UCLA swim and dive kicks off season with 1st-place finish in Fresno
Sophomore diver Zoe Jespersgaard dives in competition. Jespersgaard placed second in both individual diving events at the Fresno State Invitational, aiding the Bruins in securing their first-place finish. (Michael Vigman/Daily Bruin)
By Sabrina Baker
Oct. 10, 2022 2:56 p.m.
This post was updated Oct. 11 at 9:22 p.m.
The Bruins took home gold at the first meet of the season.
UCLA swim and dive traveled north to the Fresno State Invitational to kick off its 2022 season. Over the course of Friday and Saturday, the Bruins competed against six other teams, including fellow Pac-12 members California and Washington State. The blue and gold scored 962.83 points to win the meet, beating second-place San Diego State by 168.5 points.
The Bruins had four event wins and a first- or second-place finish in 17 of the 21 total events, two of which came from freshman Ashley Kolessar, the runner-up in the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard butterfly.
Kolessar said she was proud of her performance in the 400-yard individual medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay.
“When I got out of the pool and when the whole relay was going on, everyone was such as a team,” Kolessar said. “Everyone was cheering and screaming and jumping. It made everyone so happy.”
Fifth-year swimmer Claire Grover was one of two Bruins to snag an individual first in the 50-yard freestyle. Eleven events later, freshman swimmer Katrina Bellio captured an individual win of her own in the 1,650-yard freestyle. UCLA also won two team events: the 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays.
Heading into the meet, coach Jordan Wolfrum said the team talked about cultivating winning habits.
“For this meet, on both the swimming and diving side, we were really just trying to set some good foundations,” Wolfrum said. “We talked about creating the habits that it takes to win down the road, whether that’s today or whether that’s the next time.”
Diving featured both team and individual events, including the 3-meter and 1-meter dives. The Bruins took second place in the team event while sophomore diver Zoe Jespersgaard placed second in both individual events.
Jespersgaard said her performance was better in the individual events.
“The team event was later in the day, and we were tired,” Jespersgaard said. “But it was fun to be competing as a team.”
UCLA’s roster features nine freshmen this year, including Beril Bocekler, who swam alongside Bellio in the 500-yard freestyle. Bellio took second and Bocekler took third as they both set best times for short course yards in their collegiate debuts.
Wolfrum said the newcomers, including Bellio and Bocekler, were fantastic in their debut as Bruins.
“They stepped up,” Wolfrum said. “They competed hard, they cheered loud. They made their Bruin family very proud.”
During her freshman debut, Kolessar scored 49 individual points for the team and 34 points as a part of the second-place 800-yard freestyle relay – a number only matched by Bellio.
Kolessar said her main goal for the rest of the season is to keep having fun.
“I want to improve my times, of course,” Kolessar said. “But I want to make sure I still have that cheer and spirit that we have had after the first meet. I really hope that it continues and builds.”
After this first invitational, the Bruins will return home to compete in their intrasquad Blue and Gold meet before beginning a stretch of dual conference and nonconference meets.
Wolfrum said this invitational was a sneak peek into what the rest of the season holds.
“We are a new team,” Wolfrum said. “We are a young team, we are a hungry team. We’ve got a lot of big things coming for us, so I think it is just the beginning.”
