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Bruins in Fourth Place at Pac-12s

Swimming & Diving

Mack and B?langer post top-five finishes in 50 Free and 3M events

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The Bruins are in fourth place after two days of action at the 2016 Pac-12 Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.  No. 19 UCLA has compiled 431 points so far, and is nipping at the heels of No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 USC, and No. 6 Cal. 

500 Freestyle

In the morning session, five Bruins hit the pool for the 500 Free.  Sandra Soe led the pack with a ninth-place finish and season-best 4:44.97 to advance to the consolation final.  Michaela Merlihan and Natalie Amberg qualified for the C final with times of 4:51.24 and 4:51.56, respectively.  Amberg's mark was also a season best.  Hayden Walker just missed the cut, placing 25th in the prelims with a season-best time of 4:52.15, while Carly Reid finished 32nd (4:56.51).   

In the evening swim, Soe placed sixth in the consolation final (14th overall), while Amberg and Merlihan finished 19th and 22nd, respectively, overall.  Amberg improved her time from the prelims, posting a new season-best of 4:49.37.     

200 Individual Medley

In the 200 IM, a pair of Bruins advanced to the consolation final from the morning swim.  Emma Schanz posted a season-best 1:58.66 to finish 11th, while Arlyn Upshaw placed 16th with a 1:59.91.  Nina Hayes, Mary Pelton, and Elena Escalas finished outside the top 24, but Hayes (2:04.88) and Escalas (2:09.76) both posted season-best times.

In the evening session, Schanz swam the fifth-best time in the B final to place 13th overall.  Teammate Upshaw was close behind in seventh (15th overall).    

50 Freestyle

Linnea Mack swam the fourth-best time in the prelims of the 50 Free.  Just .08 seconds off Stanford's Lia Neal in third, Mack qualified for the championship final with a 22.09.  Four more Bruins hit the pool for Thursday morning's splash and dash.  Sarah Kaunitz just missed the cut for the evening session, placing 26th with a season-best 23.27.  Madison Applegate, Caroline McTaggart, and Brigitte Winkler finished 31st, 42nd, and 46th, respectively.     

In the championship final, Mack checked in at fourth once again, but shaved .03 seconds off her time.  Her 22.06 is a new season-best and is just .03 seconds off her career-best.      

200 Freestyle Relay

The Bruin quartet of Mack, Madison White, Katie Kinnear, and Katie Grover recorded the fifth-best time (1:31.01) in the 200 Free Relay on Thursday evening. 

3-Meter Diving

On the boards, six Bruins scored points for UCLA throughout Thursday's 3-meter event.  Leading the pack, Eloise Belanger posted a season-best 322.95 in the prelims.  With a 303.00, Annika Lenz joined her teammate in the top eight divers to advance to the evening session.  Katerina Friese just missed the cut, finishing 11th with a 282.00.  Maria Polyakova and Montana Monahan recorded top-15 finishes, while Ciara Monahan placed 22nd overall.         

In the 3-meter finals, Bélanger smashed her score from the morning session, finishing fourth with a new season-best 338.95.  Lenz placed seventh overall. 

Championship action continues on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. PT with the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast, and 100 Back prelims.  The evening session begins at 6 p.m. PT.