Ben Dillard Sets USC Record, Trojans Sweep Relays To Close Art Adamson Swim Invite

USC's Kaitlyn Dobler led a Trojan sweep in the women's 200y breast as sophomore Ben Dillard broke a USC record to wrap up the final evening of competition on Friday, (Nov. 19) at the Art Adamson Invite in College Station, Texas.

Sophomore Dillard broke Steven Stumph's 200y breast USC school record set in 2015, with a personal best time of 1:52.44. With his time, Dillard became the fastest 200y breaststroker in the country this season.

Junior Aela Janvier got the Trojans going to open up the afternoon of finals, winning the 200y back in 1:53.98 (PR). Touching just behind her was freshman Jade Hannah (1:53.99), who claimed the 100y back yesterday.

Greek Olympian Vaggelis Makrygiannis also took home a win in the 200y back, blasting a 1:41.82 for first.

Sophomore Dobler captured the women's 200y breast in an NCAA A-cut time of 2:06.56. Dobler led a 1-2-3-4 Trojan sweep in the event, as senior Isabelle Odgers (2:07.61, PR), Calypso Sheridan (2:08.78, PR) and Nicole Pavlopoulou (2:11.86, PR) finished 2-3-4, respectively. Odgers, Sheridan and Pavlopoulou all clocked NCAA B-cut times while posting individual bests.

Redshirt senior Nikola Miljenic posted the fastest 100y free time in the country this season during prelims, touching in a personal best 42.25 to qualify for finals. He returned later to finish second in the A-final, posting a 42.60.  Touching just behind Miljenic was junior Max Saunders who registered a 43.33.

Senior Pac-12 100y free champion Laticia Transom impressed as she won the event this evening in a season PR of 47.76. She won the race by almost an entire second. Joining her in the A-final was sophomore Anicka Delgado who was fourth (49.43).

Seniors Makenna Turner (1:57.32) and Alexei Sancov (1:41.81) each posted individual wins in the 200y fly, with Turner delivering a lifetime PR.  

Senior Victor Johansson, who won the 500y free on Friday, took the men's 1650y free, claiming the event in 14:55.21. Trojan Daniel Matheson posted a 15:11.78 for third.

The Women of Troy had two in the top-eight as freshman Marlene Kahler (second, 16.31.08) and Courtney Tseng (seventh, 16:58.55) represented USC in the 1650y free.

USC, who swept all ten relays this weekend, ended the invite with two final wins in the 400y free relay. The Women of Troy posted a 3:16.03 as Transom, Ciesla, Delgado and Dobler combined for one final relay win. On the men's side, it was Miljenic, Sancov, Saunders and Trent Pellini who turned in a 2:51.33 for the win.

Both Trojan squads were victorious at the Art Adamson Invitational, with the men amassing 1,121 points and the women earning 1090.5. Both teams won by a margin of more than 100 points.

Additional Highlights:

- Vaggelis Makrygiannis' 200y backstroke (1:41.82) put him in sixth place on the Trojans' all-time rankings, bumping former Trojan Brad Bridgewater, who won the 200 backstroke at the 1996 Olympics. 

- Laticia Transom's 100y free in 47.76 made her the first woman during the 2021-22 season to go under 48 seconds during a collegiate meet

- Ben Dillard, who entered the weekend as the #2 ranked swimmer in the 200y breaststroke nationally, emerged as a clear leader after posting a 1:52.44 on Friday (Nov. 20).

-Thanks to "A" standards in the 200 free and 200 medley relays, the Women of Troy are now already eligible to swim four of the five possible relays at the NCAA Championships. The lone exception is the 800 free relay, where they'll need to drop another two seconds at season's end to earn a spot at NCAAs.

-Trent Pellini's 100y breaststroke (51.28) made him the fastest 100 breaststroker in the country this season, while also clocking a lifetime PR.