UCLA
Pac-12 Championships
Bruins Place Fourth at 2023 Pac-12 Championships
February 22, 2023 | Swimming & Diving
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. โ The UCLA swim and dive broke a number of school records and set numerous best times this week at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships at Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Center, ultimately placing fourth in the eight-team field with a final score of 1,030.5.
Overall, the Bruins set four new school records, had seven podium finishes, placed 16 student-athletes in A Finals, and recorded 28 new best times/scores.
In addition, the Bruins cracked the 1,000-point mark for the first time since 2017 (exempting 2020, in which the league meet didn't have full participation due to COVID-19 measures).
The result marks the fourth consecutive top-four finish for the Bruins at the league championships, all under fourth-year head coach Jordan Wolfrum.
Particularly notable performances from the Bruins during the week came courtesy of Paige MacEachern in the 400 IM (runner-up, school record), Claire Grover in the 100 breast (school record, podium), Rachel Rhee in the 100 free (runner-up), and Eden Cheng in platform diving (school record, podium).
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Stanford, 1725.5
2. USC, 1267.5
3. California, 1260.5
4. UCLA, 1030.5
5. Arizona State, 837
6. Arizona, 607
7. Utah, 594
8. Washington State, 420
DAY FOUR RECAP
A record-setting score from Eden Cheng in platform diving and a standout effort from Rachel Rhee in the 100 free highlighted the Bruins' final day at the Pac-12 Championships.
Overall, UCLA had six A Finalists on Saturday. In addition, the Bruins set seven new individual best times/scores.
Cheng capped off UCLA's individual events on a high note, earning a score of 324.60 on tower that represented both an individual PR and a new school record. She edged out an eight-year-old mark set by Annika Lenz (323.15). Cheng improved as her finals list went on, scoring a personal round-high 76.80 points on her final attempt. She averaged 8.0s or higher on three of her five dives.
The final day of Pac-12s was opened up by the 1650 free, which saw a pair of Bruins swim in the final heat. Katrina Bellio (16:22.96) ended up as the Bruins' top finisher, followed immediately by Paige MacEachern (16:24.56).
A trio of Bruins earned spots in the finals for the 200 back. Rosie Murphy (1:55.29, 12th) paced the Bruins' contingent.
The next race saw Rhee go 48.00 in the 100 free, a half-second off her previous PR and within striking distance of the UCLA school record. That pace was good enough for a second-place result. Claire Grover (48.77) joined her in the A Final, taking seventh. Grover earned her spot in the championship heat after taking down Cal's Emily Gantriis in a swim-off after the two swam an identical 48.92 in prelims.
In the 200 breast, Eva Carlson posted a best time in prelims to lock up a spot in the A Final, and then one-upped that time at 2:11.31 to land in sixth place. It marked Carlson's third-career Pac-12 A Final.
Ashley Kolessar was the Bruins' top racer in the 200 fly, placing 15th with a time of 2:00.15. Fay Lustria (2:01.46) joined her in the B Final, and Maya Wilson set a pair of best times, including a 2:02.70 in the C Final.
The Bruins closed out the meet with a fifth-place result in the 400 free relay, with Rhee, Sophia Kosturos, Maddie Wright, and Grover combining for a time of 3:16.41.
DAY THREE RECAP
Sophomore Paige MacEachern and fifth-year Claire Grover broke school schools records and hit the podium to pace UCLA on the third day of the 2023 Pac-12 Championships.
MacEachern was the runner-up in the 400 IM after notching a time of 4:06.17. That time, over a two-second improvement from her prelims time โ which was already a personal-best to boot โ took down the previous school record of 4:06.42, set in 2011 by Lauren Hall. The 12-year-old record was UCLA's oldest standing record before MacEachern eclipsed it.
Grover then followed up with a 59.37 in the 100 breast, good for a third-place result. Grover edged out the previous record of 59.46, set by Allison Wine in 2015. It was Grover's fifth-career podium, and second of this year after also placing third in the 50 free on Thursday.
Though the runner-up finish was the highlight of the 400 IM, the race on the whole was the strongest of the day for the Bruins. Overall in that event, UCLA had a podium finish, two A Finalists, six best times, and the winner of the C Final. MacEachern was joined in the A Final by freshman Rosie Murphy, who turned in a best time (4:12.10) to finish eighth. Freshman Katrina Bellio (4:13.25) notched a best time in the B Final, freshman Ashley Kolessar (4:14.13) won the C Final, and senior Katrina Sommer (4:18.78) went a best time in the C Final. Even the prelims treated the Bruins kindly in the 400 IM, as MacEachern was the top qualifier in the field at 4:08.22.
Senior Gabby Dang was the Bruins' top performer in the 100 fly, finishing sixth overall and reaching the A Final in that event for the third consecutive year. She had a best time of 51.85 in prelims to secure her spot in the top heat. Freshman Fay Lustria (54.07) was also able to record a best time, finishing third in the C Final.
The Bruins had five finalists in the 200 free, led by Rachel Rhee's 15th-place time of 1:46.84. Junior Maddie Wright (1:48.56) had a best time in prelims to land in the C Final.
The next race saw Grover hit the podium in the 100 breast. She was joined in the top-five of that race by sophomore Eva Carlson (59.80), who placed fifth overall, her highest-ever finish at Pac-12s. The Bruins also had a swimmer in both the B Final โ Ana Jih-Schiff was 11th at 1:01.25 โ and C Final โ Bailey Herbert placed 24th at 1:02.78.
Senior Sophia Kosturos led the Bruins in the 100 back, winning the B Final with a time of 52.88.
Over on the diving side, freshman Eden Cheng (317.10) and senior Hannah Butler (297.85) placed 4-5 in the 3-meter diving championship. Cheng's score was a collegiate-best in that event, and Butler's performance marked her seventh-career A Final at Pac-12s.
UCLA closed the day with a third-place result in the 400 medley relay. The quartet of Grover, Carlson, Kosturos, and Dangย completed the race in 3:35.32.
Collectively, the Bruins set 12 best times (or scores) on Friday, bringing the squad's three-day total to 21.ย
With one day of competition remaining, UCLA sits squarely in fourth place with 701.5 points. Stanford (1149.5) leads the field, followed by California (874.5) and USC (817.5).
DAY TWO RECAP
UCLA's second day at Pac-12s was highlighted by a 3-4 finish in the 50 freestyle and nine new best times from various swimmers.
Fifth-year Claire Grover and senior Rachel Rhee led the Bruins in that 50 free A Final, with Grover (22.13) taking third followed shortly by Rhee (22.21).
Grover has been a mainstay in the championship heat for the 50 free during her time in Westwood, as Thursday marked her fifth-career appearance and third-career podium finish. She is the lone swimmer in UCLA history to appear in five A Finals in one event at Pac-12s.
Rhee meanwhile was making her first-ever appearance in the 50 free A Final, and it was her second-ever A final overall.
Other Bruins fared well in the 50 free also, with senior Gabby Dang (22.69) posting a best time to place third in the C Final. Junior Maddie Wright (22.92) also qualified for the C Final, finishing 24th overall.
Senior Hannah Butler also qualified for an A Final in the first individual event of the evening, ending up in eighth in 1-meter diving with a score of 271.00. It was Butler's fourth A Final in four years in that event. She led a group of four Bruin divers, who all qualified for finals. Sophomore Zoe Jespersgaard (279.95) edged out Arizona's Gracie Sleeman by 1.15 points to claim first in the consolation final.
Freshman Katrina Bellio (4:43.18) led the Bruins in the 500 free, one-upping her best time from prelims to take third in the B Final, No. 11 overall. Sophomore Paige MacEachern (4:43.21) was right behind her with a best time of her own, good for 13th place.
UCLA had two finalists in the 200 IM, paced by Rosie Murphy (1:59.12, 13th). Senior Katrina Sommer (2:00.65) was then third in the C Final, No. 19 overall. Both Murphy (1:58.56) and Sommer (2:00.14) set best times in the 200 IM during prelims.
The Bruins closed out day two of the meet with a fifth-place swim in the 200 free relay at 1:29.98. Rhee's 22.40 leadoff split was third in the field. The quartet was rounded out by Sophia Kosturos, Wright, and Grover. UCLA's time was a half-second off a season best.
DAY ONE RECAP
UCLA opened the 2023 Pac-12 Championships on a high note, setting a school record in the 200 medley relay and earning a podium finish in the team diving event.
The very first race of the meet, the 200 medley relay, saw Sophia Kosturos, Eva Carlson, Gabby Dang, and Claire Grover post a time of 1:36.64. That time was .31 seconds ahead of the quartet's performance at USC last weekend, and .08 seconds better than the previous school standard of 1:36.72, set by the same group at last year's Pac-12s.
UCLA's time in the 200 medley relay on Wednesday was good for fourth place. Grover's 21.59 split on the anchor freestyle leg was the second-fastest in the field, only three-hundredths of a second behind Stanford's Taylor Ruck.
The Bruins then grabbed a bronze finish in the closely-contested team diving event. The Bruins ended up with a score of 310.70, less than five points behind runner-up Utah.
In the third and final event of the night, UCLA placed fifth in the 800 free relay with a time of 7:07.20. That time represented over a 10-second improvement on the team's previous season-best in that relay. Senior Rachel Rhee (1:45.96) had the Bruins' top split in that race. She was joined by Gizem Guvenc (1:47.63), Katrina Bellio (1:46.40), and Brooke Schaffer (1:47.21).
After the first night of the meet, the Bruins ranked fifth in the crowded team standings, just four points behind third-place USC.
Players Mentioned
