The UCSD men’s and women’s swim and dive teams traveled north to UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 23, where they both suffered disappointing losses at the hands of the Gauchos. Though the men lost 166.5-105.5, they won six of 14 total events. In the same fashion, the women were defeated 154-110, but still came out on top in seven of the events.
The main success of both teams was the relays. The Tritons dominated the 400-meter medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay, proving their collective strength as a team. The women’s 400 medley, comprised of senior Rosanna Delurgio, junior Sarah Grant, and sophomores Susan Bell and Emily Harlan, defeated the Gauchos’ A-team by more than five seconds, while the free relay, composed of Delurgio and Harlan, as well as sophomore Elizabeth Whitely and senior Katie Miller, came out one second ahead of UCSB.
Similarly, the men’s 400 medley relay, comprised of seniors Brett Going and Kurt Boehm and sophomores Michael Lahey and Andrew Harutunian, recorded a time of three minutes, 26.79 seconds, one second ahead of the Gauchos. The 400 freestyle relay, which included Harutunian, freshman Evan Hsiao, senior Mark Tate and sophomore Tim Fuller, beat its UCSB challenger by less than a second for the victory.
On the women’s side, Delurgio proved her consistency by again winning both the 100 and 200 breaststroke distances. Moreover, her times were enough to earn her a bid to the NCAA Championships in both events.
Harlan also stood out at the event, performing well in the shorter freestyle distances. In the 50-yard freestyle, she posted a time of 24.64, taking off almost half a second from her time of 25.29 at the Oct. 9 UCSD Blue and Gold meet and earning first place. She also took close to two seconds off her 100 freestyle time and came in second by only .24 seconds.
In the distance races, junior Sophie Levey dominated the women’s side by winning both the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle events.
The men’s team also boasted individual success. Boehm won all three of his events with an improved time in the 200-yard freestyle and a win in the 500-meter distance. He also left the competition in the dust, winning the 200 independent medley by over four seconds.
Lahey also had an impressive meet. In the 200-meter backstroke, the touch at the wall was so close that first through third finished within .10 seconds, putting Lahey in third by .02 seconds. He also placed second in the 100 backstroke by only .4 seconds.
The other first place earned by the men’s team was Harutunian, a key member of both of the men’s winning relays, who came out on top in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.46.
Both teams are now preparing for their next two home meets. The women host Utah at Canyonview Pool on Oct. 29, and the men will be hosting UC Santa Cruz on Nov. 6.
