(2017 PCSC Conference Championship Website)

Dixie State heads to southern California this weekend to compete for its first Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC) title. The 2017 PCSC Championships will be held Wednesday-through-Saturday, Feb. 8-11, at the East Los Angeles College Aquatic Center in Monterey Park, Calif.

ABOUT THE PCSC: The Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC) is made up of predominantly California schools, including Azusa Pacific, Concordia-Irvine and Fresno Pacific, which also compete against DSU in the Pacific West Conference. In all, there are 13 member universities in the PCSC, including future PacWest member Biola University, Alaska-Fairbanks, Arizona Christian, Cal State East Bay, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, Soka University, and NCAA D-I members (in all other sports) Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.

DSU COACHING STAFF: Benjamin Rae was named as Dixie State's first Head Women's Swimming Coach in June of 2015. In addition to his role as head coach, Rae is the Aquatics Manager at the Washington City Community Center (WCCC), which serves as the official practice facility for DSU swimming.

Prior to his work at the WCCC, Rae coached and coordinated staff for the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, Ga. In five years, his teams and individuals ranked in the top ten multiple times, including the nation's best 13-14 boys 200-meter freestyle relay team and 2010-11 overall junior national championship team. Rae was the 2011 North Atlanta Swim Association Coach of the Year.

Rae is a graduate of Brigham Young University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and began work on a Master's degree in exercise physiology. He also attended DSU, where he earned an associates degree in 2000. Coach Rae is joined poolside by assistant coach Jamie Beckstrand and student assistant coach Madison Wawrzyniak.

THE 2016-17 ROSTER: Dixie State's 2016-17 roster features 16 swimmers, including 13 freshmen and three four-year transfers. Ten Trailblazers hail from Utah, while three more are from neighboring Arizona. In all, five states are represented on this year's debut roster, including swimmers from Alaska, Washington and Wyoming.

TRAILBLAZERS WRAP UP DEBUT SEASON WITH NORCAL SPLIT: Dixie State came away with a split of its final two dual meets of the 2016-17 inaugural regular season this past in the Bay Area last month. The Trailblazers won nine of 11 total races en route to a 122-53 dual victory over Mills College in Oakland (Jan. 20), which was followed by a 135-124 loss at UC Santa Cruz Saturday afternoon in Santa Cruz (Jan. 21). 
 
At the Mills College dual, freshman Audrey Parrish (Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee HS) claimed two of DSU's seven individual event wins by taking the 50-yard freestyle (25.74) and 100 butterfly (1:05.58) races, while freshman Katie Pack (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) touched first in the 1,000 free (11:27.18), and freshman Megan Draney (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) won the 200 free (2:00.54). In addition, sophomores Phebe James (Heber City, Utah/Wasatch HS) (100 free – 58.46) and McKenzie Fitzgerald (St. George, Utah/Snow Canyon HS) (100 breaststroke – 1:13.31) and freshman Kayla Greer (St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) (200 backstroke – 2:16.00) each picked up race victories.

Dixie State also swept both relay races, with the foursome of Katrina Price (Cedar City, Utah/Cedar HS), Millie Snelders (Palmer, Alaska/Palmer HS), Parrish and James winning the 200 medley relay (1:53.47), and Draney, Grace Kroll (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS), Saydria Russell (Worland, Wyo./Worland HS) and Anissa O'Connell (Phoenix, Ariz./Millennium HS) combining to take the 400 freestyle relay (3:59.76).

At the UCSC meet, the Trailblazers collected five more race victories in the 14-event dual, including two by Greer in the 100 back (1:01.29) and 200 back (2:13.52). Pack also posted another win the 1,000 free (11:18.59) and Snelders touched first in the 200 individual medley. In addition, DSU's foursome of James, Parrish, Draney and Russell combined to win the 200 free relay.

HEAD COACH BENJAMIN RAE ON THE TRAILBLAZERS: "?We have put in a lot of work over the past 6 months specifically preparing for this week and now is the time for us to see how we have progressed. The team has a lot of energy and pre-championship nerves, but I anticipate we will be ready to perform starting tomorrow afternoon. With such a young team, this will provide us with a great opportunity to build toward next season."

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Should any Trailblazers qualify for the national meet this weekend, the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championships will take place March 8-11, in Birmingham, Ala.