California Golden Bears Athletics
California
Pac-12 Swimming & Diving Championships
Cal Wins Both Relays, Leads Pac-12s on Day 1
2/22/2012 12:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 22, 2012
Video Interview with Head Coach Teri McKeever | Video Interview with Sophomore Swimmer Melissa Bates
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Liv Jensen anchored two relay wins for California on the opening night of the Pac-12 Championships, and the Golden Bears scored 128 points to lead the nine-team field on Wednesday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. The Bears won the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay, which were the meet's only events on the first day of the conference meet.
Stanford (112 points) is in second place and Arizona, Arizona State and USC are tied for third (104 points each).
A key member of Cal's relays, Jensen did not have the luxury of rest with no other races between tonight's events.
"It was definitely difficult," the senior said. "I knew I was going to do it ahead of time and had a game plan. I knew what I had to do to be prepared for that second relay and knew it was going to be a good race. It's kind of good for me sometimes to have that pressure of having two races and knowing I have to be on my game and be businesslike in the first race. I think I was pretty prepared for it."
Said Cal head coach Teri McKeever of Jensen, "She was a rock star tonight!"
The Cal quartet of sophomore Cindy Tran, sophomore Melissa Bates, senior Colleen Fotsch and Jensen posted an NCAA consideration time of 1:36.77 to win the opening 200-yard medley relay. Cal's time in the relay is just four hundredths of a second off of its best time of the season - 1:36.73, which is the third-fastest time in the nation. Stanford finished second behind the Bears tonight in a time of 1:36.90 (NCAA B).
Cal bettered its time in the 800-free relay, as senior Sara Isakovic, freshman Catherine Breed, freshman Caroline Piehl and Jensen clocked an automatic NCAA qualifying time of 6:57.86 - the second-fastest time in the nation - to win. Stanford was second in an NCAA A time of 6:58.82.
The Pac-12 Championships continue Thursday, Feb. 23, with 11 a.m. preliminaries in the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 free and one-meter springboard and 6 p.m. finals in the same events plus the 200-free relay.
Pac-12 Championships
Wednesday in Federal Way, Wash.
Day 1 Standings
Teams Points 1. California 128 2. Stanford 112 3. Arizona 104 3. Arizona State 104 3. USC 104 6. UCLA 96 7. Oregon State 90 8. Utah 88 9. Washington State 86Wednesday Finals
200-Yard Medley Relay
1. Cal A (Cindy Tran, Melissa Bates, Colleen Fotsch, Liv Jensen) 1:36.77*.
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Cal A (Sara Isakovic, Catherine Breed, Caroline Piehl, Liv Jensen) 6:57.86^.
^NCAA A (or automatic) qualifying time
*NCAA B (or consideration) qualifying time
