University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Swim & Dive Summer 2018 Update
August 16, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES – With the summer months coming to a close and fall quarter appearing on the horizon, UCLABruins.com checks in with UCLA's swim & dive team to see how the squad fared in USA Swimming and international competitions over the past few weeks.
UCLA has produced the last two Pac-12 Divers of the Year in Eloise Belanger and Maria Polyakova, and both earned gold medals in the 1m springboard at prominent meets in August.
Polyakova, the league's top diver for the 2016-17 season, capped off a summer full of training and competition with a performance to remember at the European Championships – held in Edinburgh, Scotland from Aug. 6 to 12 – where she won the gold medal in the 1m with an overall score of 285.55. She pulled away from the competition with matching 61.10 scores on her final two dives; no other athlete broke the 60.00 mark on any attempt.
The three-time CSCAA All-American followed that outing up the next day in the 3m, where she placed first in the prelim with a score of 318.65, including a top mark of 72.00 on her fourth dive. She started off strong in the final as well – leading the pack after the first two rounds with a combined score of 135.00 – but she wasn't able to maintain that level, ending up in 11th place overall.
GOLD for Russia! ??????A brilliant final two dives take Mariia Poliakova to the top step of the podium in the 1m Springboard!
— Euro Champs (@Euro_Champs) August 10, 2018
Congratulations Mariia! #TheMoment #EC2018 #Glasgow2018 pic.twitter.com/3VuJRa0osc
Belanger, the 2018 Pac-12 Diver of the Year, had a similarly impressive showing at the Canadian Senior National Championships, held in Gatineau, Quebec from Aug. 3-5. Belanger's top performance came on the first day of competition, where she grabbed the gold medal in the 1m.
The Montreal native was the second-place finisher in the 1m prelim, but stepped up her game in the final, finishing with a 283.05 score that was comfortably ahead of second-place Aimee Wilson (273.10). Belanger clinched gold with a 62.40 on her final dive, the only 60.00+ score recorded in the whole event. Belanger also qualified for the 3m at nationals coming in 11th at 231.25.
#Day1 Senior National Championships ?? check out our medalists // Voici les podiums du jour ??????Bravo à tous les plongeurs! pic.twitter.com/y4AXb9W4s9
— DivingPlongeonCanada (@DivingCanada) August 3, 2018
On the swimming side, a host of current and recently-graduated Bruins were able to compete at the 2018 Philips 66 National Championships in Irvine, Calif.
2018 All-American Kenisha Liu, who will be a junior this upcoming year at UCLA, posted the Bruins' best result of the meet, placing 18th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 55.44.
Other competitors included Emma Schanz (200 breast, 50 back, 100 back, 200 back), Amy Okada (50 fly, 100 fly), and Sandra Soe (400 free, 1500 free). Linnea Mack and Katy Cambell (both class of 2017) raced as Bruin alumni while incoming freshmen Claire Grover (50 breast, 100 breast, 50 free) and Mara Newman (50 back) represented UCLA as well.
Bruin swimmers aren't quite done for the summer, as one newcomer and one alumni are slated to appear in the 2018 Asian Games, which run Aug. 19-24 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Erica Vong, an incoming transfer from College of San Mateo where she was a two-time national champion in the 100 back, will represent Macau in the games for the third time in her career (also 2010 and 2014). Women's backstroke events are slated for Aug. 19, 21, and 22.
Ting Wen Quah, the UCLA school record-holder in the 100 fly (51.89) and a 2008 Olympian, will represent Singapore in Jakarta, marking the 10th year that she will represent her country in international competition.
Last but not least, a pair of Bruin underclassmen divers made waves at junior national competitions this summer.
Alice Yanovsky, who will be a sophomore this upcoming year, and incoming freshman Veronica Thompson both had solid showings at the Zone F Diving Championships in Mission Viejo, Calif. from Jun. 29 to Jul. 1.
Yanovsky secured top-10 finishes in both the 1m (376.45, 10th) and the 3m (433.45, seventh), which qualified her to appear at the 2018 USA Diving Junior Nationals. There, she placed sixth in the 3m prelim and 21st in the final (402.70) and 10th in the 1m prelim (373.25).
Back at Zone Fs, Thompson competed in the 1m, 3m, and platform, with her top result coming in the platform (353.80, seventh).
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