COLLEGE ROUNDUP : UC Santa Barbara Atop Meet

The UC Santa Barbara men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each took a big lead after the first day of the Big West Conference Championships Sunday at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

In the men’s competition, Santa Barbara has 296 points, 56 ahead of second-place Nevada Las Vegas, with two days remaining in the event. Pacific is third (132 points), UC Irvine is fourth (117) and New Mexico State fifth (115).

In the women’s competition, Santa Barbara has 256.5 points, UNLV has 212, Nevada 180, Hawaii 142, Pacific 104, Irvine 76, New Mexico State 66.5 and San Jose State 55.

The Santa Barbara women won three events, including the 200 freestyle relay in 1 minute 34.73 seconds. Gaucho Meridith McClain won the 50 free in 23.61 and teammate Erin Evans won in three-meter diving.

The Santa Barbara men won the 200 freestyle relay (1:21.71) and the 400 medley relay (3:18.22) and Dan Miles (200 IM), Ted Poser (50 free) and Rick Alter (1-meter diving) won individual events for the Gauchos.

Elijah Fan had Irvine’s best finish. He was fourth in the 500 free in 4:36.99. Mark Swangel was sixth in the 50 free in 20.95 and April Gibbs was sixth in 1-meter diving for the Anteaters.

In nonconference softball:

Fresno State 5-10, CS Fullerton 0-0 (second game 5 innings mercy rule)--Jennifer Clark allowed only one hit in the second game to pace the seventh-ranked Bulldogs (7-1). Fullerton (3-6), ranked 16th, managed four hits in the first game.