2021 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2021 PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 24 – Saturday, February 27
• Campus Rec & Wellness Center, University of Houston, Houston, TX
• Defending Champion: Stanford (4x) (results)
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live results

Cal’s Izzy Ivey will defend her 2020 Pac-12 title in the 100 back today, part of a busy prelims session from Houston.

Last year, Ivey swam both the 100 fly and 100 back on this day, coming in second in the fly and winning the back. With 2020 champ Louise Hansson graduated out of the butterfly, Ivey could have a shot at two titles today if she doesn’t scratch one event or the other.

Stanford’s Brooke Forde has a shot to defend her 2020 title in the 400 IM. Meanwhile USC freshman Kaitlyn Dobler has her own shot to rewrite the Pac-12 meet and conference records in the 100 breaststroke, where her 57.7 seed time is already under the conference meet record and just four tenths from the conference overall record.

Cal’s Robin Neumann is the top 200 free seed this morning in what could be a big day for the Golden Bears.

400 IM – Prelims

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 3:56.53 – Katie Ledecky (Stanford) – 2018
• Pac-12 Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin (Stanford) – 2018
• NCAA “A” Cut: 4:03.62
• 2020 Champion: Brooke Forde (Stanford) – 4:01.53

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Odgers (USC) – 4:09.16
2. Wilson (Cal) – 4:09.21
3. Forde (Stanford) – 4:09.61
4. Kukurugya (Stanford) – 4:11.46
5. Dimeco (Cal) – 4:13.32
6. Gormley (Stanford) – 4:14.54
7. McCoy (Washington State) – 4:15.07
8. Glavinovich (Stanford) – 4:15.68

USC’s Isabelle Odgers dropped half a second to take third in the 200 IM last night – that marked a two-second drop from her best time coming into the season. Now, she’s the top qualifier into the 400 IM after a two-second drop in prelims. The junior seems to be surging under a new coaching staff, and likely went under the NCAA invite time this morning.

Holding onto first place will be a tall order, though. That’s because she has two of last night’s event winners nipping at her heels. 200 IM champ Alicia Wilson is the second qualifier with a casual 4:09.2 that is five seconds off her mid-season best time. Wilson went 4:04.9 at this meet a year ago.

Then there’s last night’s 500 free winner Brooke Forde of Stanford, who was also 4:09 this morning. Forde won this event last year in 4:01.53, three second ahead of Wilson.

100 fly – Prelims

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 49.34 – Louise Hansson (USC) – 2019
• Pac-12 Record: 49.26 – Louise Hansson (USC) – 2019
• NCAA “A” Cut: 50.92
• 2020 Champion: Louise Hansson (USC) – 49.94

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Schlicht (USC) – 51.88
2. Ivey (Cal) – 51.92
3. Klinker (Cal) – 51.95
4. Wheal (Stanford) – 52.01
5. Delgado (USC) – 52.43
6. Kinsey (USC) – 52.43
7. Baron (UCLA) – 52.67
8. Dang (UCLA) – 52.71

USC showed up to swim this morning – they take their second top qualifying spot, courtesy of senior Jemma Schlicht. Schlicht was third overall at this meet last year in 51.9, but already bettered that time by a tenth this morning. She’s just two tenths off a lifetime-best she hit in November of 2019 and hasn’t matched since.

The Trojans also got two newcomers into the A final. Freshman Anicka Delgado smashed her lifetime-best from 53.2 down to 52.4 to qualify fifth, and transfer Hallie Kinsey is sixth in 52.4, a tenth faster than her previous best time from SECs last season.

Cal’s Izzy Ivey is still the frontrunner for the win tonight, though. She was 51.9 this morning, likely doing only what it took to qualify with her 100 back still to come in this session. Ivey split 50.4 on the fly leg of the medley relay night 1, so she should have a chance to foray into the 50-points tonight.

Though Stanford leads the team points after last night, Cal should be primed to make a run tonight, starting in this event. The 400 IM tipped in Stanford’s favor, but Cal has two A finalists and five total scorers lined up in the 100 fly tonight compared to one A finalist and three scorers for Stanford.

200 free – Prelims

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 1:40.37 – Simone Manuel (Stanford) – 2017
• Pac-12 Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin (Cal) – 2015
• NCAA “A” Cut: 1:42.98
• 2020 Champion: Latitia Transom (USC) – 1:42.47

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Neumann (Cal) – 1:43.88
2. Tankersley (Stanford) – 1:45.06
3. Spitz (Cal) – 1:45.40
4. Forde (Stanford) – 1:45.46
5. Mortensen (Arizona) – 1:45.52
6. Riley (Cal) – 1:47.00
7. Schaffer (UCLA) – 1:47.19
8. Gantriis (Cal) – 1:47.23

Cal’s Robin Neumann had a strong swim this morning, going 1:43.88 for the top qualifying spot. That’s not far off of Neumann’s 800 free relay leadoff (1:43.1) from Wednesday night, a time that moved her to #6 nationwide. Neumann was the conference runner-up last year behind graduated senior Katie Drabot, and looks like the favorite to win the title tonight.

She’ll have to stay ahead of Stanford’s Morgan Tankersley, though. Tankersley finished 2.8 seconds and two spots ahead of Neumann in last night’s 500 free. Meanwhile Cal’s Ayla Spitz finished between the two in the 500 and sits third after this morning in the 200.

500 free champ Brooke Forde sits fourth – she swam a realy gutsy combo of events this morning, coming off the 400 IM to hit a 1:45.4 in this race. Based on her 1:43.2 split on opening night, she’s a real factor to win this one tonight, though it really depends on how well she handles the tough event double, or if she scratches one race in favor of another.

Arizona freshman Amalie Mortensen was 1:47.3 coming into this meet – she went 1:45.0 on a relay Wednesday, and now backed that up with a 1:45.5 in prelims today. She’s been a bright spot for the Wildcats in the early goings.

100 breast – Prelims

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 58.02 – Sarah Haase (Stanford) – 2016
• Pac-12 Record: 57.36 – Sarah Haase (Stanford) – 2016
• NCAA “A” Cut: 58.60
• 2020 Champion: Allie Raab (Stanford) – 59.35

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Dobler (USC) – 57.80 Meet Record
2. Rajic (Cal) – 58.57
3. Raab (Stanford) – 59.19
4. Grover (UCLA) – 59.65
5. Bartel (Stanford) – 59.90
6. Harrison (Cal) – 1:00.49
7. Zhao (Stanford) – 1:00.58
8. Neser (Arizona) – 1:01.16

Make it three top qualifiers in four events so far for the USC Trojans. Freshman Kaitlyn Dobler smashed the Pac-12 meet record with a 57.80 this morning. Dobler was 57.5 on a medley relay night 1, and backed that up with arguably a faster ‘through-the-water’ swim this morning, when you factor in the difference between a relay exchange and a flat start.

Dobler takes two tenths of a second off the meet record, becoming the first swimmer to go sub-58 at the Pac-12 Championships. She’s about a half-second off the overall Pac-12 record, set by Stanford’s Sarah Haase at the NCAA Championships in 2016.

The 100 fly and 200 free were good for Cal’s team points prospects, but Stanford struck back here with three A finalists to Cal’s two. Allie Raab (59.19) and Zoe Bartel (59.90) both got under a minute, with Grace Zhao (1:00.58) close. Meanwhile Cal’s Ema Rajic was a strong 58.57, but Cal had no other swimmers under a minute.

100 back – Prelims

• Pac-12 Meet Record: 49.69 – Ally Howe (Stanford) – 2017
• Pac-12 Record: 49.69 – Ally Howe (Stanford) – 2017
• NCAA “A” Cut: 50.93
• 2020 Champion: Izzy Ivey (Cal) – 51.06

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Stadden (Cal) – 51.55
2. Ivey (Cal) – 52.15
3. Bernal (Arizona) – 52.45
4. Crisera (Stanford) – 52.66
5. Broome (Utah) – 52.78
6. Rudolph (Stanford) – 52.90
7. Reimer (Utah) – 53.41
8. Laughlin (Cal) – 53.47

Cal nabbed the top two spots here, powering up for a big run at team points tonight. It wasn’t defending champion Izzy Ivey at the top, though – it was star freshman Isabelle Stadden, who went 51.55 to best Ivey by six tenths this morning.

Perhaps the only thing standing in the way of Ivey winning two titles tonight is her own teammate, Stadden. Stadden was a career-best 50.86 leading off the medley relay on night 1, and that time isn’t far off Ivey’s career-best of 50.42 from 2019 NCAAs. Ivey also has a 100 fly/100 back double tonight, which could make this 100 back race a thriller at the end of the session.

Stanford put two into the A final (Alexandra Crisera was 52.66 to make a return trip to the A final), but Cal one-upped them with three. Freshman Tea Laughlin joined Stadden as rookies in the top heat for tonight.

Arizona’s Aria Bernal is third – she finished third overall last year in 52.00 and could join Stadden and Ivey under 52 seconds tonight.