Pac-12 Friday Recap: Cal Tops USC; Stanford Holds Off UCLA

Amy Bilquist. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Dan D’Addona.

The Arizona State men pulled a stunning upset over Texas (Read a full recap of that meet here), but there was plenty of other West Coast action in the Pac-12 Conference on Friday.

The Cal women defeated USC and Stanford topped UCLA. The Golden Bears earned a rare road win against the Trojans. Here are the rankings.

Amy Bilquist, Katie McLaughlin and Briana Thai claimed two events apiece and Cal swept both relays as the Golden Bears won at USC, 169-131, Friday – the team’s first victory on the road in the series since 2012.

McLaughlin took first in the 200 butterfly by nearly 1.5 seconds, finishing in 1:55.03. She also won the 500 free in 4:50.69, leading a 1-2-3 Cal sweep that included runner-up Chenoa Devine (4:51.39) and Robin Neumann in third place in 4:52.24.

Bilquist earned victories in both backstroke events, taking the 100-yard race in 52.68 and the 200-yard race in 1:54.97. In both races, Kathleen Baker was a close second.

Senior Noemie Thomas won the 100 fly in 51.74. 3.

USC’s Riley Scott won three races and Louise Hansson won twice.

Scott helped the Trojans dominate the breaststroke today, as it has all season, combining with freshman Maggie Aroesty to finish 1-2 in both distances today. Scott won the 100 in 1:00.73 to Aroesty’s 1:01.16 and the duo went 2:10.21 and 2:13.34, respectively, in the 200.

Scott completed her trifecta in the final individual race, taking the 200 IM in 1:59.27 with Aroesty second again in 2:00.94.

Freshman Marta Ciesla, in the closest race of the day, out-touched Cal Olympian Abbey Weitzeil, 22.47 to 22.52, to win the 50 free. Hansson won the 100 free in 48.76, beating the Bears’ Maddie Murphy (49.95) while Ciesla was third in 50.15.

Hansson’s win was her second, complementing her first in the 200 free, a 1:45.86 to edge Neumann’s 1:46.64 and Weitzeil’s 1:48.28.

Junior Elizabeth Stinson won the 1000y free in a season best 9:50.10.

Stanford rolls past UCLA

Freshman Brooke Forde won three individual events to lead No. 3 Stanford women’s swimming and diving to a 182-110 win at UCLA on Friday afternoon.

Sophomore Katie Ledecky was also tops in multiple events as Stanford (6-0, 5-0 Pac-12) won its 21st straight dual meet and 19th consecutive Pac-12 dual.

Forde began the afternoon with a close victory in the 200-yard freestyle. A collegiate-best finish of 1:46.78 was just enough to top UCLA’s Kenisha Liu (1:46.99). Forde won the 100 breaststroke (1:02.36), and then capped the meet with a 10-second victory in the 500 free (4:46.69).

Ledecky won the 200 backstroke and the 200 individual medley — she was the only swimmer to break two minutes in both events. In the backstroke, Ledecky finished in 1:58.37. In the IM, Ledecky touched the wall at 1:57.94.

Katie Drabot won the 1000 free in 9:45.48, and out-touched Lauren Pitzer by about a half-second.

On the boards, senior Kassidy Cook was impressive at three meters. She finished with a winning score of 310.28. Cook was also the runner up on the 1-meter (285.23) behind UCLA’s Ciara Monahan (301.58).

Similar to Ledecky, senior freestyler Simone Manuel also swam and won the backstroke on Friday. She was tops in the 100 with a finish of 53.62.

Janet Hu topped two teammates in the 200 butterfly with a winning time of 1:57.00. Ledecky (1:57.49) and Ally Howe (1:57.58) rounded out the podium.

Howe won the 100 fly (53.86) and Ella Eastin took the win in the 200 breast (2:13.53).

Liu gave the Bruins their lone swimming win of the day with the only sub-50-second time of the 100 Free race.

Washington State tops Oregon State on senior day

For the sixth straight year, the Cougars recorded a victory over Oregon State, claiming a 163-74 win at Gibb Pool Friday. The Cougars placed first in every event, while four Cougars had two individual wins each.

Seniors Anna Brolin, Rachel Thompson and Talisa Wibmer combined to post three individual and two relay wins. Thompson led the way with two individual wins, clocking in at 24.16 in the 50 free and 51.55 in the 100. Brolin took first in the 100 fly with a time of 56.29. All three seniors were members of the winning 400 free relay team, after Wibmer touched the wall to close out the meet. Alongside teammate Chloe Larson, the trio swam to a dominating 3:31.07 finish in the event – nearly five seconds ahead of the second place team.

Freshman Emily Cook entered the meet as the tenth fastest freshman in the NCAA and fastest freshman in the Pac-12 in the 100 back. Cook added the Gibb Pool record to her resume with a first-place time of 54.51; and now holds both the school and pool records in the event.

Clothilde Peseux finished with a first place finish in both the 100 breast and 200 breast. Her time of 1:03.17 in the 100 breast was seventh fastest in program history, while her time of 2:17.29 in the 200 breast was tenth fastest in program history. Ryan Falk and Jasmine Margetts each added two wins, as Falk clocked in a 4:58.78 in the 500 free and later added a season-best time of 10:19.17 in the 1000 free. Margetts claimed the the 200 fly for the fifth time this season and later recorded a season-best time of 2:04.29 in the 200 IM.

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My Beach Things

6 years ago

OMG

Pro Women Fitness

6 years ago

Aww