The University of Utah women’s swimming and diving team came out on top against UC Davis, 171-125, this Friday evening in the Ute Natatorium.
“It’s our first win so that is always a plus and positive,” said Utah head coach Joe Dykstra. “I thought we were a little too relaxed to start the meet and then we got into the racing as it went further along. Overall, I’m pleased with the performance but I know we are going to have to be much better tomorrow against UNLV.”
The Utes took home wins in 10 of the 16 events. The Utes started by taking first in the 200 medley as the team of Megan Kawaguchi, Genevieve Robertson, Petra Soininen and Jenna Marsh touched in at 1:45.31. Kawaguchi and Soininen would add second-place individual finishes as well in the 200 back (2:06.29) and 100 fly (57.41), respectively.
In the 1,000 free, Kat Wickham won with a time of 10:43.36. She also took first in the 500 free touching in at 5:08.82 with Robertson right behind in second (5:08.82). Robertson picked up a win in the 100 breast with a time of 1:05.09, two seconds ahead of her opponent.
Jordan Anderson claimed the top spot in the 200 free with a time of 1:53.94. Gillian St. John took second in the event (1:55.22) with Dorien Butter in fourth (1:56.50). In the 100 free, St. John would take first with a time of 52.33. Marsh took second (53.09) with Butter in third (53.18).
Adding wins for the Utes were Marsh in the 50 free (23.95) and Stina Colleou in the 200 breast (2:20.74). Brianna Francis also took first in the 200 IM (2:07.73).
In diving, Amanda Casillas took the top spot in the one-meter event with a total score of 258.68.
In the 100 back, Shayla Archer just missed the top spot by touching in at 58.70. Isabella Kearns also took second for the Utes in the 200 fly with a time of 2:05.81.
The entire squad will return to the pool tomorrow, Nov. 7 as they take on UNLV. The meet is set to begin at 11 a.m MT in the Ute Natatorium.
UC Davis
UC Davis junior Hilvy Cheung and freshman Solie Laughlin both doubled in their signature events, while senior diver Lucy Lafranchise brought home a win on the 3-meter board, highlighting the Aggies performance in a road dual at Utah on Friday afternoon at the Ute Natatorium in Salt Lake City.
The Utes won 10 of the 16 events on the night to take home their first win of the season, 171-125, including sweeping the podium in the 100 and 500 free style on Friday evening.
Laughlin got the Aggies their first win of the night in the 100 back, touching in a season-best time of 57.69, shaving nearly three-tenths off her previous team-best of 57.98 set in the opener at Nevada on Oct. 30. Cheung followed two events later with her first of two wins on the night, posting a time of 2:03.19 to win the event by nearly three seconds.
A second win in the 200 backstroke for Laughlin came four events later as the rookie out-touched Utah's Megan Kawaguchi in a time of 2:05.44. It was her second-fastest time in the event this season and helped her lead the meet with 21 total points scored for her team. Cheung, who tied for second with 18 total points scored, then completed her double, winning the 100 fly in a time of 55.45 -- just eight-hundreths off her season-best of 55.37 set at Nevada.
Cheung then closed out the night by swimming the lead-off leg of the victorious 200 free relay squad, joined by teammates Courtney Schultz, Mia Facey, and Kirsten Brand, in a time of 1:35.10 -- two-and-a-half seconds faster than the previous best set by the quartet of Brand, Aislinn Dresel, Kaitlin Leung, and Cheung against Loyola Marymount last week.
Lafranchise scored a 271.58 on the high board for the Aggies' only other win on the night, while classmate Audrey DeNeffe finished second on the low board with a score of 247.05.
Lexy Troup (1000 free), Hailey Ferko (100 breast), and Eva Chung (200 IM), each posted runner-up finishes, while the Aggies' "A" squad of Laughlin, Ferko, Cheung, and Brand, finished second in the 200 medley relay to kick-off the night in a season-best time of 1:45.43.
UC Davis returns to the pool on Saturday morning (Nov. 7) at 10 a.m. PT, as the Aggies take on Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival BYU in Provo, Utah. UC Davis puts its 12-meet MPSF winning streak on the line against the Cougars, having not dropped a conference dual dating back to 2012.
