Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
PULLMAN, Washington, October 18. Bonnie Brandon led the Arizona Wildcats to a 172-89 triumph against Washington State in their Pacific 12 opener.
Arizona Press Release
The Arizona women’s swim defeated Washington State 172-89 in its first Pac-12 meet of the season with an impressive 172-89 win over Washington State on Friday at Gibb Pool. The Wildcats finished the meet winning 12 of the 14 events.
The Wildcats took the lead from the start in the 200 medley relay. The same team that won the event against Wisconsin, Bonnie Brandon, Emma Schoettmer, Katja Hajdinjak and Taylor Schick finished first with a time of 1:42.85.
Arizona added to their lead with first place finishes in the next two events. Claire Lockridge took first in the 1000 free with 10:18.52 while Bonnie Brandon won the 200 free with a time of 1:48.90. Brandon also finished first in the 500 free (4:50.14) followed by her teammate, Lockridge (5:04.58).
Then, Cameron McHugh won the 100 back with a time of 56.93, beating WSU’s Loree Olson by one-hundredth of second. McHugh also took first in the 200 back (2:00.74).
Schoettmer kept the momentum rolling for the Wildcats with two first place finishes. She won the 100 breast (1:03.48) and also won the 200 breast in 2:16.87. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Pepper finished first in the 200 fly (2:03.70).
Schick added significant points to the Wildcats’ lead with two back-to-back wins. Schick finished first in the 50 free with a time of 23.30 and right after, won the 100 free in 50.72. Hajdinjak followed Schick with a second place finish in the 100 free (52.31).
To close out the day, Arizona took home first place in the 400 free relay as the team of Bonnie Brandon, Paige Kremer, Elizabeth Pepper and Cameron McHugh touched in 3:27.07.
The women compete against UNLV and Utah in Las Vegas, Nev. on Sat. Nov. 1 at 2:00 p.m. MST.
Washington State Press Release
Arizona defeated Washington State in Pac-12 swimming action at Gibb Pool in Pullman, Wash., Friday, Oct. 17. The Cougars fell to the Wildcats, 172-89. WSU secured victories in two of the final three events of the evening.
“The Cougs swam tough,” WSU Head Coach Tom Jager said. “We kept on pushing and kept on going. Arizona is one of the best team’s in the country – in the world. When we swim these guys, we have to take our lumps, but keep on fighting. That’s really the hallmark of this team. They keep trying and they keep pushing all the way to the end. I was pleased.”
In the 100 fly, freshman Anna Brolin out-touched Arizona’s Katja Hajdinjak to claim the top spot. Brolin finished in 55.71, the fastest finish of her young career and ninth on the Cougar all-time list.
“She sure lit up this crowd,” Jager said. “Brolin went out strong. She went out great. She gave an athletic performance and the crowd responded. It was fun. What a great swim.”
Junior Loree Olson followed Brolin into the water with a first-place performance in the 200 IM. Olson clocked in at 2:06.07, finishing over two second ahead of Arizona’s Alexandra Martelle. Olson also added second-place finished in the 100 back and 200 back, contributing 19 points to the Cougar total.
Arizona, which finished eighth nationally in 2013-14, broke a pair of Gibb Pool records. The Wildcats’ Bonnie Brandon took first in the 200 free with a time of 1:48.90. Brandon also set the second record, finishing the 500 freestyle in 4:50.14.
WSU freshman Hannah Bruggman impressed in the 50 free, finishing second with a time of 23.87. Junior Presley Wetterstrom added a strong performance in the 200 breast, taking second place. Wetterstrom nearly grabbed the victory, touching the wall just 0.09 seconds back from Arizona in first place.
The Cougars return to Gibb Pool Oct. 24, to face Arizona State in the second of four-straight home meets. Events will begin at 5 p.m.
Results: Arizona vs. Washington State