California Women Down Northwestern, 191-102, in Opener

EVANSTON, Illinois, October 12. THE California women's swimming and diving team downed Northwestern, 191-102, in its season-opening dual meet on Thursday at the
Norris Aquatics Center.

The Golden Bears (1-0) won 13 out of 16 events, and set three pool records. Cal sophomore Jessica Hardy won the 100-yard breaststroke in a Norris record time of 1:01.02, sophomore teammate Dana Vollmer set a record of 1:47.29 in the 200 freestyle and the Bears quartet of Hardy, senior Sherry Tsai, Vollmer and junior Emily Silver set a record of 3:22.49 in the 400-free relay.

The Cal divers also took 1-2 in each of the two springboard events, with Bears freshman Samantha Young winning both boards.

"It's a very quality first-meet performance from the freshman all the way through our seniors," Cal assistant coach Johan Steiner said. "People stepped up. People who had never been in a college dual-meet before had extremely strong showings. It was a super effort from the entire team, in swimming and diving, top to bottom, with veterans and youngsters doing well."

The Bears' C foursome of sophomore Lauren Rogers, Vollmer, Hardy and sophomore Natalie La Rochelle opened the meet by winning the 200-medley relay in a time of 1:43.41.

Northwestern's Kassia Shishkoff won the next event, the 1000 free, in 10:03.28, but Cal won the next five races to take control of the meet. Vollmer began the streak with her Norris Aquatics Center record swim in the 200 free. Tsai followed with a victory on the 100 backstroke (56.01).

Hardy's record-setting 100 breaststroke was next, followed by junior Rachel Ridgeway’s victory in the 200 butterfly (2:02.87). Ridgeway, a Chicago native with her family in attendance, won one of the best races of the afternoon, beating Northwestern's Katie Braun (2:03.01) and Cal freshman Courtney Eronemo (2:03.14).

"It was one of the most exciting races of the evening," Steiner said. "Rachel won it in the end, and it’s nice when a local gal can do so well. There was a lot of local support for her."

Silver then won the 50 free (23.62) in another close victory, over Northwestern's Emily Wong (23.78), before the Wildcats' Andrea Hupman edged Silver, 50.73-50.84, in the 100 free.

Cal won seven of the final eight races, including Rogers in the 200 back (2:02.12), Hardy in the 200 breaststroke (2:15.78), Vollmer in the 500 free (4:51.00), freshman Heather White in the 400 individual medley (4:21.41) and the Cal B team in the 400-free relay.

Young won both diving events, taking the one-meter board, 256:73, with teammate Stephanie Whalen in second place, 238.50, and scoring 260.78 on the three-meter board, again over Whalen, a fellow freshman who scored 229.50 for second place.

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