Coming into the annual PAC-6 conference championship, East Chapel Hill High swim coach Lyn Smith knew that to come out on top, she needed more than just her superstars to shine.

A conference title, she accurately predicted, would be impossible without a whole-team effort.

"I told my team coming in that it wasn't the first-place team that was going to get us the points - it was the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, because we could score as many places as we could fill," Smith said. "So no matter if you were in the slowest heats, you could still score points because it was based on times."

The East Chapel Hill girls got off to a fast start at UNC's Koury Natatorium on Wednesday, winning the first three events. Rival Jordan High, however, gave the Wildcats a run for their money, and took home victories in four of the next six swimming events.

But ultimately East Chapel Hill's depth prevailed, and the Wildcat girls won the meet with 340 points, finishing first in eight of 12 events. Jordan followed in second place with 145, while Northern and Riverside High came in third and fourth, respectively.

Led by sophomore standout Koya Osada, the East Chapel Hill boys won 11 of 12 events Wednesday, gliding to a conference championship with 268 points. Jordan came in second with 155.5 points, and Riverside narrowly edged Northern for third place.

The meet began dramatically. East Chapel Hill was disqualified in the first event when the lead-off member of the boys 200 medley relay team failed to take the block at the appropriate time. Smith said she was disappointed in the disqualification but was proud of the way her team responded.

"The most important thing in a swim meet is not to dwell on things if you have a disappointing swim or a DQ," Osada said. "I think our team did a great job doing that."

Osada's performances were among the highlights for East on Wednesday. The sophomore won the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. He was also a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams.

East Chapel Hill senior Jeremiah O'Donnell, also on the winning relay teams, won a pair of individual events, too.

After the meet, a humble Osada said he was pleased with his swims, despite failing to record any personal bests.

"I was a little bit off my best times, but I'm not really worried about that," Osada said. "We're in the middle of the hardest training of the season because we're approaching championship season. I'm sore all over the place, but that's everyone's same situation."

Keeping the Wildcat boys from making a clean sweep, Northern High junior Conor Hoffman took first place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.42 - good for an automatic qualifying time for the 4A NCHSAA swimming and diving regional meet.

The Wildcat girls, on other hand, didn't have quite as easy of a road. East Chapel Hill freshman Morgan Smith and senior Sophie Gan both won two individual events and were members of two winning relays, while Jordan senior Sam Ray won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, while teammate Jamie Schaefer won the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke.

"(Ray) is always a superstar in our book," Jordan High swim coach Kristin Abrams said. "She swims club with all the East Chapel Hill swimmers, so she motivates herself by wanting to swim faster and swim against those girls."

Abrams said she was thrilled to see her team hold its own against the perennial champion Wildcats. "Being here for six years and seeing the progression of the team, we never go this close to East Chapel Hill. When we got on the bus, I told them, 'This is the best chance you have to win a PAC-6 championship. We might not get there, but this is the closest we've ever been.'"

The PAC-6 meet marked the end of the regular season for the swimmers, with just the NCHSAA swimming and diving regional meet (Feb. 3) and state meet (Feb. 9) remaining for those who qualify.

More than 30 of East Chapel Hill's swims recorded automatic qualifying times Wednesday for the upcoming regional meet, and even more earned consideration times.

And while the pressure-filled postseason meets are arguably some of the most important of the season for her swimmers, Smith is trying to keep the atmosphere light. "If you're worried about every race ... and you're all uptight, it holds you back. So (I say) have fun, work on the technique we've been working on and go for it."