Women's Swimming & Diving | March 21, 2019

Junior Louise Hansson posted the second-fastest 200y IM in school history en route to a career-best fourth-place while USC's 200y free and 400y medley relays both won the consolation finals, the former with a school record, on a strong second night of the 2019 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, Texas, on Thursday (March 21).
 
The Trojans maximized their scoring opportunities with only three evening races and finished the day with 83 points, good for seventh overall. Stanford (173.5) and California (173) held the top two spots and were followed in the top 10 by Michigan (129), Louisville (100), Texas (87), North Carolina State (86), USC, Minnesota (76), Tennessee (69) and Virginia (66).
 
Hansson, the top seed in Friday's 100y fly and Saturday's 200y fly, clocked a 1:52.14 in the 200y IM, a personal best and just off Katinka Hosszu's school record of 1:51.80, the only time faster than Hansson's in Cardinal and Gold.
 
Hansson qualified fourth in today's 200y IM prelims with a 1:53.50 after winning the Pac-12 title in the race earlier this year with a 1:52.50. Hansson was seventh in the NCAA race as a freshman but did not compete in the NCAA race as a sophomore while competing on five relays.
 
USC's 200y free relay of sophomore Marta Ciesla, freshmen Laticia Transom and Jemma Schlicht and junior Tatum Wade shattered the school record to win the B final in 1:27.32, 0.70 faster than their morning swim that finished ninth in prelims. Tonight's time would have earned an A final bid and finished seventh in the A final.
 
USC's time, 0.22 ahead of second-place Missouri in the heat, erased the 2016 school mark of 1:27.57. Ciesla opened with a 21.94 50 free, just off her 21.90 in the morning, which was 0.05 behind her lifetime best. Wade split a 21.58, Schlicht a 21.96 and Transom a 21.84.
 
The Trojans' 400y medley came back just as sharp, albeit with two new swimmers from prelims. The morning quartet of Hansson, senior Riley Scott, Schlicht and Transom tied for 12^th overall in 3:31.43.
 
USC Coach Dave Salo switched it up for the final swim and saw Hansson, redshirt junior Kirsten Vose, sophomore Caitlin Tycz and Transom win the heat in 3:28.83, the second-fastest time in school history, behind only the 2017 school record of 3:27.88.
 
Hansson opened with a 51.04, Vose clocked a 59.13, Tycz split a 51.40 and Transom finished with a 47.26.
 
"We had a disappointing morning, but sometimes that disappointment is more important because it inspired the team tonight," Salo said. "The relays weren't great this morning and the girls really came back strong today. Hopefully tomorrow morning we get after it in good spirits. They proved to themselves tonight that they have it in them. We just need to get after it and come out inspired."
 
Wade was 35^th (1:57.74) in the 200y IM prelims while Kirsten Vose was 38^th (1:58.05). Ciesla finished 19^th in the 50y free prelims with a 22.15, 0.06 out of the final spot in the B final. She was 18^th a year ago. Her leadoff leg from the 200y free relay would've been good for top seed in the B final.
 
The meet continues Friday and Saturday with prelims at 7 a.m. PT and finals at 3 p.m.