UCSB Wins 3 of 4 Relays on Day 1 at MPSF Championships

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) – Men and Women

• Wednesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 17
• East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, CA (Pacific Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: UCSB men (1x) & Hawaii women (1x) (results)
• Live results
• Conference site
• Live Video – Take It Live
• Championship Central

The UCSB Gauchos won 3 out of the 4 opening day relays at the 2018 MPSF Championships, while the defending women’s champion Hawaii jumped out to an early lead at East LA College.

In the women’s 200 medley, UCSB swam 1:39.30 in a back-and-forth battle with Hawaii, who finished 2nd in 1:39.57. The race was a stratified one, with both teams, and Pacific, sitting nearly even going into the closing 50 freestyle. The splits of the 50 freestylers ranked in the same order as the final relays and were the difference-makers.

Also of not in that medley, San Diego junior Mackenna Briggs split 22.17 on the anchor – the fastest split in the field by 3-tentths of a second.

The men’s race was equally-competitive, with the same 3 teams ultimately separated by only .17 seconds, finishing in the same order. UCSB won in 1:26.04, Hawaii was 2nd in 1:26.20, and Pacific was 3rd in 1:26.21. All relays were anchored by freestylers right around 19.3. UCSB got a 20.26 split from Yoessef Tibazi, the fastest of the field.

In the women’s 800 free relay, Hawaii earned an NCAA Provisional Standard, running away from the field in 7:07.30 (without having to use any of their 200 medley swimmers on back-to-backs). The team of Bryndis Hansen (1:47.14), Silvija Djelic (1:48.52), Phoebe Hines (1:47.30), and Franziska Weidner (1:44.34) combined for a 7:07.30. They will be invited to swim that relay at NCAAs if they hit a Qualifying Time (“A Standard”) in another relay, or if all 4 swimmers qualify individually.

That swim also crushed UC Davis’ 2013 Meet Record by more than 7 seconds, and USC’s 2014 Pool Record by 4 seconds.

Diving competition begins Thursday.

Team Scores

Women

1. Hawaii – 74
2. UCSB – 72
3. San Diego – 64
4. Pacific – 62
5. UC Davis – 54
6. BYU – 54
7. Cal Poly – 48

Men

1. UCSB – 80
2. Pacific – 66
3. Cal Poly/Hawaii – 62
5. BYU – 58