Men's Swim Make a Strong Showing at the Big 8 Championships

The Modesto Junior College men's swim team turned in a strong showing at the Big 8 Conference Championships, held April 16–18 at American River College, finishing 5th overall against some of Northern California's top programs. The Pirates displayed depth and resilience across the three-day meet, highlighted by multiple standout individual efforts and several state-qualifying performances. Freshman Ben Svoboda (Ripon HS) led the way with a runner-up finish in the 100 freestyle, while also placing 6th in the 50 freestyle and 8th in the 100 butterfly—earning qualification in all three events for the upcoming 3C2A State Championships, set for April 30–May 2 at Orange Coast College.

 

MJC continued to produce solid results throughout the lineup, including an impressive distance performance from freshman Jacob Miller (Modesto HS), who placed 4th in the 1650 freestyle, 5th in the 200 butterfly, and 15th in the 500 freestyle. Spencer Cox (Hilmar HS) added depth in the sprint events with finishes of 11th in the 50 freestyle, 12th in the 100 freestyle, and 10th in the 100 butterfly, while sophomore Keanu Laolagi (Downey HS) secured an 8th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Additional scoring came from Cooper Cox (Hilmar HS), who placed 16th in both the 50 and 200 freestyle, and Arie Hoogeveen (Pitman HS), who finished 16th in the 200 butterfly and 13th in the 200 individual medley. Congratulations, and good luck to Ben at the upcoming State Championships!