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UCLA swim and dive refines training, prepares for upcoming tournaments

UCLA swim and dive gathers on the pool deck during a meet. The Bruins have one dual meet left before the start of the postseason. (Michael Vigman/Daily Bruin)

By Garrison Hallum

Feb. 10, 2022 5:06 p.m.

The Bruins are shifting their training to better prepare for the crux of the season, according to coach Jordan Wolfrum.

UCLA swim and dive (3-4, 1-4 Pac-12) is more than four months into its season with about a month left to go before the NCAA championships. With the tournament season approaching, Wolfrum said Jan. 29 that the Bruins are adjusting how they are preparing for their final meets by shifting to a different technique of training.

“This is a pretty sharp inflection point this weekend in our season,” Wolfrum said. We’ve got part of our team that will swim their last meet here against USC in two weeks, and then another chunk of our team, our conference team, will go on for Pac-12s – which is in 3 1/2 weeks. And then we’ve got NCAAs three weeks after that.”

Freshman swimmer Eva Carlson said the intense training has allowed her to improve her performance as the season goes on.

“The training that we do makes me feel very explosive in the water,” Carlson said. “Just having my team behind the blocks and stuff really gets me going.”

Wolfrum said in October that the Bruins started off the season by focusing on speed and execution, with weight training being emphasized throughout the fall.

UCLA picked up two dual meet wins in the fall before grabbing a first-place finish that included wins in 15 of 19 events at the UNLV Invitational over winter break.

Junior diver Hannah Butler said as the season has progressed, however, the Bruins have adjusted their training to meet the demands of their schedule – shifting the focus of their training away from the high intensity of the early season.

“We’ve started to go a little bit lighter in our weightlifting sessions (and) do a little bit more explosive work rather than muscle building,” Butler said.

While UCLA lost its last two dual meets to both then-No. 4 Stanford and then-No. 7 California, the Bruins managed to make the podium in multiple events.

Bruin freshmen have also earned top-three placements in many events throughout the duration of the season. Freshman diver Zoe Jespersgaard is one example, placing first in the 3-meter dive against Cal.

Along with Jespersgaard, Carlson has also seen top finishes in her first year in Westwood. Carlson has placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke multiple times this season, including against both Cal and Stanford, experiences she said will be beneficial going into UCLA’s upcoming dual meet against USC.

“Beating those teams – they’re some of the best in the nation right now,” Carlson said. “I think it’s just a boost of confidence going into our championship meets and especially against ‘SC.”

The Bruins will have the chance to continue improving when they face the Trojans on Friday and Saturday before the Pac-12 championships begin Feb. 23.

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Garrison Hallum | Sports contributors
Hallum is currently a contributor on the track & field and swim & dive beats.
Hallum is currently a contributor on the track & field and swim & dive beats.
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