2023 WOMEN’S PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way, WA
- Defending Champions:
- Women: Stanford (1x)
- Live Results
- Live Video
- Championship Central
- Fan Guide
- Psych Sheet
- Day 3 Prelims Live Recap
Today is the third day of racing at the 2023 Women’s Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington. The titles that are up for grabs tonight include the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, and 400 medley relay.
Stanford had a successful prelims session this morning with 17 A-finalists total. They hold 3 of the 5 top seeds in the individual races tonight, as well the top seed in the 400 medley relay. Taylor Ruck will take on the 200 free, an event which she is the defending national champion in. Claire Curzan is seeded first in the 100 back and 2nd in the 100 fly, just behind her teammate Torri Huske.
UCLA’s Paige Maceachern had a big swim this morning to take the top seed of the 400 IM by over two seconds, while USC holds the advantage in the 100 breast with Kaitlyn Dobler and Isabelle Odgers are seeded 1st and 2nd heading into tonight’s final.
WOMEN’S 400 IM — FINALS
- NCAA Record: 3:54.60, Ella Eastin (STAN) – 2018 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Record: 3:54.60, Ella Eastin (STAN) – 2018 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Championship Record: 3:56.53, Katie Ledecky (STAN) — 2018 PAC-12 Championships
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:03.62
- 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 4:11.60
Top 8:
- Leah Polonsky (CAL) – 4:05.27
- Paige Maceachern (UCLA) – 4:06.17
- Lucy Bell (STAN) – 4:06.28
- Justina Kozan (USC) – 4:09.33
- Sam Tadder (STAN) – 4:10.01
- Charlotte Hook (STAN) – 4:10.22
- Ashley McMillan (USC) – 4:11.79
- Rosie Murphy (UCLA) – 4:12.10
Cal sophomore Leah Polonsky touched 1st in a season best time of 4:05.27, nearly a second ahead of runner-up Paige Maceachern. Polonksy established an early lead of almost 3 seconds at the halfway point, and managed to hold off the field as they inched back to her.
Lucy Bell rounded out the top three with a personal best time of 4:06.28. She nearly caught Maceachern in the final 100, as Bell split a 55.54 to Maceachern’s 56.45.
Justina Kozan from USC was the only other athlete to break the 4:10 barrier. Although she was well off her personal best from 2019, her time marked a season best by over half a second.
WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY — FINALS
- NCAA Record: 48.84, Kate Douglass (UVA) – 2023 ACC Championships
- PAC-12 Record: 49.17, Torri Huske (STAN) — 2022 NCAA Championships
PAC-12 Championship Record: 49.34, Louise Hansson (USC) — 2019 PAC-12 Championships- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.92
- 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.35
Top 8:
- Torri Huske (STAN) – 49.27 (CR)
- Mia Kragh (CAL) – 51.63
- Julia Heimstead (ARIZ) – 52.03
- Lizzy Cook (CAL) – 52.34
- Gigi Johnson (STAN) – 52.38
- Gabby Dang (UCLA) – 52.39
- Emma Wheal (STAN) – 52.67
As expected, this race was a battle between Torri Huske and Claire Curzan from Stanford. Huske stopped the clock at 49.27, just a few hundredths shy of the time she posted in November. Curzan also broke the 50-second barrier, but was disqualified for a false start. Huske’s time marked a new Pac-12 Championship Record by just under a tenth.
Finishing 2nd behind Huske was Cal’s Mia Kragh, who recorded a personal best time by nearly two-tenths of a second.
Arizona junior Julia Heimstead earned 3rd, improving on the personal best time she set in prelims to clock a 52.03. This is the first swim in what is arguably the hardest double of the night, as she’ll return in the 200 free.
WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE — FINALS
- NCAA Record: 1:39.10, Missy Franklin (CAL) – 2015 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Record: 1:39.10, Missy Franklin (CAL) – 2015 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Championship Record: 1:40.37, Simone Manuel (STAN) — 2017 PAC-12 Championships
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.84
- 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:45.42
Top 8:
- Taylor Ruck (STAN) – 1:43.04
- Kayla Wilson (STAN) – 1:43.74
- Morgan Tankersley (STAN) – 1:44.04
- Mia Motekaitis (CAL) – 1:44.11
- Ayla Spitz (CAL) – 1:44.94
- Lillie Nordmann (STAN) – 1:45.65
- Natalie Mannion (STAN) – 1:45.79
- Julia Heimstead (ARIZ) – 1:46.68
Stanford dominated this event with a sweep of the top three spots. Taylor Ruck, the defending NCAA champion, took 1st with a season best time of 1:43.05. Ruck established her lead early with the fastest opening split of the field at 50.30.
Kayla Wilson and Morgan Tankersley touched 2nd and 3rd, both with season best times. Rounding out the Stanford squad was Lillie Nordmann and Natalie Mannion, earning 6th and 7th overall.
Cal’s Mia Motekaitis and Ayla Spitz improved on their morning swims for 4th and 5th. Motekaitis’ swim was just a few tenths off the personal best time she set leading off the 800 free relay on Wednesday.
WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE — FINALS
- NCAA Record: 55.73, Lilly King (IU) – 2019 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Record: 56.93, Kaitlyn Dobler (USC) — 2022 NCAA Championships
PAC-12 Championship Record: 57.31, Kaitlyn Dobler (USC) — 2022 PAC-12 Championships- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.10
- 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 59.87
Top 8:
- Kaitlyn Dobler (USC) – 57.10 (CR)
- Isabelle Odgers (USC) – 58.92
- Claire Grover (UCLA) – 59.37
- Allie Raab (STAN) – 59.57
- Eva Carlson (UCLA) – 59.80
- Jade Neser (CAL) – 59.95
- Iza Adame (ASU) – 1:00.62
- Emily Lundgren (WSU) – 1:00.95
USC’s duo of Kaitlyn Dobler and Isabelle Odgers got the job done tonight with a 1-2 finish. Dobler, the defending national champion, led the way as she won her third straight Pac-12 title in the event. She clocked a 57.10, just off her season best time of 56.94. Dobler’s time was also a new Pac-12 Championship record, with the previous being her swim last year.
Odgers had as strong swim to finish 2nd with a 58.92, just 0.04 off her personal best time from a dual meet earlier this month.
Behind them was a slew of athletes who broke one-minute. UCLA’s Claire Grover set a personal best time to finish 3rd, while Stanford’s Allie Raab improved by a nearly a second from this morning to touch 4th. Raab entered the meet seeded 20th.
WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE — FINALS
- NCAA Record: 48.74, Katharine Berkoff (NCSU) – 2022 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Record: 49.23, Regan Smith (STAN) — 2022 NCAA Championships
- PAC-12 Championship Record: 49.23, Regan Smith (STAN) — 2022 PAC-12 Championships
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.89
- 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.46
Top 8:
- Claire Curzan (STAN) – 49.46
- Isabelle Stadden (CAL) – 50.79
- Lucie Nordmann (STAN) – 51.91
- Annika McEnroe (CAL) – 52.23
- Alex Crisera (STAN) – 52.60
- Aria Bernal (USC) – 52.67
- Hanna Henderson (USC) – 53.05
- Gigi Johnson (STAN) – 53.16
After getting disqualified for a false start earlier in the session, Claire Curzan bounced back to win the 100 backstroke in a personal best time of 49.46. Curzan led from the beginning with a 24.06 on the first 50, then split 12.80 and 12.60 on the following 25s.
Cal’s Isabelle Stadden was about a second and a half back to take 2nd in a personal best time of 50.79. She shaved off 0.02 from her previous best set at NCAAs last March.
Finishing in 4th was Cal sophomore Annika McEnroe, who was just off the best time she set this morning. McEnroe entered the meet 5th with a 53.12, but threw down a best time by over a second to qualify for this final in 3rd.
Stanford’s Lucie Nordmann and Alex Crisera were the only other athletes besides the top two who improved on their morning swims. Nordmann hit a season best to finish 3rd, while Crisera did the same to earn 5th.
WOMEN’S 400 MEDLEY RELAY – TIMED FINALS
- NCAA Record: 3:21.80, Virginia – 2023 ACC Championships
- Pac-12 Record: 3:25.09, Stanford – 2018
- Pac-12 Championship Record: 3:25.14, Stanford – 2018
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:31.38
Results:
- Stanford – 3:25.79
- Cal – 3:31.10
- UCLA – 3:35.32
- ASU – 3:35.81
- Arizona – 3:37.05
- Washington State – 3:39.05
- Utah – 3:41.84
Stanford’s team of Curzan (49.76), Raab (59.44), Huske (49.74), and Ruck (46.85) dominated the final event of the evening with a final time of 3:25.79. Stanford’s splits were all the fastest of the event.
Cal officially placed 2nd with a 3:31.10, due USC’s team being disqualified. UCLA and Arizona State found themselves in a tight race for 3rd, with just a few tenths separating them heading into the final leg. Claire Grover held off Lindsay Looney on the anchor leg for UCLA to round out the top three.
TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 2
- Stanford – 1149.5
- Cal – 874.5
- USC – 817.5
- UCLA – 701.5
- ASU – 541
- Arizona – 452
- Utah – 363
- Washington State – 263
PAC-12 Championship Record: 49.50, Regan Smith (STAN) — 2022 PAC-12 Championships
This appears to be broken with the 49.46. Please cross off and update the record. I love it when records get broken!
Where did Mia Kragh do her club swimming?
Huske adding a 1/2 second on a relay start 🤔
Polonsky over Neser on the relay was confounding.
That’s what I was wondering. Props to Emma Davidson for a 47.7 anchor leg, that was legit.
Why was the USC team disqualified ?
they cheated
Can you be more precise ?
There are many women from Stanford who: “hit a season best”
G Walsh vs Berkoff Vs Curzan could be an epic 100 back race.
Berkoff will be raging! If Gretchen is able to finish strong on that last length (same deal in the 100 free), she can take it.
Don’t piss Berkoff off.
it’s absolutely crazy that if Regan Smith we’re still in the NCAA, she could swim well and still place 4th
What did Curzan do to DQ?
Probably underwater?
-- Curzan, Claire FR Stanford 51.01 DQ 10.67 23.41 (12.74) 36.51 (13.10) DQ (13.10)Does this mean that she was DQ’ed the 4th 25?
No
No. She was DQ’ed for a false start.
Moved on the block. It was pretty noticeable
False start.
came up well past 15M