UCLA
NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Bruins Start NCAAs with School Record
March 14, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
COLUMBUS, Ohio – UCLA got off to a strong start on Day 1 of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships Wednesday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, posting a school-record time of 7:01.90 in the 800 Free Relay.
Kenisha Liu, Katie Grover, Sandra Soe and Margaux Verger Gourson made up the record-setting Bruin quartet, which finished 14th. UCLA is 14th on the overall leaderboard as a result, with six points.
The new record eclipsed the previous mark by nearly three seconds. Last year's team of Linnea Mack, Liu, Grover and Madison White set that mark (7:04.59) on Day 1 last year's NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.
Liu got the Bruins started Wednesday with an opening split of 1:45.15. Grover posted a blazing time of 1:43.91, good for ninth among second-leg swimmers. Soe backed her up with a mark of 1:46.57, while Verger Gourson swam the anchor leg in a time of 1:46.27.
Stanford secured the first win of the championships, as its "A" team clocked in at 6:46.93 for a new pool record and 40 points.
Day 2 will kick off Thursday at 7 a.m. (PT) with trials. Finals will begin at 3 p.m. Scheduled events include 200 Free Relay, 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free and 400 Medley Relay. In addition to a 200 Free Relay team, Emma Schanz and Kenisha Liu will be in action in the 200 IM, while Sandra Soe swims against the nation's best in the 500 Free. The first diving event will also take place Thursday, as Eloise Belanger takes on a talented field on 1-meter. Live stats will be available HERE. Prelims and finals can also be streamed at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The rankings after Day 1 are as follows:
1. Stanford – 40
2. Michigan – 34
3. California – 32
4. Tennessee – 30
5. Texas – 28
6. Louisville – 26
7. Virginia – 24
8. Minnesota – 22
9. Texas A&M – 18
10. Georgia – 14
11. Kentucky – 12
12. Arizona – 10
13. USC – 8
14. UCLA – 6
15. Auburn – 4
16. Indiana - 2
Players Mentioned
