UCLA swim and dive emerges victorious from match-up with UCSB
Associate head coach Karissa Kruszewski (left) talks to head coach Jordan Wolfrum (right). Wolfrum guided the Bruins to their fifth straight win over the Gauchos on Friday, where the team swept the freestyle and both relays. (Daily Bruin file photo)
Swim & Dive
| No. 20 UCLA | 150 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 112 |
By Amelie Ionescu
Oct. 23, 2022 6:56 p.m.
This post was updated Oct. 25 at 9:16 p.m.
Depth and young talent kept the Bruins on the right side of a historically dominant resume.
No. 20 UCLA swim and dive (1-0) bested UC Santa Barbara (1-1) at the UCSB Campus Pool on Friday. With the victory, the Bruins extend their win streak against the Gauchos to four and preserve coach Jordan Wolfrum’s undefeated record against them.
Out of 14 races, the blue and gold took home first in nine, and managed to sweep the podium in two to cement a 37-1 all-time record against UCSB. The Bruins also showcased their freestyle prowess, sweeping all five freestyle events and dominating both relays.
Wolfrum said the meet posed a chance for the whole squad to rise to the occasion.
“I’m happy for our first-years. We had a lot of first-years who had some opportunities for some wins today,” Wolfrum said. “The way we finished the meet, our 200 IM into our 200-free relay, we finished on a really strong note. And that was a call to action for the team to finish with some strength and some certainty, and we definitely did that.”
Two of the Bruins’ freestyle wins came from distance freshmen, with freshman swimmer Beril Bocekler taking the 500-yard freestyle and freshman swimmer Katrina Bellio notching a victory through her performance in the 1000-yard freestyle.
Both freshman swimmer Ashley Kolessar and sophomore swimmer Paige MacEachern notched a first place and second place finish, with MacEachern also collecting a fifth place finish with her 200-yard backstroke.
Alongside MacEachern, two other swimmers managed to place in the top five in three individual events, with freshman swimmer Fay Lustria clinching fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, third in the 200-yard butterfly and third in the 200-yard individual medley in her collegiate debut. Junior swimmer Maddie Wright placed second, third and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle, and 200-yard freestyle, respectively.
Lustria said despite feeling fatigued, her commitment to the team spurred her on during the meet as she picked up her first podium finishes of her career.
“I’ve been trying to get my endurance up, and get my stamina up,” Lustria said. “We’re all about putting points on the board and trying to win, so something I’ve been working on is making sure that I’m also part of contributing to that team culture.”
Despite the win, the blue and gold still faced some challenges along the way. Due to the nature of facing a more northern opponent, the Bruins had to brace for the cold and adapt to different layouts and blocks.
UCLA’s typical lineup also saw several swaps in the dual meet to allow the roster to demonstrate its potential.
“It’s huge,” Wolfrum said. “We really did try to showcase our depth and our range. … That put pressure on different people to step up and race and win some races. … Having such strong depth and those individuals having such strong range, both of those things make us a stronger team.”
For Lustria, however, it was the team’s culture and love for one another that stood out to her the most.
“I couldn’t love it more,” said Lustria. “The culture is amazing and that sets us apart from other teams. We’re able to pick each other up really easily, and this is a big sisterhood.”
UCLA will begin Pac-12 play with a matchup against conference foe Utah at noon on Oct. 28.
