UCLA swim and dive finishes fourth in Pac-12 finals

The UCLA swim and dive team faced stiff travel conditions and competition heading into the Pac-12 Championships.

However, the Bruins finished in a strong fourth position and were able to avenge their prior loss to Arizona by finishing ahead of the Wildcats.

The Pac-12 championships were held over four days in Federal Way, Wash., which posed a tough challenge for some of the Bruins. Freshman diver Annika Lenz noted that adjustments had to be made upon arrival.

“Traveling forces you to make adjustments to a new pool. Along with missing a lot of school, that can be tough,” Lenz said.

Junior butterfly swimmer Noelle Tarazona said traveling can get swimmers in the right mindset to compete and that missing school can be tough.

“A few girls had to take some midterms on the road which is probably not the most ideal situation,” Tarazona said. “I think traveling is fun though. I think it gets you in the mindset that it is a big meet because you are traveling and it is a different environment.”

Despite the travel, these two athletes in particular had strong finishes. Lenz finished sixth in both the three-meter and the platform diving competitions. Tarazona finished second in the 200-meter butterfly.

Another strong performer was sophomore freestyle swimmer Katy Campbell, who broke a school record in the 500m free and finished third in the 1650m free.

Campbell spoke about how the team, not just herself, logged a strong performance in Washington.

“We really powered through and performed at our best level. We took care of business,” Campbell said.

The Bruins have suffered four losses in dual meets this season, with the closest one coming 151-149 at Arizona. They were able to avenge that loss by finishing fourth in the Pac-12 while Arizona finished in fifth. Tarazona said this was instrumental in making this weekend a great success.

“We ended up beating Arizona which was big for us, so overall it was a great weekend,” Tarazona said.