UCLA
Pac-12 Championships
Polyakova Wins 1M, Bruins Earn Three Podiums on Day Two of Pac-12s
February 28, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The No. 25 UCLA swim & dive team had a night to remember on Day Two of the 2019 Pac-12 Championships, as Maria Polyakova was crowned Pac-12 Champion in 1-meter diving while Claire Grover and the UCLA 200 free relay team both ended up on podiums at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Polyakova's league title was the third of her career and the second in 1M. She previously won 1-meter in 2016 and 3-meter in 2017. She was the Pac-12 Diver of the Year for the 2016-17 season.
Conversely, the podiums for Grover and the 200 free relay group broke droughts for the program. The last individual swimmer to podium at Pac-12s for UCLA was Linnea Mack in 2017 (100 back), while the Bruins haven't had a top-three relay finish since the 2015 Championships (200 medley).
Polyakova posted a score of 335.70 to take the crown in 1M, beating out second-place Delaney Schnell of Arizona by less than 10 points. It was the second-best score of the season for the Moscow, Russia native, trailing only her school-record 355.50 set earlier this year against Arizona State.
She separated herself with the fifth dive on her list, a forward 2 ½ somersault pike that earned her 66.30 points, the most of any dive in the finals.
Teammate Eloise Belanger, the reigning Pac-12 Diver of the Year and the No. 2 seed going into the competition, also qualified for the finals and just missed out on a podium spot, placing fourth at 306.75. The Montreal, Quebec native has now posted a score above 300.00 in every 1M final she's entered, and she and Polyakova are two of the top-three seeds in tomorrow's 3M competition.
UCLA now has nine 1-meter diving titles all-time, including Belanger in 2018.
"Maria has her own story this year, with her injury and then missing a lot of training for various reasons," said UCLA head diving coach Tom Stebbins. "She still had a lot of points available to her today that we didn't take advantage of, so we feel good about where's at. Elo also looked great, especially since we've been focusing on training in 3-meter and tower with her."
In the penultimate event of the night, Grover out-raced her No. 10 seed in both the prelims and finals. She earned a spot in the A Final after posting a season-best time of 21.77, then one-upped herself in the final with a lifetime best of 21.98. That mark, a UCLA freshman record, all but guarantees her a spot in the NCAA Championships.
"The 50 free is a pretty high intensity race, you're next to record holders and national team kids," said UCLA head swim & dive coach Cyndi Gallagher. "For Claire to have that poise shows that she's a competitor and that she did it for herself and the team. She is excellent about setting goals and doing whatever it takes to reach them. It was fun for all of us to watch her succeed tonight."
?? PODIUM FINISH ??
— UCLA Swim And Dive (@UCLASwimAndDive) March 1, 2019
Another top-three result for UCLA on Thursday night at #Pac12Swim as Claire Grover sets a freshman school record (21.98) to take third in the 50 free final and almost certainly punch her ticket to NCAAs!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/RbvDzyKCAk
Grover bounced right back after that to aid the Bruins in the 200 free relay, as the Bruins placed third with a season-best time of 1:28.88. The relay team consisted of Grover, Kenisha Liu, Amy Okada, and Maisie Jameson.
?? PODIUM FINISH ??
— UCLA Swim And Dive (@UCLASwimAndDive) March 1, 2019
A third and final podium for UCLA on Thursday night, as the Bruins post a season-best 1:28.88 time to take third in the 200 free relay! That mark is a provisional NCAA standard.#GoBruins | #Pac12Swim pic.twitter.com/ZlFQCSq1Nv
"I think the momentum of Claire getting third before the relay and breaking Linnea's freshman record got everyone excited and confident," said Gallagher. "The whole team really enjoyed the relay and was being them. Improving on our relays was a team goal this year, and practicing on our new blocks has been very helpful so we're thankful to our donors for giving us the opportunity to do that."
Senior distance swimmer Sandra Soe had a solid day of her own on Thursday, just missing out on a school record and posting a lifetime best in the 500 free with a time of 4:40.80. She placed third in the B Final and 11th overall.
UCLA continues action at the Pac-12 Championships on Friday. Scheduled events include 3-meter diving, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, and the 400 medley relay.
Team Scores Through Event 7
1. Stanford – 583.5
2. California – 455.5
3. Arizona State- 349
4. USC – 323
5. Arizona – 320
6. UCLA – 291
7. Utah – 143
8. Washington State – 135
9. Oregon State – 90
Players Mentioned
