After successful meets against both Loyola Marymount and University of San Diego last weekend, UC Davis continued its streak of dominance with a solid win over Fresno State on Saturday.
The Aggies won 11 of 16 events, coasting to an impressive 194-106 victory over the Bulldogs.
Though UC Davis dominated across the board, senior Kayleigh Foley was the standout performer, leading the Aggies with three individual wins, and setting Fresno State pool records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200 yard IM. Foley currently holds the UC Davis school record in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle.
“[Foley] stepped it up today,” said Head Coach Barbara Jahn. “She’s not a 200 IM normally … [but] she did extremely well.”
Sophomore Liliana Alvarez and freshman Lauren Damian had two individual wins apiece for the Aggies. The swimmers are just two of the many underclassmen who contribute to the young team.
Though the individual swimmers had strong showings at the meet, the victory was truly a team effort. UC Davis won both relay competitions, including going 1-2 in the 200 Yard Medley Relay, demonstrating the strength of their roster.
“We have good depth,” Jahn said. “Some [swimmers] chose events they don’t normally swim. We tried to mix it up … [and] they did well … they had good opportunities to have great swims and they really stepped up.”
But the meet had more significance than simply adding another win to the season record. The team’s next challenge will be the Mizzou Invitational in Columbia, Missouri, and though the team’s depth has proved to be a huge advantage, Jahn will not be able to take her entire roster to the tournament.
“How they swam today will be taken into consideration when we select the 22 swimmers who go [to the invitational],” Jahn explained.
But if the team needed confidence going into the tournament, the meet against the Bulldogs was the perfect opportunity. Many of the girls broke their personal records and saw success in events that they do not normally race. Additionally, the fact that the match was only the second held in Fresno State’s new facility offered further exciting opportunities for the team.
“We set lots of pool records,” Jahn said. “Their names are going to be in the record books for awhile.”
The win brings the Aggies’ season record to 7-2 going into a three week break.
KAITLYN ZUFALL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
