LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 4 University of California San Diego women's swimming and diving team topped Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival University of San Diego, 153-112, at Canyonview Aquatic Center on a drizzly and windy afternoon. With the victory, the Tritons finish the regular season with a dual meet record of 9-6. Season bests and B cuts abounded for the Tritons at the dual meet, and Associate Head Coach Marko Djordjevic was pleased with the team's performance.
“I think that no matter what the situation was with the weather and everything, they were ready to go and ready to race. They worked really hard this week,” said Djordjevic. “I'm super excited with the energy that the women's team created today and the huge support from the men's team."
UC San Diego began exhibitioning in event 13, the 100 butterfly. Prior to that, the Tritons placed first in every event except the 100 breaststroke.
The Tritons started off the day by capturing the top two slots in the 200 medley relay. Coming in first was Olivia Parks, Grace Murphy, Cody Hargadon, and Ciara Franke, who combined for a time of 1:44.97. Finishing second, Jordan Phillips, Lily Maxfield, Emily Lambert, and Amanda Rios compiled a mark of 1:46.10.
In the first individual event of the day, the 1000 freestyle, the Tritons claimed the top four spots. Ellie Whitney led the pack with a time of 10:13.61, which shaved almost 10 seconds off of her season-best 10:32.75 and earned her a B cut. Reagan Eickert (10:21.25), Kaitlyn Ritchey (10:25.10), and Gabbie Brown (10:30.95) all followed with season bests of their own.
UC San Diego again claimed the top four slots in the 100 backstroke. Freshman Jordan Phillips earned first with a B cut and season-best mark of 55:04. The time was almost two seconds faster than her previous best time of the season, 57.17. The mark also gained her second place in the UC San Diego record book, behind only Alex Henley (54.94). Fellow underclassmen Olivia Parks (57.08), Brittney Miles (59.64), and Charlotte Meier (1:00.54) took second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Phillips notched another B cut with her time of 55.57 in the 100 fly. Her time was a personal best and is the fifth-fastest time in Triton history.
Alyson Mendez achieved a B cut of her own in the 200 fly, touching the wall in 2:04.21. Lindsay Clark (2:06.40) and Emily Lambert (2:09.53) also scored points for UC San Diego by taking second and third place.
Amanda Rios dropped time off of her top season mark in the 50 free, placing first with a time of 23.95 in the event.
In the 100 free, the Triton freshmen were dominant. Cody Hargadon (51.04), Tina Reuter (51.22), and Mirai Adams (51.93) took the top slots, with Adams securing a B cut in the event for the first time.
Ritchey recorded another season best at the meet in the 500 free. The junior's time of 5:04.20 was her best mark since the 2017 Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC) Championships.
On the diving boards, the Tritons were solely looking to post qualifying scores as the Torero divers did not travel. Brooke Abrantes' scores on the one meter (264.45) and three meter (319.95) boards both surpassed the NCAA qualifying standards. Delainey Carlin (291.67) and Patty Sullivan (265.27) also topped the NCAA standard for six three meter dives.
Carlin and Sullivan both successfully attempted to qualify with 11 dives on the one meter board as well. With Carlin's score of 432.37 and Sullivan's 413.70 points, the senior pair punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships for the one meter.
Freshman Jasmyn Cheng also earned a trip to the NCAA Championships, compiling a score of 420.85 across 11 dives on the three meter board to secure her first trip.
This was the final meet of the regular season for the Tritons. Next, they will take part in their first ever MPSF Championships. The swimmers will compete at La Mirada Aquatic Center starting on Feb. 20, while the divers will compete at Marguerite Aquatic Center beginning on Feb. 21.
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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