2018 Women’s Pac-12 Championships: Day 4 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 4 finals of the 2018 Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington. Swimmers are set to compete for individual titles in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly. We’ll also see finals of the 400 free relay and women’s platform diving. We’ll see 3 reigning NCAA champions compete in their events tonight between Stanford’s Simone Manuel (100 free), Cal’s Kathleen Baker (200 back), and Stanford’s Ella Eastin (200 fly).

WOMEN’S 1650 FREE:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 15:40.17, Cierra Runge (Cal), 2015
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 15:53.50
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 16:16.41

1. GOLD: Megan Byrnes, Stanford, 15:49.38
2. SILVER: Leah Stevens, Stanford, 15:52.54
3. BRONZE: Kirsten Jacobsen, Arizona, 16:04.01

Stanford’s Byrnes successfully defended her title as she led a 1-2 finish with teammate Stevens. Through the first 500, Stevens held a slight lead, but Byrnes had taken over by half a second at the 1000-yard mark and continued to pull ahead. Arizona’s Jacobsen knocked 2 and a half seconds off her best to take bronze, coming from behind on the back half to finish ahead of USC’s Becca Mann (16:06.96).

WOMEN’S 200 BACK:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 1:48.33, Kathleen Baker (Cal), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.99
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 1:54.00

1. GOLD: Kathleen Baker, Cal, 1:48.27
2. SILVER: Janet Hu, Stanford, 1:49.49
3. BRONZE: Ally Howe, Stanford, 1:50.05

Cal’s Baker picked up another gold, putting up a lifetime best in Meet Record fashion. Baker flipped in 52.52, leading from start to finish as she touched in 1:48.27 to clip her record from last season’s conference meet. That time was the 3rd fastest performance in history. Howe had the edge on Hu and Cal’s Amy Bilquist through the front half, but they were able to close on her. Hu had the fastest back half of the field, flipping in 54.32 and coming home in 55.17. Hu swam past Howe, but Bilquist came up just short as she touched 4th in 1:50.23 and Howe grabbed bronze.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 46.36, Simone Manuel (Stanford), 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.53
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 48.62

1. GOLD: Simone Manuel, Stanford, 46.43
2. SILVER: Abbey Weitzeil, Cal, 46.63
3. BRONZE: Robin Neumann, Cal, 48.09

Stanford’s Manuel and Cal’s Weitzeil had another head-to-head battle. It was a close race, but Manuel’s closing speed gave her the edge as she touched 2 tenths ahead. That was just hundredths shy of her own Meet Record. That swim by Manuel was the 9th fastest performance in history. The Bears got another swimmer on the podium as Neumann clocked in at 48.09 to earn her 2nd individual medal of the meet as a freshman.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 2:04.75, Rebecca Soni (USC), 2009
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:07.18
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 2:10.55

1. GOLD: Maggie Aroesty, USC, 2:06.85
2. SILVER: Riley Scott, USC, 2:07.29
3. BRONZE: Brooke Forde, Stanford, 2:07.43

USC swept the breaststroke events at this meet as freshman Aroesty grabbed the gold. Teammate Scott had the lead halfway in 1:00.65, followed closely by ASU’s Silja Kansakoski. Aroesty held steady through the back half, making her move with a 32.58 on the final 50 to move ahead of them and clip a few hundredths off her lifetime best. Scott held off Stanford’s Forde for the silver, while Forde out-touched Kansakoski (2:07.48) by hundredths at the finish. UCLA’s Emma Schanz also broke 2:08, knocking a second off her lifetime best to place 5th in 2:07.90.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 1:49.92, Elaine Breeden (Stanford), 2009
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:53.80
• 2017 NCAA Invite Time: 1:56.60

1. GOLD: Ella Eastin, Stanford, 1:49.51
2. SILVER: Louise Hansson, USC, 1:51.13
3. BRONZE: Katie Drabot, Stanford, 1:52.07

USC’s Hansson had a bold strategy, taking it out in a blistering 51.81 as Stanford’s Eastin trailed in 53.51. Eastin closed the gap to put herself within a second of Hansson with 50 yards to go. Hansson started to fade, while Eastin outsplit her by 2.5 seconds down the stretch to take the win in 1:49.51. That was a new NCAA and American Record, as well as the first ever textile swim below 1:50. Hansson held on for the silver, putting up the 9th fastest performance in history with her 1:51.13. Her opening 100 (51.81) would’ve placed 13th and scored at last season’s NCAA Championships.

WOMEN’S PLATFORM DIVING:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 368.75, Haley Ishimatsu (USC), 2015

1. GOLD: Mara Aiacoboae, ASU, 327.25
2. SILVER: Delaney Schnell, Arizona, 285.60
3. BRONZE: Naomi Gowlett, USC, 260.80

ASU picked up another diving title as senior Mara Aiacoboae made her way to the top of the podium in her final Pac-12 appearance. With USC’s Naomi Gowlett (3rd) and Madison Witt (5th) both finishing in the top 8, the Trojans have secured 4th place ahead of Arizona barring a relay disqualification.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY:

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 3:08.51, Stanford, 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:15.43

1. GOLD: Cal, 3:09.07
2. SILVER: Stanford, 3:09.76
3. BRONZE: USC, 3:13.36

USC’s Louise Hansson was the fastest off the start in 47.41. Stanford’s Janet Hu knocked a couple of tenths off her best time to give the Cardinal the early edge over Cal in 47.57, while Cal’s Amy Bilquist lead off in 47.79. The 2nd leg was a game changer, as Katie McLaughlin outsplit Katie Ledecky, 47.43 to 48.08, to give Cal the lead over Stanford as USC moved back to 3rd. Kathleen Baker pulled the Bears further ahead with a 47.47 to Alex Meyers‘ 47.98. Simone Manuel put up a 46.13 anchor to slightly outsplit Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil (46.35), but the Bears still won the race by over half a second.

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

  1. Stanford University            1776.5   2. University of California- Berk   1487
  3. Arizona State University          996   4. University of Southern Calif    948.5
  5. University of Arizona           932.5   6. University of California - LA   847.5
  7. Utah, University of               441   8. Washington State University       307
  9. Oregon State University           199