MEET NOTES: #7 USC Women Travel to Face #3 Stanford, #2 Cal, in Brutal Bay Area Double

The USC women’s swimming and diving team returns to conference action this week when it travels to Pac-12 rivals California on Friday (Jan. 31) and Stanford on Saturday (Feb. 1).

The dual meet against the Bears will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks beginning at 2 p.m. The diving portion of the meet will begin with 1-meter at 11:45 a.m. followed by 3-meter at 1 p.m. The meet against the Cardinal begins at noon.

USC is ranked No. 12 (4-1, 3-1) in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America while Cal (5-1, 4-0) is tied with Georgia at No. 1 and Stanford (5-1, 4-0) is ranked No. 3.

Scouting California

California features a handful of swimmers boasting top 10 times, including sophomores Missy Franklin and Celina Li and juniors Elizabeth Pelton and Rachel Bootsma as well as freshman Cierra Runge. Franklin owns the NCAA’s top time in the 200y free and is second in the 200y back and 200y IM. Pelton is first in the 200y back and 200y IM and third in the 100y back. Li is second in the 400y IM and Bootsma is second in the 100y back. Runge is second in the 500y free.

Scouting Stanford

Stanford is led by freshman Simone Manuel, who owns the nation’s top times in the 50y and 100y free and is second in the 200y free. Sophomore Lia Neal is third in the 100y free and seventh in the 200y free while freshman Janet Hu has top times in a variety of events.

Trojan swimmers with NCAA ‘B’ cuts

* Sophomore Blair Carnes: 200y breast (2:15.11).

* Sophomore Sidney Cooke: 100y back (53.91), 200y back (1:58.63).

* Sophomore Chelsea Chenault: 200y (1:45.31), 500y free (4:42.44), 200y fly (1:57.82).

* Sophomore Maggie D’Innocenzo: 400y IM (4:15.15), 200y fly (1:58.18).

* Sophomore Kelsey Kafka: 200y breast (2:14.97).

*Senior Andrea Kropp: 100y breast (1:00.01), 200y breast (2:09.32), 200y IM (1:56.99).

* Junior Joanna Stenkvist: 100y fly (54.81), 200y back (1:58.31).

* Junior Kendyl Stewart: 200y IM (2:00.85), 100y fly (51.99), 100y back (53.83), 200y back (1:54.20).

* Sophomore Evan Swenson: 50y free (22.81), 100y free (49.93).

* Junior Jasmine Tosky: 200y free (1:47.18), 200y fly (1:55.59), 100y breast (1:02.16), 200y breast (2:11.08), 400y IM (4:12.05).

* Freshman Hannah Weiss: 100y back (52.23), 200y back (1:55.09), 100y fly (53.01).

* Junior Kasia Wilk: 50y free (22.78), 100y free (49.91).

* Junior Lucy Worrall: 100y fly (53.46).

USC has `A’ cuts in both medley relays and `B’ cuts in the freestyle relays. Senior Haley Ishimatsu and junior Sam Adams have NCAA diving cuts on all three boards while freshman Alexa Cacao has one on 1-meter and junior Natalie Kalibat has one on 3-meter.

Trojans ranked in the NCAA Top Times top 25

* Chelsea Chenault’s 1:45.31 in the 200y free (14^th) and 4:42.44 in the 500y free (21^st), Hannah Weiss’ 52.23 in the 100y back (13^th), Kendyl Stewart’s 51.99 in the 100y fly (6^th) and 1:54.20 in the 200y back (21^st), Andrea Kropp’s 1:00.01 in the 100y breast (13^th), 2:09.32 in the 200y breast (10^th) and 1:56.99 in the 200y IM (9^th), Jasmine Tosky’s 1:55.59 in the 200y fly (10^th), 2:11.08 in the 200y breast (22^nd) and 4:12.05 in the 400y IM (21^st).

National Nods

*USA Swimming named USC head swimming and diving coach Dave Salo as the national women’s head coach for the 2015 FINA World Championships on Nov. 17. Salo, now in his ninth year as the Trojans men’s and women’s coach, will join U.S. men’s coach Dave Durden, who also directs the men’s team at Cal. The 2015 FINA World Championships are set for Aug. 2-9 next year in Kazan, Russia. Salo will be serving as the U.S. women’s head coach at the Worlds for the second time, having also directed the team in 2013 at the games in Barcelona.

*Junior Kendyl Stewart was among five swimmers nominated for USA Swimming’s Breakout Performer of the Year honor at the 2014 Golden Goggles in November. She earned the nomination after winning a bronze in the 100m fly and a silver on the 400m medley relay at the 2014 Pan Pacs. She also won her first career U.S. titles with victories in the 50m and 100m fly at the 2014 U.S. Summer Nationals.

USC Women Notes
The Trojans return seven All-Americans, led by senior diver and two-time NCAA platform champion Haley Ishimatsu as well as juniors Kendyl Stewart, Jasmine Tosky, Kasia Wilk and Joanna Stenkvist and sophomoresChelsea Chenault and Evan Swenson.

Other top returning contributors include senior breaststroke specialist Andrea Kropp, a 2013 All-American, sophomore freestyler Lexie Malazdrewicz, who competed as a freshman at last year’s NCAAs, junior diver Sam Adams, a three-time 2014 Pac-12 Championships finalist, and improving sophomore IM’er Maggie D’Innocenzo. USC also has a host of young breaststrokers including sophomore Riley Hayward and Kelsey Kafka looking to break through.

Stewart and senior sprint freestyler Rebecca Heyliger are the captains for the 2014-15 squad.

USC, under ninth-year head coach Dave Salo, will have to replace a trio of 2014 senior standouts in Kasey Carlson, Stina Gardell and Meghan Hawthorne. Carlson was a six-time All-American and three-time individual finalist whose 50y and 100y free and 100y breast will be hard to replace while Gardell and Hawthorne were both stalwarts in the 200y and 400y IM and the 200 breaststroke.

Among the top newcomers to the squad are freshmen Hannah Weiss, Kindle Van Linge and Alexa Cacao. Weiss is a 2013-14 Junior National team member strong in the fly and back. Van Linge is strong in the 100y fly and back while Cacao is an up-and-coming diver who won the 2014 U.S. springboard title in the 16-18 age group. Also now available is 2014 transfer Lucy Worrall, a butterfly specialist who was an NCAA point scorer for Miami in 2013 in the 100y fly.

Above is a press release submitted by USC Athletics.