NCAA Div 1: Washington Huskies Sweep Big West Shootout

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 1. THE Washington swimming teams swept the field today to win the Big West Shootout Championships. The 25th-ranked men defeated No. 13 Hawaii (61-50), as well as UC Irvine (73-38) and UC Santa Barbara (71-24).

The women's title came down to the final event in which the 22nd-ranked women beat out No. 25 Hawaii in the 400 freestyle relay for the win. The women's team edged Hawaii (59-53) and defeated UC Irvine (75-39) and UC Santa Barbara (69-27) to win the Big West Shootout for the second year in a row.

The UW men won both the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays, setting a school record in the freestyle event. Derek Rose, Jim Wolfe, Lorant Divald and Justin Adrian combined to swim the race in 3:00.34, breaking the old record of 3:01.51 set in 1999. Rose, Phil Davis, Adrian and Luke Ekhoff won the 400 MR.

The men had four individual winners on the day as well. Rose picked up a victory in the 500 freestyle (21.16), while Adrian won the 100 freestyle (45.32). Diogo Bezerra finished first in the 200 backstroke (1:49.47) and Ekhoff won the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:01.78.

The women's meet was won on the final event of the day, the 400 freestyle relay. Brittany Epperson, Desiree Johnson, Lisa Fanning and Melody Staubitz teamed up to win the event in a time of 3:30.33, while Hawaii placed third.

The UW women also won five individual events, led by triple winner Sharon Olson. Olson won the 500 and 1000 freestyle and 200 IM. Her time of 2:03.29 in the individual medley set a NCAA B time standard for the second time in as many weeks.

Anissa Hilyard and Liya Liu each had repeat first place performances in their respective specialties from last night. Hilyard picked up the win in the 200 butterfly (2:01.72), while Liu won the100 freestyle (51.79).

The Washington swimming have a two week hiatus before heading out to Pennsylvania to face Penn State and Pittsburgh on Nov. 14-15. Penn State's men are ranked 10th, while the Pittsburgh women are ranked 17th.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use