#15Men/#8Women USC vs. UNLV
- January 6, 2024
- Uytengsu Aquatics Center, USC, Los Angeles, California
- SCY (25 yard pool), dual meet
- Results
- Final Team Scores
- #8 USC Women 175, UNLV Women 82 (exhibition aided)
- #15 USC Men 146.5, UNLV Men 110.5 (exhibition aided)
The ranked USC Trojans emerged from winter training on Saturday for a dual meet against the visiting UNLV Rebels. The USC women improved to 3-0 in dual meets this season, while for the USC men this was their first win on the year after earlier losses to Arizona and Arizona State.
Women’s Recap
- #8 USC Women 175, UNLV Women 82 (exhibition aided)
The USC women kicked off the meet hot going 1-2 in the 200 medley relay including a 1:41.04 win. Annicka Delgado, who is usually on the team’s top relay, swam with the second group in this one, but still split 23.87. If USC had swapped the fly legs, that time would have been closer to a 1:40.06.
Delgado went on to win a pair of individual events. First she took the 50 free in 23.35 ahead of Caroline Famous, who is having a huge breakout season as a senior for the Trojans. Delgado then won the 100 fly in 55.14.
The runner-up in that 100 fly was UNLV freshman Fernanda Guerra, a Mexican national who made her debut for the Rebels at this meet. She finished 2nd in 55.45. That time ties her for fourth-best on the roster so far this season, though in this race she did beat out the team’s leader this year Blanka Bokros (56.16, 4th place).
USC’s Famous would grab an individual win in the 100 back in 55.15.
Times from both teams showed heavy training at the meet. NCAA title frontrunner Kaitlyn Dobler of USC won the 100 breast in 1:01.76 and the 200 breast in 2:16.64, and sophomore transfer Claire Tuggle won the 200 free in 1:49.32. She finished second behind USC breakout newcomer Vasillissa Buinaia in the 100 free, with Buinaia winning in 50.53 to Tuggle’s 50.68.
For Tuggle, that time is in line with what she has been in dual meets both this year with USC and last year with Virginia.
In a short-schedule meet, USC ended with another 1-2 finish in the 200 free relay (though both races exhibitioned their reuslts). Minna Abraham anchored the winning relay in 22.94, the only swimmer in the field to go sub-23.
Guerra again showed her potential for the Rebels by posting the team’s top split with a 23.21 on their “C” relay. She also finished 4th in the 200 free in 1:53.17.
Men’s Recap
- #15 USC Men 146.5, UNLV Men 110.5 (exhibition aided)
The men’s meet was also dominated by USC, though UNLV got a few legitimate wins in.
Editor’s note: there were timing issues in the men’s 200 medley relay, so those times aren’t real.
Polish freshman Michal Chmielewski had maybe his best collegiate meet so far, in context. He started by winning the 1000 free in 9:23.24 over his twin brother Krzysztof (9:24.07). Krzysztof, the Worlds bronze medalist in the 200 fly, has been the more successful of the pair to this point of the season, including an 8:47 in the 1000 free at a dual meet against Arizona State in November.
Michael later dominated the field in the 200 fly in 1:45.17, giving him another win. Krzysztof didn’t swim his primary event, the 200 fly, at this meet, instead entering the 500 free (4:30.53), which he won, and the 200 free (1:39.67), where he finished 3rd.
The two swimmers ahead of him in the 200 free were noteworthy for different reasons. Turkish swimmer Sanberk Yigit Oktar made his USC debut, placing 2nd in 1:39.50. He missed the fall semester, though ultimately finished 2nd in the 200 IM at the SCM Turkish Nationals in December.
The winner was UNLV 5th year and captain Cam Castro in 1:38.62. A WAC champion in the mile as a junior, that time is his slowest of the season – but that is actually encouraging news. His slowest time of the season is faster than he went in a mid-season invite last year as a senior.
Castro has had some success is slaying opponents from Power 5 programs, especially the Pac-12. Last year at this same dual, he won the 1000 free (9:30.06) and the 500 free (4:35.03). This year, he swam down for his second event, finishing 3rd in the 100 free in 44.82 – half-a-second away from his personal best. His teammate George Ratiu wasn 2nd in 44.10 and USC’s Artem Selim won in 43.92.
Ratiu (29.94) and Castro (19.99) swam the middle legs of UNLV’s 200 free relay and combined with leadoff Bryson Huey (20.57) and Steven Butler (20.25) to finish first in 1:20.75, about six-tenths ahead of USC’s “A” relay. USC’s Mateo Parker had the best split of the field on their second leg, marking a 19.80.
Castro was one of two individual event winners for UNLV. 24-year-old Danny Beji from Tunisia won the 100 breast in 54.18, beating out USC All-American Chris O’Grady, who was 2nd in 54.40. Beji is the defending WAC Champion in that event.
In the 200 breast, O’Grady snapped back with a win in 1:59.56, making him the only swimmer under 2 minutes. Beji finished 2nd in 2:00.67.
Among other winners for USC was 23-year-old Greek swimmer Vaggelis Makrygiannis. He swept the backstroke races, winning the 100 in 48.45 and the 200 in 1:46.60. He’s been faster in both races in every other meet this year, showing how beat up the Trojans are coming out of the holidays.
USC’s divers head to the UCLA Bruin Diving Invitational next week while the swim team will host Utah and UC San Diego. UNLV will also send divers to UCLA with the next swim meet coming against the Nevada women on January 19 and the co-ed programs at Wyoming and UCSB on January 26 and 27 for Rebel Senior Day.
