UCLA vs. Southern California

LOS ANGELES, California, February 12. JUNIORS Katinka Hosszu and Victoria Ishimatsu each won twice while freshman Stina Gardell's 400y IM and sophomore Haley Anderson's 500y free wins were also highlights during No. 6 USC women's swimming and diving's 176-124 win over No. 21 UCLA on Saturday (Feb. 12) at USC's McDonald's Swim Stadium.

USC finishes the dual-meet season at 9-2 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10. Its nine wins are its most since going 9-1 in 1997, the year of its only NCAA title. The most dual meet wins in program history came in a 10-1 season in 1983. UCLA dropped to 9-4, 3-4.

The win was also USC's fourth straight over UCLA and improved Troy's series record against the Bruins to 21-16. Additionally, the victory was good for five points in the Crosstown Gauntlet, a trophy awarded annually to the school with the most successful athletic year against the other. Points are awarded to the winner of each Trojan-Bruin head-to-head contest. USC, which has won the past three years, now leads this year, 42.5-20 (57.5 points is the magic number).

Troy opened up the meet with a win in the 200y medley relay as senior Presley Bard, freshman Kasey Carlson, senior Lyndsay DePaul and sophomore Lindsay Parrish won in 1:38.11.

With Trojan distance mainstay Anderson not entered in the 1650y free, it fell to Hosszu to battle Bruin stalwart Sam Vanden Berge. Vanden Berge held a slight lead over Hosszu for most of the race while UCLA freshman Lauren Baker crept up to within a body length to briefly make it a three-way contest.

With 150 yards left, Vanden Berge attempted to make a move, but Hosszu refused to wilt. Instead, she flipped the race, taking the lead at the 75-yard mark and extending her lead to 0.81 with 50 left. Vanden Berge made a final charge, but it was not enough as Hosszu touched first (16:20.55) to the Bruin's 16:21.32. Baker claimed third (16:27.91). The time was just off the 1986 pool record (16:19.47), set by USC's Karin LaBerge.

UCLA sophomore Alex Sullivan took control of the 200y free and won the race in 1:45.55, breaking Hosszu's pool record (1:45.83) set earlier in the season against Arizona. It was the first of six pool records broken on the day. Trojan junior Amanda Smith was second in 1:46.54 while Hall came back from the mile to take third (1:46.72).

USC responded to the loss in the 200y free with a sweep of the 100y back as sophomore Christel Simms led the 1-2-3 finish with a 53.83. Sophomore Yumi So was second (54.33) while sophomore Lolo Blair was third (54.54). Blair's mark was a personal-best by more than a second and an NCAA ‘B' cut.

Freshman Kasey Carlson controlled the 100y breast for the Trojans, winning in 1:00.55, a dual meet record. Sophomore Jessica Schmitt was second in the race (1:01.03) in a season-best and NCAA ‘B' cut while third went to UCLA's Brittany Beauchan (1:01.31).

DePaul broke her own pool record, and set a personal best, in the 200y fly, winning in 1:52.79 to improve her NCAA ‘A' cut. UCLA finished off the remaining next four spots with Yasi Jahanshahi (1:55.53) in second and Stephanie Christofferson in third (1:57.68)

In the 50y free, UCLA freshman Cynthia Fascella set a dual meet record with a 22.51. Bruin freshman Kathryn Murphy was second (22.71) while Bard was third (23.06).

Ishimatsu, fresh off her strong performance at the 2011 Winter Nationals, won the 1-meter springboard with 330.23, well ahead of UCLA Haley McNamara (253.73).
In the 100y free, Carlson led at the halfway point (23.77), but got passed by Fascella on the final leg as the Bruin won in 49.25 (another dual meet record). Hosszu came back to claim second (49.62, ‘B' cut) while Carlson was third (49.64).

Bard, who did not swim the 100y back, strutted her stuff in the 200y back, leading the entire race and breaking the pool and meet record (1:54.87, set by UCLA's Madeleine Stanton in 2009) with a 1:54.64. UCLA's Anna Senko was second (1:56.10).

Sophomore Jessica Schmitt took over the lead of the 200y breast after the first 50 as she battled the equally highly ranked Beauchan. Schmitt extended the lead nicely lap-by-lap and won going away in 2:09.01, improving on her NCAA ‘A' cut with a meet record and well ahead of Beauchan's 2:10.96. Trojan junior Ania Kowalczyk was third (2:13.72).

Sophomore Haley Anderson, as she often does, quickly took over the 500y free and won going away in 4:40.98, crushing her pool record of 4:45.15 as well as displacing former Trojan Kalyn Keller's 2006 meet record of 4:44.98. Sullivan was second (4:44.35) while Smith took thid (4:44.45), the pair each under the old pool and meet records as well. Senior Ellie Doran was fourth (4:48.02).

With DePaul sitting out the 100y fly (she owns the nation's top time in the event), Hosszu spearheaded the race for the Trojans. She turned first at 24.82 and went on to top the pool and meet records with a 52.33. DePaul had held the pool record at 52.72. Jahanshahi was second (52.87) with Christofferson third (53.00) and So fourth (53.36).

Ishimatsu won again in the 3-meter springboard with a 328.43 with Silva second (276.98) and USC junior Michela Fossati-Bellani third (273.98).

DePaul, who set the pool record in the 400y IM earlier this season, took out the event strong for an early lead, but freshman teammate Stina Gardell touched first after the back in 1:58.83. Gardell, a spring semester Swedish transfer who competed at the 2009 World Championships in the 200m and 400m IM, extended her lead through the breaststroke and headed into the freestyle with more than a three-second edge. It was more of the same in the free as she won unchallenged in 4:03.89, dismantling DePaul's pool record with an NCAA ‘A' cut that was among the top times in the country this year. DePaul was second (4:08.72) with freshman Meghan Hawthorne setting a season-best and improving her NCAA ‘B' cut in third (4:10.39).

The meet finished with the 200y free relay with UCLA winning in 1:31.17 to USC's 1:31.37. Troy's quartet consisted of Carlson, Bard, Simms and Parrish.

USC resumes the season at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships in Federal Way, Wash., Feb. 23-26.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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