NCAA Div. I Men: Cal Beats USC, 160-140

BERKELEY, Cal., February 7 – THE number 3-ranked University of California men's swimming team (5-0, 3-0) handed No. 7 USC (5-2, 2-1), its first Pac-10 loss this afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex, defeating the Trojans, 160-140.

For 60 years and more, this weekend would have seen USC and UCLA swimming their Northern California Pac-10 opponents. However, since the conclusion of the 1994-95 season, UCLA has been without a men's team despite having won the NCAAA Championships a mere 13 years earlier.

The Bruins under then-coach Ron (Stix) Ballatore were invariably among the conference's top teams, year in and year out. Efforts to revive the Bruin men's program have so far proved unsuccessful, but with new Athletic Director Dan Guerrero at the helm in Westwood, change may be in the offing.

The Golden Bears split the events with the Trojans, as each team won eight events apiece. Cal started the meet with an early win in the 400 medley relay (3:16.04) behind the team of junior Alex Lim, sophomore Caleb Rowe, freshman Michael Cavic and sophomore Duje Draganja. The Bears — with the nation's best 400 free relay team — won that event as well, with Cavic, freshman Jens Thiele, senior Anthony Ervin and Draganja clocking a 2:59.38 finish.

USC is deep in the distance events and won the 1000 free (Trent Staley in 9:17.23), 500 and 200 free (Ous Mellouli, in 4:23.91 and 1:38.05), but Cal's sprinters were the strength of the day. The Bears went one-two-three in both the 50 free and 100 free. Ervin took the 50 free victory, clocking in his fastest time of the season with an NCAA 'B' mark of 20.02. Draganja was runner-up in the 50 free at 20.18, also a 'B' time, while freshman Matt Lyon finished in third place with a time of 20.70.

Draganja, who has already posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 100 free, won the event in 43.88. Freshman Evan Lane took second in 45.19, while Ervin finished third in 45.29.

Other wins for the Bears included Lim's first-place finishes in the 100 (49.60) and 200 back (1:46.77). Lim is an NCAA automatic qualifier in both events for Cal this season. Cavic won the 100 fly in 48.10 and placed second in the 200 fly at 1:47.77. Cavic has posted NCAA automatic qualifying times in the 100 fly and 100 free.

Other impressive swims for the Bears included Rowe's second-place finishes in the 100 (56.10) and 200 breast (2:01.29). Freshman Ricky Barbosa and senior Quentin Byma finished right behind Rowe in the 100 breast, tying for third-place at 56.49.

A trio of freshmen posted season-best times against the Trojans. In the second event of the day — the 1000 free — Ryan Lean clocked his fastest time this season (9:18.21) with a runner-up finish. Chris Gibson also posted a season-best time, finishing the 100 back in 50.91, besting his previous time of 51.13, and Miguel Molina swam his fastest time this year in the 200 free at 1:38.71.

Cal's diving squad competed last weekend against USC and its marks were figured into today's score. Senior Nic Bartolotta won the one-meter competition (317.70) and finished second in the three-meter competition (319.25). Junior Robbie Quinn placed third in both the one-meter (277.65) and three-meter (303.82) diving events.

USC iron man Erik Vendt won two individual events: the
200 breast in 1:59.91 and the 200 IM in 1:48.56. He also finish .01 behind teammate Mellouli in the 200 free with his 1:38.06.

Freshman Milhala Flaskay, a Hungarian import, took the 100 breast handily in 54.94. Jeff Lee, who was second in the 200 fly at last year's NCAA's, took the event today in 1:47.71.

The Bears do not compete next weekend, and return to action at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley on Feb. 22 against Stanford in "The Big Splash." The meet versus the Cardinal begins at 1 p.m. and is Cal's final regular-season meet before the Pac-10 Championships March 6-8 at Long Beach's Belmont Plaza.

USC swims Stanford tomorrow at the Cardinal's Avery Aquatics Complex.

MEN'S NCAA DIVISION 1 DUAL MEET
USC vs. CAL
SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX
BERKELEY, CA.
FEB. 7, 2003

25 YD. POOL

FINAL SCORE:
CAL 160
USC 140

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

400 Medley Relay
1. California 3:16.04
(Lim, Rowe, Cavic, Draganja)
2. USC 3:17.13
(Proffitt, Vendt, Gausman, Stoller)
3. California 3:21.17
(Natalizio, Byma, Bruckart, Ervin)
4. USC 3:22.80
(Lee, Flaskay, Abercrombie, Mellouli)

1000 Free
1. Trent Staley, USC 9:17.23
2. Ryan Lean, Cal 9:18.21
3. Mike Kauffman, USC 9:25.06
4. Tyler Storie, USC 9:29.74
5. Brooks Jenkins, Cal 9:37.41
ex. Matt Schmelzer, Cal 9:49.41

200 Free
1. Ous Mellouli, USC 1:38.05
2. Erik Vendt, USC 1:38.06
3. Miguel Molina, Cal 1:38.71
4. Tyler Panos, USC 1:40.27
5. Jens Thiele, Cal 1:40.36
6. John Dorr, Cal 1:40.74
7. Erik Tomalchoff, USC 1:41.53

100 Back
1. Alex Lim, Cal 49.60
2. Oliver White, USC 50.68
3. Jeff Natalizio, Cal 50.74
4. Chris Gibson, Cal 50.91
5. David Ringe, USC 52.26
6. Jordie Proffitt, USC 52.35

100 Breast
1. Milhala Flaskay, USC 54.94
2. Caleb Rowe, Cal 56.10
3. Ricky Barbosa, Cal 56.49
3. Quentin Byma, Cal 56.49
5. J.D. Abercrombie, USC57.39
6. Paul Fahey, USC 57.61

200 Fly
1. Jeff Lee, USC 1:47.71
2. Mike Cavic, Cal 1:47.77
3. Mike Gausman, USC 1:49.16
4. Joe Bruckart, Cal 1:50.57
5. Erik Tomalchoff, USC 1:51.41
6. Keith Vogelgesang,Cal1:51.48
7. Ryan Donaldson, USC 1:53.00
8. Dorian Delamare, Cal 1:53.48

50 Free
1. Anthony Ervin, Cal 20.02
2. Duje Draganja, Cal 20.18
3. Matt Lyon, Cal 20.70
4. Evan Lane, Cal 20.79
5. Mike Stoller, USC 21.11
6. Adrian Chase, Cal 21.48
7. Nick Degenstein, USC 21.81
Oliver White, USC 21.81

One-Meter Diving
1. Nic Bartoletta, Cal 317.70
2. Raymond Vincent, USC 300.0
3. Robbie Quinn, Cal 277.65
4. Nathaniel Dean, Cal 258.0
5. Justin Curtin, USC 218.0
6. Noah Chutz, Cal 218.45

100 Free
1. Duje Draganja, Cal 43.88
2. Evan Lane, Cal 45.19
3. Anthony Ervin, Cal 45.29
4. Matt Lyon, Cal 46.06
5. Tyler Panos, USC 46.76
6. Mike Stoller, USC 47.39
7. Adrian Chase, Cal 47.50
8. Nick Degenstein, USC 48.22

200 Back
1. Alex Lim, Cal 1:46.77
2. Trent Staley, USC 1:47.78
3. Jens Thiele, Cal 1:50.88
4. Chris Gibson, Cal 1:51.93
5. Jeff Natalizio, Cal 1:52.04
6. David Ringe, USC 1:53.28
7. Ryan Donaldson, USC 1:57.20

200 Breast
1. Eric Vendt, USC 1:59.91
2. Caleb Rowe, Cal 2:01.29
3. Milhala Flaskay, USC 2:02.23
4. Ricky Barbosa, Cal 2:04.23
5. Brooks Jenkins, Cal 2:05.51
6. Paul Fahey, USC 2:07.97
7. Quentin Byma, Cal 2:11.69

500 Free
1. Ous Mellouli, USC 4:23.91
2. Trent Staley, USC 4:32.93
3. Matt Peterson, USC 4:33.44
4. John Dorr, Cal 4:33.59
5. Miguel Molina, Cal 4:33.66
6. Ryan Lean, Cal 4:38.09
7. Mike Kauffman, USC 4:38.44
8. Matt Schmelzer, Cal 4:48.74

100 Fly
1. Mike Cavic, Cal 48.10
2. Jeff Lee, USC 48.53
3. Mike Gausman, USC 49.25
4. J.D. Abercrombie, USC49.49
5. Alex Lim, Cal 49.56
6. Oliver White, USC 49.92
7. Keith Vogelgesang,Cal51.06
8. Chris Gibson, Cal 52.42

Three-Meter Diving
1. Raymond Vincent, USC 332.0
2. Nic Bartolotta, Cal 319.25
3. Robbie Quinn, Cal 303.82
4. Noah Chutz, Cal 256.45
5. Justin Curtin, USC 218.00
6. Nathaniel Dean, Cal 247.50

200 IM
1. Eric Vendt, USC 1:48.56
2. Ous Mellouli, USC 1:48.72
3. Joe Bruckart, Cal 1:50.73
4. John Dorr, Cal 1:51.19
5. J.D. Abercrombie, USC1:52.15
6. Jeff Natalizio, Cal 1:53.59
7. Paul Fahey, USC 1:54.12
8. Caleb Rowe, Cal 1:54.17

400 Free Relay
1. California 2:59.38
(Cavic, Thiele, Ervin, Draganja)
2-dq. USC 3:02.85
(Lee, White, Panos, Staley)
2. California 3:03.37
(Lane, Molina, Lyon, Bruckart)
3. USC 3:06.53
(Donaldson, Tolmachoff, Stoller, Flaskay)
4. USC 3:15.21
(Degenstein, Ringe, Proffitt, Peterson)

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