Saturday, January 7
East Field House
1:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz Athletics
vs
Fresno Pacific
Swim and Dive open New Year with sweep over Fresno Pacific
1/7/2023 9:00:00 PM | Women's Swim and Dive, Men's Swim and Dive
UC Santa Cruz Swimming and Dive opened the calendar year with a double win over Fresno Pacific at the East Field House Pool.
The men won the dual 219-148. The women used their depth to win 272-82.
"It was good to get back to racing today after a long layoff," said head coach Matt Crawford. "We were a mixed bag, coming off a really tough training week, but I saw athletes racing with confidence and executing race plans well."
The Men's 200 Medley Relay team of Ethan Porter, Abe Armory, Aaron Wu and Drake Southern won in a time of 1:35.59, 1.6 seconds away from the school record set in 2015. Southern also won the 50 Free in 21.57 over FPU's defending PCSC Champion Jan Bialecki. Southern was second in the 100 Free in 48.72.
"Drake Southern was very good, swimming sub 22 in the 50 free three times today, and beating a very tough competitor in Bialecki ," said Crawford. "Gavin Jay was also a standout, as he continues to find his footing in the distance events. It was a very solid win for the men."
The women won 12 of the 15 events. School record holder Elisabeth Lundgren swept the 100 and 200 Backstroke. Emerald Kwang won both the 50 and 100 Free races, as well as being the anchor in the 200 Free Relay that won by 4.50 seconds over the top Sunbird quartet.
"Emerald Kwang also had her best meet on the season, swimming very well in the sprint free events," noted Crawford. "Honour Dufresne continues to progress on the women's side, racing more confidently every time she takes the blocks, and she even swam the 200 fly to support a teammate who would be doing it all on her lonesome, otherwise. Overall, I'm excited for this last stretch and confident that the Slugs will close the season strong."
In addition, diver Sachiko Correa won both diving events to put herself in a position for the postseason. She tallied 203.30 points in the 1-meter competition and finished with 262.90 points in the 3-meter.
"We're very proud and impressed with Sachiko," said Crawford. "Her work ethic and competitive drive have taken her here, and with just one more regional qualifying performance she will punch her ticket to the NCAA postseason. My thanks go out to Coach Joan Newby and our volunteer assistant Ariel Rittenhouse for helping Sachi get to this point."
The Banana Slugs journey up the 880 next weekend for a dual with rivals Cal State East Bay on Saturday.
The men won the dual 219-148. The women used their depth to win 272-82.
"It was good to get back to racing today after a long layoff," said head coach Matt Crawford. "We were a mixed bag, coming off a really tough training week, but I saw athletes racing with confidence and executing race plans well."
The Men's 200 Medley Relay team of Ethan Porter, Abe Armory, Aaron Wu and Drake Southern won in a time of 1:35.59, 1.6 seconds away from the school record set in 2015. Southern also won the 50 Free in 21.57 over FPU's defending PCSC Champion Jan Bialecki. Southern was second in the 100 Free in 48.72.
"Drake Southern was very good, swimming sub 22 in the 50 free three times today, and beating a very tough competitor in Bialecki ," said Crawford. "Gavin Jay was also a standout, as he continues to find his footing in the distance events. It was a very solid win for the men."
The women won 12 of the 15 events. School record holder Elisabeth Lundgren swept the 100 and 200 Backstroke. Emerald Kwang won both the 50 and 100 Free races, as well as being the anchor in the 200 Free Relay that won by 4.50 seconds over the top Sunbird quartet.
"Emerald Kwang also had her best meet on the season, swimming very well in the sprint free events," noted Crawford. "Honour Dufresne continues to progress on the women's side, racing more confidently every time she takes the blocks, and she even swam the 200 fly to support a teammate who would be doing it all on her lonesome, otherwise. Overall, I'm excited for this last stretch and confident that the Slugs will close the season strong."
In addition, diver Sachiko Correa won both diving events to put herself in a position for the postseason. She tallied 203.30 points in the 1-meter competition and finished with 262.90 points in the 3-meter.
"We're very proud and impressed with Sachiko," said Crawford. "Her work ethic and competitive drive have taken her here, and with just one more regional qualifying performance she will punch her ticket to the NCAA postseason. My thanks go out to Coach Joan Newby and our volunteer assistant Ariel Rittenhouse for helping Sachi get to this point."
The Banana Slugs journey up the 880 next weekend for a dual with rivals Cal State East Bay on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Women's Swim and Dive
Distance Free
/ Women's Swim and Dive
Free
/ Women's Swim and Dive
Free
/ Women's Swim and Dive
Back
/ Women's Swim and Dive
Back/IM
/ Women's Swim and Dive
/ Women's Swim and Dive
/ Women's Swim and Dive
