BUFFALO, NY - After day one of the Region 3 Championship hosted by Erie Community College, the Jamestown Community College (JCC) women have built an early lead, and the men find themselves in second overall.

"Great first day for us, both the women and men; each swimmer had a personal best swim. I think we really set ourselves up to have a great meet. The confidence and belief showed today. Truly, I think watching them that the focus is there. They know that the goal is high and it won't be easy to get there," said a happy head coach, Todd Conklin.

The ladies started out fast, with Roxanne Lothian winning the 50 breast and Katrina Degroff grabbing second to give the Jayhawks an early lead.

In the 1,000 free, it was Cassie Lyon claiming second, with Addison Lawson finishing fourth and Sophia Gervasio fifth. Lyon's time of 12:26:82 is a new program record.

Next up was the 200 individual medley, where it was another all-Jayhawk top two. Willow Chase claimed the top spot with a 2:38:87, while Degroff earned another silver.

The 50 free had sophomore Desiree Putt led the way for JCC with a second-place swim; Emily Swan earned third.

Last up was the 800 free relay, where the Jamestown team of Chase, Lawson, Gervasio, and Lyon dominated by over 15 seconds to give JCC a total of 149 points. That is 74 clear of second place, the Fashion Institute of Technology.

On the men's side, things couldn't have started much better with Zach Johnson diving into the 50 breast with a record-breaking win. The sophomore's time of 26.99 broke his program mark.

That was followed up by a second-place swim from Samuel Hersom in the 1,000 free.

Diego Villarreol got into the action in the 200 individual medley, where he touched in third place.

In the 50 free, Cameron Milewski just outtouched fellow Jayhawk Daniel Peterson for another top two sweep for JCC.

Finally, the men earned second in the 800 free relay behind the team of Hersom, Christian Merrill, Villarreol, and Peterson.

The guys sit at 96 points, 29 off the pace of Genesee Community College.

"Tomorrow is a double session, meaning it is half the meet. The kids have a lot of races, but the focus is on one race at a time. If we take one thing at a time and put the pressure on our best swims. I think the results tomorrow will be as positive or better than today's," added Conklin.

It's a quick turnaround for all the swimmers; session one of day two gets underway Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.