2021-22 Swimming & Diving Roster
Roster
Ella Kirschke
- Position:
- IM/Free/Back
- Height:
- 5-9
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Valor Christian HS
- Hometown:
- Lone Tree, Colo.
Notes
Spent four seasons in the UCLA swim & dive program from 2018-19ย through 2021-22 ... At the conclusion of her Bruin career, had top-8 times in program history in the 200 free (1:46.15, sixth), 200 IM (1:57.69, fifth), and 400 IM (4:11.53, fifth)ย ... Qualified for the 2021 NCAA Championships ... Secured nine individual event wins over her careerย ... Competed at the Pac-12 Championships in all four of her seasons.
Career Highlights
2021 NCAA Championships Qualifier
Nine Individual Event Wins
Eight-time UCLA Director's Honor Roll
One Pac-12 Championship "A" Final
Two-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2021-22)
Two-timeย CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American (2021-22)
2021-2022
Competed in 10 of UCLA's 11 regular season meets as a senior ... Swam in the 100 free, 200 free, 200 back, 200 IM, and 400 IM at the Pac-12 Championships ... Made the B Final in both IM events at Pac-12s, placing 10th in the 400 IM (season-best 4:14.54) and 13th in the 200 IM (season-best 1:58.51) ... Scored 31 points at Pac-12s, eight-most among Bruin swimmers ... Had four event wins over the course of the year, three in the 200 IM and one in the 400 IM ...ย For the year, had the No. 2 time on the team in the 200 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM ... Swam on UCLA's top relay teams for the year in the 400 free and 800 free ... Raced a 2:01.77 in the 200 IM during the UCSB dual meet on Oct. 23 to record her first event win of the year ... Also picked up 200 IM wins against ASU on Nov. 5 (2:02.04) and Arizona on Nov. 6 (2:03.54) ... Was top-threeย in a trio of events at the UNLV Invitational from Dec. 17-19, highlighted by a win in the 400 IM (4:18.22) ... Scored in three events during the USC dual meet from Feb. 11-12 ... Named to the UCLA Director's Honor Roll for fall and winter quarters (3.0+ GPA, 12+ quarter units passed) ... Earned Second Team CSCAA Scholar All-America honors.ย
2020-21
Qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career, earning the No. 36 seed in the 200 free finals ... At NCAAs, competed in the 200 free (1:47.61, 40th) and 200 IM (1:59.35, 44th) ... At Pac-12s, set a new best time in the 100 free (49.21) while reaching "B" Finals in the 200 IM (1:57.85, ninth), 400 IM (4:13.83, ninth), and 200 back (1:57.82, 13th) ... Set season-bests in the 200 back, 400 IM, and 50 free (23.60) at Pac-12s ... Picked up two individual event wins over the course of the year, and also had the top time in one other race in which she swam exhibition (400 IM vs. Fresno State, Jan. 16) ...ย Set new best times in the both the 200 free (1:46.15, first) and 200 IM (1:57.69) to help UCLA record a dramatic dual meet win over USC on Feb. 13, the program's first win over the Trojans since 2007 ... UCLA clinched the win over USC on the final relay of the meet (400 free), Kirschke swam the third leg of that race .... Competed in all four of UCLA's regular season meets ... Had a standout showing at the USC Tri-Meet with Arizona from Jan. 22-23, winning the 200 back (2:01.17) for the first time in her career and placing second in both IM events ...ย Was runner-up in the 100 free in the season-opening dual meet against Fresno State (50.52) ... For the year, posted the best time of any Bruin in the 200 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM ... Was also part of UCLA's top relay squads in the 400 free, 800 free, and 400 medley relays ... Selected to the 2020-21 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (3.3+ cumulative GPA, 1+ year of residence at institution) ... Named to the UCLA Director's Honor Roll for fall and winter quarters (3.0+ quarter GPA, 12+ units passed) ... Named to the 2020-21 CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team (3.5+ GPA, invited to NCAAs) ... Season-best times: 100 free (50.52), 200 free (1:46.15), 200 back (1:57.82), 200 IM (1:57.69), 400 IM (4:13.83).ย
2019-20
Competed in all nine of the team's dual meets, the USD Pentathlon, and the Ohio State Invitational as a true sophomore ... Swam individually at the 2020 Pac-12 Championships in the 200 back, 200 IM, and 400 IM ... Set new best times and qualified for the finals in all three events ... Best result came in the 400 IM, where she placed sixth overall with a PR time of 4:11.53 ... Was 10th in the 200 IM finals (PR time of 1:58.65) and 21st overall in the 200 back finals (PR time of 1:57.38) ... Loggedย three individual event wins over the course of the year, two in the 200 IM and one in the 400 IM ... Had the best 400 IM time (4:11.53) on the team and third-best 200 IM time (1:58.65) ... Picked up her first win of the season at the Utah dual meet on Oct. 11, winning the 200 IM at 2:02.89 ... Won the 200 IM (2:03.19) in the ASU dual meet on Nov. 2 ... Scored in the 400 IM (4:21.51, second) and 200 free (1:50.86, third) in the Arizona dual meet on Nov. 1 ... In a field of 43 at the Ohio State Invitational, placed ninth in the 400 IM finals (4:16.97) ... Earned the win in the 400 IM (4:21.67) in the UCSD dual meet on Jan. 3, was runner-up in the 200 back (2:03.08) ... Scored in three events, set a PR in the 100 back (57.19) in the Stanford dual meet on Jan. 31 ... Named to the UCLA Director's Honor Roll for fall, winter, and spring quarters ... Season-bests: 100 free (50.91), 200 free (1:49.71), 100 back (57.19), 200 back (1:57.38), 200 IM (1:58.65), 400 IM (4:11.53).ย
2018-19
Named to the Spring 2019 Director's Honor Roll ... Had the fourth-best 200 IM time on the team (2:01.54) ... Competed at the Pac-12 Championships in the 100 free (29th, 50.44), 200 IM (27th, 2:01.54), 400 IM (19th, 4:17.83), 400 free relay, and 800 free relay ... Was top-five in the 50 free at four meets, including third-place finishes at Utah on Oct. 27 (23.97) and against Arizona State on Nov. 3 (23.82) ... Was runner-up in the 100 free at Utah on Oct. 27 (52.11) and in the 400 IM at Stanford on Feb. 1 (4:19.65) ... Part of the winning team in the 200 free relay at Utah on Oct. 27 (1:33.51) ... Season-bests: 50 free (23.43), 100 free (50.39), 200 free (1:49.89), 200 fly (2:04.84), 200 IM (2:01.54), 400 IM (4:17.83), 500 free (5:00.24).ย
High School
Swam four seasons at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo.ย ... Earned All-American and Academic All-American honors during her high school career ... Also made First Team All-State and First Team All-League.ย
Club
Competed for Denver Swim Academy.ย
Personal
Ella McCall Kirschke was born on Jun. 27, 2000 in Rochester, Mich. to parents Travis and Amy ... Has two younger brothers, Gabe and Blake ... Aspires to go into marketing ... In her free time, enjoys spending long days at the beach and adventuring outdoors with friends and family ... Her father Travis played football at UCLA from 1993-96, then played 13 seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions (1997-2002), San Francisco 49ers (2003), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-09), winning Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in 2005 ... Chose UCLA because of the "outstanding academics and athletics along with the perfect location!" ... Majoring in communication.ย
Best Times
50 free - 23.35
100 free - 49.21
200 free - 1:46.15
500 free - 5:00.24
100 back - 57.19
200 back - 1:57.38
200 IM - 1:57.69
400 IM - 4:11.53
(last updated: Jun. 14, 2022)
