BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – On Monday afternoon, the Tritons traveled north to face CSU Bakersfield in a conference dual meet. Both UC San Diego squads topped the 'Runners after 32 events. On the men's side, the Tritons posted a 156 score to CSUB's 138, taking seven victories over their MPSF opponent. Recording 12 first-place finishes out of 16 events, the Triton women took the victory with a score of 192 to the 'Runners 92.
 
ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE
Beginning with the 200 yard medley relay, Jordan Phillips, Katja Pavicevic, Miranda Renner, and Tina Reuter finished first with a time of 1:43.55. Posting a time of 1:47.24, Valerie Yue, Chloe Braun, Sanne Dequine, and Aneta Wyzga, sealed the relay victory with a second-place finish. UC San Diego went one-two-three in the daunting 1000 yard freestyle led by Juli Arzave, then Sophia Bell, who was followed by Emma Keith-Brown. Wyzga finished first in the 200 yard freestyle, posting a 1:52.53 time adding nine points to the Tritons' score. In the 100 yard backstroke, the Tritons swept first thru third with Phillips, Teagan Monroe, and Yue finishing within three seconds of each other.
 
Pavicevic was the lone Triton in the 100 yard breaststroke race, but finished first with a time of 1:01.99 and tallying nine more points for the Tritons. Gabi Icheva added another four points with a second-place finish in the 200 yard butterfly. Swimming in the 50 yard freestyle, Reuter finished first with a time of 23.64. In the 100 yard freestyle, Renner and Sophie Francis took first and second respectively for a combined 13 points for the Tritons. In the 200 yard backstroke, Minh-Nha Kawamura took second for another Triton four points with a time of 2:05.03.
 
Pavicevic took her third first-place finish in the 200 yard breaststroke with a time of 2:16.18. After finishing first in the 1000 yard freestyle, Arzave also swam the 500 yard freestyle and took first with a time of 5:00.14. The Tritons swept the 100 yard butterfly when Phillips, Monroe, and Sandy Li took first, second, and third. Another Triton sweep came in the 200 yard individual medley when Reuter, Sabrina Bennani, and Keith-Brown went one-two-three in the event. The Triton women bookended the meet with another relay victory with Phillips, Renner, Wyzga, and Reuter swimming a 3:31.97 time in the 400 yard freestyle relay. Josette Odgers, Kawamura, Yue, and Francesca Falzon Young took second in the relay with a time of 3:37.72.
 
Diver Isabella Perez took second in the one meter dive with a score of 206.4 and took second in the three meter dive with a score of 214.55.
 
ON THE MEN'S SIDE
Opening the meet in the 200 yard medley relay, Andrija Petkovic, Luke Pusateri, Chad Morrison, and Justin Morsch finished second with a time of 1:32.22. Swimming the grueling 1000 yard freestyle, Devin Esser finished second for the Tritons posting a 9:40.52 time. Petkovic took second in the 200 yard freestyle with Ryan Kirton, Luigi Franco, and Will Blake finishing third, fourth, and fifth respectively. Shane Burns and Robby Griswold took second and third in the 100 yard backstroke tallying a combined seven points for the Tritons. Finishing first in the 200 yard butterfly, Morrison posted a time of 1:52.67. Morsch added another nine points to the Tritons' score with his 21.37 time to take first in the 50 yard freestyle.
 
In the 100 yard freestyle, Petkovic and Morsch took second and third with times of 45.88 and 46.80. The Tritons swept the 200 yard backstroke when Nathan Lee, Griswold, and Franco took first thru third for a combined 15 points. Taking first in the 200 yard breaststroke, Colton Milne posted a time of 2:04.92. Swimming the 500 yard freestyle, Ivan Kurakin took second with a time of 4:30.71, only 0.33 seconds behind first. Lee took first in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.81.
 
Kyland Parenti swept the one meter and three meter diving events. In the three meter dive, he posted a score of 269.4 and in the one meter dive, he posted a score of 245.
 
QUOTABLE
"It was a tough meet. We had a long travel day with cold weather and tight meet schedule," commented head coach Marko Djordjevic.
 
After hosting the top 20 Wisconsin Badgers squads on Friday, UC San Diego had two days for recovery and travel to Bakersfield, Calif. today.
 
"The team showed resilience and determination. It was great to start the New Year with a double win over a conference opponent," he added.
 
UP NEXT
The Triton women return home to Canyonview Aquatic Center to host UCLA on Jan. 7 and the UC San Diego diving squad will head north to UCLA on Jan. 13 for the Bruin Diving Invitational.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.