Leah Polonsky Leads California to Decisive Win over Washington State

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Leah Polonsky Leads California to Decisive Win over Washington State

Leah Polonsky won three events as California eased to a 179-81 victory at Berkeley’s Spieker Aquatics Complex on Friday night.

The 11th ranked Golden Bears won every race save for one. Polonsky kept up a hot streak, winning three events for the second meet in a row.

Polonsky claimed the 200 freestyle early in the meet, her time of 1:47.23 a second up on teammate Eloise Riley. Polonsky edged Hannah Brunzell by less than a second in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:13.93. She finished the meet with an emphatic win in the 200 IM, an event in which she’s the reigning Pac-12 champion, with a time of 1:58.99.

Cal met little resistance in the victory. The 200 medley relay of Isabelle Stadden, Jade Neser, Mia Kragh and McKenna Stone started off by going 1:37.26 to win. Neser won the 100 breast in 1:00.33 and was third in the 200. Kragh claimed the 100 butterfly in 52.83, a 1-2-3 finish for Cal with Stone third.

Stone went 22.78 in the 50 free to edge Stadden (23.01) to the wall. Stadden won the 100 back in 1:52.71. Riley won the 100 free in 49.78.

Kathryn Hazle had a strong showing, the freshman winning the 1,000 free in 10:01.57 ahead of teammate Fanni Fabian. Hazle was also third in the 200 back and second in the 200 IM. Fabian was third in the 500 free, an event won by Mia Motekaitis. The fifth-year also won the 100 back in 55.23.

The quartet of Stone, Ella Mazurek, Stadden and Riley posted the fastest time in the 400 free relay, an exhibitioned A relay that went 3:19.41.

Cal didn’t have things all its way. Washington State got a win from Dori Hathazi, who went 1:56.43 in the 200 fly. Wazzu freshman Mira Szimcsak went 10:10.77 for third in the 1,000th free, setting the seventh-fastest time in program history. Szimcsak finished second in the 500 free.

Freshman Madison Parker was second in the 100 free and third in the 50. The former, in a time of 49.83, is 10th in program history. Kiana Swain finished second in the 200 back. Hathazi, Parker, Emma Wright and Noelle Harvey went 3:21.71 in the 400 free relay, just two seconds back of the Bears.

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