Stanford Press Release
Five pool records launched the top-ranked Stanford women's swimming and diving team to a 177-123 win over No. 2 Cal in front of a standing room only crowd at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Stanford (8-0, 7-0 Pac-12) capped a second straight undefeated season, and has won 15 straight dual meets dating back to its last visit to Cal on Feb. 14, 2015. It also marked Stanford's 14th straight Pac-12 dual meet victory. Cal finished the season 7-2 overall and 6-1 against the Pac-12.
Freshman Katie Ledecky set three pool records. She began the day with an impressive double in the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200 free. As soon as she finished with a pool record in the 1000 in 9:20.41, Ledecky hopped back in the water and out-touched fellow Olympian and teammate Simone Manuel in the 200 with a facility record of 1:43.09.
Manuel set her own pool record in the 50 free. Right before the break, she hit the pad at 21.97 to top a field that will likely preview the Pac-12 and NCAA Championship finals. Then immediately after the break, Manuel and senior Lia Neal finished 1-2 in the 100 free. Manuel finished at 48.17, while Neal surged past Cal's Abbey Weitzeil to finish second at 48.49.
HU DOUBLE: Junior Janet Hu won twice (again), and set her own pool record. Hu, who has won multiple events in four straight dual meets, broke the Cal facility record with a finish of 51.61 in the 100 backstroke. Hu also won the 100 butterfly at 51.93.
TIED UP: Sophomore Kim Williams and Cal's Marina Garcia pulled off an impressive feat. The duo tied for first in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. They simultaneously touched at 1:01.89 in the 100 and did it again at 2:12.16 in the 200.
CARDINAL DEPTH: Freshmen Megan Byrnes and Katie Drabot picked up some big points behind Ledecky in the distance events. Byrnes was second in the 1000 at 9:46.47, while Drabot was second in the 500 at 4:44.86. Senior Nicole Stafford helped the Cardinal sweep the podium in the 200 free with an impressive third-place finish of 1:48.21.
SENIOR FINALE: Saturday marked the final regular season meet for Stanford seniors Neal, Stafford, Tara Halsted and Bridget Boushka.
WHAT'S AHEAD: The Pac-12 Championships are on the horizon, and Stanford will be in search of its first conference crown since 2013 -- the first season under head coach Greg Meehan. The Cardinal has finished second each of the last three years. The championships are Feb. 22-25 in Federal Way, Wash.
California Press Release
In perhaps the fastest dual meet in school history – one that saw eight pool records fall by the wayside – top-ranked Stanford emerged with a 177-123 victory over No. 2 California Saturday before a capacity crowd at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Golden Bears set two of the marks, starting with the opening 200-yard medley relay, as Amy Bilquist, Abbey Weitzeil, Noemie Thomas and Farida Osman sprinted to the finish in 1:36.67 to break to old pool and Cal dual-meet record by nearly two seconds.
The Bears also closed out the afternoon with another impressive swim in the 400 free relay. This time, Katie McLaughlin, Bilquist, Weitzeil and Osman touched the wall in 3:12.99, nearly three seconds ahead of the previous Cal dual-meet and pool record.
"I'm really proud of the girls," head coach Teri McKeever said. "We knew it was going to be challenging. We talked about coming in and competing and taking care of our controllables. I thought we fought in close races, but got out-touched in some. I don't think Marina Garcia's been better in a dual meet, and Katie McLaughlin had a really great day. Top to bottom, we saw a lot of good things. We just need to keep sharpening up and see what happens the rest of the way."
Garcia, a senior swimming in her last home meet, and Stanford's Kim Williams produced a pair of remarkable outcomes in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. In the 100, the two tied for first in 1:01.89, and a short time later, they again tied for first in the 200 in 2:12.16.
McLaughlin led from the start in the 200 butterfly and outlasted Stanford's Ella Easton, winning in 1:54.36, her fastest time of the season. In addition, sophomore Phoebe LaMay captured the 3-meter diving event with a score of 325.28, five points ahead of the Cardinal's Haley Farnsworth.
Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky won all three of her individual races in pool-record form, taking the 200 free (1:43.09), 500 free (4:35.89) and 1000 free (9:20.41). Cal freshman Chenoa Devine was third in the 1000 free with a personal-best 9:51.47.
Other pool records set included Stanford's Simone Manuel in the 50 free (21.97) and 100 free (48.17), while the Cardinal's Janet Hu claimed the 100 back in 51.61. Cal's Bilquist was second in the 100 back in a Cal dual-meet record 52.15.
The meet was Cal's final dual of the year. Next up are the Pac-12 Championships Feb. 22-25 in Federal Way, Wash., followed by the NCAA Championships March 15-18 in Indianapolis.
