FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- The Stanford women’s swimming and diving team put up two second-place showings on the first day of the Pac-12 Championships Wednesday evening at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. California won both events of the night, the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay, to stand in first place.
“I’m really pleased with our session tonight,” said head coach Greg Meehan. “We had some great splits on our relays; Jane Hu and Sarah Haase in particular were awesome on the medley.”
Stanford, the No. 3 ranked dual meet team in the nation, opened the meet with a 1:35.30 in the 200 medley, as freshman Ally Howe, junior human biology major Sarah Haase, freshman Janet Hu and sophomore Lia Neal combined for an A-cut. The time would have been a meet record; however California clocked a 1:35.25 to finish first.
The top-ranked Bears followed with an NCAA record 6:50.18 in the 800 free. Stanford’s best group, sophomore Nicole Stafford, Neal, sophomore Grace Carlson and freshman Simone Manuel, easily touched the wall in second place at 7:00.84.
“Our 200 medley time for us this time of year is fantastic,” added Meehan. “We came back with a solid second-place finish in the 800. We look forward to getting the ball rolling tomorrow morning with lots of individual swims.”
The Cardinal trails Cal, 128-112, in the overall standings. Arizona is in third at 104 and USC sits fourth with 100 points.
Stanford is looking for its second Pac-12 title in the last three years, while Cal is seeking back-to-back championships.
