By Kyle Accornero
It has been said “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” and that is exactly the case this week in the inaugural MPSF Swimming Championships. The teams converging on Long beach this week will be vying to be the first team to leave its mark on the newly formed conference and hopefully blow the crowd away with some fast swimming.
Up first, a look at the 9 women’s teams of the MPSF: This may be a 3-horse race between the deep teams of Cal Poly, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara, but should they not bring their “A” game, everyone else will be there to reap the reward.
CSU Bakersfield
After spending the last 3 seasons in Conference USA, the Roadrunners come into Long Beach looking for a piece of the championship pie. The team is led by junior Rachel McCall (Calgary, Alberta), who could place in the Top 8 in 4 events and boasts the top time in the 50 and 100 Frees. Also looking to make solid contributions are sophomore Louise Westergren (Malmo, Sweden), senior Stephanie Donnelly (Halifax, Nova Scotia), senior Rachel Holm (Rocklin, CA), junior Isabell Nystrom (Stockholm, Sweden), and sophomore diver Jordan Reed (Bakersfield, CA). Donnelly, Holm, Westergren, and McCall have also combined to produce the second fastest 400 Medley Relay this season.
Cal Poly
After reasserting themselves in the former Big West Conference, the Mustangs are back and better than ever and are making a serious push to be crowned MPSF Champions. Led by two time MPSF swimmer of the week, junior Lacey Buck (Torrance, CA), who also sits atop the 1650 Free rankings, and multiple school record holders, junior Gloria Benefield (San Diego, CA) and sophomore Angie Haven (Monrovia, CA), Cal Poly also brings depth to the table, having multiple Top 8 times on the season in 11 of the contested events at the conference meet and 4 podium worthy relays. Freshman divers Sami McIntyre (Fair Oaks, CA), Meaghan O’Meara (Fresno, CA), and Noelle Vavuris (Novato, CA) will also contribute on the 1M and 3M diving boards. Also, Buck and junior Kylie France (La Mirada, CA) also will look to improve upon her NCAA “B” cuts in the 1650 and 400 IM respectively.
UC Davis
After winning their first ever Big West Conference Title last year, the Aggies are making a determined effort to add the first ever MPSF Conference Title to their trophy case. Led by returners Kayleigh Foley (Pleasanton, CA), Linda Hermann (Solana Beach, CA), and Heidi Kucera (Atherton, CA), who combine for 5 top performances this season, the ladies of Davis expect solid contributions from underclassmen Grace Benefield (San Diego, CA), Madeline Talt (Pasadena, CA), Liliana Alvarez (San Anselmo), Sabrina Cochrane (Novato, CA), and senior Ashley Chandler (Newport Beach, CA) in order to make it to the top of a competitive conference. Also keep an eye out for Kucera (100/200 Br, 200 IM) and Alvarez (100 Br) as they look to punch their tickets to Austin, TX and NCAAs next month.
LMU
Since 1991, LMU has been a part of the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference, but this year the Lady Lions run with a new pack. Leading the way are sophomores Rachel Dekar (Bloomfield Hills, MI) and Sophie Allen (Boulder, CO), junior Tammy Choy (Millbrae, CA), and 2-time MPSF swimmer of the week, senior Isabella Zhang (Hong Kong, China). These four look to get LMU rolling into some finals swims as well as put a couple of relays onto the podium.
Northern Colorado
The Bears of Northern Colorado will be bringing their talents to Long Beach after a 3 year stint in Conference USA. Led by a mixed group of classes and events, the Bears are on the prowl for point scoring swims and are ready for the week to come. A strong diving duo of senior Kelly Schmeckpeper-Cook (Denver, CO) and sophomore Sara Moldenhauer (Colorado Springs, CO) will aim to pull off the impressive 1-2 finish on both boards. Freshman Courtney Van Oost (Elgin, IL) will lead the swimming squadron along with her upperclassmen teammates junior Jennifer Smith (Centennial, CO) and senior Tori Gutt (Tucson, AZ). These ladies are ready to make their mark in the MPSF.
University of the Pacific
After a 4th place finish in the final Big West Conference Championships, this year’s Pacific squad is youthful and senior-less. Trying to balance out the lack of experience are juniors Jayme Swalin (Kenmore, WA), Elena Walterman (Framingham, MA) and sophomores Allie Vetterlein (Seattle, WA), Mallory McGowan (Colusa, CA), and Jenna Chaplin (Nassau, Bahamas). The top newcomers to the Tigers are MPSF swimmer of the Week Hayley Shillington (Thousand Oaks, CA), Mary-Ella Randall (Walnut Creek, CA), Brittney-Odette Cameron (Weymouth, England), and Shelby Bolin (Blue Springs, MO). The Tigers look to break through and crack into the elite teams that moved from the former Big West Conference.
University of San Diego
A former member of the Western Athletic Conference, the Toreros are looking for improvement upon last year’s 7th place WAC finish. Leading the way is sophomore MPSF Swimmer of the Week Francesca Finucane (Palos Park, IL) and junior Sarah Geerdes (Valley Center, CA). In this conference, depth is going to be key, and the Toreros boast that in freshmen Emily Lightcap (Lake Oswego, OR) and Eleanor Phillips (Nashville, TN), and sophomores Kelly Stone (Lakewood, CO) and Melissa Andruzzi (Chicago, IL). In relay action, the USD has podium potential in the best 200 and 3rd 400 and 800 Free Relays.
UC Santa Barbara
A great history and tradition resides on the campus of Santa Barbara, but it all comes down to the here and the now: and the ladies are rising to the occasion. The Gauchos have strong across the board with star power and depth: they own 5 top times from the season and also have multiple top 8 performers in 11 of the contested events. Led up front by junior Kendall Neely (Oxnard, CA), sophomore Paige Bradley (Danville, CA), and freshman Allison Knight (Sand Diego, CA), UCSB brings a group that will only lose 2 senior swimmers and a senior diver. They will be looking to send the seniors out at the peak of the MPSF Conference Meet.
Seattle University
After a solid season in the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference, the women of Seattle join the MPSF hungry for more. Led by junior Alexis Morehouse (Vancouver, WA) in the Breaststrokes, the Redhawks are going to rely heavily on the sophomore contingent of Rachel Leighter (Eugene, OR), Kelvyn Richards (Gig Harbor, WA), and juniors Tina Nguyen (Hillsboro, OR) and Hayley Cobb (Irvine, CA). With such a young group, the senior leadership of Kelsey Henan (Billings, MT) and Heather Nelson (Bremerton, WA) is going to help guide the Redhawks to a successful championships meet.
On the men’s side, it really is 3-horse race. But what may be lacking in quantity certainly is not go to lack in quality of the races in the pool and on the scoreboard, especially with only 6 finalists in each scoring heat.
CSU Bakersfield
The Runners litter the conference with top performances led by sophomore Jake Priest (Las Vegas, NV) in the 200 Free and Fly as well as the 200 and 400 IMs, junior Mark Silvius (Bakersfield, CA) in the 100 Free, freshman and Evan Vizcarra (Penngrove, CA) in the 1650 Free, senior Luka Leskur (Split, Croatia) in the 100 Back, senior Chad McKenzie (Durban, South Africa) in the 100 and 200 Breaststrokes, senior Matthew Parsonage (Durban, South Africa) in the 100 Fly. The men have also combined for every top relay performance. These performances were primarily done at the Arena Invite just before Thanksgiving. Should the men repeat these performances, they will set themselves up nicely to capture the first MPSF Men’s Swimming Championship.
University of the Pacific
Without a single conference leading time, the Tigers have nowhere to go but up. Leading this charge up through the rankings are underclassmen Oliver Simkovic (Vienna, Austria), Zach Zlotoff (San Jose, CA), Roger Ward (San Leandro, CA). To match the underclassmen firepower, the senior leaders Chris Berg (Chico, CA), Tyler Hannis (Santa Rosa, CA), David Hernandez (Chico, CA), Steven Woods (Walnut Creek, CA), and Daniel Platow (Westport, CT) must provide the spark and desire in order for Pacific to surprise the rest of the conference.
Seattle University
The Seattle men come in to the MPSF Conference meet owning whatever top times that CSUB does not. The cream of the crop is junior Jordan Anderson (Newburg, OR) in the 50 Free, sophomore Murray Longbotham (Mercer Island, WA) in the 500 Free, and sophomore Joe Wertz (Richland, WA) in the 200 Back. The Redhawks also have good depth to their team to combat the barrage of conference bests by CSUB in freshman Nic Morrell (Bend, OR), sophomore James Gilmore (Eugene, OR), and junior Erin Warren (Seattle, WA). Relays will be a large separator in the point total, and with the quality of swimmers the Redhawks have, they will be in the run for a couple relay victories.
