Press Release courtesy of USC Athletics
The No. 10 USC men’s swimming and diving team — unbeaten so far this season – gets its toughest challenge yet as it hosts No. 1 California on Friday (Feb. 2) at 2 p.m. and No. 4 Stanford on Saturday (Feb. 3) at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
The Trojans enter the meet at 6-0 overall, 2-0 in the Pac-12. The Bears and Cardinal are both 4-0, 3-0. Cal comes in led by Ryan Hoffer, who owns top 10 times in both the 50y and 100y free, Daniel Carr, who owns top 10 times in the 100y and 200y back and Andrew Seliskar, who has the nation’s top time in the 200y breast and top 7 times in the 200y and 400y IM. Stanford is led by Grant Shoults, who has the best 500y free time this year, is second in the 1650y free, and is top 10 in the 200y free, and True Sweetser, with top 3 times in the 1000y and 1650y free.
The meet against Stanford will also be Senior Day for the Trojans, who will honor eight swimmers and divers in their final home meet. The list includes All-Americans Santo Condorelli, Dylan Carter, Ralf Tribuntsov, Dashiell Enos, fellow NCAA Championships qualifiers Pawel Furtek and Jon Knox as well as Jason O’Brien and first-year USC diver Dylan Marin.
The last time the schools met in Los Angeles, in 2016, USC swept Cal (149.5-148.5) and Stanford (167-133) for the first time since 1997. Troy’s win over the Golden Bears, clinched in a come-from-behind 200y free relay victory, was the first in the series since 2000. The Trojans lost to both schools last year.
The Trojans’ strong start to the 2017-18 season has seen wins over UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Arizona State and Arizona as well as Wisconsin. USC also contributed in a major way to the Pac-12’s win over Team USA in the exhibition USA College Challenge in mid-October on the Trojan campus.
FAST TIMES
The Trojans have posted numerous strong NCAA consideration times and have even registered a handful automatics. Trojan men with A cuts include Santo Condorelli in the 100y free (42.10) and Patrick Mulcare in the 200y back (school record 1:39.18).
Mulcare’s 1:39.18 in the 200y back is third best in the country this year. Condorelli’s time in the 100y free is tied for the fourth fastest in the country this year and his 45.60 in the 100y fly is tied for fifth. Dylan Carter’s 100y back (45.98) is 11th, his 100y fly (45.99) is 12th and his 200y free (1:33.88) is 13th. Freshman Robert Glinta is seventh in the 200y back (1:40.50) and ninth in the 100y back (45.97) while senior Ralf Tribuntsov is tied for 13th in the 100y back (46.01). Sophomore Mario Koenigsperger’s 52.97 in the 100y breast is 16th.
USC Men With NCAA B Cuts
Walker Bell: 400y IM (3:54.43).
Dylan Carter: 50y free (19.58), 100y free (42.95), 200y free (1:33.88), 100y fly (45.99), 100y back (45.98).
Santo Condorelli: 50y free (19.48), 100y fly (45.60).
Cash Deloache: 100y fly (47.14), 200y fly (1:45.83).
Dashiell Enos: 1-Meter (357.35), 3-Meter (441.53), Platform (397.95).
Pawel Furtek: 500y free (4:24.03).
Henry Fusaro: 1-Meter (395.48), 3-Meter (412.60).
Robert Glinta: 50y free (20.08), 100y back (45.97), 200y back (1:40.50).
Kyle Grissom: 50y free (19.73), 100y fly (47.32)
Mark Jurek: 200y IM (1:46.95), 400y IM (3:51.65), 200y fly (1:44.38).
Jon Knox: 100y back (46.62), 200y back (1:42.39), 200y free (1:36.79).
Mario Koenigsperger: 100y breast (52.97), 200y breast (1:56.66).
Billy Monjay: 100y breast (54.98).
Patrick Mulcare: 200y IM (1:45.31), 100y back (46.29), 200y free (1:37.75).
Justin Nguyen: 100y free (44.14), 200y free (1:37.81).
Jake Sannem: 200y free (1:35.83), 500y free (4:21.37).
Nikita Tretyakov: 200y IM (1:47.68), 100y back (48.47), 200y back (1:44.45)
Ralf Tribuntsov: 50y free (19.57), 100y free (43.49), 100y back (46.91), 100y fly (46.38).
Alex Valente: 100y fly (46.69), 200y fly (1:44.14).
Carsten Vissering: 100y breast (53.27).
2017-18 HIGHLIGHTS
* The Trojans had four women and four men race for the Pac-12 team that defeated Team USA, 326.5-286.5 in the two-day, USC-hosted USA College Challenge on Oct. 21-22 that pitted current Pac-12 swimmers against current U.S. national teamers. Sophomore Louise Hansson won two races, taking the 100y fly in 51.28, 0.03 off Kendyl Stewart’s pool record, and later won the 100y free in 47.57 to lower Anika Apostalon’s pool mark by 0.21. Freshman Maggie Aroesty crushed the 200y breast to win with a PR of 2:06.88, breaking former Trojan and Olympic champion Rebecca Soni’s pool record of 2:07.86. Junior Riley Scott was just off Soni’s pool record for third (2:07.99). Hansson was later second in the 200y free in 1:43.19, also under the old pool record, while junior Maddie Wright was third in the 200y fly (1:55.09). Hansson also led off the final and first-place 400y free relay with a 47.58 while Aroesty (59.98) and Scott (1:00.16), finished fourth and fifth, respectively in the 100y breast. Meanwhile for the men, junior Patrick Mulcare (1:40.44) and freshman Robert Glinta (1:40.50) turned in a huge 1-2 finish Saturday in the 200y back, finishing just ahead of Olympic champ Ryan Murphy in third (1:40.62) and fellow former Cal swimmer Jacob Pebley in fourth (1:40.90). Mulcare broke Pebley’s pool record of 1:41.55. Sunday’s men action was highlighted for USC by Glinta’s win in the 100y back as he won in 45.97, defeating Matt Grevers (46.10) and Murphy (46.15), the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champions in the event. Dylan Carter was second in the men’s 100y free in 42.95, 0.22 back of Tom Shields, who lowered Trojan Vladimir Morozov’s pool record of 42.93. Carter (1:34.16) was also second to Shields (1:33.70) on Sunday in the 200y free.
* Senior Santo Condorelli won the 100y free (42.10) to highlight the Texas Invitational for USC’s men. Junior Patrick Mulcare was second in the 200y back with a school-record 1:39.18 and was sixth in the 200y IM and seventh in the 100y back. Condorelli was also fourth in the 50y free (19.48).
* The Trojans had a huge week at the 2017 European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, as current, incoming and former USC swimmers made it a Cardinal and Gold party. Romanian freshman Robert Glinta came back with hardware after winning bronze in the 100m back in 49.99 after reaching the final with a 50.30 in the semifinals. He was also fifth in the 50m back (23.19) 0.14 out of first, 0.07 off the podium. USC international great Vladimir Morozov captured four medals, helping Russia win gold in the 4x50m free and medley relays and a silver in the 4x50m mixed free relay in addition to his gold in the 50m free (he was first through prelims and semifinals, too), Incoming Swedish freshman Victor Johansson made a pair of final appearances, finishing fourth in the 400m free (3:39.35) and powering to fifth in the 1500m free (14:34.46).
* At the 2017 USA Diving Winter Nationals, the Trojan duo of senior Dashiell Enos and sophomore Henry Fusaro won bronze on the 3-meter synchro with 730.02 points. The duo won gold a year ago. Both Enos and Fusaro have earned Pac-12 Diver of the Month honors this season.
* USC’s men’s captains for the 2017-18 season are seniors Jason O’Brien, Santo Condorelli and Ralf Tribuntsov.
LAST YEAR
The men’s squad is coming off a sixth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championship and return six of its seven All-Americans from last year, including seniors Dylan Carter, Santo Condorelli, Ralf Tribuntsov and diver Dashiell Enos and juniors Patrick Mulcare and Carsten Vissering. Sophomore diver Henry Fusaro, an NCAA ‘B’ finalist, is also back as well as other NCAA vets in senior Jon Knox and juniors Kyle Grissom and Alex Valente. Carter highlighted USC’s NCAA efforts last year as a six-time All-American, including his first three A finalist performances.
The Trojans finished third at the 2017 Pac-12s, highlighted by graduated senior Steven Stumph’s third straight title in the 200y breast, Vissering’s first win in the 100y breast (school record 51.45) and Enos’ repeat title on 3-meter springboard. Carter was also a first-time three-time finalist, highlighted by a then-school record in the 200y free (1:31.98), good for second in the race. He was also sixth in the 50y free and seventh in the 100y free.
Condorelli was another three-time finalist, for the second time, with fifth places in the 50y and 100y free and a seventh in the 100y fly. Mulcare was a two-time finalist in the 400y IM and 200y back, finishing second in the latter while breaking his school record in the race twice. Other returning finalists from last year included Tribuntsov in the 100y back and senior Pawel Furtekwith a fifth in the 1650y free. Enos was a three-time finalist and Fusaro was second on 3-meter.
COMMUNITY NOTES
On Oct. 21, five members of the USC swim team visited the UCLA Children’s Hospital through the Big Smiles Program. For about 3 hours they painted, played games, and hung out with the kids. The five members were Thomas Reed, Allie Wooden, Marta Ciesla, Caitlin Tcyz, and Billy Monjay.
In late January, as part of USC’s SCORE (Student-Athletes Serving Community through Outreach, Recreation, and Education) Initiative, USC’s men’s and women’s swim teams visited Union Rescue Mission to spend time with the local homeless community. Union Rescue Mission provides food, shelter, health care, education, emergency services and more for homeless people in Los Angeles. While the Trojans were there, they offered the community an afternoon of activities, which included games like ping pong, chess and Jenga. The Women of Troy also pampered the ladies at the mission by giving them manicures and lending an ear. While those receiving help at Union Rescue Mission enjoyed an afternoon of good company and fun games, the Trojans walked away with a better understanding of the homeless community in Los Angeles.
Wow must see meet. An amazing group of athletes.