Friday, October 14
Lewisville, Texas
4:30 PM
UCLA
vs
SMU Classic
Bruins Kick Off Season at SMU Classic
October 12, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES, Calif.ย โ The 2016-2017 swimming and diving season gets underway on Friday when the Bruins compete in the 23rd annual SMU Classic.ย Joining No. 19 UCLA and host SMU are No. 3 Michigan, No. 17 Louisville, No. 4 Southern California, and Miami.ย The two-day event will take place at the Westside Aquatics Center in Lewisville, Texas.ย
The Bruins tied for second at the 2015 SMU Classic. ย Bruin diver Maria Polyakova swept the springboard events, earning her the meet's High Point Diver honor.ย Between the lane lines, Linnea Mack posted the top time in the 100 Backstroke.ย ย ย ย
The Bruins return 27 letter winners from last year's team, which won six dual meets and finished fifth at the Pac-12 Championships and 17th at the NCAA Championships.ย UCLA brings back three swimmers and divers who earned CSCAA All-America accolades last season.ย Polyakova and last year's Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year Eloise Belanger both earned first-team honors, while Mack received an honorable mention nod.ย Six returners also earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors.ย
Mack begins her senior season owning UCLA records in three categoriesโ50 Free, 100 Free, and 100 Back.ย She is also part of the school-best 200 Medley, 400 Medley, 200 Free, and 400 Free Relay squads.ย Last season, Mack broke her own school record in the 100 Back three times in as many weeks.ย At the Pac-12 Championships, Mack broke her record twice in one dayโfirst in the championship final of the 100 Back (51.98) to finish sixth and again as the lead-off leg in the 400 Medley Relay (51.37).ย At the NCAA Championships, she then swam a career-best 51.24 to finish second in the consolation final (10th overall).ย Mack also ranks fourth all-time at UCLA in the 100 Butterfly.
On the boards, the Bruin divers return after a prolific 2015-2016 season.ย Polyakova, the Pac-12 Diver of the Month last November and December won 12 of 14 regular season diving competitions.ย At the Pac-12s, Polyakova captured the 1-meter title with a season-best 324.80 in the finals.ย She was joined by teammate Belanger on the podium, who placed third.ย To close out Pac-12 diving action, Belanger and Annika Lenz posted top-five finishes on the platform, placing second and fourth, respectively.ย Continuing their post-season success, Belanger tallied a career-high 336.00 to finish second in the 1-meter at NCAAs while also setting a new UCLA record in the event.ย Polyakova finished fourth in the 3-meter event and fifth in the 1-meter.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The incoming Bruin class consists of eight freshmen and two junior transfersโall swimmers.ย
The SMU Classic will begin at 6:30 CT/4:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Oct. 14, and continue through Saturday evening.ย Joining No. 19 UCLA and host SMU are No. 3 Michigan, No. 17 Louisville, No. 4 Southern California, and Miami.ย Results will be available at SMUMustangs.com and diving results will be available on Dive Meets.ย ย
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Tuesday, April 02
UCLA's Maria Polyakova takes home Pac-12 Women's Diver of the Year honors
Tuesday, April 02
Maria Polyakova Wins 2019 Pac-12 1M Championship
Friday, March 01