LOS ANGELES, California, February 22. THE University of Southern California men’s swimming and diving team celebrated its senior class and new aquatic center with a win over Utah on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans closed out the meet in exciting fashion, posting a pool record in the 400 freestyle relay to clinch a 134-117 win.
USC Press Release
The No. 4 USC men’s swimming and diving team honored its seniors today before their final home meet and the seniors responded by leading a 134-117 win over Utah – highlighted by an all-senior come-from-behind pool record in the 400y free relay – on Saturday (Feb. 22) at the new Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
The Trojans, who saluted seniors Jack Wagner, Chase Bloch, Cristian Quintero, Dimitri Colupaev, Nick Johnson, Sean Mulroy and Michael Godbe in pre-meet festivities, improved to 4-2 overall, 3-2 in the Pac-12. Utah dropped to 5-2.
The meet closed with a flourish as the senior quartet of Quintero, Colupaev, Wagner and Bloch won the 400y free relay in a pool record 2:54.89. Bloch, a sprint butterflyer and backstroker not typically on this relay, reeled in Utah’s Karl Holmstrom over the final 25 yards, out-touching the Utes’ anchor by 0.02. USC’s time broke the 2006 record of 2:55.30 set by Sean Sussex, Sam Masson, Bryce Elser and Ous Mellouli. Utah’s time was also under the old standard.
USC opened the second day of the meet (only the 1000y free from Friday’s competition counted toward today’s scoring) the sames way it closed it – with a pool record – as the quartet of juniors Luca Spinazzola and Sergio Lujan Rivera, sophomore Maclin Davis and Quintero won the 200y medley relay in a season-best 1:26.69. The previous record was 1:27.00, set by Cal two weeks ago.
Colupaev then led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200y free with a 1:35.23. Junior Chad Bobrosky was second (1:36.35) with a season-best effort with Godbe third (1:37.73).
Freshman Dylan Carter won the 100y back (48.75) with junior teammate Kevin Carroll second (49.63). Sophomore Ridge Altman followed with a win in the 100y breast (54.93), edging junior teammate Andrew Malone’s 55.05 while Lujan Rivera was third (55.22).
The 200y fly was claimed by junior Cary Wright, who won in 1:45.78, out-touching sophomore teammate Dakota Hodgson, who finished in 1:45.85 and lowered his season best by more than three seconds. Sophomore Ted Singley was third (1:46.83).
Wagner won his final 50y free in the home pool with a 20.03 while Utah’s Ken Tiltges took second (20.28) and Trojan sophomore Fred Abramyan third (20.42).
Following the first diving break, Utah’s Nick Soedel, one of the top sprinters in the country who entered the weekend with the nation’s third-fastest 100y free time, won the event in 42.64, breaking Vladimir Morozov’s 2010 pool record of 42.93. Bobrosky was second in 44.26 while Abramyan was again third (45.27).
The Utes’ Kristian Kron made it two wins in a row with a first in the 200y back in 1:45.30 while USC sophomore Jeff Swanston was second (1:46.21) and Carroll was third (1:49.81).
Trojan freshman Steven Stumph, who owns USC’s top time this year in the 200y breast, took first in the race with a 1:58.66 with Altman following close behind in second (1:59.62) and Malone third (2:00.80).
Bloch won his final 100y fly in the home water in 47.19 with freshman Santo Condorelli second (47.99) and Utah’s Karson Applin third (48.31).
Next up for the Trojans are the Pac-12 Championships, set for March 5-8 in Federal Way, Wash.
Utah Press Release
Utah men’s swimming and diving was defeated by the fourth-ranked USC Tojans, 134-117, as the Utes won six events during the meet.
Bence Kiraly won the 500 free (4:24.25) for his second event win of the meet. He also won yesterday’s 1,000 free. Kiraly was also fourth in the 200 fly (1:46.86). Nick Soedel won the 100 free (42.64) and Karson Applin took first in the 100 fly (48.31) and was fourth in the 100 breast (55.73). Kristian Kron won the 200 back (1:45.30) and finished fourth in the 200 free (1:38.96). Nolan Rogers took first in the 200 IM (1:52.26) and was fourth in the 200 breast (2:04.87).
Adding to the wins for the Utes was the team of Ken Tiltges, Soedel, Applin and Alex Fernandes in the 400 free relay with a time of 2:54.91.
Tiltges took the second-place spot in the 50 free with a time of 20.28. Fernandes was second in the 100 fly (48.66) and fifth in the 50 free (20.92). Taking second in the 500 free was Evan Indahl with a time of 4:35.76. Indahl also took fifth in the 100 back (53.63). David Fraser was third in the 100 fly (49.71) and fifth in the 200 fly (1:49.80).
The team of Kron, Kiraly, Alex Brown and Fraser claimed the second place spot in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:03.33. In the 200 medley relay, the team of Fernandes, Applin, Fraser and Tiltges took third with a time of 1:29.93.
In the 200 IM, Brendan Nguyen took second with a time of 1:53.90 with Andy Cunningham taking third (1:56.52). Cunningham claimed third in the 100 back with a time of 51.49 and Nguyen took fourth (52.06). Cunningham also took fourth in the 200 back with a time of 1:50.08.
Jonas Holmstrom took fifth in the 100 free (45.88) and sixth in the 200 free (1:39.77). Keanu Interone was fifth in the 100 breast (56.04) and the 200 breast (2:05.48).
This was the last dual meet of the season. The Pac-12 Championships begin on Feb. 26 for the women and March 3 for the men.