2020 W. Pac-12s: Arizona All-American Jacobsen Has Breakthrough Mile Swim

2020 PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2020 women’s Pac-12 Championships conclude tonight in Federal Way. While the top 8 seeds in the mile will compete at the start of finals, we’ve already seen timed finals of the early heats. Read on for highlights from the afternoon distance session and how the outcome may impact the team race.

WOMEN’S 1650 FREE

  • Pac-12 Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 2017, 15:03.31
  • Meet Record: Cierra Runge (Cal), 2015, 15:40.17
  • NCAA Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 2017, 15:03.31
  • 2019 NCAA Invited: 16:14.21
  • NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 15:52.41
  • 2019 Champion: Leah Stevens (Stanford), 15:51.26

TOP 8 THROUGH EARLY HEATS

  1. Kirsten Jacobsen, Arizona, 15:59.31
  2. Caitlyn Wilson, ASU, 16:23.19
  3. Sara McClendon, Utah, 16:23.22
  4. Daniella Hawkins, UCLA, 16:25.92
  5. Stephanie Su, UCLA, 16:30.74
  6. Mandy Gebhart, Utah, 16:41.47
  7. Kathleen Sulkevich, UCLA, 16:50.06
  8. Ryan Falk, Washington State, 16:55.53

Every swimmer who landed in the top 8 this afternoon can score no lower than 16th, and there were 3 women faster than the 8th-seeded time (16:24.89). Arizona’s Kirsten Jacobsen had a breakthrough swim to lead the heats. Most of her best times are from the 2017-18 season, when she placed 3rd in the 500 at NCAAs. Jacobsen, a senior, dominated the heats in 15:59.31, breaking 16:00 for the first time.

That’s the first time she’s swum a best in any event since her sophomore season. It’s also faster than all but one of the seeds in tonight’s final. Jacobsen entered today’s race with a no time. She placed 9th in the 500 free and 14th in the 200 free at this meet.

The 2nd fastest swim of the afternoon came from ASU’s Caitlyn Wilson with a lifetime best 16:23.19. She’ll outperform her #14 seed, as the lowest she’ll finish is 10th. Utah’s Sara McClendon was also under the 8th seeded time in 16:23.22.

UCLA should get a plenty of points here. They’ll have at least 3 swimmers in the B-final scoring range. Daniella Hawkins was their top performer this afternoon, dropping nearly 10 seconds in 16:25.92. The lowest she’ll place is 12th. She was seeded 10th ahead of the afternoon heats.

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About Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh is a former NCAA swimmer at the University of Arizona (2013-2015) and the University of Florida (2011-2013). While her college swimming career left a bit to be desired, her Snapchat chin selfies and hot takes on Twitter do not disappoint. She's also a high school graduate of The …

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