranda Howell, who prepped at Santa Rosa High School, is a CCCAA All-American with the second-fastest 100-yard backstroke and third-fastest 200-yard backstroke when compared with all other two-year colleges in the country.

Teammate Christine Lewis, who swam for El Molino High School, was also an All-American and posted the third-fastest time in the nation in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Four other Bear Cubs posted top 10 times in the nation: Midori Dobson (6th, 400-yard individual medley; 10th, 200-yard breast), Megan Warren (10th, 200-yard freestyle), Celine Sargis (10th, 400-yard individual medley) and Ben Crabb (7th, 200-yard back; 10th, 100-yard back).

Six relay teams also posted top 10 time in the nation.

Other CCCAA All-American athletes include: Logan Williams, Kristin Schmidt, Savannah Moen, Michelle Spratt, Olivia Strouse, Ivylee Senn, Bowen Brooks, Omar Saldivar, Jesse Schmidt, Brandon Miguel and Nathan Boas.

The women’s swim and dive team brought home the California Community College Athletics Association title in May with a balanced attack of stellar swimmers and divers.

The men’s team finished 10th in Los Angeles.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the race distances. The distances are in yards. This story has been updated to correct the description.