UCSD takes the crown at the Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference Championships

After four days of competition, both the UCSD men and women’s swim and dive teams managed to win their sixth straight title at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships Feb. 12 to 15. The Triton men tallied 1,604 total points, while the women recorded a score of 1,565 — both beating out the closest competitors by more than 300 points.

“It was one of the best conference championships we’ve had in a long time,” UCSD head coach Corrie Falcon said.  “Almost every person got a [personal record], and we broke five school records.”

The Triton women entered the meet with an 8–6 record, ranked No. 5 nationally. The men, with a record of 3–4, are currently ranked No. 9 nationally.

On Wednesday, the first day of the meet, the Tritons started off by shooting straight to the top, winning six out of eight events. The Triton men ended the first day with 300 points, accumulated by placing first in all four events that were held that day. UCSD’s closest competition came from Fresno Pacific, which racked up 140 points.
The Triton women held 253 points over Division-I competitors Pepperdine (175), University of Alaska Fairbanks (172) and Azusa Pacific (170).

UCSD sophomore Paul Li set a personal record in the opening 200 yards for the 800 freestyle, moving him up from No. 3 to No. 2 in UCSD record book. For his performance, Li also earned the PCSC Male Swimmer of the Meet.

Senior Erika Rodman and sophomore Kyle Nadler also swept the first-ever PCSC 1,000-meter freestyle events. Rodman set a personal record, moving her up from No. 4 to No. 3 in the UCSD record book. Nadler, with his first individual conference title, also managed to set his own personal record and moved from No. 8 to No. 2 in the UCSD record book.

I am not only proud of how they swam and dove; I am also very proud of the way they came together as a team. -UCSD Head Coach Corrie Falcon

On Thursday, the Tritons strengthened its first place spot with Li breaking the school record in the 500 freestyle and three other individual events. The men ended the day with 699 points, followed by Concordia Irvine at 389, while the UCSD women led with 627 points.

Senior co-captain Anji Shakya became a four-time champion in the 500 freestyle after placing first again this year, having set the school and meet record last year. Shakya was followed by her teammates freshman Sierra Gage and sophomore Jessica Norgaard to win the event 1-2-3 for the second year in a row for UCSD.

Sophomore Colleen Daley grabbed her first individual PCSC title in the 50 freestyle with junior teammate Sierra Robbins placing second right behind her. Shakya, Daley and Robbins were joined by freshman leadoff Austine Lee to placing first in the 200 free relay, earning her fourth straight title in the event.

“The leadership of our four senior captains and the performances from Anji Shakya, Nick Korth, Luke Calkins and Paul Li helped keep our team on track through seven grueling sessions,” UCSD head coach Matt Macedo said after the meet.

Senior co-captain Nicholas Korth won his first individual PCSC championship in the 50 freestyle. Korth was followed by five other Tritons to the final, including senior co-captain Alex Merrill. All six of the men ended with season-best markers and, for some of them, their career best.

On Friday, the Tritons won eight of the 14 combined events on the day. The men accumulated 1,192 points and women had 1,101, both groups with a comfortable lead over its conference opponents.

Li added on to his impressive performance by winning both the 400 individual medley and 200 freestyle. Freshman Zach Yong broke the school record for the 400 individual medley and co-captain Shakya won the 200 freestyle, while Korth won the 100 breaststroke.

Macedo and Falcon were pleased with UCSD’s overall performance.

“I am not only proud of how they swam and dove, I am also very proud of the way they came together as a team.” Falcon said. “Our team performed well and really supported each other during stressful sessions.”

With the conference championships now behind them, Macedo now has his eyes on the team’s future.

“I am excited to see what we can accomplish next month at the NCAA championships in Geneva, Ohio,” he said.

UCSD will not know how many of its swimmers will qualify for the NCAA National Championships until Sunday, Feb. 23. The National meet will be held March 12 to March15.