HOUSTON – UC San Diego men's and women's swim teams wrapped competition at the four-day Big West Swim and Dive championships in Houston, Texas.
 
The Triton women won eight championship titles and made it to the podium 19 times to take second place overall. Finishing fourth overall, the Triton men set new two program records and made it to the podium four times on the final night of competition.
 
DAY ONE
UC San Diego women's 200 medley relay teams swept the two heats with the A squad winning the championship. Madison O'Connell, Chloe Braun, Eva Boehlke, and Mackenzie Lee snapped the UC San Diego record and Big West meet record with a time of 1:37.71. The relay was 0:0.08 away from qualifying for the NCAA A cut.
 
The Triton women continued to lead in the 800 free relay when the A squad broke another program and championship meet record. Asia Kozan, Sophia Bell, Sydney Niles, and Audrey Moore shaved off 11.01 seconds of their seed time to win the championship with a time of 7:11.65. As the lead leg of the relay, Kozan's 200 free broke another UC San Diego and Big West meet record with a time of 1:45.32.
 
After the relays were done, Luigi Franco swam a time trial in the 200 back and finished with a time of 1:42.91. The junior dropped 1.37 seconds of his time to set the new program record for the men's program.
 
DAY TWO
UC San Diego returned 23 Tritons to the finals on night two and reached the podium three different times. Asia Kozan secured another championship title, Big West meet record, UC San Diego program record, and the NCAA B cut in the 200 IM when she swam a time of 1:57.67. She was joined by Eva Boehlke in third place (1:59.39), Chloe Braun in fourth (1:59.70), and Sydney Niles in fifth (2:00.12).
 
Sophia Bell took the podium in the 500 free with a time of 4:50.82 for third and was joined by Brooke Shumway in sixth (4:55.93). In the 200 free relay, Jasmine Phuong, Madison O'Connell, Mackenzie Lee, and Kozan took third with a time of 1:31.03.
 
On the men's side, Devin Esser swam hard in the 500 free nearly taking third with a time of 4:24.31. Winning the B final, Charlie Franz won the second heat with a time of 4:25.17. Bekzhan Yessengeldy kept it going with a time of 1:46.34 in the 200 IM to set a new program record on the men's side.
 
DAY THREE
35 Tritons returned to finals on Friday night in Houston to compete in 12 events. Opening the night, Madison O'Connell finished second in the 100 fly with a time of 53.02 to get on the podium and the NCAA B cut. Edana Huang joined O'Connell taking fourth with a time of 54.25 and Jasmine Phuong finishing seventh at 54.45. In the 400 IM, Asia Kozan took her third championship title with an NCAA B cut time of 4:13.83. Sydney Niles earned her own NCAA B cut finishing second with a time of 4:15.17. Taking seventh, Sabrina Bennani scored for the Tritons with a time of 4:23.55.
 
Making her way to the podium for the third night in a row, Sophia Bell finished third in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.60. Audrey Moore joined her in sixth place with a time of 1:50.70. In her prelim swim, Chloe Braun set the UC San Diego program record and Big West meet record with a time of 59.14 in the 100 breast. Her time will most likely be a NCAA invite. In the finals, the junior returned to the pool to win the championship with a time of 59.75 and was joined on the podium by Hayley Gregory in third with a time of 1:00.66.
 
Adrian Bellido finished fourth in the 100 breast with a time of 54.60 and was followed by Bekzhan Yessengeldy (54.82) and Aiden Griffith (55.02) in sixth. Nathan Lee, Adrian Bellido, Hunter Cehelnik, and Ryan Kirton set a UC San Diego program in the 400 medley relay to take fourth with a time of 3:11.83.
 
DAY FOUR
On the final night of the Big West swim and dive championships, 33 Tritons returned to the natatorium. Sophia Bell delivered an impressive swim, clocking in at 16:42.24, securing first place and improving on her seed time of 17:03.74?. She maintained consistent pacing, with her final 50 split at 28.70, showcasing her endurance.
 
UC San Diego dominated the 200 back, sweeping the podium. Eva Boehlke set a meet record with a 1:56.94, leading the way. Freshman Madison O'Connell followed closely with 1:57.21, while Sydney Niles rounded out the podium at 1:57.87. A 1-2 finish for the Tritons in this event saw Hayley Gregory touch first in 2:11.37, followed by Chloe Braun in 2:11.96. For the fourth night in a row, Asia Kozan won a Big West title, this time in the 100 free with a. time of 48.47. The sophomore broke another program record and Big West meet record.
 
Starting the night for the men with a podium visit, Charlie Franz finished second in the grueling 1650 free with a time of 15:24.12. Nathan Lee went to the podium shortly after in the 200 back, taking third with a swim of 1:44.73. Robby Griswold touched just after his senior teammate with a time of 1:45.06. Hunter Cehelnik secured a strong third-place finish with a time of 43.36, battling against a fast field in the 100 free. His teammate Zach Elian placed seventh at 44.61, adding crucial points for the team.
 
To wrap the conference meet, the Triton men dropped almost two seconds off their 400 free relay to take third place. Cehelnik, Zach Elian, Ryan Kirton, and Lucas Brunett finished with a time of 2:55.07 to make it to the podium one more time. The relay squad was 0.07 away from snapping the four-year program record.

UP NEXT
After multiple Tritons earning a NCAA B cut or better, UC San Diego swim will head north to Federal Way, Wash. for the NCAA Women's Championships held March 19 thru 22.
 
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 began a new era in 2020 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 earned 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.