The following is a press release courtesy of the University of California:
BERKELEY – Cal junior Elizabeth Pelton has been named the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month for December after posting NCAA-leading times in both the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Competing at the Georgia Invitational Dec. 5-7, Pelton won the 200 back in 1:49.00 and the 200 IM in 1:52.93, with both times ranked first in the NCAA heading into the New Year. In addition, she was runner-up in the 200 freestyle to teammate Missy Franklin with a time of 1:43.13, which is No. 3 in the country. She also posted the No. 3 time among NCAA swimmers in the 100 back (51.31) at the meet.
On the 800 free relay, Pelton swam the anchor leg, leading the Bears to victory in a time (6:55.95) that is more than five second ahead of any other collegiate relay to date.
This is the second-career Swimmer of the Month honor for Pelton and the 13th overall for Cal, the most of any Pac-12 school since the award’s inception.
Cal returns to action later this month with the start of Pac-12 dual-meet competition. The Bears will host three meets at Spieker Aquatics Complex, starting with USC and UCLA Jan. 30-31. They finish the year with their annual dual vs. Stanford Feb. 14.