University Southern California Trojans
A Very Sweet Sweep
February 01, 2016 | USC Ripsit Blog
A Very Sweet Sweep
For the first time since 1997, USC men's swimming swept Cal and Stanford, punctuating the team's final two home dual meets of the season last weekend. The No. 12 Trojans, led by phenomenal performances from three underclassmen in both meets, upset the No. 2 Bears and No. 10 Cardinal to give them a surge of momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
Click here for a complete recap of the Trojans' nail-biting victory over the Bears.
And click here for a complete recap of USC's upset over Stanford.
The Trojans kicked off their winning weekend on Friday, besting Cal for the first time since 2000 by just one point (149.5-148.5) in a meet that came down to the final 25 yards of the 200y free relay. The epic finish came courtesy of freshman Kyle Grissom, whose anchor leg comeback propelled USC to the wall just .04 seconds ahead of the Bears.
"This was a transformational meet for us," said head coach Dave Salo after USC's gutsy performance. "I'm really proud of these guys. They stayed in the meet all the way through. They never gave up and have really matured coming off last year's Pac-12 win."
Fellow underclassmen, sophomore Pawel Furtek and freshman Carsten Vissering, also aided in the Trojans' victory, with Furtek winning both the 1000y free and 500y free and Vissering breaking the pool record to win the 100y breast in 54.21.
On Saturday, the Trojans secured another upset victory, topping Stanford, 167-133, for an 8-1 overall record and a 4-0 record in conference. Freshman Patrick Mulcare snagged three first place wins in the 100y back, 200y back and 200y IM, while Furtek once again won the 1000y and 500y free races. USC also swept the 3m diving events for the second meet in a row.
The Trojans finish the regular season against Utah in Salt Lake on February 20. Be sure to follow @USCswim for behind-the-scenes access to both the USC men's and women's swimming teams as they inch closer to postseason competition.
Check out the SnappyTV highlights from the Trojans' upset over Cal on Friday...
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