LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The No. 21 UCLA swimming and diving team will conclude its regular season Friday, when it takes on No. 5 USC at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Competition will begin at 12:00 p.m.
The Bruins will be competing for the first time since its January Bay Area trip, which included losses to Stanford and California, teams that are currently ranked first and second in the CSCAA Coaches poll, respectively.
In its 127-104 loss to the Cardinal at Stanford, the Bruins collected three wins, headlined by senior Madison White's 200 Backstroke time of 1:55.77, her second-best time in the event of the season. Freshman Kenisha Liu added a 2:14.36 in the 200 Breaststroke, while the Bruin A team of freshman Isabella Goldsmith, junior Katie Grover, freshman Maisie Jameson and junior Sarah Kaunitz posted a 400 Free Relay time of 3:26.67. Bruins Ciara Monahan (284.93), Eloise Belanger (280.20) and Annika Lenz (273.53) finished second, third and fourth in the 1m Diving competition.
A day later in Berkeley, UCLA fell to California at Spieker Aquatics Complex, 165-128. Madison White again took the backstroke, this time in 1:56.95, nearly four seconds faster than the nearest competitor. Liu also posted the overall best time of 2:15.46 in the 200 Breaststroke, while Linnea Mack recorded her first win of the weekend, in the 100 Backstroke (53.22). White finished a close second (54.49). Bruins finished 2-3-4 in both diving events, as Kat Friese (third in 3m and fourth in 1m), Annika Lenz (fourth in 3m and second in 1m) and Ciara Monahan (second in 3m and third in 1m) occupied those spots on the leaderboard.
In rival USC, UCLA will face a team that also dropped both of its Bay Area meets, but still maintains a No. 5 ranking in the latest poll. The Trojans lost to Cal, 165-135 (Jan. 27), and Stanford, 202-98 (Jan. 28), late last month.
Last season, USC spoiled the Bruins' Senior Day with a 181-119 win at Spieker Aquatics Center. Three Bruins won swimming events, including White, who won the 200 Backstroke by more than three seconds at 1:54.44. Maria Polyakova also took first in the 1m Diving event, with a score of 295.73.
Polyakova will dive versus the Trojans after missing the Stanford and California meets to compete at the Russian Cup (Feb. 2-3) in Moscow. Diving in the 3m, the junior recorded a second-place finish, her highest showing in the country's national meet.
Friday's meet will close the regular-season portion of the campaign for both teams. The Pac-12 Championships will take place Feb. 22-25 in Federal Way, Wash.