Weitzeil Sweeps Sprints, Splits 20.8 as Cal Beats Pac-12 Rival USC

CAL vs. SOUTHERN CAL

• Jan. 31, 2020
• Hosted by USC
• Short Course Yards
• Full Results

TEAM SCORES

WOMEN

1. Cal 161.5
2. USC 136.5

The Cal Bears remain undefeated this season as the women defeated Pac-12 opponent USC on the road Friday. Senior sprint star Abbey Weitzeil again swept the sprint freestyles. Weitzel, the first woman to ever break 21 in the 50 free, started her schedule with a 20.89 split to anchor the 200 medley relay. She then won the individual 50 free by nearly a full second in 21.90. Her next individual win came in the 100 free, where she dominated in 48.07. Weitzeil stepped up for one last dual meet 50 freestyle on the 200 free relay, anchoring with a 21.37.

Teammate Alicia Wilson turned in a pair of wins. Wilson, the reigning WUGs Champion in the 200 IM, won that event with a 1:59.59. She was also the 200 back champ with a 1:57.09. Wilson took 2nd in the 200 free, where she was outpaced by Cal All-American Robin Neumann 1:47.26 to 1:47.98.

Isa Odgers was one of the top performers for USC, sweeping the breaststrokes for the Trojans. She outsplit Cal’s Ema Rajic on the back half of the 100 breast to win it 1:02.32 to 1:02.41. Odgers was nearly 5 seconds ahead of the field in the 200 breast, finishing in 2:12.51.

Louise Hansson, a versatile talent for USC, was also a Trojan winner. She won the 100 fly, an event in which she’s the reigning NCAA Champion and NCAA Record holder. Hansson was neck-and-neck with Cal All-American Isabel Ivey throughout the race. They turned just 2 hundredths apart at the halfway point. Hansson got her hands to the wall a nail ahead, winning 53.80 to 53.89.

PRESS RELEASE – CAL

LOS ANGELES – With senior Abbey Weitzeil and sophomore Alicia Wilson picking up two wins apiece, Cal extended its dual-meet record to 6-0 with a tough, 161.5-136.5 victory at USC Friday.

The meet was close throughout as the Golden Bears won nine of 16 events and the Trojans taking the other seven. However, Cal used its depth to keep its record perfect on the year, particularly with 1-2-3 sweeps of the 200-yard free, 200-yard back and 500-yard free.

After the Trojans edged the Bears in the 200 medley relay and freshman Sarah DiMeco claimed the 1000 free, Robin Neumann paced Cal’s contingent in the 200 free with a time of 1:47.26. She was closely followed by Wilson (1:47.98) and freshman Ayla Spitz (1:48.06), who nipped USC’s Louise Hansson by .12 seconds for the third position.

Wilson then led the Bears’ trifecta in the 200 back with a comfortable win in 1:57.09. Senior Keaton Blovad took second in 1:59.85 and senior Courtney Mykkanen was third in 2:00.60. Later, Spitz earned a four-second victory in the 500 free in 4:52.43, as DiMeco was second (4:56.59) and Neumann third (4:57.24).

Weitzeil kept up her torrid pace in the sprint freestyle events this season. Her winning time of 21.90 in the 50 free was the second-fastest time ever by a Cal swimmer in the event, topped only by her record 21.73 set last weekend vs. Arizona State. She then claimed the 100 free in 48.07.

Wilson added her second victory in the 200 IM in 1:59.59, while freshman Rachel Klinker continued her strong start to 2020 with a two-second win in the 200 fly in 1:58.80. The Bears closed out the meet when Eloise Riley, Elise Garcia, Maddie Murphy and Weitzeil reached the wall first in the 200 free relay in 1:30.13, Cal’s fastest time in a dual meet this year.

The Bears continue their Los Angeles trip on Saturday with a noon meet at UCLA and wrap up their dual-meet season at Stanford on Feb. 15.

PRESS RELEASE – USC

Sophomore Isa Odgers won two events to lead the No. 8 USC women’s swimming and diving team in their first Pac-12 loss of the season as they hosted No. 1 Cal on Friday (Jan. 31) at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

The Trojans fell to 5-1, 4-1 while Cal improves to 6-0, 4-0.

USC dominated the breastroke, with Isa Odgers winning the 100 in 1:02.32 and the 200 in 2:12.51. Freshman Maile Lawson took second in the 200 in 2:17.16 coming in behind Odgers, while junior Maggie Aroesty took third in 2:17.76. Arroesty also took third in the 100 in 1:03.56.

The Trojans impressed in the 100y back with sophomore Laticia Transom finishing first in 53.50. Transom finished just shy of first in the 100y free taking second with time of 49.32.

Senior Louise Hansson had a solid day for USC, winning the 100y fly (53.80) and tied for third in the 200y IM with a time of 2:02.45.

The Women of Troy overwhelmed Cal in diving, going 1-2 in both 1-meter and 3-meter. On the 1-meter springboard, senior Naomi Gowlett led the way with a score of 291.00 while senior Carly Souza finished second with 275.63. On the 3-meter board, it was freshman Nike Agunbiade who came out on top, taking the event with a score of 295.28 while Souza took second with 282.90.

The Bears swept the 200y and 500y freestyle as well as the 200y back. Cal(1:30.14) also won the 200y free relay, barely out-touching the USC A relay (Transom, Ciesla, Schlicht, Wade – 1:30.84).

Tomorrow the Trojans hope to bounce back against No. 5 Stanford on senior day where six swimmers and two divers will be honored prior to the 12 p.m. meet at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.