2018 Women’s Pac-12 Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2018 WOMEN’S PAC-12 SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24
• Federal Way, WA (Pacific Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Stanford (1x) (results)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central
• NCAA Qualifying
• Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

We’re back with day 3 finals of the 2018 Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington. Swimmers are set to compete for individual titles in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back. We’ll also see finals of the 400 medley relay and women’s 3-meter diving. Look out for Stanford’s Katie Ledecky, who will battle American Record holder Ella Eastin shortly before racing All-American teammate Simone Manuel in the 200 free. USC’s Louise Hansson (100 fly) and ASU’s Silja Kansakoski (100 breast) are the top seeds in their respective events and will battle for their teams’ first swimming title of the meet. After a very fast morning swim, Stanford’s Janet Hu will challenge Cal’s reigning NCAA champ Kathleen Baker for the 100 back gold.

WOMEN’S 400 IM:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 3:57.68, Katie Ledecky (STAN), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 4:04.70
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 4:10.86

1. GOLD: Katie Ledecky, Stanford, 3:56.53
2. SILVER: Ella Eastin, Stanford, 3:57.32
3. BRONZE: Brooke Forde, Stanford, 4:01.04

Katie Ledecky roared to a new American Record tonight, also taking down Katinka Hosszu’s NCAA Record. Ledecky showed improvement through her fly and back legs, knocking a second from her lifetime best (and former American Record prior to Eastin breaking it at 2017 NCAAs). Ella Eastin was also under the former American Record, taking silver. Stanford freshman Brooke Forde completed the Cardinal podium sweep. Cal freshman Sarah Darcel made a big drop, touchign in 4:03.00 for 4th place.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 50.38, Janet Hu (STAN), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 51.19
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 52.52

1. GOLD: Louise Hansson, USC, 50.17
2. SILVER: Ally Howe, Stanford, 51.03
3. BRONZE: Noemie Thomas, Cal, 51.11

Louise Hansson successfully defended her Pac-12 title, giving the Trojans their first event win of the meet. Hansson popped a 22.99 up front, establishing her lead early on, and finished nearly a second ahead of the field. Stanford’s Ally Howe came from behind to out-touch Cal’s Noemie Thomas for the silver. Howe’s swim tonight was 2 seconds faster than her former best time in the USA Swimming database before today. Cal’s Katie McLaughlin was also a nail short of bronze, but ran out of room as she tried to run them down in a personal best 51.17.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 1:40.37, Simone Manuel (STAN), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:43.30
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 1:45.44

1. GOLD: Katie Ledecky, Stanford, 1:40.71
2. SILVER: Simone Manuel, Stanford, 1:40.78
3. BRONZE: Robin Neumann, Cal, 1:43.64

Shortly after her record-breaking performance in the 400 IM, Katie Ledecky was back to race defending champion Simone Manuel in this event. Manuel had the early speed, flipping in 48.80 to Ledecky’s 49.71, but Ledecky closed nearly a second faster with a 25.20 on the final 50 to Manuel’s 26.10. She hit the wall for another gold by 7 hundredths. Cal freshman Robin Neumann used her closing speed to top Stanford’s Katie Drabot (1:43.92) for the bronze.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 58.02, Sarah Haase (STAN), 2016
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 58.85
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 1:00.34

1. GOLD: Riley Scott, USC, 58.81
2. SILVER: Silja Kansakoski, ASU, 59.04
3. BRONZE: Kim Williams, Stanford, 59.07

USC’s Riley Scott put the Trojans on top again, splitting 27.66 en route to her 58.81 victory. Arizona State’s Silja Kansakoski and Stanford’s Kim Williams were neck-and-neck the whole way through, with Kansakoski getting her hands to the wall a few hundredths ahead for the silver. USC freshman Maggie Aroesty (59.35) and Cal freshman Ali Harrison (59.52) were each in the 59-range. That’s good news for the Bears, as the breaststroke leg has been their main concern for the medley relays, and Harrison is showing big improvement.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 49.69, Ally Howe (STAN), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 51.16
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 52.65

1. GOLD: Janet Hu, Stanford, 49.93
2. SILVER: Kathleen Baker, Cal, 50.13
3. BRONZE: Amy Bilquist, Cal, 51.28

Janet Hu is now the 4th fastest 100 backstroker in history. Kathleen Baker took it out in 24.12 for the early lead, while Hu flipped in 24.42, but Hu had the closing speed as she broke 50 seconds for the first time in her career. Cal’s Amy Bilquist rounded out the podium, while teammate Keaton Blovad (51.83) broke 52 seconds for the first time to take 4th.

WOMEN’S 3-METER DIVING:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 361.55, Cassidy Krug (Stanford), 2007

1. GOLD: Eloise Belanger, UCLA, 369.75
2. SILVER: Ashley McCool, ASU, 367.95
3. BRONZE: Kassidy Cook, Stanford, 343.95

UCLA’s Eloise Belanger and ASU freshman Ashley McCool were each above the 11-year-old Meet Record. As expected, the Sun Devils got a big boost from diving with McCool, Frida Kaellgren (4th), and Mara Aiacoboae (8th), giving them a 63.5 point edge over Arizona in the team battle for 3rd.

WOMEN’S 400 MEDLEY RELAY:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 3:26.25, Stanford, 2016
• NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 3:32.67

1. GOLD: Stanford, 3:25.15
2. SILVER: Cal, 3:25.50
3. BRONZE: Arizona, 3:32.85

Stanford and Cal were both well under the former American and NCAA Record as they battled for the win. Ally Howe (50.21) only slightly edged out Kathleen Baker (50.24) on the backstroke leg, but Kim Williams opened up the lead for the Cardinal with her 58.61 breast split. Cal tried to battle back as Noemie Thomas split a 50.20 fly to Janet Hu‘s 50.38. It came down to Simone Manuel and Abbey Weitzeil on the free leg, with Manuel splitting a 45.95 to Weitzeil’s 46.00.

TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 3:

  1. Stanford University            1230.5   2. University of California- Berk   1028
  3. Arizona State University          667   4. University of Arizona           605.5
  5. University of Southern Calif    547.5   6. University of California - LA   526.5
  7. Utah, University of               322   8. Washington State University       230
  9. Oregon State University           150