An incredible day of competition came down to the final 25 yards as freshman Kyle Grissom’s 200y free relay anchor leg gave the No. 12 USC men’s swimming and diving team both a win in the relay as well a 149.5-148.5 overall victory over No. 2 Cal on Friday (Feb. 5) at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Troy’s first win over the Bears since 2000.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” said USC Coach Dave Salo. “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. We look at a team like Cal knowing we can stick with them. The divers were huge. This was a transformational meet for us.”
Teams
| Pos | Team | Score | Points | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern California | 149 | 783.7 | 0.1% |
| 2 | California | 148 | 801.1 | -1.8% |
Top Swims
| Pos | Name | Team | Event | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Murphy | 100 Back | 45.85 | 887.00 | |
| 2 | Joshua (Josh) Prenot | 200 IM | 1:44.94 | 867.00 | |
| 3 | Jacob Pebley | 200 Back | 1:41.55 | 866.00 | |
| 4 | Pawel Furtek | 1000 Free | 9:02.99 | 860.00 | |
| 5 | Patrick Mulcare | 200 Back | 1:42.07 | 853.00 |
The Trojans improved to 7-1 overall, 3-0 in the Pac-12. Cal, despite setting five pool records today, dropped to 5-1, 3-1. The last time USC defeated Cal was a 128-115 home win on Feb. 4, 2000.
USC’s 200y free relay of sophomore Ralf Tribuntsov, junior Reed Malone, senior Morten Klarskov and Grissom won in 1:20.32, 0.04 better than Cal’s 1:20.36. Even with Cal’s third-place finish it was just enough for a 1-point win. Grissom entered the final leg behind by 0.51, but took over the lead over the final 10 yards
Cal opened the meet with a pool record in the 200y medley relay, winning in 1:25.39, lowering USC’s 2014 time of 1:26.69. Tribuntsov, David Morgan Jr., Maclin Davis and Grissom finished third in a season-best 1:28.
Sophomore Pawel Furtek next won the first of his two races, swimming a great 1000y free in a season-best 9:02.99, nicely ahead of Cal second-place finisher Nick Norman (9:05.64).
Minutes later, Trojan junior Reed Malone was third halfway through the 200y free, but moved to second with 50 to go and dominated the final 50 to win in 1:36.76.
Cal junior Ryan Murphy, the defending NCAA champion in both backstroke distances, won the 100y distance in 45.85 to set a pool record, lowering the previous mark by 0.70 (Peter Marshall, Stanford, 2002). Trojan freshman Patrick Mulcare took second in 47.75, an NCAA ‘B’ cut.
USC freshman Carsten Vissering broke the pool record (54.21) in the 100y breast with a winning time of 53.09, 0.55 ahead of Cal’s Josh Prenot. Cal’s Andrew Seliskar won the 200y fly in 1:45.11 with Trojan freshman Alex Valente second (1:47.37).
Tribuntsov (20.17) and Grissom (20.20) turned in a 1-2 finish in the 50y free, both season bests (the former a B cut), to close the first half of racing.
USC divers dominated the 1- and 3-meter springboard. Senior Deon Reid posted a personal best 393.53 to lead a 1-2-3 sweep on 3-meter. Sophomore Dashiell Enos was second (384.83) while senior Collin Pollard was third (367.80). Pollard led efforts on 1-meter, winning with 355.28. Reid was second (347.78) and Enos third (299.70).
Following the diving break, Tribuntsov ran out of water during a come back attempt in the 100y free, finishing second in 44.17 to Murphy’s winning 43.86. It was a season-best effort for Tribuntsov and another new ‘B’ cut.
Cal’s Jacob Pebley won the 200y back in 1:41.55, lowering former Cal swimmer David Russell’s 2006 pool record of 1:41.88 (2006). Mulcare was just off the pool record, finishing second in 1:42.07.
Prenot took the 200y breast in another pool record of 1:55.46, lowering Cal’s Henrique Barbosa’s 2006 time of 1:56.45. USC finished 2-3-4, led by junior Steven Stumph’s 1:56.70, just off the old record. Sophomore Jonah Hu was third (1:59.60) and Vissering was fourth (1:59.79).
Furtek doubled up and combined with Malone for a 1-2 finish in the 500y free, finishing 4:25.41 and 4:26.87, respectively. Cal’s Ryan Kao was third (4:28.43). That 1-2 finish put USC ahead briefly, 112.5-111.5.
The Bears grabbed the lead back with a 1-2 finish in the 100y fly with Lynch (47.18) and Seliskar (47.46). USC’s Valente was third (47.70) in the Trojans’ top time of the season. With 3-meter scoring added following the 100y fly, USC edged in front 133.5-128.5 entering the 200y IM.
Prenot (1:44.95)’s win in the 200y IM, and another pool record, flipped the score again to help put the Bears again 1:42.5-138.5. USC’s Mulcare was second in 1:46.78, 0.67 off the old pool record set by Cal’s Miguel Molina in 2006.
USC finishes the home schedule Saturday against Stanford at 12 p.m. on Senior Day.