#5 Cal Golden Bears Defeat #9 USC Trojans in Los Angeles

#5 Cal Golden Bears Def. #9 USC Trojans (Women Only)

• January 28, 2022
• Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California
• SCY dual meet
• Meet Results
• Team Scores:
  • Cal 157 def. USC 137

Isabel Ivey of Cal had three wins (200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relay) which helped propel the Golden Bears to victory over the Trojans.

Isabelle Stadden also won two individual events (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke) for Cal. For the Trojans, Isa Odgders also won three individual events (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM). 

Cal beat USC by 20 points for their 6th straight win in the series. The Trojans are closing the gap, though – last year, they lost by 88. In fact, this was the closest margin between the teams since USC squeaked out a 6-point win in January 2016.

The Trojans started the meet with winning the 200 medley relay (1:37.66). Their team consisted of Calypso Sheridan (24.73), Kaitlyn Dobler (26.86), Anicka Delgado (23.92), and Laticia-Leigh Transom (22.15). Cal’s relay touched 2nd (1:38.78) with Stadden (24.94), Leah Polonsky (27.75), Ivey (23.84), and Elise Garcia (22.25).

Caroline Pennington kept up the Trojan’s momentum taking first in the 1,000 freestyle (9:52.55). She finished almost nine seconds ahead of Cal’s Sarah DiMeco (10:01.28). 

After the 1,000 freestyle, the Golden Bears bounced back and won nine of the final 12 events. Ivey won the 200 freestyle (1:46.36) by a second over USC’s Transom. Stadden won the 100 back (52.96), with USC taking 2nd and 3rd with Sheridan (53.43) and Caroline Famous (54.01). 

USC’s Dobler won the 100 breaststroke (1:00.69), almost a second ahead of Cal’s Polonsky. 

Cal then swept the 200 butterfly, which was led by Klinker (1:56.12), followed by Mia Kragh (1:58.53) and Lizzy Cook (1:58.63). 

In the 50 free, Cals’s Garcia just out-touched USC’s Hannah Henderson, 22.94 seconds to 22.95 seconds. Rounding out the field under 23-seconds was Cal’s Emily Gantriis (22.99). 

Ivey and Stadden won back-to-back again for Cal in the second-half of the meet. In the 100 freestyle, Ivey won in 49.41 seconds, just ahead of USC’s Transom (49.65). Stadden won the 200 backstroke by a second (1:56.31) over Jade Hannah of USC (1:57.36)

In the 200 breaststroke, Odgers won the event for the Trojans (2:09.90), more than three-seconds ahead of Cal’s Polonsky (2:13.26). Nicole Pavlopoulou took 3rd (2:14.32).

Ayla Spitz of Cal won the 500 freestyle (4:50.24), ahead of USC’s Pennington (4:52.58). Cal also took 3rd-5th in this event with DiMeco (4:55.03), Mia Motekaitis (4:55.35), and Fanni Fabian (4:58.15).

Kragh, who placed 2nd in the 200 butterfly for the Golden Bears, won the 100 butterfly by a second (53.32) over Sheridan of USC.

Odgers came back to win the 200 IM by almost two seconds (1:58.49) ahead of Cal’s Alicia Wilson (2:00.28). The Golden Bears also picked up points with Polonsky taking 3rd (2:00.45) and Stadden taking 4th (2:01.65).

In the final event of the day, the 400 freestyle relay, Cal’s A relay finished first (3:17.90) and the B relay took second (3:20.98).

For the Golden Bears, the A relay consisted of Ella Mazurek (49.93), Ivey (48.66), Emma Davidson (49.98), and Garcia (49.33): all under 50 seconds. The lineup for Cal’s B relay was Gantris (49.97), Cook (50.45), Spitz (50.05), and Ema Rajic (50.51).