LA JOLLA, Calif. – After hosting newly ranked No. 2 Cal in a dual meet on Friday, the Tritons returned to Canyonview to host No. 2 Cal and UNLV for the Triton Invitational. UC San Diego's men's swim team posted three notable first-place finishes from Andrija Petkovic and Nathan Lee and three second-place finishes from Ivan Kurakin, Luke Pusateri, and Jonathan Holmberg.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the 50 yard backstroke, Andrija Petkovic took first with a time of the 22.64 and earning an auto qualification for the CSCAA NIC. In the same event, Shane Burns finished third only 0.37 seconds behind the Rebel swimmer in second. Petkovic took another first-place finish in 100 yard freestyle with a time of 43.91. Nathan Lee posted a 1:50.02 in the 200 yard IM to tie for first place. In the final split, Lee swam 0.98 seconds faster than the Rebel swimmer he tied with. In the 500 yard free, Ivan Kurakin took second with a time of 4:25.01.
 
Another second-place finish came from Luke Pusateri in the 100 yard IM posting a 52.63 time which earned him a bonus qualification for the CSCAA NIC. With a 2:00.04 time, Jonathan Holmberg finished second in the 200 yard butterfly for another Triton second-place finish. In the 50 yard butterfly, Chad Morrison challenged the second and third place finishers with a time of 22.85. He was only 0.61 behind third and 0.65 behind second. Morrison earned a bonus qualifying time for the CSCAA NIC.
 
QUOTABLE
It was a beautiful La Jolla day at Canyonview for the invitational, head coach Marko Djordjevic commented, "it was a great event and a beautiful sunny day everyone really enjoyed and as a result we had some great swimming."

"I am very happy with the results and how the team responded to this difficult double. It's always great to win events against very competitive squads," he added.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in La Jolla as they host California Baptist in a dual meet at Canyonview Aquatic Center where both the men and women will compete.
 
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.