USC
2011 Pac-10 Swimming and Diving Championships
No. 6 USC Claims 3 Pac-10 Titles
February 24, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 24, 2011
Junior Katinka Hosszu and sophomore Haley Anderson each won their second career conference titles while junior diver Victoria Ishimatsu won her fourth to lead No. 6 USC on the second day of the Pac-10 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday (Feb. 24) at the Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.
USC is in third place at the halfway point with 453.5 points. Stanford is in first (506.5) with Cal in second (478), UCLA fourth (336), Arizona fifth (294), ASU sixth (234), Washington State seventh (160) and Oregon State eighth (138).
"Though we might lack the depth to win the Pac-10 team title, winning three individual events of five in the first full day of competition was huge for the Trojans," USC head coach Dave Salo said. "Cal and Stanford each won one title apiece. I am proud of our efforts this first night. We are capable of taking down several more titles this weekend. Katinka and Haley were outstanding in their wins. Tori dominated the 1-meter board. I believe we have a stronger NCAA Championship team, especially where scoring is limited to top 16."
Anderson won the 1650y as a freshman and was second in the 500y free last year. But in a battle with her sister, Alyssa, a junior at Arizona -- as well as a deep Pac-10 pool of distance swimmers -- Haley outlasted them all.
She was in second after 200 yards behind Cal's Shelley Harper but took over first with about 150 yards to go. Alyssa surged to second with 50 yards to go, but Haley had plenty left to win in 4:38.78 to her sister's 4:40.16. Stanford's Andie Taylor was third (4:40.82). Haley's win was USC's first in the event since 2006 and was just off her season best. "I was happy with my time for this part of the season and I know I will be better in a couple of weeks," Anderson said. "It was fun racing against my sister. It always is. She is great at racing and always makes it fun."
¬Hosszu led a quartet of Trojans who qualified for the 200y IM final and won the final with time to spare in 1:53.53, 0.06 off her school record. Hosszu led from the outset and finished well ahead of second-place Caitlin Leverenz (1:54.97) of Cal and third-place Maya DiRado (1:55.11) of Stanford. It was USC's first win in the 200y IM since Michala Kwasny won the race in 2003. Troy's only other victory in the event came in 1997, when Kristine Quance's win ended 11 straight Stanford firsts in the race.
As she did last year, senior Lyndsay DePaul joined Hosszu in the 200y IM final. Fifth last year, she finished fourth this time in 1:56.77, a season-best. Joining the upperclassmen in the final was a pair of freshmen. Stina Gardell, USC's spring semester transfer from Sweden, tied for fifth with a 1:57.85 (just off her season-best prelim time of 1:57.78) while Meghan Hawthorne was eighth in 1:59.65. Hawthorne earned the final berth after qualifying seventh in prelims (1:59.22, a season-best by three seconds).
"I was very glad that three of my teammates could join me in the final," Hosszu said. "After Haley's 500y free victory, we were all very pumped to race and I just went after it."
Ishimatsu, the two-time reigning Pac-10 Diver of the Year, continued her superb season by winning the 1-meter with 366.75 points, a Pac-10 meet record. ASU's Elina Eggers was second (343.85). Ishimatsu qualified first out of prelims with 327.80 points. Her win marks was USC's 22nd women's Pac-10 diving title and Troy's 11th 1-meter title in the past 16 years.
"Tori dove flawlessly today," USC head diving coach Hongping Li said.
Freshman Kasey Carlson, who went a season-best 22.30 in prelims, finished fifth in the final in 22.39. Senior Presley Bard finished 11th in the 50 free (22.79). She went 22.67 in prelims, barely missing the final. Sophomores Lindsay Parrish (23.37) and Kate Shumway (23.44) both posted season-bests in prelims. In the `C' final, Parrish bettered it again with a 23.21 while Shumway went 23.46.
Junior Amanda Smith, who missed qualifying for the final by one spot, won the `B' final with a 4:43.39 while freshman Lynette Lim took 13th (4:46.69, season best) and senior Ellie Doran 15th (4:50.63).
Sophomore Jessica Schmitt was 13th in the 200y IM (2:00.10). In diving, junior Michela Fossati-Bellani was 11th (262.80) on 1-meter while senior Christine Petrilli was 25th (211.50).
In the 200y free relay, USC was fourth as the quartet of Carlson, Bard, DePaul and Parrish finished in 1:30.29.
In the men's diving championships being held concurrently with the women's meet, USC junior Harrison Jones (413.85) finished third and senior Steven Starks claimed sixth (360.50) on 3-meter.
The meet continues Friday and Saturday with prelims at 11 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.
Click here for the Pac-10 Championships home site, featuring results, recaps and photo galleries.
Click here for live results.
Click here for the Pac-10 Championships psych sheet.
Click here for Pac-10 Swimming and Diving Championships scheduling information.
Players Mentioned
