SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Kristen Lance will join the Loyola Marymount swimming program next season.

“I am real excited,” said Lance. “I visited and went on a recruit trip this past weekend. The team is a family. I felt already welcomed and part of the team. I love the coach, the campus and I could not be more excited.”

Lance, who is from Carmichael, plans to study political science with a focus in international relations and minor economics.

“The campus is really pretty,” said Lance. “I love the beach and city. When you look to one side is the city and the other is the ocean. It is the best of both worlds.”

Lance is also excited about continuing her career and studying at a Jesuit institution.

“It is a Jesuit school so it is nice to continue my education at a place like that,” said Lance. “The size is exactly what I wanted and they have the major I wanted to study. It had everything I wanted.”

Lance has been a member of the St. Francis program for all four seasons.

 “This is my first year on the team going to every practice,” said Lance, who also swam USA club during her first three seasons. “Everyone is really positive and happy to be there. There is a comradery on the team, especially at sections. Everyone is there to support each other.”

Lance posted a pair of top-five finishes at the Delta River League meet last season. She placed third in the 100 breaststroke, her best event, in 1:12.43, while touching the wall fifth in the 200 individual medley in 2:19.17.

“I hope to final in sections and get some personal-bests,” said Lance of her upcoming goals. “My season has really surprised me. I have not been training as hard as I was and I am having a better season than last year.”

Lance will join a team coached by Bonnie Adair, who is in her 12th season leading the Lions program. She was the named the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference Coach of the Year in 2008 and led the team to a second-place finish this season at the conference meet.

“The conference meet is a big deal and everyone is there to support each other and do as well as a team,” said Lance. “It is great to be part of that. The facilities are amazing. It is going to be really cool to part of a Division I team. For their training trips, they go to Florida, Hawaii and Alaska.”

Training trips are one of the perks of swimming collegiately, providing fun opportunities to travel. But Lance was really drawn to the atmosphere of the team.

“It is going to be nice to be part of team that is interested in bettering themselves and be a part of a team that is really positive,” said Lance. “Everyone there loves it and the girls end up swimming all four years.”

Lance will take part in a ceremony at St. Francis on Wednesday celebrating the Troubadours making commitments to collegiate programs.