UCLA Swims Past Illinois in Pac-12/Big Ten Showdown
![ucla-GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 19: Swimmers compete on the 200 Freestyle Prelims on day three during the Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on March 19, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Carlos Morales/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)](https://vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ella-kirschke-ucla-1024x683.jpeg)
The UCLA swim and dive recorded a 167.50-73.50 win over Illinois on Friday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Center.
The Bruins (3-0) earned wins in 12 of the 13 scheduled events against the Illini (1-2).
To open the day, UCLA won the 200-yard medley relay with Mia Chang, Eva Carlson, Joanie Cash and Madeleine Wright teaming up to top the charts in 1.41.96.
Ashley Kolessar followed the relay with a win of her own in the 1000-yard freestyle, winning the event in 10:09.12.
Gizem Guvenc kicked off her afternoon in strong fashion in the third event of the day. She broke 1:50 in the 200-yard free for the second meet in a row, and won the event in 1:49.71. Paige MacEachern placed second in the event.
In the fourth event of the day, the 50m freestyle the Bruins swept the podium as Brooke Schaffer, Joanie Cash, and Sarah Bennetts took the top three spots. Schaffer led the Bruins with a time of 23.26, while Cash finished in 23.62 and Bennetts placed third in 23.73.
UCLA went 1-2-3 in the next race as well, with Ana Jih-Schiff (2:01.38), Rose Murphy (2:03.55), and Mia Chang (2:03.93) topping the charts in the 200-yard IM.
The Bruins continued to dominate in the sixth event of the day, the 100-yard butterfly. UCLA went 1-2-3 for the third event in a row as Aislinn Walsh took first in 54.06, and was followed by Crystal Murphy in 55.32, and Ana Jih-Schiff rounded out the top three in 56.23.
The next race saw Madeleine Wright and Fay Lustria place second and third respectively in the 100-yard free, finishing in 51.88 and 52.77.
UCLA picked up their seventh event win of the day in the 100-yard backstroke when Angela Quan won it in 56.32, closely followed by fellow Bruin Amy Zhang.
Paige MacEachern earned her second podium of the afternoon when she won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:58.88.
Eva Carlson earned the win the in the penultimate event of the day, the 100-yard breast stroke, which she won in 1:02.32.
UCLA wrapped up the day with a win in the 200-yard free relay. The quartet of Schaffer, Cash, Bennetts, and Walsh posted a time of 1:32.76 to win the event.
As for diving, the Bruins went one and two in the one-meter dive. Lauren Hallaselka earned the win with a score of 296.03 while Zoe Jespersgaard placed second with a score of 286.73.
The two swapped places in the three-meter dive as Jespersgaard finished on top with a score of 325.95, while Hallaselka came in second with a score of 322.20.
UCLA returns to action next Friday when they travel to Arizona State to take on the Sun Devils at 2 p.m. PT.
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