Desert Sweep Complete
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Freshman Janet Hu led the way with two individual victories as the No. 3 Stanford women’s swimming and diving team captured its second win in as many days in Arizona. The Cardinal topped host Arizona State, 131-100, to stay unbeaten against Pac-12 opponents.
Stanford (5-1, 4-0 Pac-12) used six different swimmers to win seven individual events, while also taking the 400-yard freestyle relay to open the meet. Five of the six Cardinal to win were underclassmen, including four freshmen.
Sophomore Lia Neal got things started for Stanford with a win in the 200-yard freestyle, after ASU’s Anna Olasz took the 1,000-yard freestyle over sophomore Tara Halsted. Stanford took four of the top six spots in the 200, including a 1-2 finish from Neal and classmate Nicole Stafford with 1:49.15 and 1:49.86 finishes, respectively.
Neal’s win sparked a run of seven straight swimming wins by the Cardinal. Stanford went 1-2-3 in the next two events to start to pull away from the Sun Devils, behind wins from Hu in the 50-yard freestyle (23.15) and freshman Simone Manuel in the 200-yard IM (2:01.72). Junior mechanical engineering major Julia Ama and senior management science and engineering major Katie Olsen were behind Hu, while sophomore Grace Carlson and freshman Lindsey Engel trailed Manuel.
Manuel, a standout newcomer from Sugar Land, Texas, was given a lighter load than Friday, when she won the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle events against Arizona.
Stanford continued claiming the top spot with victories from freshman Ally Howe (200-yard butterfly, 2:00.44), Engel (100-yard freestyle, 51.14) and Hu (200-yard backstroke, 1:57.57). Hu’s mark was good for an NCAA B-cut, before junior biology major Allison Brown took the 500-yard freestyle in 4:52.30.
A pair of Arizona State divers split No. 1 ranks in the diving events. Junior human biology major Kelly Markle led Stanford divers with second-place finishes in the 1- and 3-meter.
Stanford is back at Avery Aquatic Center Friday and Saturday against No. 13 UCLA and No. 12 USC. Friday’s matchup against the Bruins starts at 2 p.m. PT, while Saturday’s meeting with the Trojans is slated to begin at noon PT.