No. 9 USC Set To Defend Pac-12 Title

February 29, 2016 | Men's Swimming & Diving

Feb. 29, 2016

The No. 9 USC men's swimming and diving team, the defending conference champion and coming off one of its best dual meet seasons in some time, turns full focus to the Pac-12 Swimming Championships, Wednesday through Saturday (March 2-5), in Federal Way, Wash.

This season, the USC men's team (9-1 overall, 4-1 in the Pac12) opened this season with road wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, followed with home victories over Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield before a road win over Arizona State and a road loss at Arizona. They closed fall action at the Texas Invitational. The Trojans resumed the dual meet season with a January win over Wisconsin before sweeping Cal and Stanford two weeks ago for the first time since 1997. It completed its dual meet action with a road win at Utah.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE, RESULTS
Events kick off on Wednesday (March 2) with timed finals of the 200y medley and 800y free relays that begin at 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (March 3-5), prelims begin at 11 a.m. and finals start at 6 p.m. each day. Thursday's schedule features the 500y free, 200y IM, 50y free and 200y free relay. Friday features the 400y IM, 100y fly, 200y free, 100y breast, 100y back and 400y medley relay. Saturday's finale includes a timed final of the 1650y free, 200y back, 100y free, 200y breast, 200y fly and the 400y free relay. The Pac-12 Men's Diving Championships were held currently with the women's meet last week.

For a complete Pac-12 Championships schedule, a psych sheet, as well as results, recaps and ticket information, click here. The psych sheet is also here. The Pac-12 Network will broadcast delayed one-hour packages Friday through Sunday (March 4-6) at 10 a.m. each day.

PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS NOTES
The Trojans are coming off their first Pac-12 title since 1979, winning the 2015 conference crown with a program-record 818.5 points. USC, which has 18 Pac-12 titles overall, came from behind on the final night to overtake Stanford (809.5) while defending champion California was third (673). The last time the meet was decided by nine or less points was 1999, when Stanford edged Cal by eight points. USC, which had only finished as high as second place four times since its last conference title (it had been second most recently in 2001), entered the final event, the 400y free relay, with a three-point cushion and won the relay to clinch the title. USC also won the 800y free and 400y medley relays. Individually, then-senior Cristian Quintero won the 100y, 200y and 500y free titles (the first man ever to sweep those events at the same Pac-12 meet) while then-sophomore Steven Stumph won the 200y breast ... USC has won at least one Pac-12 individual title for 19 consecutive seasons (1997-2015) and has 242 individual conference crowns overall ... USC has won the past six Pac-12 200y free titles -- the longest streak in conference history -- and claimed it 11 times since 1997. Junior Reed Malone is seeded third in the event, where he was fourth last year and sixth as a freshman. He was also second in the 500y free last year ... Freshman Carsten Vissering holds the top seed in the 100y breast while senior Morten Klarskov is fourth. Klarskov is also fifth in the 200y breast while defending champion Stumph is sixth. Sophomore Ralf Tribuntsov was second last year in the 100y back and went a Pac-12 Championships record 44.95 in prelims. He's seeded sixth this week and also ninth in the 100y free. No Trojan has won the 100y or 200y back since Lenny Krayzelburg won both back-to-back years in 1997-98. ... Sophomore Pawel Furtek and senior Ted Singley are seeded seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 1650y free. Furtek finished second last year by less than two seconds ... Freshman Patrick Mulcare, who has distinguished himself this spring by his versatility, is the fifth seed in the 200y back ... Junior Domagala figures to be strong in the 100y and 200y fly after going sixth and third, respectively, in the events last year.

At the Pac-12 Men's Diving Championships last week, seniors Collin Pollard and Deon Reid and sophomore Dashielle Enos combined for seven A finals and two titles as USC totaled 127 points, tied with Stanford for most points on the three boards. Pollard won his first career title in his last event, winning platform. He was also a career-best second on 1-meter and was fifth on 3-meter. Enos won his first conference title as well, capturing 3-meter, taking fourth on platform and ninth on 1-meter. Reid was sixth on 3-meter, seventh on platform and 10th on 1-meter.

TOP TIMES -- Trojan swimmers and divers with NCAA `B' cuts
Maclin Davis: 100y fly (47.95).
Cash DeLoache: 200y IM (1:48.77).
Michael Domagala: 200y free (1:37.42), 200y IM (1:47.37), 100y (48.08) and 200y fly (1:45.41).
Dashiell Enos: 1M (326.85), 3M (398.63).
Pawel Furtek: 500y (4:21.05), 1650y free (15:09.79).
Kyle Grissom: 50y free (20.16).
Jonah Hu: 100y (54.47), 200y breast (1:58.45).
Morten Klarskov: 200y IM (1:45.11), 100y (53.44), 200y breast (1:56.28).
Jon Knox: 200y free (1:37.79), 200y back (1:45.56).
Reed Malone: 200y (1:35.58), 500y free (4:19.59).
David Morgan Jr.: 100y breast (54.75).
Patrick Mulcare: 200y free (1:37.97), 200y IM (1:46.78), 100y (47.75), 200y back (1:42.07).
Collin Pollard: 1M (365.18), 3M (390.75), platform (379.70).
Deon Reid: 1M (347.78), 3M (421.35), platform (371.70).
Ted Singley: 500y (4:23.51), 1650y free (15:11.86).
Steven Stumph: 100y (54.69), 200y breast (1:56.70).
Ralf Tribuntsov: 50y (20.17), 100y free (44.17), 100y fly (44.79), 100y back (47.15).
Alex Valente: 100y (47.70), 200y fly (1:47.37).
Carsten Vissering: 100y (53.09), 200y breast (1:58.82).
Tim Wynter: 100y back (48.15).

USC 411
The men's team (6-2 overall in 2014-15, 4-1 in the Pac-12) is coming of its first conference title since 1979 and its second fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships in the last three years. The Trojan men are led by team captains Ted Singley and Morten Klarskov, both seniors, and junior Reed Malone. Malone and Klarskov join junior Michael Domagala and sophomore Ralf Tribuntsov as returning All-Americans. Also back is NCAA individual scorers junior Steven Stumph and senior diver Collin Pollard. Others back with NCAA experience include seniors Ridge Altman, Singley and Maclin Davis, sophomore diver Dashiell Enos and senior diver Deon Reid and sophomore Pawel Furtek.

Among the key freshmen for the USC men are sprinter Kyle Grissom, breaststrokers Billy Monjay and Carsten Vissering, the NAG record holder (15-16) in the 100y and 100m breast, backstroker and IMer Patrick Mulcare, butterflyer Alex Valente, and backstroker Tim Wynter.

TROJAN NOTES
* Trojan freshmen have been making a major impact and are dotting the top of USC's top times list. Patrick Mulcare owns USC's top times in the 100y and 200y back and the 400y IM while Kyle Grissom tops the 50y free. Alex Valente has USC's top time in the 100y fly and Carsten Vissering owns Troy's best effort this year in the 100y breast. Mulcare earned CollegeSwimming.com's Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors after he helped USC sweep Cal and Stanford. He won the 100y and 200y back and the 200y IM against Stanford and was second in each event against Cal. His losses against the Bears came against defending NCAA backstroke champion Ryan Murphy.

* The Trojans were well represented at the 2015 FINA World Championships. Trojans who won medals included junior Reed Malone (silver, 800m free relay), senior Kendyl Stewart (silver, 400m medley relay), junior Chelsea Chenault (gold, 800m free relay) and junior Santo Condorelli (bronze, 400m mixed free relay, Canada). Other current Trojans who competed included junior Michael Domagala (Poland), junior Dylan Carter (Trinidad and Tobago), senior Kasia Wilk (Poland) and sophomore Ralf Tribuntsov (Estonia).

* USC Head Assistant Coach Catherine Vogt was named the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Open Water Head Coach on Sept. 30. She recently coached the U.S. at the 2015 FINA World Championships, where she led the Americans to the Open Water team title. She also was the head coach at the 2013 World Championships, among other international assignments.

* USA Swimming announced its list of the "30 Most Influential People in Swimming over the Past 30 Years" in July of 2015 and USC swimmers and coaches -- led by current head coach Dave Salo -- accounted for an impressive six members of the elite squad. In addition to Salo on the list are legendary Trojan head coaches Peter Daland and Mark Schubert, former USC All-American and current Cal head women's coach Teri McKeever, former USC assistant coach, Trojan graduate and all-time swimming great Janet Evans and former volunteer assistant coach Jon Urbanchek.

* Senior Collin Pollard reached the final on platform to cap off the USC men's and women's efforts at the 2015 USA Diving Winter Nationals. He finished 12th in the platform final with 992.60 points, 669.80 carried over from the semifinals. Freshman Madison Witt and senior Sam Adams reached the semifinals on women's platform, finishing 17th (434.40) and 19th (382.35), respectively.

* Senior Kendyl Stewart competed at the 2015 Duel in the Pool for the U.S., taking fourth in the 100m fly (56.67). Incoming freshman Becca Mann raced twice for the Americans, finishing third in the 800m free (8:12.43) and fifth in the 400m IM (4:31.14). Former Trojan great Katinka Hosszu led Europe's efforts at the Duel in the Pool with wins in the 200m and 400m IM and the 200m back while fellow Euro teammate and former USC NCAA champ Vladimir Morozov posted top 3 efforts in the 50m and 100m free. Stewart, at the 2015 U.S. Winter Nationals, took third in 58.45.

TROJANS IN THE COMMUNITY
The Trojans' swimming and diving teams have developed a strong presence in the community, involved in a variety of ways.

* The entire team has adopted the South L.A.-based Bethune Middle School and has worked with its students for the past year to not only overcome fears of water while learning to swim but to develop important life skills as well. The program, kick-started by USC junior and former Trojan swimmer Jamie Christy, includes weekly visits to the school by various USC swimmers. On Nov. 21, in conjunction with the Trojan Swim Club, USC held a fundraising event -- the Fall Challenge -- for the program. The day before, USC swimmers visited the school for a clinic with students and their parents.

* For the fourth year in a row, USC's men's and women's swimming and diving teams packaged 10,000 meals (on Nov. 10) at Uytengsu Aquatics Center that went directly to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The entire swim and dive team turned out for the event and packaging meals assembly style to give back to the youth of Los Angeles. "As student-athletes, these kids understand the role they have in helping other people less fortunate than they are," said Head Assistant Coach Catherine Vogt. "We are just happy to be able to be good representatives of the sport and of USC." The Trojans partnered with Feeding Children Everywhere, a non-profit organization that works to provide meals to hungry children throughout the world. Student-athletes worked together to measure, package and seal the meals for delivery to the food bank.

* Senior Brianna Weinstein was one of two USC representatives at the Pac-12's SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) conference in November to discuss various conference issues. In addition to the meetings, the Pac-12 athletes spent time with Special Olympians, unifying in some competitive bowling and heartfelt camaraderie.

* USC's swimmers and divers annually participate in and raise money for Troy's multi-million-dollar benefit, Swim With Mike, that raises money for college scholarships for student-athletes with physical challenges. The annual swim-a-thon was established in 1981 and was originally scheduled to be a one-time event. It was organized by friends and teammates on behalf of Mike Nyeholt, a three-time All-American swimmer who was paralyzed from the chest down following a motorcycle accident suffered in January of 1981. More than $58,000 was raised in the first swim and the total has since swelled to close to $17 million with nearly 200 total scholarships granted to 90 universities, representing 60 sports. While USC's annual event is set for April 2, fundraisers have sprouted to many schools, including Cal, UConn, Hawaii, Stanford, Arizona and UC Santa Barbara. For more information, go to SwimWithMike.org.