USC vs. UCLA Rivalry Meet Comes Down to a Tie

USC VS. UCLA

• Results
• Hosted by USC
• Friday, February 9th
• 25 Yards
• Dual Meet Format

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

• USC: 150
• UCLA: 150

The Pac-12 matchup between UCLA and USC came down to the final event on Friday, with the teams ultimately tying at 150 points each. The Trojans, who were without standout freshman sprinter Marta Ciesla, got a pair of wins from Pac-12 champ Louise Hansson. In the 50 free, Hansson topped the field with a quick 22.28. She returned for the 200 back, winning by over a second and a half in 1:54.43. Hansson was a narrow 2nd in the 100 back, touching in 52.47 behind teammate Hannah Weiss (52.39).

The Bruins got multiple wins from both Kenisha Liu and Emma Schanz. In the 200 free, Liu used her closing speed to out-touch USC’s Lexie Malazdrewicz 1:45.42 to 1:45.54. Liu then put up a quick 48.43 in the 100 free, leading a close 1-2 finish with teammate Katie Grover (48.57). Schanz topped the 200 breast in 2:09.01, coming within half a second of the UCLA school record and a quarter of a second shy of the Pool Record. She was dominant in the 200 IM to close the session, blowing away the field in 1:56.82.

PRESS RELEASE – USC:

Five Trojans won races, led by sophomore Louise Hansson‘s firsts in the 50y free and the 200y back, in addition to a victory in the 200y medley relay, but UCLA came back late and the schools finished in a series-first tie, 150-150, on Friday (Feb. 9) at the Spieker Aquatic Center in Westwood, Calif.

The tie ends USC’s 10-meet win streak over UCLA, but extends the Trojans’ unbeaten streak in the series to 11. USC now leads the series 27-16-1.  Troy finishes the regular season at 7-2-1 overall, 4-2-1 in the Pac-12. UCLA is 5-5-1, 2-4-1. The tie is USC’s first since posting the same score against Arizona State in 2004.

The Trojans, without sprinter Marta Ciesla today, led by 10 points heading into the final two events but were caught by the Bruins after they won the final two events.

USC opened the meet with a win in the 200y medley relay as senior Hannah Weiss, junior Riley Scott, Hansson and sophomore Tatum Wadeturned in a 1:36.95.

UCLA’s Sandra Soe won the 1650y free in 16:11.22, her teammate Margaux Gourson taking second while USC sophomore Becca Mann took third (16:20.22). Bruin Kenisha Liu followed with another win in the 200y free (1:45.62) while USC senior Lexie Malazdrewicz (1:45.54, season best B cut) and Wade (1:46.17) came in 2-3.

Weiss got USC’s first individual win with a 52.39 in the 100y back, followed into the wall by Hansson (52.47, season best B cut).

Freshman Maggie Aroesty (1:00.36) and Scott (1:00.39) swept the top two spots in the 100y breast while junior Maddie Wright (1:53.74, season best B cut) and freshman Caitlin Tycz (1:55.57, season best B cut) did the same in the 200y fly.

Hansson came back on short rest to win the 50y free in 22.28 (season best B cut) with junior Victoria Toris third (23.35) heading into the first break.

UCLA came out of the first break with a 1-2 in the 100y free with Malazdrewicz third for the Trojans in 49.79. USC countered with a 1-2 in the 200y back, Hansson winning in 1:54.43 with Weiss following into the wall in 1:56.12 (season best B cut).

UCLA’s Emma Schanz claimed the 200y breast in 2:09.01 with Aroesty hitting the wall second (2:09.76) and Scott third (2:12.73). The Bruins followed with a 1-2 in the 500y free with Stinson third (4:48.31).

Tycz came back with a huge win out of lane 7 in the 100y fly, touching first in another season-best B cut of 52.56, 0.03 ahead of UCLA’s Katie Grover.

UCLA’s Eloise Belanger swept the springboard events with USC’s Naomi Gowlett taking second on both boards, scoring 300.38 on 1-meter and 291.38 on 3-meter.

The Bruins closed the meet with a win in the 200y IM by Schanz and a victory in the 200y free relay (1:28.91) to clinch the tie.

PRESS RELEASE – UCLA:

LOS ANGELES – For the first time in the history of the crosstown rivalry Friday, UCLA and USC competed to a tie in a women’s swimming and diving meet. While the Bruins won nine events to the No. 10 Trojans’ seven at Spieker Aquatics Center, the teams posted identical scores of 150.

Eloise Belanger, Kenisha Liu and Emma Schanz each posted two individual wins on the day for the Bruins, who had lost 11 in a row to the Trojans prior to Friday’s meet. UCLA’s 200 Free Relay “A” team turned in a school- and pool-record time of 1:28.91 to ensure the tie.

The Trojans got swimming started with a 200 Medley Relay win, as their “A” team clocked in at 1:36.95, just over three seconds in front of the Bruins top quartet of Schanz, Sarah Kaunitz, Amy Okada and Liu (1:40.22).

UCLA quickly proved it would not go quietly on Senior Day, though, taking the next two races. In fact, the 1650 Free was all Bruins in the two spots, with Sandra Soe establishing a new pool record (16:11.22) in the process and Margaux Verger Gourson taking the runner-up position (16:20.09). Kenisha Liu (1:45.42) followed her teammates’ lead, eking out a win over the Trojans’ Lexie Malazdrewicz (1:45.54) in the 200 Free.

USC would take the top two spots in the next three races—and the next four wins overall—and looked poised to bury the Bruins. Schanz (52.97) and Sarah Kaunitz (1:01.98) led 3-4-5 trios in the 100 Back and 100 Breast, respectively, while Okada took the third spot in the 200 Fly (1:57.44) to keep UCLA alive. The 50 Free went the way of the Trojans’ Louise Hansson (22.28), who barely edged the Bruins’ Katie Grover (22.64) heading into the first break.

Diving was all UCLA—and particularly Belanger. The Canadian finished strong on 1-Meter, posting four consecutive dives of at least 50.23 to close her effort (306.23) and hold off USC’s Naomi Gowlett (300.38). Ciara Monahan took third (299.33). The 3-Meter competition was not even close, as Belanger notched a 72.00 on her 205B fifth dive and closed with a 69.75 on her 5152B. In the end, the junior posted a personal-best score of 343.35, well ahead of Gowlett’s 291.38.

After the first break, the Bruins came out with an effort that earned them the top two spots in the 100 Free. Liu (48.43) and Grover (48.57) did the honors, while Trojans went 3-4-5. The 200 Back proved the exact opposite, as USC occupied the top two spots ahead of Lucy Agnew (1:57.82), Jennifer Lathrop (1:57.96) and Marie-Pierre Delisle (2:00.24).

The Bruins got back to their winning ways in the 200 Breast, as Schanz took the top spot (2:09.01). UCLA again owned a distance race with the 500 Free, as Verger Gourson and Soe flip-flopped the top two spots that they shared earlier in the afternoon. Verger Gourson (4:45.62) edged Soe (4:45.63) by the narrowest of margins for the win.

Grover (52.59) and Okada (52.82) went 2-3 in the 100 Fly, sending the Bruins into the final break trailing the Trojans by a 137-127 score.

UCLA made up five of those points in the 200 IM, where Schanz (1:56.82) added her second individual victory of the day. USC took second and third, while Bruins Lisa Kaunitz (2:04.86) and Allison Goldblatt (2:05.54) went fourth and fifth.

Needing a win for a shot at the meet victory, the Bruin “A” team did just that in the 200 Free Relay, posting a school and meet record in the process. Liu, Grover, Sarah Kaunitz and Okada clocked in at 1:28.91 for a convincing win over the Trojans, who finished second and third for the overall tie.

Seniors Natalie Amberg, Maddy Burnham, Delisle, Grover, Sarah Kaunitz, Monahan, Carly Reid, Jax Shoults, Madison Varisco and Verger Gourson were sent off by their teammates and coaches prior to their final meet at Spieker.

The Bruins and Trojans will compete on Platform Sunday (10 a.m.), though results will not count toward Friday’s totals. UCLA will next compete as a team at the Pac-12 Swimming & Diving Championships, which will take place Feb. 21-24 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.