Bruins Off to Strong Start in Texas
October 14, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
LEWISVILLE, Texas โ The first day of action at the 2016 SMU Classic has come to an end, and the No. 19 Bruins are in fourth place with 137 points.ย Sophomore Emma Schanz nabbed UCLA's lone first-place finish on the day, while five more Bruins recorded top-five finishes between the lane lines and on the boards.ย
Friday evening's action kicked off with the 400 Medley Relay.ย The Bruin quartet of Linnea Mack, Sarah Kaunitz, Amy Okada, and Madison White recorded a 3:40.31 to finish fifth.ย
In the individual events, Emma Schanz posted the top time in the A final of the 400 IM.ย The sophomore swam a 4:09.52, besting her 2015-16 top-time in the event by more than six seconds.ย In the B final, Sandra Soe finished fifth (11th overall) with a 4:27.11.ย
Wait, what?? Emma Schanz just won the 400 IM at SMU classic with a 4:09! Wow! #GoBruins @UCLASwimAndDive
โ Cyndi Gallagher (@Gobruins27) October 14, 2016
Freshman Kenisha Liu recorded a top-five finish in the 200 Freestyle on Friday night.ย With a 1:48.53, Liu placed fourth in the A final.ย Swimming in the B final, junior transfer Margaux Verger Gourson finished fifth (11th overall) with a time of 1:50.76.ย
In the splash and dash, Mack posted the second-best time (22.68) in the A final.ย The Bruin finished just .04 seconds behind Louisville's Casey Fanz.ย In the B final of the 50 Free, Kaunitz swam a 23.41 to finish third (ninth overall).
On the boards, Ciara Monahan represented the Bruins in the 1-meter event.ย The junior tallied a 264.20 to finish third behind Naomi Gowlett (USC) and Kristen Hayden (Michigan).ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Two Bruins competed in the 100 Butterfly on Friday evening.ย Okada finished sixth in the A final, clocking in at 55.56, while Liu placed second in the B final with a 54.69.
In the A final of the 100 Back, Mack recorded her second runner-up finish of the evening.ย The Bruin swam a 53.06 to place second behind Matea Samardzic of SMU.ย Meanwhile, White posted a 54.27 in the B final to finish second (eighth overall).ย
Wrapping up Friday's individual events, Kaunitz and Schanz competed in the 100 Breaststroke.ย Kaunitz placed fifth in the A final (1:03.33), while Schanz posted the second-best mark in the B final.ย Schanz' 1:01.53 was a new career best.ย The sophomore posted her previous best of 1:01.64 last season against USC.ย
Day one of the SMU Classic concluded with the 800 Free Relay.ย White, Liu, Verger Gourson, and Soe checked in at fourth with a time of 7:22.27.ย
The SMU Classic continues at 6:30 CT/4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.ย Results will be available at SMUMustangs.com and diving results will be available on Dive Meets.ย ย ย ย
ย
Players Mentioned
Spr. Free/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/IM/Fly/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Distance Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/Free
/ Swimming & DivingPortraits of Culture - Emily Lo
Thursday, May 20
UCLA's Tom Stebbins earns Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year honor
Tuesday, April 02
UCLA's Maria Polyakova takes home Pac-12 Women's Diver of the Year honors
Tuesday, April 02
Maria Polyakova Wins 2019 Pac-12 1M Championship
Friday, March 01