Women's swimming defeats UCLA
For the first time in 10 years, the 23rd-ranked Arizona State women’s swimming team defeated the 25th-ranked UCLA Bruins in a dual meet to kick off Pac-12 competition. The Sun Devils defeated UCLA by a score of 164.5-134.5 at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, Friday, in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils last beat UCLA in 2001.
The Sun Devils set the pace of the meet from the get-go with both the ASU ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays in the 400 medley finishing one and two in the event. The ASU ‘A’ relay of Kelli Kyle, Rebecca Ejdervik, Caroline Kuczynski, and Shannon Landgrebe touched in with an NCAA B standard time of 3:41.04 to take first place.
Following the feverish start for the Sun Devils, Cassie Morrice set a new Arizona State school record in the 1000 free. Filling in the No. 1 spot for ASU after Tristin Baxter injured her foot, Morrice topped Baxter’s record set last season by three seconds, touching in with a time of 9:48.05.
Overall, the Sun Devils took first place in 10 of the 16 events on the day. Once again, Landgrebe notched top honors in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.67. In an event that saw ASU finsh one-two-three, Kyle took first place with a time of 55.62, just tenths of a second off the NCAA B standard qualifying time. Defending Pac-10 Champion Ejdervik once again swam an NCAA B standard time in the 100 breast, touching in with a time of 1:01.32.
In a neck-and-neck race in the women’s 200 yard backstroke, Lizzy Luttrell and UCLA’s Anna Senko touched the pad at the very same moment, actually tying for first place honors in the event with a time of 2:00.49.
In diving, Elina Eggers and Hailey Capers finished first and second in the women’s 1-meter springboard. Eggers took top honors with a score of 309.00, while Casper finished second with a score of 278.63. In the 3-meter springboard event, Casper took second place once again with a score 319.50. With her scores from today’s meet, Capser qualifies to join Eggers at the NCAA Zone E Regional Championships in an effort to qualify for nationals.
The ASU women are once again in competition tomorrow, joining the men’s squad for a dual meet against USC at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The meet is scheduled to being at Noon MT.