Courtesy: USC Athletics
The USC men’s women’s swimming and diving teams return to dual meet action this weekend, hosting Pac-12 rivals Arizona State on Friday (Nov. 2) at 1:30 p.m. and Arizona on Saturday (Nov. 3) at 9:30 a.m. at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
The weekend will serve as the first dual meets of the season for the men’s squad while the women are coming off a recent road win at Utah following a second-place finish at the SMU Classic in Dallas.
FAST TIMES
USC wasted little time posting NCAA B times this season, chalking up numerous consideration qualifying swims at the Trojan Invite as well as at the SMU Invite for the women.
Junior Louise Hansson has already posted six B times in the 50y (22.10), 100y free (47.94) and 200y free (1:44.80) as well as in the 100y fly (51.56) and the 100y (51.84) and 200y back (1:53.10). Senior Riley Scott also has four B times in the 200y (1:58.97) and 400y IM (4:12.15) and the 100y (59.55) and 200y breast (2:08.13).
Many Trojans have posted multiple B times including junior Kirsten Vose in the 100y free (49.51) and 100y (1:01.12) and 200y breast (2:12.55), junior Tatum Wade in the 200y free (1:45.55), 200y IM (1:57.89) and 200y back (1:57.19), senior Maddie Wright in the 100y (53.06) and 200y fly (1:55.32), sophomore Maggie Aroesty in the 100y (1:01.39) and 200y breast (2:12.89), sophomore Marta Ciesla in the 50y (21.17) and 100y free (48.95), sophomore Caitlin Tycz in the 100y (52.99) and 200y fly (1:56.98) and junior Catherine Sanchez in the 100y (53.67) and 200y fly (1:57.07).
For the men, senior Patrick Mulcare posted B times in the 100y (47.20) and 200y back (1:42.94), senior Alex Valente has them in the 100y (47.26) and 200y fly (1:46.27) and freshman Alexei Sancov owns B times in the 200y (1:35.82) and 500y free (4:21.91). Senior Kyle Grissom owns a B time in the 50y free (19.89), freshman Victor Johansson has one in the 500y free (4:17.06), freshman Owen Kao does as well in the 500y free (4:22.70) and senior Carsten Vissering has one in the 100y breast (51.82).
Johansson’s time in the 500y free currently leads the nation, as does Vissering’s in the 100y breast while Mulcare’s 200y back time is second fastest.
On the women’s side, Hansson’s top times in the 50y free and 200y back are tops in the country right now, her 100y free time is second and her 200y free time third. Scott’s 200y breast time leads the country and her 100y breast is second. Ciesla’s time in the 50y free is second fastest in the nation. Maddie’s Wright is second in the 200y fly while Caitlyn Tycz and Catherine are both in the top 10.
TEAM OUTLOOK
The USC women features an upperclassmen-laden squad with 12 seniors and 10 juniors, led by defending junior NCAA 100y fly champion and Trojan co-captain Louise Hansson. Her co-captain is senior Lily Dubroff.
Hansson was a three-time All-American as a 2018 sophomore, her season highlighted by capturing USC’s first national title in the 100y fly with the second-fastest time ever (49.80) at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She complemented the win with a career-best third in the 200y fly while leading USC’s 200y medley relay to seventh.
Senior Maddie Wright is USC’s other returning individual All-American from last season after reaching the 200y fly for the second year in a row. Other All-Americans returning include fellow 200y medley relay finalists sophomore Marta Ciesla and senior Riley Scott.
Additionally, redshirt junior All-Americans Kirsten Vose and Hanni Leach are also back after missing last season due to injuries. Vose was an NCAA individual finalist in the 200y breast and 200y IM as a freshman and a two-time All-American in the 400y free relay while Leach earned All-American honors as part of USC’s 2017 200y and 400y medley relays.
Scott (100y breast) and sophomore Maggie Aroesty (200y breast) return as the defending Pac-12 champions in the breaststroke and both were NCAA B final first-place finishers in each distance as well.
USC returns four veteran divers, led by three-time NCAA participant senior Madi Witt and multiple Pac-12 finalist junior Naomi Gowlett.
USC Head Coach Dave Salo, in his 13th year directing the Trojans, also has a host of newcomers who figure to lend immediate dual meet and postseason scoring.
The Trojans’ men’s team is coming off of sixth place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships and a third at the Pac-12s and will be led by a pair of returning 2018 individual All-American in seniors Patrick Mulcare and Carsten Vissering.
Mulcare is a three-time NCAA finalist in the 200y back while Vissering is a two-time finalist in the 100y breast and the only returning member of USC’s 2018 NCAA title-winning 200y medley relay. Both were 2017 Pac-12 champions in their specialties.
Senior co-captain Kyle Grissom is USC’s only other returning All-American as part of Troy’s 200-yard freestyle relay. Junior diver Henry Fusaro is Troy’s lone returning 2018 Pac-12 champion (3-meter) and is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier while senior Pac-12 butterfly finalist and veteran NCAA participant Alex Valente is back, too.
Salo brought in a talented class of newcomers to bolster the Trojans’ lineup, led by Swedish distance freestyler Victor Johansson, freestyler Alexei Sancov and freshman butterflyer and medley swimmer Ariel Spektor.
Joining Hansson as co-captain for the women’s team is senior Lily Dubroff while senior Billy Monjay joins Grissom as men’s team co-captain.
