USC Men Set for Road Tests at Cal, Stanford

Courtesy: USC Athletics

USC’s men’s swimming and diving team hits the road this weekend with road tests at California at 2 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 8) and at Stanford at noon on Saturday (Feb. 9). The Trojans, Bears and Cardinal are all 4-0.

FAST TIMES

USC’s fall semester of swimming netted a slew of NCAA A and B cuts and spots in the nation’s top 25 list.

Seniors Patrick Mulcare (1:38.91 in the 200y back) and Carsten Vissering (50.88 in the 100y breast) both own the nation’s top times – and NCAA A cuts — in their respective specialties. Mulcare also has a B time in the 200y IM (1:45.19) and the 100y back (45.90) while Vissering also has a B cut in the 200y breast (1:45.22). Others with multiple B cuts include senior Alex Valente in the 100y (45.95) and 200y fly (1:44.33), freshman Alexei Sancov in the 100y (43.54), 200y (1:34.22) and 500y free (4:21.91), freshman Victor Johansson in the 500y free (4:17.06) and the 1650y free (15:17.22), sophomore Nikola Miljenic in the 50y (19.36) and 100y free (42.91) and the 100y fly (47.06) and junior Mario Koenigsperger in the 100y (52.54) and the 200y breast (1:56.31). Others with single B cuts include senior Kyle Grissom in the 50y free (19.60), freshman Owen Kao in the 500y free (4:21.59), sophomore Mark Jurek in the 200y fly (1:45.29) and senior Walker Bell in the 200y fly (1:45.82).

USC’s 200y medley relay of Mulcare, Vissering, Grissom and Miljenic is second-best in the country at 1:23.84 and its 400y medley relay with Mulcare, Vissering, Miljenic and Sancov is seventh at 3:06.39, both NCAA A cuts.

TEXAS INVITATIONAL

The Trojans won two individual races as well as a relay in the 2018 Texas Invitational. Patrick Mulcare claimed the 200y back in a nation’s leading 1:38.91 while Carsten Vissering won the 100y breast in 50.88, breaking his school record also en route to the top time in the country … Troy’s 200y medley relay of Mulcare, Vissering, Kyle Grissom and Nikola Miljenic won the 200y medley relay in 1:23.84 … Alex Valente was third in the 100y fly (45.95) while Miljenic was second in the 50y free (19.36) and fourth in the 100y free (42.91).

SEASON HONORS

Patrick Mulcare earned Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors for the week ending Jan. 19 after posting wins in the 100y and 200y back and the 200y IM in USC’s win over Minnesota. Henry Fusaro earned Diver of the Month honors in November.

Freshman Victor Johansson was named Sweden’s Male Swimmer of the Year for 2018. He was a finalist at the 2018 European Championships, finishing fifth in the 400m free (3:47.74). He also tied for ninth in the 800m free (7:54.31) and was 15th in the 1500m free (15:15.75). At the Swedish Nationals in April, he set a pair of national records with a 7:49.77 in the 800m and a 15:03.74 in the 1500m free.

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Trojans’ men’s team is coming off of sixth place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships and a third at the Pac-12s and will be led by a pair of returning 2018 individual All-American in seniors Patrick Mulcare and Carsten Vissering.

Mulcare is a three-time NCAA finalist in the 200y back while Vissering is a two-time finalist in the 100y breast and the only returning member of USC’s 2018 NCAA title-winning 200y medley relay. Both were 2017 Pac-12 champions in their specialties.

Senior co-captain Kyle Grissom is USC’s only other returning All-American as part of Troy’s 200-yard freestyle relay. Junior diver Henry Fusaro is Troy’s lone returning 2018 Pac-12 champion (3-meter) and is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier while senior Pac-12 butterfly finalist and veteran NCAA participant Alex Valente is back, too.

Salo brought in a talented class of newcomers to bolster the Trojans’ lineup, led by Swedish distance freestyler Victor Johansson, freestyler Alexei Sancov and freshman butterflyer and medley swimmer Ariel Spektor.

Seniors Billy Monjay and Grissom serve as men’s team co-captains.