UC San Diego Press Release
LA JOLLA, Calif. - The University of California San Diego men's and women's swimming and diving programs handled rival California Baptist University in dual meets on Senior Day Saturday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
The fifth-ranked UC San Diego men (4-0) knocked off No. 15 CBU (4-5) by the final score of 167-129. The No. 6 Triton women (6-2) had an easier time with the 13th-ranked Lancer women (3-5), doubling them up, 200-100.
For the second year in a row, the Tritons' Senior Day meet was aired live in high definition on UCSD's streaming platform, UCSDtritons.tv.
Both the UCSD men and women won 11 of their 16 respective events. Multiple individual first-place finishes went to four Triton swimmers, while the home side also swept all four relays contested on the afternoon.
For the men, senior All-American Michael Cohn (Solana Beach/Grossmont College) hit the wall first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.31) and his specialty, the 200 backstroke (1:51.20). The former race was an exciting one, as the local product edged CBU's Justin Quiroga (1:41.75) down the stretch by less than half a second.
Junior Kevin Fink was victorious in the 200 butterfly (1:53.62) and 400 individual medley (4:07.30). On the women's side, junior All-American Julia Toronczak (Santee/West Hills HS) swept the backstroke events (57.56 and 2:02.70), while senior All-American Jaimie Bryan took care of business in the breaststroke races (1:04.08 and 2:16.65).
Remaining individual winners for the men were senior co-captain Julian Jacobs (100 back, 51.37), junior All-American Kevin Wylder (50 free, 20.98), Tin Huynh (100 free, 47.31), fellow true freshman Jack Spitser (500 free, 4:43.30), and sophomore Garrett Tse (100 fly, 50.49).
For the women, they were freshman Alayna Gocke (200 free, 1:53.27, B), sophomore Emily Lambert (200 fly, 2:07.57), junior All-American Angie Phetbenjakul (50 free, 24.20), senior tri-captain Natalie Tang (100 free, 52.58), and freshman Anissa Barroso (400 IM, 4:32.79).
Eight Tritons were recognized prior to the meet, in Bryan, Tang and Sierra Gage for the women, and Cohn, Jacobs, Gabriel Hernandez, Mike Nguyen and Zach Yong. All are fourth-year members of the program, aside from Cohn and Hernandez, a first-year transfer and member of the Venezuela national team who was unavailable on Saturday. Nguyen is a first-year co-captain who did not miss a meet in his career.
In diving, freshman Tiffany Wong was the top Triton finisher on both springboards as the runner-up from one meter (232.72) and three (228.22). Brooke Abrantes (228.15 and 226.57) was third in each, with diving coach Jon Realalso praising the improved performance this season of fellow sophomore Delainey Carlin (213.15 and 221.15), who was fourth in both events. Junior Trevor Jackson (Ramona/Ramona HS) was third off of one meter (210.52) and fourth from three meters (255.70).
UCSD produced a pair of clean 1-2-3 sweeps in individual events, those coming in the women's 100 back from Toronczak, Alex Rodman (58.93) and Elee Wong (59.73), and the men's 50 free from Wylder, Huynh (21.43) and Chris Hargrove (21.59).
The Tritons turned in eight NCAA consideration qualifying marks, all by the women, though none were season bests. Those came from Gocke in the 200 and 500 (5:04.59, 2nd) free, fellow freshman Casey Brotherton in the 1650 (17:29.48, 2nd), Bryan in the 100 and 200 breast, Phetbenjakul right behind Bryan in the 100 breast (1:04.19), Toronczak in the 200 back and the first-place 200 free relay (1:35.72) of Tang, Sarah Yao, Phetbenjakul and junior anchor Haley Murphy.
UCSD went 1-2 in three of the four relays for maximum points, with the lone exception the men's 200 free relay to cap the day, in which its B foursome was third behind CBU. Sawyer Farmer, Huynh, Hargrove and Wylder timed 1:25.03 to win that race, with the senior relay of Jacobs, Nguyen, Cohn and Yong fourth in 1:28.78.
The women's 400 medley relay at the start of Toronczak, Phetbenjakul, junior Jayna Wittenbrink and Tang combined for a mark of 3:52.69. The men's squad consisted of Cohn, freshman breaststroker Edgar Chin, Wylder and Jacobs in 3:25.81.
Saturday meant the completion of the regular season for the UC San Diego men, whose focus now shifts to the 2017 Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference (PCSC) Championships, to be held Feb. 8-11 in Monterey Park. Both the Triton men and women are eight-time defending PCSC champions.
The UCSD women first welcome in crosstown rival University of San Diego for a dual-meet season finale next Saturday, Jan. 28. The first event at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla is set to go off at 12 p.m. Parking and admission are free.
