Berkeley Women Swim Past Southern Cal, 181-99

BERKELEY, California, January 19. THE fourth-ranked California women won 13 of 16 events and defeated eleventh-ranked Southern California, 181-99, on a sunny Friday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Golden Bears junior Emily Silver won the 50-yard freestyle, 200 free and 200 individual medley and anchored the winning 200-medley relay for the Golden Bears, who improved their dual-meet record to 9-0 (4-0 Pac-10). USC fell to 4-2 (2-2 Pac-10).

"It was a very solid Cal win," Cal assistant coach Johan Steiner said. "The 500 free was very exciting, with Blake Hayter coming back and almost touching out the USC swimmer. She didn't win, but she had great fight. Sherry Tsai swimming a lifetime best in the 100 back was a great swim."

The Cal A team of senior Sherry Tsai, sophomore Jessica Hardy, senior Erin Reilly and Silver opened the meet by winning the 200-medley relay in a time of 1:40.98, which was an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying time (NCAA B). USC senior Kalyn Keller then captured one of only three victories on the day, when she was swam a 9:57.12 in the 1000 free. Bears freshman Blake Hayter was second in 9:58.51.

Next, Silver clocked a 1:48.45 (NCAA B) to win the 200 free, just beating sophomore teammate Dana Vollmer, 1:48.45-1:48.76. Silver later won the 50 free in 23.15 (NCAA B) and the 200 IM in 2:01.45 (NCAA B).

Other multiple winners for Cal were Hardy, who claimed the 100 breaststroke (1:00.90, NCAA A) and 100 free (51.12) and freshman diver Samantha Young, who won the 1- (272.02) and 3-meter springboards (289.35). Hardy was involved in two close races, as the defending NCAA champion in the 100 breaststroke won that event over the defending Pac-10 champion, USC's Rebecca Soni, 1:00.90-1:01.37, and later edged Tsai in the 100 free, 51:12-51.48.

Tsai raced to a personal record to win the 100 backstroke (54.57, NCAA B), junior teammate Rachel Ridgeway was victorious in the 200 butterfly (2:00.14, NCAA B), senior teammate Lauren Andrews clocked a 2:00.52 to win the 200 back and junior teammate Leann Toomey won her first race of the season by taking the 100 fly (55.53). The 100 fly was another close race, as Reilly was second in 55.63 and Cal senior Annie Babicz was third in 55.65.

Cal closed the meet by winning the 400-free relay, as freshman Lauren Boyle, sophomore teammate Lauren Rogers, freshman teammate Amanda Larson and Vollmer paced the field with a time of 3:27.17.

USC also won the 200 breaststroke (Rebecca Soni, 2:13.52, NCAA A) and 500 free (Kristina Rigterink, 4:52.90, NCAA B). In the 200 breaststroke, Cal's top finisher was freshman Alexandra Ellis, who swam a 2:17.09 (NCAA B). Hayter (4:52.96, NCAA B) touched the wall just six hundredths of a second behind Rigterink in the closest race of the day.

The Bears host No. 14 UCLA (6-2, 2-2 Pac-10) at 12 p.m. on Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Bruins lost to top-ranked Stanford, 130-105, today at Stanford.

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