Wisconsin Men’s Swimming Knocks Off USC in Final Event

Photo Credit: Griffin Scott

LOS ANGELES – The Wisconsin men’s swimming and diving team upset the University of Southern California by the slimmest of margins on Friday night, winning the final 400 free relay to top the Trojans by one point, 131.5-130.5. Meanwhile, the USC women handled Wisconsin easily, coming out on top by a score of 142-115 at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

Wisconsin Press Release

It seemed only fitting that while competing in Los Angeles, the University of Wisconsin swimming team put together a finish fit for a movie script.

All coming down to the final event of the meet, one point and less than one second proved the difference, as the No. 14 Badgers defeated No. 16 USC by a 131.5-130.5 final on Friday night at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

A competitive showing throughout, the team standings came down to the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event of the meet. Nick Caldwell, Cannon Clifton, Brett Pinfold and Damon Zito came through in the clutch for Wisconsin, clocking in at 2:57.86 to narrowly defeat USC’s time of 2:58.07.

“It was outdoors, under the lights, everything was going against us and yet we swam great,” UW head coach Whitney Hite said of the scene.

“It doesn’t get any better. It’s like a last shot in basketball where you’ve got the ball and its in your hands. I told the team that we were down seven points going into the last two events and we needed to win the last two.

“Sure enough, we did.”

Before the meet-deciding stage had been set for the 400 freestyle relay, it was Drew teDuits who came up with a big win in the men’s second-to-last event, the 200-yard individual medley. The senior from Fitchburg won the event in 1:50.31, edging USC’s Cary Wright (1:51.47).

“That’s pressure and we want pressure,” Hite said of the final events. “I want them to be in those pressure situations, because the more they’re in pressure situations the more comfortable they become. That’s the sign of a champion.”

Including wins in the final two events, the UW men championed eight events total and improved to 5-2 on the season. Knocking off the Trojans, the Badgers added another win to their list of victories this season that already includes current No. 11 Arizona and No. 23 Minnesota.

The No. 13 USC women did help the Trojans split the dual meet, however, topping No. 22 Wisconsin by a final score of 142-115.

Four events were claimed by Wisconsin, including new member Danielle Valley winning the 500-yard freestyle in 4:50.01, followed by teammate Jenny Holtzen in second place at 4:52.95.

Ivy Martin won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.45.

“The women were really good today,” Hite said. “Jenny Holtzen was terrific. Danielle Valley had an awesome debut, she’s as good as we thought she was and we’re happy to have her. The women were tough and they competed really well. We’re proud of them.”

Both the Wisconsin men and women entered Friday’s dual meet against USC coming off of a week-long training trip in Hawaii.

“On both sides, we did a great job of competing,” Hite said. “We’re coming off our hardest week of training of the season and a great trip out in Hawaii. To get the results that we did tonight, I’m really proud. It’s a tribute to the men and women of this team.

“This was a display of toughness, guts and focus.”

Southern California Press Release

Senior Andrea Kropp won a trio of races to lead the USC women’s swimming team to a win over Wisconsin while the Badger men used a come-from-behind victory in the final relay to eke out a one-point win over the Trojan men under the lights Friday (Jan. 9) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

The USC men’s team suffered its first loss of the season, 131.5-130.5, and fell to 4-1 overall while the women’s squad improved to 4-1 with its 142-115 win.

USC also saluted eight men’s seniors tonight, including Chad Bobrosky, Jordan Gear, Dakota Hodgson, Sergio Lujan Rivera, Andrew Malone, Cristian Quintero, Luca Spinazzola and Cary Wright.

The Trojans entered the final event with a four-point lead, but needed to win the relay to secure the win. USC’s 400y free relay of sophomores Santo Condorelli, David Morgan Jr., Dylan Carter and the senior Bobrosky finished in 2:58.07, but were passed over the final 50 by Wisconsin’s quartet, which touched in 2:57.86 to claim the one-point win.

The Trojans opened the night with a pair of wins in the 200y medley relays. Wisconsin’s Danielle Valley won the first individual event, claiming the 1000y free in 9:49.88. In the men’s race, Badger Matt Hutchins won in 9:06.33.

Sophomore Chelsea Chenault (1:48.89) and junior Jasmine Tosky (1:48.93) went 1-2 for the Trojans in the women’s 200y free. In the men’s 200y free, Carter won in 1:36.87 while Badger Cannon Clifton was second (1:39.26).

Freshman Hannah Weiss continued her strong work in the 100y back, winning the race in 54.14 to Badger Annie Tamblyn’s 56.68. Spinazzola outlasted Wisconsin’s Drew Teduits, 48.52 to 48.54 for the win in the men’s 100y back.

Kropp won the women’s 100y breast in 1:02.87 for her first win of the night, beating to the wall Badger Anna Meinholz (1:03.17). Wisconsin’s Nick Schafer won the men’s 100y breast in 55.56 while junior Morten Klarskov topped USC’s efforts in second (56.68).

Tosky notched a victory in the 200y fly, touching in 1:58.60, safely ahead of second-place Dana Grindall of Wisconsin (2:01.30). In the men’s race, Wright rallied from lane 2 to win the 200y fly in 1:48.23, besting Badger Nicholas Caldwell’s 1:48.49 in lane 5.

Ahead of the first break, USC junior Kasia Wilk won the women’s 50y free (23.04) while Condorelli won the men’s race in 20.17.

Following the break, Badger Ivy Martin won the women’s 100y free in 49.45, less than a second off the pool record, while Wilk took second (50.57). In the men’s race Wisconsin’s Brett Pinfold edged Condorelli, 44.70 to 44.74 while Clifton touched third in 45.19.

Junior Kendyl Stewart won the women’s 200y back in 1:57.84 with Weiss taking second (1:58.80). Teduits, the 2013 NCAA champion in the 200y back, won the race in 1:46.58 while Wright was second (1:50.12).

Kropp doubled up with a win in the 200y breast in 2:13.24 with Meinholz second (2:17.35). Schafer of Wisconsin earned his own double with a win in the men’s race in 2:01.01 with Trojan junior Ridge Altman second (2:03.44).

Valley got her second win for Wisconsin with a first in the 500y free (4:50.01) while teammate Jenny Holtzen was second (4:52.95). Hutchins also won his second race, running away with the 500y free in 4:25.60. Trojan sophomore Reed Malone was second (4:32.75).

Stewart won her second event with a 53.17 in the 100y fly, ahead of Ivy’s 53.53. Carter won the men’s 100y fly from lane 8 in 48.10. Kropp touched first in the women’s 200y IM for her third win in 2:02.41 while Teduits won again for the Badgers in 1:50.31.

USC’s 400y free relay of Wilk, sophomore Evan Swenson, Chenault and Tosky won 3:22.04 to close out the Trojan women’s win.

The Trojan women don’t return to the pool until a Feb. 13 home finale against UCLA.

Results: Wisconsin vs. Southern California

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Bill Bell

9 years ago

Valley prepped in Florida and swam for Florida Gators last season.

To switch to Wisconsin must be a real “culture shock” but she’s a very good distance freestyler and could help the Badgers considerably.