City College women’s swimming and diving team just ended another successful season. With 10 straight Western State Conference (WSC) championships and a state title in 2023, the Vaqueros have built a tradition of success under head coach Chuckie Roth, now in his 10th year. 

Second-year swimmer Lily Carrick initially arrived from Australia to play on the water polo team, but since Roth coaches both teams, she decided to join the swim team. She was named “Women’s Swimmer of the Meet” at this year’s state championship.

“We swam into [state] hoping to swim for each other, have fun,” Carrick said. “For some of us it was going to be the last time that we were all swimming together.” 

The swimming and diving team finished second in the state championships. 

Carrick explained the team really wanted to emphasize they were swimming for each other. That was the big thing throughout the season. The teamwork and team bond helped gain another conference win and advancement to the state championships. 

“We love each other, we are a giant happy family,” Carrick said. 

Maddie Myers, a second-year swimmer, said Roth really wanted them to succeed. 

“Coach Chuckie was not just going to be helping me with my swimming, but also helping me become the best version of myself,” Myers said.

That’s apparent in the manner of the team’s training and conditioning. Carrick described a long and hard season that began in January. 

“We train every day, we report to training always in the zone, ready to swim hard,” Carrick said. 

Myers explained her head space during the conference season. 

“I was just swimming as well as I could at conference with the knowledge that I had still got another week and a half of training,” Myers said. 

Myers emphasized the mental aspect of racing at the swimming and diving level. She said she liked to visualize the races ahead of time. This helped prepare for each lap. 

While the team did not win a state championship this year, both of the swimmers were impressed by how well they performed and remained cohesive.

“We were coming up to [state] not really believing that we were going to win at all,” Myers said.  “We were just coming up to it, giving our best shot and having fun with our teammates because it was a lot of our last time being all teammates together.” 

That team mentality came from Roth, whose leadership has built winning records and character for many years. 

“He’s always pushing,” Carrick said. “He comes to practice every day with a smile on his face no matter what’s going on.”

Roth motivates his team to do their best, both in the pool and in life. His constant support and encouragement helped the team stay connected and push each other to succeed. Due to his leadership the swimming and diving team had a season that thrived. 

His ability to inspire and challenge each swimmer to reach their potential, both individually and as a team has left a lasting impact on the Vaqueros and has set them up for continued success in the years to come.