Cougars Close Out Regular Season at WSC Championships

A competitive swimmer in a bright blue pool performs the breaststroke, wearing a white swim cap and mirrored blue goggles. Their head is above the water as they exhale, mouth open with a focused, intense expression. Both arms are extended forward just beneath the surface, creating a burst of splashing water around their hands. Sunlight reflects off the rippling water, and a blurred lane divider is visible along the edge of the pool in the background.
Results
April 20, 2026

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

VALLEY GLEN — College of the Canyons competed at the Western State Conference (WSC) Championship meet April 16-18 on the campus of L.A. Valley College, with the Cougars reaching a number of individual milestones while closing out the regular season.

COC sophomore Ian Rho was the top individual performer for the Cougars, with a trio of top-four finishes.

Rho's best result came in the 400-yard IM in which he placed second at time of 4:18.29, also representing a personal best time.

Earlier in the meet Rho swam fourth in the 200-yard IM (1:58.33) in another personal best performance. Rho closed out the meet's third day of competition with a fourth-place result in the 200-yard backstroke (1:58.26).

Freshman Xuanhao Guo's top results came in the 100-yard breaststroke (6th/1:03.73) and the 200-yard breaststroke (9th/2:22.34) events, with both performances equaling a personal best.

Ethan Thai's meet highlights included his 11th place result in the 100-yard freestyle (53.24) and a 14th place finish (1:06.03) in the 100-yard backstroke. Likewise, both times were personal bests for the freshman.

George Garibay added to the mix with personal bets times in the 100-yard backstroke (16th/1:07.49) and 200-yard backstroke (15th/2:34.42).

Bretton Williams, who placed third in the conference standings of the 1M dive event the week prior, added to his season highlights by taking 15th in the 1,650-yard freestyle (20:49.61), another personal best time.

Relay highlights for the Cougars included the combination of Rho, Guo, Garibay and Thai combining for a time of 4:01.48 to place sixth in the 400-yard medley relay.

The team of Thai, Garibay, Williams and Rho also took eighth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:36.11).

In women's competition, freshman Alyssa Cortez placed 12th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:08.05).

Sophomore diver Nicole Lerma placed third in the 3M dive and sixth in the 1M dive events last week and will advance to the 3C2A state championship meet in both events.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Carla Sophia Velasco/COC Sports Information