TEMPE, Arizona, January 21. THE No. 4-ranked California men’s swimming and diving team won the first nine events of the day, including two victories (1000 free and 200 back) by freshman Jeremy Bagshaw, on the way to a 152-135 dual meet victory over Pac-10 opponent Arizona State Friday, Jan. 21, at Mona Plummer Aquatics Complex in Tempe. The Golden Bears also captured the meet’s opening men’s race, the 400 medley relay in an NCAA B qualifying time of 3:17.37 (sophomore Tom Shields, sophomore Trevor Hoyt, senior Graeme Moore, sophomore Ben Hinshaw), had seven different individual winners, and swam four of the final five races as exhibitions to win their first dual meet of the season.
Bagshaw, from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, won the 1000 free in 9:30.64 and the 200 back in 1:51.11. Other individual champions for Cal included junior Mathias Gydesen in the 200 free (1:41.24), senior standout Nathan Adrian in the 100 back (50.32), junior Martin Liivamagi in the 100 breast (55.62), freshman Marcin Tarczynski in the 200 fly (1:48.42), Moore in the 50 free (20.04) and Shields in the 100 free (45.33).
In diving competition, Cal senior Thomas Henninger placed second in both one and three-meter board with scores of 329.78 and 301.28, respectively.
Cal men’s swimming and diving team will now turn around and battle No. 2-ranked Arizona, Saturday, Jan. 22 at 12 p.m. at Hillenbrand Aquatics Complex in Tucson. The Wildcats and the Bears are both ranked in the top five in the nation and feature defending NCAA champions Adrian (100 free), Shields (100 fly) and senior Damir Dugonjic (100 breast) for Cal, while the Wildcats have junior Cory Chitwood, the defending 2010 NCAA champ in the 200 back. The Bears finished second at last year’s NCAAs, and Arizona placed third.
In other Cal swimming news, Adrian has been selected to represent the United States at the 2011 FINA World Championships, July 24-31 in Shanghai, China. Adrian had a phenomenal meet at the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, winning four titles. On Aug. 21, he was a two-time winner, capturing the 50-meter free in a Pan Pacific record time of 21.55 over world record holder Cesar Cielo (21.57) of Brazil and Canada’s Brent Hayden (21.89). He then swam the freestyle leg of the United States’ gold medal 400 medley relay victory over Japan, teaming up with Aaron Piersol, Mark Gangloff and Michael Phelps to win the meet’s final event (3:32.48, Adrian’s leg 47.54).
Back on August 19 the Bear standout had won the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 48.15 over Hayden (48.19) and Cielo (48.48). Adrian had also swam the anchor leg on Team USA’s gold-medal winning 400 free relay (3:11.74) along with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Jason Lezak – clocking in his leg at 47.51 on August 20.
Fourth-ranked California won both relays and Arizona native Caitlin Leverenz captured three individual events as the Golden Bears defeated host Arizona State, 182-117, on Friday at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The Bears improved their dual-meet record to 3-1 (1-0 in the Pac-10 Conference) in their conference opener, while the Sun Devils evened their record to 3-3 (1-3 Pac-10).
Cal won 11 of 16 events, including victories by freshman Cindy Tran in both backstrokes and by sophomore diver Kelsey Heiken in the three-meter springboard.
“Cindy Tran, Amanda Sims, Katie Kastes and Colleen Fotsch did really nice jobs today,” Cal head coach Teri McKeever said. “Caitlin did a nice job, and her family’s here, too. Liv swam well in her races and on both relays. We hadn’t raced in about a month, so it was good to check in with racing and see where we are. Diving went 1-2-3 on the three-meter board. We definitely have some things to work on, and we’re definitely going to have to be better tomorrow.”
The Bears kicked off the day by winning the 400-yard medley relay. The Cal quartet of freshman Deborah Roth, Leverenz, senior Amanda Sims and junior Liv Jensen posted an automatic NCAA qualifying time of 3:38.57. Another Cal squad, featuring junior Colleen Fotsch, freshman Melissa Bates, Tran and senior Erica Dagg took second place in an NCAA A time of 3:43.91.
Tran claimed Cal’s next victory, swimming an NCAA consideration time of 54:58 to win the 100-yard backstroke. She later won the 200 back in an NCAA B time of 1:58.36.
Leverenz, swimming as a Bear for the first time in her home state, won her first race in the 200 butterfly, in which she swam an NCAA B time of 1:59.31.She also won the 200 breaststroke in an NCAA B time of 2:11.90. The school-record holder in the 400 individual medley, Leverenz won the event in Tempe with a time of 4:15.45.
Heiken posted an NCAA Zone E Diving Championships qualifying score of 302.78 to take first place at three meters; Cal freshman Lena Kardos (263.18) and junior Molly Hayes (262.13) finished 2-3. On the one-meter board, Hayes (3rd place, 273.30) collected the Bears’ best finish with an NCAA Zone E qualifying score.
Other Cal winners included Jensen in the 50 free (22.67, NCAA B), senior Hannah Wilson in the 100 free (50.17, NCAA B), Sims in the 100 fly (53.20, NCAA B) and the Bears’ 200-free relay of Bates, Tran, senior Sara Sun and Jensen (1:32.83).
Cal takes on No. 7 Arizona at noon PST on Saturday, Jan. 22, in Leverenz’s hometown of Tucson, Ariz.
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Men: California 152, Arizona State 135; Women: California 182, Arizona State 117