Sanchez Ends Prolific Career at the NCAA Championships

Manny Sanchez '08 finished among the top 25 in the nation in three events at the 2007-08 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships on March 19-21.  The Championships may not have brought on the results Sanchez had hoped for, but with a resume like his, the future Whittier College Hall of Famer has high expectations. 

It was the third straight season that Sanchez had qualified for the NCAA's.  He finished in 17^th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:05.75.  His time of 57.54 seconds in the 100 breast was good for 22^nd place.

Sanchez owns eight individual swimming records at Whittier College: the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, the 100 and 200 breaststrokes (he's the SCIAC Championships record holder in those events as well), the 200 backstroke and the 200 and 400 individual medleys.  He was also a member of two relay teams (200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay) that own the top spot on the all-time list.  All of this on top of three All-American honors and the 2007-08 SCIAC Swimmer of the Year.

Oh yeah, and he has eight SCIAC Championships.

The list goes on and on for Sanchez and he will inevitably go down as one of the best (if not the best) swimmers in Whittier College history.  And although he may not have won the National Championship he was hoping for, he made his fellow Poets proud; he has definitely left his mark on the Whittier College record books and those of us that had the pleasure of watching him compete.