The No. 6 USC women’s swimming and diving team completes the regular season by hosting No. 20 UCLA as it looks for the 10th straight win over its crosstown rival on Senior Day on Friday (Feb. 10) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center at noon.
The Trojans will be honoring their four departing seniors – Kelsey Kafka, Riley Hayward, Anika Apostalon and Chelsea Chenault – during a Senior Day ceremony shortly before the start of the meet.
The Trojans enter the weekend at 6-2 overall, 5-2 in the Pac-12. UCLA is 10-3, 4-3.
Friday’s meet is schedule to be streamed live on Pac-12.com here, weather permitting.
Scouting UCLA
The Bruins, who were swept by Stanford and Cal in their most recent outings, are led by sprinter Linnea Mack, who has top 25 times in the 50y and 100y free as well as the 100y back, Emma Schanz, who has top 25 times in the 200y breast and 400y IM. In diving, UCLA is led by junior Maria Polyakova, a 2016 two-time All-American and the 2016 Pac-12 champion on 1-meter.
USC-UCLA Series
The Trojans hold a 26-16 edge against the Bruins and have won nine meetings in a row. USC captured a series-best 10 in a row from 1994 to 2003. The Trojans’ current win streak includes a 181-119 victory at UCLA in 2016, a 174.5-125.5 home win in 2015 that featured five USC swimmers winning two events apiece. In 2014 in Westwood, USC won 165-135, breaking 10 Spieker Aquatics Center pool records and nine meet records in the process. USC defeated UCLA, 167.5-132.5, at USC in 2013. Troy won the 2012 clash in Westwood, 170-130, in a meet in which Trojan swimmers also broke a combined 10 Bruin pool records. That followed a 176-124 victory at USC in 2011, a 164.5-136.5 win at UCLA in 2010, a 160-140 rain-soaked 2009 home win and a 158-142 decision in Westwood in 2008. UCLA last won in 2007 when the Bruins clinched victory during the meet’s final relay at McDonald’s Swim Stadium. USC hasn’t lost to UCLA in Westwood since 2004.
Crosstown Cup
The winner of the USC-UCLA dual meet scores 10 points toward the Crosstown Cup, awarded annually to the school with the most successful athletic year against the other. Points are awarded to the winner of each Trojan-Bruin head-to-head contest (100 points is the magic number). USC trails this year’s contest, 35-15, but holds an overall 10-5 edge in the Cup’s history.
USC’S NCAA CUTS (A cuts in bold)
Anika Apostalon: 50y free (22.23), 100y free (48.28), 100y back (52.58).
Piper Brockley: 100y breast (1:02.34).
Chelsea Chenault: 200y free (1:47.74).
Louise Hansson: 100y free (47.47), 200y free (1:43.04), 200y IM (1:55.00), 100y fly (51.17).
Riley Hayward: 100y breast (1:00.81), 200y breast (2:11.30).
Kelsey Kafka: 100y breast (1:00.34), 200y breast (2:13.55).
Hanni Leach: 100y back (52.53), 200y back (1:55.73).
Becca Mann : 400y IM (2:14.68), 1650y free (16:12.97).
Stanzi Moseley: 50y free (22.75), 100y free (49.81), 200y free (1:46.52), 100y fly (54.08).
Catherine Sanchez: 100y fly (53.25), 200y fly (1:57.29).
Riley Scott: 100y breast (59.80), 200y breast (2:08.99), 200y IM (1:57.53), 400y IM (4:13.65).
Elizabeth Stinson: 500y free (4:47.59).
Kirsten Vose: 100y free(49.17), 200y free (1:46.41), 200y IM (1:57.29), 100y breast (1:00.48), 200y breast (2:08.94).
Tatum Wade: 100y free (49.46), 200y free (1:44.44), 500y free (4:44.32), 200y IM (1:56.29), 100y fly (53.62), 200y fly (1:56.03).
Hannah Weiss: 100y back (53.80), 200y back (1:55.24), 100y fly (53.73).
Maddie Wright: 100y fly (53.18), 200y fly (1:54.45), 500y free (4:47.25).
Freshman diver Naomi Gowlett has NCAA qualifying scores on 1-meter and 3-meter while sophomore Maddie Witt and freshman Carly Souza have qualifying scores on 3-meter and platform.
USC SWIMMERS IN THE TOP 25
USC swimmers ranked among the top 25 in their events include Anika Apostalon in the 50y (22.23, T20th) and 100y free (48.28, 16th), Louise Hansson in the 100y (47.47, 5th) and 200y free (1:43.04, 5th), the 100y back (51.83, 10th), 100y fly (51.17, 3rd) and 200y IM (1:55.00, 5th), Tatum Wade in the 200y free (1:44.44, 11th), 200y fly (1:56.03, 17th) and 200y IM (1:56.29, 14th), Becca Mann in the 1000y (9:49.74, 21st) and 1650y free (16:12.97, 24th), Hanni Leach in the 100y back (52.53, 23rd), Riley Scott in the 100y (59.80, 11th) and 200y breast (2:08.99, 9th), Kelsey Kafka in the 100y breast (1:00.34, 19th), Kirsten Vose in the 100y (1:00.36, 21st) and 200y breast (2:08.35, 7th) and 200y IM (1:56.19, 10th), Maddie Wright in the 200y fly (1:54.45, 7th).
SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK
Freshman Louise Hansson was named CollegeSwimming.com’s Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week after her performance in Dallas at the SMU Classic in which she dropped an NCAA A cut in the 200y free in 1:43.04 and B cuts in the 200y IM (1:55.95) and 100y back (52.35) … Freshman Tatum Wade earnedCollegeSwimming.com Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors after a strong weekend against Wisconsin and Utah where she won the 500y free over the Badgers after a second in the 200y free while winning the 100y free and 200y fly against the Utes.
TEXAS INVITATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Freshman Louise Hansson led USC at December’s Texas Invite. Hansson won three races, claiming the 100y fly (51.17) and 100y free (47.55) with NCAA A cuts, while helping USC to a win in the 200y medley relay. She was also second in the 200y IM (1:55.00, A), fourth in the 100y back (52.14, B) and helped USC to second in the 400y free relay.
CSCAA HONOREES
The USC women’s squad earned CSCAA Scholar All-America team honors with a 3.13 collective GPA in the fall semester.
2016-17 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Trojan women are coming off of a 2015-16 season in which they went 8-2 overall, 6-1 in conference, won their first-ever Pac-12 crown and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships.
They return five of their eight 2016 All-Americans, including senior co-captain Anika Apostalon and junior co-captain Hannah Weiss as well as senior Chelsea Chenault and sophomores Kirsten Vose and Riley Scott. Trojans appeared in 30 ‘A’ individual finals last year at the Pac-12s and swimmers and divers accounting for 22 of those swims also return. Chenault is the Pac-12’s 500y free defending champion while sophomore Elizabeth Stinson returns to defend her conference win the 1650y free. USC is also defending its Pac-12 800y free relay victory.
The Trojan women feature 10 talented newcomers, including freshman Becca Mann, a U.S. open water national teamer, as well as Swedish Olympian freshman Louise Hansson.