By Jason Reed
Sports Editor
In their second year at Bakersfield College, Garces High School graduate Catherine Lugo and Shafter High School graduate Joshua DelaRosa has been big for their team as they first prepare for the upcoming conference meet.
For them (Lugo and DelaRosa), it doesn’t end there. They will be looking forward to the California Community College State Championships April 25-27 at East Los Angeles College.
When talking about her time at Garces High, Lugo said it was a good environment and compared it to being at Bakersfield College.
In her last three years of high school, Lugo made three trips to the Valley Championships.
“We had a really strong team, I kind of relate it the same way as the BC swim team. But as far as the workouts go and improving your stroke, it’s not as strong as the BC system,” she said.
“I’m hoping to go to a four year college and continue swimming, because I really want to see how far I can go,” Lugo said when asked how far she plans on going with swimming. “Right now it depends on how committed I am.”
When asked why she started swimming, Lugo said when she was younger people always told her how good of a swimmer she was.
But she never actually started swimming until her freshman year. “I decided to do it because I didn’t have any other sport going on,” she said.
During the 100 butterfly last season, Lugo took a bad break, straining her rotator cuff. She said she plans on placing in the top three at state this year. Lugo said she plans on looking into Concordia University and University of the Cumberlands as possible schools after BC.
DelaRosa then talked about his experience at Shafter. “It was really good,” he said. “Two of my teammates (Cameron Hunter and Zach Foster) from Shafter are actually on the BC team. It’s good to have the support system,” he said when asked about what it’s like to have high school teammates on the same college team.
DelaRosa swims the backstroke, individual medley and freestyle. Lugo swims the butterfly, individual medley, relays and freestyle.
“I’m planning on going as far as it takes me,” DelaRosa said, when asked how long he plans to swim. “I’m trying to get a scholarship for swimming to leave this summer.” DelaRosa also said Concordia and Cumberlands were the colleges he was looking into.
“My parents put me into swimming when I was like four,” DelaRosa said when asked how he started swimming. Just like Lugo, DelaRosa’s goal is to also place in the top three in state.
The two swimmers built momentum in BC’s duels meet against College of The Canyons April 5, at BC. They both won multiple events for the Renegades, and for the second straight year they will be qualifying for state.