UCLA swim and dive shifts focus to season’s final lap
Sophomore Madison White said UCLA swim and dive has reached the turning point of its year – championship season. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin)
By Kathryn Gallo
Jan. 29, 2015 12:03 a.m.
With postseason play less than a month away, UCLA swim and dive is preparing to change course.
What began as a season filled with invitationals and blowout victories in dual meets has now transitioned into one with much stiffer competition. UCLA has maintained a 7-1 record, losing only to No. 14 Arizona by 10 points. But from this point on, every meet poses a dangerous challenge.
“It definitely is a turning point now that we’re in championship season,” said sophomore swimmer Madison White.
In the final three dual meets of the season, No. 13 UCLA will face No. 3 Stanford Friday, No. 1 Cal Saturday, and No. 12 USC on Feb. 13. At the end of February, the team will compete at the conference championship. Less than a month later, the divers will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., and the swimmers to Greensboro, N.C. to compete in their respective NCAA championships.
UCLA has not had a win over Cal, Stanford or USC since 2007 when it defeated the Trojans by a slim margin of four points.
Sophomore diver Danni Repper believes these more challenging competitions give the team greater incentive to do well.
“The mindset definitely changes for more difficult meets,” Repper said. “We all know when we have an important meet, and so we really try to step it up.”
The team said it’s aware of the difficulties these meets will bring, but that does not mean it fears them. Instead, the Bruins embrace the challenges. Swimming in tougher meets gives the team the upper hand when it comes to NCAAs. The girls are able to watch the swimmers at these top-ranked schools and learn from them. When it comes time to face off against them for a second or third time at the championships, the Bruins said they will be ready.
“Our kids are smart,” said coach Cyndi Gallagher. “They are students of the sport. They watch the best to get better.”
The swimmers are focusing on improving individually during this stretch of the season, but they are also hoping to get some wins in the process. Although past records may indicate otherwise, White is confident that the Bruins are not out for the count just yet.
“They’re doable,” White said. “We are all capable of swimming just as fast of times as they are.”
Gallagher said she knows winning is not everything, but she is excited for what the latter half of the season will bring. Her focus is on little else other than swimming.
“If we don’t win, that’s not fatal. We just have to keep improving and changing,” Gallagher said. “This is the fun part of the season. It’s tunnel vision. Right now your focus get really straight, and everything else disappears. I love this part.”
