UCLA Tops UC Santa Barbara With Event Sweep

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)

Photo Courtesy: Carlos Morales

The UCLA swim and dive recorded a 159-95 win over UC Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon in the team’s home opener at Spieker Aquatics Center.

The Bruins (2-0) swept all 14 scheduled events against the Gauchos (1-1). In six of 12 individual events, UCLA swept the podium. Nine different Bruins collected individual wins.

Junior Gizem Guvenc (100 free, 200 free) and sophomore Ashley Kolessar (200 fly, 500 free) each notched doubles for the Bruins. Junior Ana Jih-Schiff technically only had one win (100 breast), but she also had the lowest time in the late-meet 200 IM, by which time the Bruins were swimming exhibitions.

Guvenc and Jih-Schiff had strong days from the jump on Friday, as they teamed with freshman Amy Zhang and junior Joanie Cash to post a win in the meet-opening 400 medley relay. The quartet posted a time of 3:45.10.

Junior Paige MacEachern (10:21.18) paced the field by a decent margin in the 1000 free, out-racing runner up Isabella Martinez-Spencer of UCSB by just under 15 seconds.

The 200 free saw UCLA’s first 1-2-3 finish of the day, as Guvenc (1:49.80) broke 1:50 while teammates Rosie Murphy (1:52.69) and Katy Pacher (1:52.95) battled for runner-up.

UCLA went 1-2-3 in the very next race as well, with sophomore Mia Chang (55.73) leading the way followed by Zhang (56.13) and freshman Angela Quan (56.49).

Jih-Schiff then picked up her first individual win of the day, going 1:02.19 in the 100 breast. She beat the field by more than two seconds.

Kolessar (2:02.74) led another 1-2-3 finish for UCLA in the 200 fly, with sophomore Fay Lustria (2:03.58) and senior Crystal Murphy (2:03.93) also scoring.

The Bruins closed out the first half of the meet with yet another 1-2-3 result in the 50 free, as graduate Brooke Schaffer (23.24) out-sprinted the field. Freshman Sarah Bennetts (23.63) and junior Eva Carlson (24.08) finished right behind Schaffer.

On the re-start, Guvenc completed her double with a 50.83 in the 100 free.

The next race saw sophomore Rosie Murphy land her first win of the day with a 2:00.20 in the 200 back. She beat the field by over three seconds.

The 200 breast saw Bennetts (2:16.52) log her first collegiate win. She finished nearly five seconds ahead of runner up Katie Nugent of UCSB.

Kolessar (4:59.01) wrapped up her double with an impressive showing in the 500 free, as she was the lone racer to break five minutes.

Cash (54.17) and Schaffer (54.63) battled for the top spot in the 100 fly, and Quan (56.31) took third.

UCLA only entered exhibitions into the 200 IM, so UCSB technically won that event. However, Jih-Schiff (2:02.45) had the best time in that race followed in quick succession by Rosie Murphy (2:03.55) and MacEachern (2:03.66).

The Bruins closed the afternoon with the two best times in the 200 free relay. The UCLA As (Cash, sophomore Fiona Schere, Bennetts, Schaffer) had the quickest time at 1:33.58 but swam as an exhibition, meaning the UCLA Bs (graduate Aislinn Walsh, Quan, Crystal Murphy, Carlson) took home the win at 1:34.75.

UCLA returns to action next Friday, Oct. 27, hosting Illinois at Spieker starting at 3 p.m. PT. The dual will serve as the Bruins’ final home event of the 2023 calendar year.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with UCLA Athletics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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