By MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Santa Rosa Junior College swimmers are peaking with the women taking the Big 8 Conference championship meet and the men capturing second place.

The Bear Cubs women captured their first conference title since 2009 and their fourth overall.

Leading the women was Miranda Howell, from Cotati, who won two events and had a second place finish in addition to another first place and a trio of second place finishes in relay races. Howell set school and conference meet records in winning the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke.

Also winning a conference title was Savannah Moen, from Montgomery, in 1-meter diving.

In the relays, the 800-free team of Ashley Boyle, Megan Warren, Erin Sullivan and Howell took first.

On the men’s side, John Bing was the conference’s male swimmer of the year. Bing, from Roseburg, Ore., had two wins, a second and a third place, in addition to three relays titles at the conference meet. Bing set school and conference meet records in winning the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Also taking individual titles for Santa Rosa were Ben Crabb, from Windsor, and Andrew Hayes, out of Livermore.

The winning relay teams included the following swimmers: Morgan Baldwin, from Casa Grande, Tom Franicievich, from Petaluma and Stephen Mackanic, from Livermore, in addition to Bing, Crabb, and Hayes. Those relays were the 200 medley, 400 medley and 800 freestyle.

Santa Rosa’s men have won four Big 8 titles.

Longtime men’s and women’s coach Jill McCormick was named Big 8 Women’s Coach of the Year.

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