Caltech Women's Swim & Dive ensured that it will finish this season with its best win-loss record in program history after sweeping the Whitter Poets and Fresno Pacific Sunbirds at the Braun Pools in Pasadena Saturday.
I am very proud of both teams (men and women) for locking in historic dual meet seasons with two meets left to go, Head Coach Andy Brabson said. "While we still have some work to do to accomplish our end of season goals, these achievements give us a lot of confidence going into the most important part of our season.
The win over Fresno Pacific was also the first victory for Caltech Women's Swim & Dive over a Division-II school in program history. The Beaver women are now 7-3 overall on the season. On Saturday, they won 11 separate events including nine individual swimming events and both dive events.
Caltech excelled in the freestyle events on Saturday. First-year Alyssa Kwon (Derwood, Md. / Montgomery Blair High School) won both the 500-Yard Freestyle (5:24.72) and the 200-Yard Freestyle (2:00.28). Fellow first-year Lucia Zhang (Irvine, Calif. / The Loomis Chaffee School) won the 50-Yard Freestyle in 26.01.
Zhang also finished second in the 200-Yard Breaststroke, which first-year Elizabeth Nguyen (Renton, Wash. / Hazen High School) won with her time of 2:30.11. Zhang's time was the eighth fastest in Caltech program history.
Junior Karen Zhou (Trophy Club, Texas / Byron Nelson) won the 200-Yard Backstroke in 2:15.86. Caltech also placed first and second in the 100-Yard Backstroke as junior Allison Xin (Broomfield, Colo. / Stargate Charter) beat out junior teammate Beatrice Cai (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton HS) with a time of 1:02.39. The two swapped finishing places in the 100-Yard Butterfly, which Cai (1:00.43) won ahead of Xin, who finished second.
Sophomore Elizabeth Ma (Burien, Wash. / Mount Rainier) had a strong day, winning both the 400-Yard Individual Medley (4:43.58) and the 200-Yard Butterfly (2:14.79).
Caltech once again closed out first and second place in both diving events, as has been typical this season. Senior Jana Woo (Saratoga, Calif. / Monta Vista) won the 3-meter dive with a score of 311.05 ahead of teammate Ava Balanon (Vacaville, Calif. / Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy). Balanon took first place in the 1-meter dive (310.35) over Woo, who placed second.
Caltech remains at home to host Chapman and Pomona-Pitzer Saturday, Jan. 31 at 10:30am.
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