Jan. 7, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.-- No. 6-ranked Stanford (4-1) opened up the 2012 season with an easy 162-92 win over visiting Pacific (5-2) on Saturday afternoon as sophomores Maya DiRado and Andie Taylor and freshman Annemarie Thayer each won two events a piece.
DiRado picked up wins in the 200 breast and 1000 free, Taylor touched the wall first in the 200 fly and 500 free, while Thayer was a winner in the 100 and 200 backstrokes.
DiRado came from behind to beat teammate Jamie Bruce in the 200 breast, finishing with a time of 2:19.49 ahead of her senior teammate (2:20.14). Bruce had led for the first 150 yards before DiRado made up .74 seconds over the final 50 yards to win her second event of the day. DiRado opened up the day by leading wire to wire in the 1000 free (9:54.00).
Taylor had to fight off Kristie Chen in the 200 fly as the two teammates battled over the first 100 yards. Taylor pulled away at the halfway point, before the two were neck and neck with 50 yards to go.. Taylor finished first with a time of 2:02.26 ahead of teammates Megan Fischer-Colbrie (2:03.08) and Chen (2:03.20), who faded to third.
Taylor closed out her individual portion of the day with an easy win in the 500 free (4:50.49), nine seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Fiona Majeau (4:59.33).
Thayer swept the backstroke, finishing .66 seconds ahead of classmate Maddy Schaefer (55.76) in the 100 back with a time of 55.10, before holding off senior Betsy Webb (1:59.21) in the longer event with a time of 1:59.06.
In the day's closest event, the 200 free, Natalie Durant held off senior Sam Woodward for the win by .01 second. Durant was leading her senior teammate by .08 seconds prior to the final push, before Woodward nearly made up the difference finishing with a time of 1:51.68, right behind Durant's mark of 1:51.67.
All-American senior Kerry Kraemer returned from a fall abroad in Europe to finish third in the 100 breast and fifth in the 200 breast.
Stanford diving is in action next week at the Avery Aquatic Center, hosting a three-day event starting on Friday. Stanford men's and women's swimming hosts the Arizona schools January 20-21.
Women's Top-Three
Score: Stanford 162, Pacific 92
200 Medley Relay: Winner-- Stanford (Webb, Bruce, Fischer-Colbrie, Murez), 1:44.86, 4. Pacific, 1:48.12
1000 Free: Winner-- Maya DiRado, Stanford, 9:54.00, 2. Stein, 10:14.47, Stanford, Majeau, Stanford, 10:23.20
200 Free: Winner-- Natalie Durant, Stanford, 1:51.67, 2. Woodward, Stanford, 1:51.68, 3. Arnold, Stanford, 1:54.78
100 Back: Winner-- Annemarie Thayer, Stanford, 55.10, Schaefer, Stanford, 55.76, Murez, Stanford, 55.82
100 Breast: Winner-- Mallory McGowan, Pacific, 1:05.42, Bruce, Stanford 1:06.23, 3. Kraemer, Stanford, 1:07.82
200 Fly: Winner-- Andie Taylor, Stanford, 2:02.26, Fischer-Colbrie, Stanford, 2:03.08, Chen, Stanford, 2:03.20
50 Free: Winner-- Betsy Webb, Stanford, 22.83, 2. DiRado, Stanford, 24.03, 3. Randall, Pacific, 24.76
100 Free: Winner-- Maddy Schaefer, Stanford, 49.73, Murez, Stanford, 50.21, Shilling, Pacific, 55.20
200 Back: Winner-- Annemarie Thayer, Stanford, 1:59.06, 2. Webb, 1:59.21, 3. Durant, 2:05.98
200 Breast: Winner-- Maya DiRado, Stanford, 2:19.49, 2. Bruce, 2:20.14, 3. McGowan, Pacific, 2:25.38
500 Free: Winner-- Andie Taylor, Stanford, 4:50.49, 2. Majeau, Stanford, 4:59.33, 3. Duckworth, Stanford, 5:08.15
*100 Fly: Winner-- Sam Woodward, Stanford, 54.72, 2. Sims, Stanford, 56.86, 3. Hammes, Stanford, 57.65
*200 IM: Megan Fischer-Colbrie, Stanford, 2:02.95, 2. Taylor, 2:05.07, 3. Chen, 2:06.27
*200 Free Relay: Winner-- Stanford (Woodward, Webb, Chen, Durant) 1:33.90, 4. Pacific, 1:39.84
* - exhibition