The home-field advantage was not enough to boost the UCSD men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams as both teams dropped matches to the University of Utah on Oct. 29 at Canyonview Pool.
The loss was the first of the season for the men’s team and the second on the women’s side. The men’s team won six of the 16 total events but were edged out by an overall final team score of 138.5-160.5.
Despite the loss, the team posted strong performances by sophomores Joel Tourtellotte and Evan Hsiao, junior Jesse Marin and senior Michael Baier, each of whom took first place in their individual events.
Tourtellotte, who set a UCSD record for the men’s 800-meter freestyle on Oct. 15, won in the 200 freestyle this week in one minute, 44.1 seconds, while Hsiao, who won All-American honors for his performance last year, finished in 59.13 seconds, the fastest in the 100 breaststroke race.
Hsiao also set an earlier record at this year’s Blue vs. Gold meet in the 50 fly.
Marin joined the others in victory, winning the 100 backstroke in 52.03 seconds.
Baier, who broke the UCSD 300 individual medley record earlier this month and last year was All-American in two events, claimed the top spot in the 400 individual medley, with a time of 4:09.18.
In the 200 medley relay, the team of Hsiao, freshman Steven Hardy, junior Lars Nordstrom and senior Bernabe Sclafani tied for first with a finish of 1:34.91.
The Triton men added to their score with a first-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Freshman Artur Kubalski, juniors Nordstrom and Tim Fuller and senior Woody Hooten raced to victory with a time of 3:09.54.
The UCSD women’s team also won a total of six races but was defeated with a score of 116-180. Junior Emily Harlan had a strong day, winning both of her sprint events.
Co-captain Harlan, who had a record-breaking season last year, finished in 24.34 seconds in the 50 freestyle and in 53.27 seconds in the 100 freestyle.
Harlan’s 100 time broke her old record of 53.47, set earlier this month.
Freshman Kendall Bohn also won two events, swimming to victory in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:06.83.
In the 200 breaststroke, Bohn flew past the competition with a finish of 2:20.75, almost five seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Senior Jennie Margrave added to the Triton women’s points with her first-place finish in three-meter diving.
Junior Susan Bell, who set a UCSD record in the 50 backstroke earlier in the year, won the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:30.29.
The women’s 400 freestyle relay team, consisting of freshmen Shannon Simonds and Jennifer Sims, Harlan and Bell, raced to victory and won with a time of 3:35.06.
After the women’s and men’s teams took third and fourth, respectively, at last year’s NCAA Championships, the teams are looking forward to a promising season.
The Triton men’s and women’s teams will next face UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 5. The teams will face opponents on the road until early next year, returning to take on the Air Force Academy in January.
