2018 Women’s Pac-12 Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2018 WOMEN’S PAC-12 SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24
• Federal Way, WA (Pacific Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Stanford (1x) (results)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central
• NCAA Qualifying

Tonight in Federal Way, Washington, swimmers are set to compete in the first individual event finals at the 2018 Pac-12 Women’s Championships. Swimmers are slated to compete individually in the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. The men’s 3-meter diving finals will take place after the 50 free, followed by the women’s 200 free relay. The reigning NCAA champions are featured in each of tonight’s individual races: Stanford’s Katie Ledecky (500 free), Cal’s Kathleen Baker (200 IM), and Stanford’s Simone Manuel (50 free).

WOMEN’S 500 FREE:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 4:25.15, Katie Ledecky (STAN), 2017

1. GOLD: Katie Ledecky, Stanford, 4:26.09
2. SILVER: Ella Eastin, Stanford, 4:34.04
3. BRONZE: Lauren Pitzer, Stanford, 4:36.61

Stanford’s Katie Ledecky dominated the field, putting up her 3rd fastest performance ever in the process. Teammate Ella Eastin, who opted for this event instead of the 200 IM today, has dropped 10 seconds from her lifetime best throughout today’s sessions. Tonight marked her first swim below 4:40, and she blew that barrier away in 4:34.04. That makes Eastin the 2nd fastest woman in the country this year behind only Ledecky. Cardinal freshman Lauren Pitzer completed the Stanford podium sweep, knocking 4 seconds off her best time with her first sub-4:40 swim.

Arizona’s Kirsten Jacobsen knocked another 2 and a half seconds from her best to finish 4th in 4:37.47. With that, she’s now taken about 5 seconds off her best time today. Stanford’s Megan Byrnes was the only other swimmer to break 4:40 in the A final, rounding out the top 5 in 4:39.05.

Notably, Stanford’s Leah Stevens won the B final in 4:37.44, taking over a second and a half off her lifetime best.

WOMEN’S 200 IM:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 1:52.26, Katinka Hosszu (USC), 2012

1. GOLD: Kathleen Baker, Cal, 1:52.70
2. SILVER: Sarah Darcel, Cal, 1:54.50
3. BRONZE: Brooke Forde, Stanford, 1:54.98

Cal’s Kathleen Baker broke away from the field early, flipping in 51.57 after a quick 27.22 back split. Baker finished nearly 2 seconds ahead of the field with her 2nd fastest performance ever, touching 4 hundredths ahead of her time from last season’s Pac-12s. Freshmen Sarah Darcel (Cal) and Brooke Forde (Stanford) battled for the silver. Darcel was about 2 seconds ahead through the back, but Forde cut into that lead significantly on the breast leg. Forde continued to close the gap down the final stretch, but ran out of room as Darcel hit the wall for silver to Forde’s bronze.

Stanford’s Ally Howe ran down teammate Katie Drabot with a 27.25 free split, touching a nail ahead in 1:55.12 to Drabot’s 1:55.15. Cal’s Keaton Blovad, who was 2nd through the halfway mark at 52.20, held off Stanford’s Kim Williams, 1:55.72 to 1:55.74, for 6th place. Blovad and Williams each broke 1:56 for the first time.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 21.29, Simone Manuel (STAN), 2017

1. GOLD: Simone Manuel, Stanford, 21.20
2. SILVER: Abbey Weitzeil, Cal, 21.41
3. BRONZE: Amy Bilquist, Cal, 21.74

Stanford’s Simone Manuel took down her own Pac-12 Meet Record, putting up her 2nd fastest swim ever to win it in 21.20. Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil was just a hundredth shy of her time from 2017 Pac-12s as she took the silver. Teammate Amy Bilquist shaved 2 tenths off her lifetime best to give the Bears 2 on the podium. Stanford’s Janet Hu dipped under 22 as well, touching in 21.98 to clip USC freshman Marta Ciesla (22.04). Ciesla knocked a couple of tenths off her time.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE RELAY:

1. GOLD: Cal, 1:25.87
2. SILVER: Stanford, 1:26.81
3. BRONZE: USC, 1:28.43

Cal took down the American Record tonight, clearing the former mark by 4 hundredths. Maddie Murphy lead them off in 21.96, handing off to Amy Bilquist, who put up a 21.24 on the 2nd leg. Katie McLaughlin took on the 3rd leg in 21.67, while Abbey Weitzeil brought them home in 21.00. The Cardinal came in 2nd with Simone Manuel (21.22) and Ally Howe (21.55) putting up their fastest splits on the 2nd and 4th legs respectively. The Trojans wound up 3rd with a 21.75 leadoff from Louise Hansson and a 21.96 2nd leg from Marta Ciesla.

Though Arizona initially touched 3rd, they were disqualified, giving ASU the edge in the points standings after they were separated by just half a point heading into the relays.

TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 2:

  1. Stanford University             611.5   2. University of California- Berk  510.5
  3. Arizona State University          354   4. University of Arizona           302.5
  5. University of California - LA   288.5   6. University of Southern Calif      270
  7. Utah, University of               155   8. Washington State University       142
  9. Oregon State University            87