ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Tritons set the tone early at the Trailblazer Invitational as they sent 40 swimmers to the finals on night one with the Triton women winning all five events and the Triton men taking three of their five events.
Both UC San Diego squads sit in first place with the Triton women at 309 points and the Triton men at 285.5 points.
ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE
In the morning,
Miranda Renner earned a NCAA B-Cut swim and a program record after taking the 50 free with a time of 22.70.
Chloe Braun then earned an NIC B-Cut after posting a time of 28.40 in the 50 breast.
Opening the finals with a win, the 200 free relay team made up of
Asia Kozan,
Mackenzie Lee,
Josette Odgers, and
Miranda Renner took the event with a time of 1:30.46. Sophomore
Sophia Bell added 20 points to the board for the gold and blue finishing first in the 500 free with a time of 4:52.35 – five seconds faster than her prelim swim.
Eva Boehlke took the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.69, followed closely by teammate
Chloe Braun who finished third with a time of 2:03.22. Taking the 50 free for the second time today, Renner finished first with a time of 22.83. She was joined in the event. By Odgers and Lee for a combined 46 points.
Boehlke, Braun, Kozan, and Renner ended the night with win and a program record in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:37.87.
Iris Bayan,
Sabrina Bennani,
Sanne Dequine, and Odgers took sixth in the same event and the relay teams earned a combined 66 points.
After day one, the Triton women are 70 points ahead their pool of competition.
ON THE MEN'S SIDE
Starting the finals on top, the relay squad of
Andrija Petkovic,
Zach Elian,
Lucas Brunett, and
Aidan Rikic won the 200 free relay with a time of 1:20.55. Adding 16 points for the Tritons,
Devin Esser finished third in the 500 free with a time of 4:29.06. He was followed by
Jackson Bernstein who finished with a time of 4:30.39 for another 15 points.
Nathan Lee led the Tritons in the 200 IM to finish first with a time of 1:48.18. He was followed by
Shane Burns in fourth and
Jake Reuter in fifth, the trio combined for 49 points in the event.
Andrija Petkovic led
Zach Elian and
Aidan Rikic in the 50 free as he finished second with his teammates taking third and seventh.
Ending the night the way they started it, Lee, Brunett,
Chad Morrison, and Rikic finished first in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:14.49 for another 40 points.
After day one, the Triton men are 68 points ahead their pool of competition.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will continue their competition at Utah Tech with day two beginning at 9 a.m. for prelims and finals set for a 4 p.m. start. The invitational is free to watch online at
www.wacinternational.tv/utahtech.
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.
