UCLA
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA Hosts UCSB in Final Home Meet of Fall
October 24, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA swim and dive team will host MPSF-member UC Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Center starting at 2:00 p.m. The dual will serve as UCLA's final home meet of the 2019 calendar year.
Divers will not be competing in the meet. ย
The Bruins, No. 23 in the CSCAA Preseason Poll, are off to a 2-0 start in dual meets under first-year head coach Jordan Wolfrum. UCLA captured a season-opening 165-120 win at the San Diego Pentathlon on Sept. 13 before opening up Pac-12 competition with a dominant 177-84 decision over Utah at Spieker on Oct. 11.
UCSB meanwhile finished atop a five-time field at both the CSU Bakersfield Sprint Classic and the Roadrunner Classic. Friday serves as their first true dual meet of the campaign.
The Bruins are 34-1 all-time in dual meets against the Gauchos, with the lone loss coming at UCSB during the 2017-18 campaign. This is the 21st consecutive season that the Bruins and Gauchos have squared off.
Last season, UCLA defeated UCSB 160.50-95.50 at Spieker. The meet, part of a tri-meet with UCSB, had to be rescheduled to Jan. 11 after wildfires created poor air quality conditions on the originally-scheduled November date. The victory was the 200th all-time for since-retired head coach Cyndi Gallagher.
Standouts from last year's meet against the Gauchos included Claire Grover (won the 50 free and 100 free), Sophia Cavalli (won the 200 free, her first collegiate win), and Emily Lo (won the 200 breast, her first collegiate win). Since-graduated swimmers Sandra Soe (500 free, 1000 free) and Emma Schanz (100 back, 200 IM) each took home multiple event wins as well.
The 2019-20 Bruins are anchored by a strong nucleus of returning NCAA Qualifiers including Liu,ย Amy Okada,ย Claire Grover, andย Delaney Smith.ย
UCLA also boasts the No. 8 overall class of newcomers, as judged by SwimSwam. Key freshmen includeย Gabby Dangย (Bothell, Wash.),ย Sophia Kosturosย (Orinda, Calif.),ย Brooke Schafferย (Mountain View, Calif.),ย Rachel Rheeย (Encinitas, Calif.),ย Daniella Hawkinsย (San Ramon, Calif.), andย Lauryn Johnsonย (Rockville Centre, N.Y.).
Fans can follow along with the meet on Twitter by checkingย @UCLASwimAndDive.
Players Mentioned
