The University of California San Diego men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are in Monterey Park for the second time this season, awaiting Wednesday’s start to the 2017 Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference (PCSC) Championships. Like the UCSD-hosted A3 Performance Invitational back in November, this year’s edition will take place at East Los Angeles College. The four-day meet will run through Saturday, Feb. 11. ELAC Swim Stadium, which has served as the venue for several top-level meets, including past Pac-12 Championships, is hosting its second PCSC Championships. The previous four had been at the Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center.
Both the Triton men’s and women’s squads are eight-time defending PCSC champions. In addition to extending those respective streaks, they will look to qualify as many swimmers and divers as they can, to the NCAA Championships next month in Birmingham, Ala. The Triton women, ranked fourth nationally in the NCAA Division II, finished 7-2 in dual meets this season with five straight wins. The third-ranked UCSD men completed the dual schedule a perfect 4-0.
TICKET PRICES
General admission is $15 for prelims (including diving sessions) and $15 for finals. Students with valid identification are $5, all sessions. Children five years of age and under are free. An all-session pass is available for $50. Payment is accepted in cash or check only (payable to PCSC). Parking is available in the ELAC parking garage (Parking Structure 3) adjacent to the pool, at a cost of $5 per day (cash only).
MEET COVERAGE
Live results for this year’s meet are available on smartphones and tablets via the Meet Mobile application. Meet Mobile is available for download through iTunes and compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Heat sheets and meet results through the app come at an annual subscription cost of $5.99, or monthly fee of $1.99, both of which renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the selected subscription period. Click hereto access it.
PCSC CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW
UCSD head coach Daniel Perdew will be able to call on seven defending conference individual champions. The men will be led by senior Michael Cohn, last year’s Male Swimmer of the Meet as the top point-getter with a maximum 96 from taking the 200 back, 200 free and 500 free, as well as juniors Kevin Fink (400 IM), CJ Pais (100 back) and Kevin Wylder (100 fly), and sophomore Garrett Tse (200 IM). On the women’s side, Haley Hamza, a three-time winner in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free, returns along with fellow junior Julia Toronczak (200 back).
There are five current Tritons who were individual event winners at the 2015 PCSC meet, led by Cohn (200 back and 200 free). Stephanie Sin was the Female Co-Swimmer of the Meet as the champion in the two longest events (1000 and 1650), with Pais (100 back), Toronczak (200 back) and Wylder (100 fly) also top finishers. Sierra Gage was the 2014 champion in the 1650. Zach Yong broke the 400 IM school record in prelims in each of his first two PCSC appearances before runner-up finishes in finals to since-graduate teammate Paul Li.
The UCSD men were only topped in one of the five relays in 2016, the 400 medley, while the women completed a clean sweep. In 2015, the Triton women won three of the five relays (800 free, 200 free, 400 medley), with the men first in the two longer free relays. The Triton men had swept the relays in 2014, with the women taking the three freestyle ones. UCSD previously swept all 10 relay races in 2012, and combined to take five of 10 in 2013. The men and women have each won the 800 free on the meet’s first night, for six consecutive years.
As a team, the UCSD women compiled 1573.5 points to outdistance Cal State East Bay (1096.5) and eight other schools a year ago, while the men accumulated 1592 points to get past UC Santa Cruz (1268), the runner-up for the second year in a row.
CHAMPIONSHIPS PROGRAM
The PCSC Championships consist of 44 events in all, 22 men’s and 22 women’s. The total includes the five relays for each division, as well as the one- and three-meter springboard diving competitions. The women’s races take place before the men’s.
The shorter day-one swim program on Wednesday, Feb. 8, features the 200 medley relay at 5:15 p.m. and 800 free relay at 5:50 p.m. Timed finals of the 1000 freestyle start at approximately 2:30 p.m., with the fastest women’s and men’s heat kicking off the meet’s first evening session at 4:35 p.m. The men’s three-meter and women’s one-meter diving prelims (six dives) are from 10:30-11:50 a.m., with men’s three-meter finals from 1-1:45 p.m. (top eight with six more dives). The 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 200 free relay, women’s one-meter diving finals (2:30 p.m.) and women’s three-meter and men’s one-meter diving prelims (12:45 p.m.) take place on Thursday.
Friday has the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and 400 medley relay. Men’s one-meter diving finals are at 1:30 p.m. The championships end on Saturday, Feb. 11, with the 1650 free (slower heats at 11:55 a.m.), 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, the newly-added 100 IM and always-exciting, meet-concluding 400 free relay. Diving concludes with women’s three-meter finals at 2:15 p.m. Preliminaries for the swimming events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday begin at 9:30 a.m., with evening finals at 4:30 p.m.Saturday’s final session will start with a senior recognition ceremony at 3:30 p.m.
SCORING AND FORMAT
The standard NCAA 24-place scoring will be used. Individual: 32-28-27-26-25-24-23-22; 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11; 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Relays: 64-56-54-52-50-48-46-44; 40-34-32-30-28-26-24, etc. Swimmers may officially score in seven events, of which no more than three can be individual events. They can compete in as many unofficial (prelims only) events as they desire.
PCSC HISTORY
The UCSD men and women are each eight-time defending PCSC champions. The Triton women have won 12 conference titles in all, with the lone exception the 2008 crown, which went to LMU. The men are nine-time champs, with 2007 marking their other success.
LAST TIME IN THE WATER
The UCSD women eased past crosstown Division I rival University of San Diego for the fifth straight year, 197-96, at home on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tritons won 14 of 16 events to improve to 14-1-1 against the Toreros over the past 16 meetings. Brooke Abrantes, Jaimie Bryan, Alayna Gocke, Natalie Tang and Julia Toronczak were double winners in individual events, with sweeps in diving, breaststroke, mid-distance freestyle, sprint freestyle and backstroke, respectively. In their last meet, the UCSD men topped then-15th-ranked Division II rival California Baptist, 167-129, also at home on Senior Day on Jan. 21.
SENIOR DAY AT CANYONVIEW
Eight Tritons were recognized prior to the start of the Jan. 21 meet on Senior Day at the Canyonview Aquatic Center. Those eight are Jaimie Bryan, Michael Cohn, Sierra Gage, Gabriel Hernandez, Julian Jacobs, Mike Nguyen, Natalie Tang and Zach Yong.
ROAD TO ALABAMA
The NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships are back at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., for the first time since 2013. The qualifying standards for the NCAA Division II for both the men and women are available.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The final College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA)/TYR Top 25 Poll for the NCAA Division II was unveiled on Jan. 31. In it, the UCSD men moved up from No. 5 to No. 3, and the women as well from No. 6 to No. 4.
ALL-AMERICANS ON ROSTER
UCSD returns 13 All-Americans in 2016-17, led by tri-captain Natalie Tang as a 10-timer, and fellow senior Jaimie Bryan at six. Also back are Michael Cohn (3), Reagan Eickert (1), Julian Jacobs (1), Lily Maxfield (1), Haley Murphy(1), Angie Phetbenjakul (3), Stephanie Sin (1), Julia Toronczak (3), Jayna Wittenbrink (1), Kevin Wylder (2) and Zach Yong (1). Kevin Fink and Sierra Gage have garnered All-America honorable mention.
A SEASON AGO
On the women’s side, UCSD placed third at the 2016 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships last March in Indianapolis, Ind. The Triton men were 17th. Both wrapped up an eighth consecutive PCSC crown.
TRITON LEADERSHIP
Team captains for the new campaign were voted on at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, with Natalie Tang reprising her role for a second year, and fellow seniors Jaimie Bryan, Julian Jacobs and Mike Nguyen, as well as junior Haley Murphy, all earning the distinction as first-time captains.
GEAR HERE
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics’ online partner, Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are in eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!
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UP NEXT
The 2017 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships take place in Birmingham, Ala., March 8-11. The official announcement of qualifiers comes at 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
News courtesy of UC San Diego Athletics.