Freshman Kaitlyn Dobler Wins 100 Breast/Free In USC Season Opener

USC Tri-Meet

• January 22-23, 2021
• Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, CA
• SCY
• Day One Women’s Results
• Day One Men’s Results

The USC Trojan women have made their 2020-2021 season debut in the pool since the 2020 Pac-12s, which wrapped on February 29th of that year. On Friday, the Trojans kicked off a two-day tri-meet against the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats. The men’s meet wound up being cancelled after the Arizona men withdrew due to a positive coronavirus test. Instead, the USC men held an intrasquad meet after the women’s meet was finished.

Day One Highlights

The women’s two-day meet kicked off with the 400 medley relay, with the USC A-relay of Kaitlyn Dobler (57.26), Isa Odgers (1:01.66), Jemma Schlicht (55.20), and Marta Ciesla (50.49) winning at 3:44.61. UCLA’s A-relay took second at 3:45.72.

Newcomer Dobler then picked up two event wins during her collegiate debut. She first won the 100 breast by over a second and a half in an NCAA B cut of 1:00.41 over teammate Odgers (1:02.08). Dobler also won the 100 free event, winning at 50.40. Teammates Ciesla (51.61) and Schlicht (51.69) finished behind Dobler for a 1-2-3 UCLA finish. Odgers also won a second event, taking the 200 IM at 2:00.16.

The UCLA Bruins topped three events during Friday’s session. UCLA’s Gabby Dang won the 100 back at 56.74, just two-tenths ahead of Arizona’s Aria Bernal (56.93). Earlier in the meet, teammate Daniella Hawkins won the first individual event, the 1000 free, at 10:14.86. Then, freshman Sam Baron dominated the 200 fly by over two seconds, winning at 2:01.57.

The same USC 200 medley relay quartet were at it again in the 200 free relay, with Cielsa (24.10), Schlicht (23.30), Odgers (23.26), and Dobler (22.73) combining efforts to win at 1:33.39. It was Arizona’s A-relay that finished in second at 1:34.00.

USC Men’s Intrasquad Day One Highlights

• The men split into two teams, Team Cardinal and Team Gold. After the first day of competition, the Cardinal men lead the Gold men 70-62.
• The Cardinal 400 medley relay of Jack Kirby (49.85), Justin Lum (56.38), Alexei Sancov (46.81), and Billy Cruz Zuniga (4.88) combined for a top time of 3:17.92.
• Just one event apart, Gold’s Harry Homans won both the 200 fly (1:47.61) and 200 IM (1:51.75).
• More individual top times came from Cardinal’s David Mertz (1000 free, 9:34.01), Kirby (100 back, 49.87), and Lum (100 breast, 56.32).
• The Cardinals also topped the 200 free relay at 1:21.92, aided by Sancov (20.54), Cruz Zuniga (20.23), Kirby (20.45), and Ariel Spektor (20.70). The lone sub-20 split of the four relays came from Gold’s Nikola Miljenic (19.72). Earlier, Miljenic topped the 100 free at 44.91.

Both meets wrap up tomorrow with the 200 medley relay, 500 free, 100 fly, 200 breast, 200 back, 200 free, 400 IM, 50 free and 400 free relay. Women’s ompetition is scheduled to begin at 10 am PT while the men are set to take off at 12 pm PT.