PAC-12 Women’s Championship Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2022 PAC 12 WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 23-Saturday, February 26, 2022
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Defending champions: Cal (1x)
• Start Times: 10:30am prelims / 6:00 pm  finals (PT)
• Event Schedule
• 2021 Scoring Breakdown
• How to Watch
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Friday Prelims Heat Sheet

The third day of racing for the women’s PAC-12 championships will kick off in Federal Way, Wash. with the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 100 backstroke.

Brooke Forde of Stanford is seeking her third consecutive Pac-12 title in the 400 IM today. She’s the top seed by almost three-seconds. USC’s Calypso Sheridan has scratched the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke in favor of the 400 IM where she will look to challenge Forde and Alicia Wilson of Cal. 

Torri Huske of Stanford holds the top seed in the 100 butterfly by two-seconds. She will be joined by teammate Regan Smith, who has a double today as she holds the top spot in the 100 backstroke. Smith is the only swimmer seeded with a time sub-51 seconds (49.97). Isabelle Stadden, Cal’s backstroke ace, will be Smith’s toughest competitor in this event. Stadden was 2nd in this event last year as a freshman. 

Lacita-Leigh Transom of USC and Cal’s Isabel Ivey will face off as the top seeds in the 200 freestyle. Last year, Ivey won the 100 fly and 100 back, but has opted for the 200 freestyle this year. Be on the lookout of Robin Neumann of Cal, who’s the defending champion in this event, but currently holds the #8 seed. 

USC’s Kaitlyn Dobler looks to defend her 100 breaststroke crown as the top seed this morning. She is seeded 1.5 faster than the rest of the field, which includes Jade Neser of Arizona, followed by Ema Rajic of Cal, who finished 2nd in this event last year.

Women’s 400 IM

• A standard: 4:03.62
• B standard: 4:17.30
• PAC-12 record: 3:54.60 2018 Ella Eastin 
• PAC-12 championship record: 3:56.53 2018 Katie Ledecky
• 2021 NCAA invite time: 4:13.19

Top 8:

1. Brooke Forde, Stanford (4:06.40)
2. Paige Maceachern, UCLA (4:11.48)
3. Annika McEnroe, Cal (4:11.93)
4. Leah Polonsky, Cal (4:12.36)
5. Alicia Wilson, Cal (4:13.02)
6. Calypso Sheridan, USC (4:13.68)
7. Taylor McCoy, Washington State (4:15.07)
8. Lindsay Looney, ASU (4:15.41)

Top seed Forde, a senior at Stanford won the final prelims heat, and will hold on to her #1 spot headed into finals tonight. Last year, Forde posted a 4:09.61 in prelims, and then dropped to a 4:02.57 at night to win the Pac-12 title. We could see another massive drop from Forde, who holds a 3:59.26 lifetime best and swam a 4:03.72 this season at the NC State Invitational in November 2021.

Freshman Maceachern of UCLA will swim next to Forde tonight after winning heat four this morning. She charged home in the freestyle (58.27), which was the fastest closing split of the top-eight.

Cal has the potential to pick up big points tonight with three Golden Bears swimming in the A-final, which was led by freshmen McEnroe and Polonsky, followed by senior Wilson. Last year, Wilson posted a 4:04.22 to take 2nd behind Forde, so she will be in the mix tonight.

In 6th is Sheridan, a 5th-year from USC who was six-seconds off of her seed time (4:07.52), but owns a lifetime best of 4:01.35. Washington State senior McCoy took 7th this morning. In 2021, McCoy was 8th (4:15.11).

Rounding out the top-eight is Lindsay Looney, who swam with a “no time” out of heat one this morning. Her time held throughout the later heats to grab a spot in the A-final.

Women’s 100 Butterfly

• A standard: 50.92
• B standard: 53.76
• PAC-12 record: 49.26 2019 Louise Hansson 
• PAC-12 championship record: 49.34 2019 Louise Hansson
• 2021 NCAA invite time: 52.70

Top 8:

1. Regan Smith, Stanford (50.32)
2. Torri Huske, Stanford (50.50)
3. Rachel Klinker, Cal (52.33)
4. Julia Heimstead, Arizona (52.37)
5. Gabby Dang, UCLA (52.39)
6. Anicka Delgado, USC (52.42)
7. Emma Wheal, Stanford (52.45)
8. Sam Baron, UCLA (52.50)

It’s set to be a showdown tonight between Cardinal freshmen and Olympians Smith and Huske. The duo’s prelims times sit 1.83 seconds ahead of the field. Huske holds a best time of 49.70 seconds, while Smith’s lifetime best is 49.88 seconds.

All things considered, the rest of the A-final will be tight race for 3rd with places 3-6 separated by .17.

Many A-finalists in the 100 fly from 2021 will return tonight. Last year, Baron was 2nd (51.65) and Klinker was 3rd (51.79). Dang, who qualified 5th this morning, was 6th last year (52.58). Wheal will return to the A-final after finishing 5th last year (52.23). The final returner is Delgado, who was 8th last year (52.72)

Heimstead will make her first A-final appearance in this event after finishing 11th (53.04) last year as a freshman.

Women’s 200 Freestyle:

• A standard: 1:42.98
• B standard: 1:47.12
• PAC-12 record: 1:39.10 2015 Missy Franklin 
• PAC-12 championship record: 1:40.37 2017 Simone Manuel
• 2021 NCAA invite time: 1:46.25

Top 8:

1. Lacita-Leigh Transom, USC (1:42.58)
2. Isabel Ivey, Cal (1:43.41)
3. Mia Motekaitis, Cal (1:45.19)
4. Ayla Spitz, Cal (1:45.38)
5. Morgan Tankersley, Stanford (1:45.63)
6. Lillie Nordmann, Stanford (1:45.69)
7. Erica Laning, ASU (1:45.94)
8. Robin Neumann, Cal (1:46.50)

Transom shaved .52 seconds off of her seed time to win heat seven this morning. She will hold on to her top seed headed into finals. Ivey, who will be the #2 seed tonight, has never been sub-1:43 seconds in the 200 freestyle will turn on the jets tonight to catch Transom, who sits almost one-second ahead of the field.

Ivey leads a quartet of Golden Bears. Motekaitis qualified 3rd, followed by Spitz in 4th. In 2021, Spitz was 3rd as a sophomore (1:45.40). Neumann, who won in 1:43.88 seconds last year, currently sits in 8th.

Stanford got two into the final with Tankersley in 5th and freshman Nordmann in 6th. Last year, Tankersley was 2nd in this event (1:45.06).

Laning of Arizona State grabbed the #7 spot headed into finals. Notably, her teammate Emma Nordin, who was the #3 seed in this event missed the A-final as she finished 10th (1:46.75), which is 2.99 seconds off her seed time.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

• A standard: 58.46
• B standard: 1:01.84
• PAC-12 record: 57.36 2016 Sarah Haase 
• PAC-12 championship record: 57.80 2021 Kaitlyn Dobler
• 2021 NCAA invite time: 1:00.12

Top 8:

1. Kaitlyn Dobler, USC (57.68)
2. Isabelle Odgers, USC (1:00.01)
3. Claire Grover, UCLA (1:00.12)
4. Allie Raab, Stanford (1:00.14)
5. Eva Carlson, UCLA (1:00.17)
6. Nicole Pavlopoulou, USC (1:00.30)
7. Ema Rajic, Cal (1:00.42)
8. Jade Neser, Arizona (1:00.50)

Defending champion Dobler holds the top time heading into finals by 2.5 seconds. With her time, she also breaks her own Pac-12 championship record from last year. Sitting in 2nd is her teammate Odgers, who scratched the 400 IM this morning.

This race might shape out to be a battle for 2nd with places 2-7 being separated by just .49 headed into finals.

Grover of UCLA, who was seeded with a “no time” this morning and swam in heat one, watched her time hold throughout prelims to end up seeded 3rd headed into finals. Raab, a senior at Stanford, was seeded 12th this morning and dropped 1.86 seconds to become the 4th seed tonight. Last year, Raab was 3rd (58.74).

In 5th is Carlson, a freshman at UCLA, followed by USC’s senior Pavlopoulou in 6th.

Taking 7th is Cal senior, Rajic, who was 2nd last year (58.45) behind Dobler. Neser, a junior at Arizona, was seeded 2nd this morning, but grabbed the 8th spot tonight, rounding out the top 8.

Women’s 100 Backstroke

• A standard: 50.93
• B standard: 53.94
• PAC-12 record: 49.69 2017 Ally Howe
• PAC-12 championship record: 49.69 2017 Ally Howe
• 2021 NCAA invite time: 53.01

Top 8:

1. Regan Smith, Stanford (49.76)
2. Taylor Ruck, Stanford (51.50)
3. Isabelle Stadden, Cal (51.62)
4. Lucie Nordmann, Stanford (51.94)
5. Aria Bernal, Arizona (52.05)
6. Sophia Kosturos, UCLA (52.52)
7. Alex Crisera, Stanford (52.90)
8. Caroline Famous, USC (53.07)

Smith bounced back from her speedy 100 fly earlier in the session to post the top time in the 100 backstroke, scaring fellow Cardinal Ally Howe’s Pac-12 meet and championship record from 2017. Smith’s best time in the 100 back is 49.16 from March 2021. Smith leads the way of four Stanford swimmers in the A-final. Her teammate junior Ruck qualified 2nd, dropping 1.24 seconds from her seed time. Stanford senior Nordmann sits in 4th, and junior Crisera sits in 7th. Last year, Crisera was 3rd (52.38).

Stadden, a sophomore at Cal qualified 3rd, and was 2nd in this event last year (51.17). Stadden’s best time came from leading off Cal’s 400 medley relay last year (50.86). Bernal of Arizona grabbed 5th this morning. As a junior in 2021, she was 6th 52.63.

Rounding out the top-eight is USC sophomore, Famous, who qualified 8th.