{"id":120964,"date":"2015-01-24T17:41:46","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T00:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=120964"},"modified":"2015-01-24T17:43:19","modified_gmt":"2015-01-25T00:43:19","slug":"california-swimming-diving-sweeps-arizona-womens-meet-ends-nailbiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/california-swimming-diving-sweeps-arizona-womens-meet-ends-nailbiter\/","title":{"rendered":"California Swimming And Diving Sweeps Arizona (With Photo Gallery)"},"content":{"rendered":"

TUCSON \u2013 The California women\u2019s swimming team won today\u2019s dual meet over Arizona, but the Wildcats did not make it an easy task, challenging the Golden Bears in nearly every event and improving on many of their swims from yesterday\u2019s meet against Stanford. On the men\u2019s side, Cal had no trouble dispatching Arizona, winning that meet by 112 points.<\/p>\n

California Swimming vs. Arizona (women)<\/h2>\n

The California women, currently tied with Georgia at the top of the CSCAA rankings<\/a>, won the women\u2019s meet 157-143 over 14th-ranked Arizona. Missy Franklin and Bonnie Brandon were the stars for their teams, as both won two events with times that are among the fastest posted around the country this weekend.<\/p>\n

Franklin and Brandon, who raced against each other often as age-group swimmers in Colorado, reunited for a matchup in the 200 free. Brandon was slightly handicapped by having swum the backstroke leg on Arizona\u2019s 400 medley relay about five minutes earlier, while the 200 free marked Franklin\u2019s first race of the day. Franklin led wire-to-wire with a winning time of 1:46.62. Brandon hung back in fourth for the first half of the race then found a late surge to place second with a 1:48.05.<\/p>\n

Franklin focused solely on freestyle today, winning the 100 free in 49.47 for the only swim under 50 seconds this afternoon. She rarely swims the 50 free, but put together a solid 22.93 to barely get touched out by teammate Farida Osman, who won with a 22.93.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s two wins came in the 500 free and 200 back, the same events she won yesterday against Stanford. The 200 back was one of the most thrilling races of the day, with Cal\u2019s Elizabeth Pelton \u2013 the 2013 NCAA champion \u2013 challenging Brandon throughout the race. As she did in the 200 free, Brandon found a second gear in the final 50 yards and outsplit Pelton, 28.77 to 28.90, to win with a 1:55.77 to Pelton\u2019s 1:56.07. That\u2019s three tenths faster than Brandon swam yesterday against Stanford<\/a>, and the key was her final 50 yards. Pelton swam her race almost identically to the one she posted yesterday against Arizona State<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brandon won the 500 free in 4:47.07, pulling away quickly from 400 free Pan Pacs medalist Cierra Runge of California quickly and improving on yesterday\u2019s swim by five seconds. Runge was second in 4:51.05, two seconds faster than she swam yesterday against Arizona State.<\/p>\n

Arizona made its intentions known in the first two events, as Tjasa Oder won the 1000 free in 9:53.28, toying with Runge through the first 500 yards then dropping the hammer for a seven-second win. Later, the Wildcats won the 400 medley relay with a 3:38.05 to Cal\u2019s 3:39.74. A 1:00.88 breaststroke leg by Emma Schoettmer was the key for Arizona to win the relay.<\/p>\n

Schoettmer was part of an impressive showing by Arizona\u2019s breaststrokers today, as the Wildcats went 1-2-3 in both distances. Schoettmer won the 100 in 1:01.50, with Lauren Stoeckle (1:02.52) and Sara Borendame (1:02.70) giving Arizona big points. The three returned to make quick work of Cal in the 200 breast, as Schoettmer posted a 2:13.52 for the win. Stoeckle (2:15.34) and Borendame (2:15.78) rounded out the top three in the breast.<\/p>\n

Cal responded with a 1-2-3 of its own in one of its strongest events, the 100 backstroke, and well as a sweep in the 100 fly. Even without Franklin or 2013 NCAA champion Rachel Bootsma, Cal was able to go 1-2-3 in the 100 back with Pelton winning in 55.02. Kelly Naze placed second with a 55.75 and Melanie Klaren rounded out the sub-56 swims with a 55.82 for third. Osman got her second win of the day with a 53.83 in the 100 fly, beating out the 53.88 by Bootsma and the 54.43 by Noemie Thomas.<\/p>\n

Arizona kept the score close with a 2:00.17 from Elizabeth Pepper to win the 200 fly. The Arizona senior took control in the third 50 yards, splitting 31.18. Bootsma tried to rally, but settled for second with a 2:01.75, while Cal\u2019s Jasmine Mau was third with a 2:02.26.<\/p>\n

Cal needed a win in the 400 IM and the 200 free relay to secure the overall meet win. Pelton did her duty, winning the 400 IM with a 4:19.97. Naze broke away from a tight pack at 300 yards, splitting 37.57 on the second 50 of breaststroke to safely finish second with a 4:22.67. Oder took third for Arizona with a 4:25.30.<\/p>\n

Cal and Arizona dove in even after 100 yards of the 200 freestyle relay, but Bootsma\u2019s 22.97 gave Osman the advantage, and Osman put the team win in the bank with a 22.39 anchor leg to help Cal post a 1:31.03. Franklin\u2019s 22.80 leadoff was matched by Taylor Schick\u2019s 22.90, while Kaylin Bing of Cal and Paige Kremer of Arizona were both timed in 22.8 on the second leg.<\/p>\n

In diving, Arizona\u2019s Samantha Pickens won both boards handily, taking the 1-meter with 320.03 points and the 3-meter with 312.60 points.<\/p>\n

California Swimming and Diving vs. Arizona (men)<\/h2>\n

California showed the Arizona Wildcats why they are the reigning NCAA champions, winning all but one swimming event and posting 1-2-3 sweeps in five of them. The men\u2019s diving competition was highlighted by the rare breaking of a board during the 3-meter event.<\/p>\n

Josh Prenot was one of the busiest swimmers in the men\u2019s meet, winning three of the toughest events on the program. He dominated the 400 IM, winning by nearly eight seconds with a 3:50.53. Prenot looked to be in cruise control throughout the race, posting a time well off the 3:42.24 he swam last month at the Georgia Invite but still a quick unrested time. He was followed to the finish by teammates Adam Hinshaw, who was second with a 3:58.36, and Connor Green, who was third with a 3:58.45. Nick Thorne of Arizona nearly broke up the Cal sweep but settled for fourth place with a 3:58.69.<\/p>\n

Prenot also won the 200 fly with a 1:47.65 over the 1:49.23 by teammate Dane Stassi, with Arizona\u2019s Justin Wright preventing a Cal 1-2-3 finish with a 1:49.49 for third over the 1:49.86 by 2012 NCAA champion Will Hamilton of California. Prenot was also the winner of the 200 breast with a 1:56.69 over the 1:57.79 by teammate Chuck Katis.<\/p>\n

The first 1-2-3 Cal sweep of the meet came in one of its best: the 100 backstroke. Led by reigning NCAA champion Ryan Murphy\u2019s 47.77, Cal got big points from Jacob Pebley (second, 49.95) and Sven Campbell (third, 50.15). Murphy led another 1-2-3 finish, this time in the 100 freestyle. Murphy, who was part of Cal\u2019s 400 free relay that placed second at NCAAs last March, posted a 43.98 to hold off teammate Tyler Messerschmidt (44.52) and Trent Williams (44.92). Fabio Giomondi officially posted the fourth-fastest time of the day with a 45.29, but rules allow on three swimmers per school to score in each event. It\u2019s likely these four will step up for Cal in the 400 free relay at the NCAA championships.<\/p>\n

The 200 backstroke is another dominant event for Cal, one that could find three Golden Bears in the NCAA championship final. Murphy, the reigning NCAA champion, did not race this event, and in his place, NCAA finalist Jacob Pebley won with a 1:46.90. Freshman Connor Green, a USA Swimming junior national team member in this event, was second with a 1:47.83, while Campbell placed third again with a 1:49.41. Thorne, once again, was denied third-place points with a 1:50.21 for fourth.<\/p>\n

Long Gutierrez won the 500 free \u2013 the final Cal 1-2-3 sweep of the meet \u2013 with a 4:27.89, winning by five yards over Janardan Burns and his 4:30.64. Ryan Kao placed third with a 4:30.65, using a 25.68 final 50 yards (the fastest in the field) to try and overtake Burns at the finish.<\/p>\n

Most of Cal\u2019s other wins were accompanied by a Golden Bear placing second. That was the case in the 1000 free, where Gutierrez won with a 9:18.76 over Burns\u2019 9:20.47. Nick Hogsed of Arizona, who won the 1000 free yesterday in a bit of a surprise against Stanford with a 9:20.46, placed third today with a 9:21.54.<\/p>\n

Trent Williams and Gutierrez posted the sole swims under 1:40 today in the 200 freestyle. Williams took the race out hard, splitting 46.68 at 100 yards. Gutierrez tried to reel him in, and if there were another 25 yards, he might have done it. Williams won the 200 free with a 1:36.80, while Gutierrez was second with a 1:37.61.<\/p>\n

Cal freshman Justin Lynch, the 15-16 national age group record holder in the 100 long course butterfly<\/a>, won the yards version with a 48.41 today. Kyle Gornay of Cal had a tough battle with Arizona\u2019s Renny Richmond, but Gornay gave the Bears a 1-2 finish with a 49.28 to Richmond\u2019s 49.57.<\/p>\n

NCAA champion Kevin Cordes swam identical times in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes today to what he posted yesterday in his easy wins over Stanford, but those times weren\u2019t good enough to take down Cal\u2019s strong breaststroke squad. As mentioned earlier, Prenot and Katis went 1-2 in the 200 breast, where Cordes was third with a 1:59.37. Cordes and Katis both turned at 25.5 at the halfway point of the 100 breast, but Katis had the endurance to win with a 53.84 to Cordes\u2019 54.07. Look for these two to battle again in the NCAA final.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s only win today came in the 50 free, where Brad Tandy won from lane one with a 19.95. That\u2019s faster than the 20.11 he swam yesterday, and he needed to be faster to beat Cal\u2019s Messerschmidt, who was second with a strong 20.05.<\/p>\n

Cal took both men\u2019s relays, but Arizona put up a fight to the very end in both races. Arizona led through the butterfly leg, but a 43.54 from Messerschmidt helped the reigning NCAA relay champion Golden Bears win, 3:13.36 to 3:13.60. Lynch was the key swimmer for Cal in the 200 free relay, putting up a 20.08 to give the Bears enough of a cushion to win with a 1:20.21 to Arizona\u2019s 1:20.60.<\/p>\n

The men\u2019s 3-meter diving competition was interrupted when Cal\u2019s Peter Cyr broke the diving board in half. Luckily, the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center has three 3-meter springboards, so the event was able to continue shortly thereafter. Arizona\u2019s Rafael Quintero won the 3-meter by 77 points with a score of 415.88. He also had no problem winning the 1-meter event with 353.70 points.<\/p>\n

Swimming World\u2019s Jeff Commings was on deck for today\u2019s meet, and captured some photos during the afternoon\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

California Swimming and Diving vs. Arizona Photo Gallery<\/h2>\n