Gauchos finish sixth at opening event

The Saddleback women's swim and dive team finished in sixth place at the Golden West Invitational on Friday in Huntington Beach.  The Gauchos had a number of top-5 finishers along the way.

Saddleback took to the pool for the first time this spring, competing against some of the top competition in Southern California.  The Gauchos performed admirably, with a number of solid individual performances.

Saddleback's top performances were in the 50-yard breast stroke where the Gauchos finished 2-3 in the event with Gabrielle Walker and Michelle Mukogawa.  Walker finished the race in 36.27, which was just off the pace set by Riverside's Mackenzie Hernandez (35.40).  Mukogawa finished the race in 37.42 to finish third in the finals.

Saddleback also received some great performances from Lindsey Turi, who finished in the top-10 in three events.  Turi was fourth in the 50-yard fly by posting a time of 30.51. She was also sixth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:59.87) and ninth in the 50-yard freestyle (28.20). 

Walker was also a top-5 performer in the 100-yard breaststroke when she touched the pad at 1:19.20.  The Gauchos also finished fifth in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 4:58.50. 

Saddleback will be back in the water on Friday when they host an Orange Empire Conference Meet at the Saddleback Aquatics Center.  Meet time is scheduled for 10:00 AM