Swim floats to the top, coming away from doubleheader with wins
Senior Emma Schanz won both the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM with times of 54.37 and 2:01.47, respectively, Friday. Schanz also competed in the 100-yard butterfly for the first time this year and got third place with a time of 55.03. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)
By Claire Britton
Jan. 12, 2019 4:23 p.m.
Coach Cyndi Gallagher reached her 200th career win Friday.
UCLA swim (7-0) faced UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego in their second doubleheader of the season and walked away with a win.
Many of the swimmers received season-best times, which Gallagher said can be attributed to the hard work seen during winter training. UCLA topped UCSB 160.50-95.50 and UCSD 182-74.
“They’re being students of the sport,” Gallagher said. “They’re executing the things and everything is really coming together.”
Junior Kenisha Liu clinched a season-best time in the 100-yard butterfly of 54.35.
“At dual meets, it kind of feels like our job to win these events,” Liu said. “So when I finally won, I was like, OK, I did my job.”
Liu was also one of the top finishers in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.62.
In the 200-yard butterfly, junior Amy Okada almost broke the 2-minute mark with a time of 2:00.16, receiving first place. She improved from her time since Monday by about one second.
Freshman Abriana Howard also won her first collegiate event with a 2:00.92 in the 200-yard backstroke.
“I took it fast but smooth and worked on my underwater kicks,” Howard said. “And I guess it worked pretty well.”
Senior Sandra Soe and freshman Katie Sulkevich both competed in the 500-yard freestyle. Soe received her second-best time of the season, of 4:51.96 to win first place and Sulkevich clinched her season-best time of 5:00.13 to win second place.
Soe also competed in the 1,000-yard freestyle She broke a 10-minute mark, receiving a time of 9:52.69. Sulkevich also competed in this event, coming in second place.
Senior Emma Schanz picked up two wins in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM with times of 54.37 and 2:01.47, respectively. Schanz also raced in the 100-yard butterfly for the first time this year, receiving third place with a time of 55.03.
“Winter training was a huge milestone for me,” Schanz said. “The team is faster than we have ever been.”
Freshman Emily Lo finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:17.58. Freshman Delaney Smith and junior Lisa Kaunitz also competed in the event – marking both of their first times competing this season.
The UCLA dive team will return to Spieker Aquatics Center for the Bruin Diving Invitational on Jan. 18. The UCLA swim team will also return to Spieker Aquatics Center on Jan. 19 for its meet against Oregon State.
