Regardless of the competition this season, UC San Diego women’s swimming and diving team dominated. No. 6 in the nation, the team is on a five-meet win streak, and their latest victim were the USD Toreros.
There’s nothing like a little cross-city rivalry, but UCSD dispatched of University of San Diego fairly easily, winning 14 of 16 events on the day and defeating the Toreros 197–96. UCSD is now 7–2 on the season and dropped its opponents of the day to 2–7. The Tritons are unbeaten against USD in five straight meets and sport a 14–1–1 record when matched up against them in the past 16 meetings.
At home, the Tritons dominated the diving competition. Sophomore Brooke Abrantes won both the one-meter and the three-meters events. She scored two NCAA qualifiers, among them a personal best on the one meter.
Freshman Alayna Gocke had a coming out party on the day, with personal records in the 200 freestyle (1:52.74) and 500 free (5:03.73), both wins for UCSD. In their final home meet, seniors Natalie Tang and Jaimie Bryan won the two sprints and the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke races, respectively. All-American junior Julia Toronczak won the 100 backstroke in 57.79 and the 200 in a season-best of 2:01.38. Two more Tritons won their event, with freshman Casey Brotherton taking the 1000 free and freshman Anissa Barroso dominating the 200 individual medley.
The Tritons also took home the relay races. In the 200 medley, Tang, junior Angie Phetbenjakul, junior Jayna Wittenbrink and junior Haley Murphy took first place in 1:47.00. Toronczak, Phetbenjakul, freshman Amanda Rios and junior Sarah Yao took home the 400 free relay in (3:33.99). USD won the 100 and 200 butterfly races.
UCSD had six 1–2–3 finishes, in the 1000, 100 back, 200 back, 200 breast and in both diving events.
On the day, the Tritons also had eight NCAA consideration qualifiers. Brotherton in the 1000, Bryan and Gocke in their respective wins, Toronczak in the 200 back and Phetbenjakul in the two breaststroke events she placed second in.
UCSD is now done with the regular season and turns to the 2017 Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference Championships as eight-time defending champions, which will be held Feb. 8–11 in Monterey Park.
