Cougars Head to 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championships
2022 PAC-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
All Day | Wednesday-Saturday | Feb. 23-26, 2022
Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center | Federal Way, Wash.
LIVE RESULTS-WATCH | wsucougars.com
COUGARS HEAD TO 2022 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FEDERAL WAY
Following a year in Houston, the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championships return to Federal Way, Wash. beginning Thursday. Senior Chloe Larson in the defensive Pac-12 Champion in the 50 free.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Fans can visit wsucougars.com for info on results and a television broadcast schedule.
COUGS IMPRESS IN THE CLASSROOM
WSU earned CSCAA Scholar All-America Team accolades after posting a 3.47 GPA in the Fall, 2021 semester. The Cougars earned the honor the eleventh straight semester including all seven under head coach Matt Leach and for the 21st time in program history. WSU's 3.47 team GPA featured seven 4.0 and 21 student-athletes with a 3.0 or better during the semester.
LAST YEAR AT 2021 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Senior Chloe Larson made history last February, giving Washington State its first Pac-12 Conference individual champion in program history with a win in the 50 freestyle at the conference championships in Houston. Larson won the final by touching the wall in 22.18, six-hundredths of a second ahead of the three swimmers from UCLA, CAL and USC who all tied for second. In the morning preliminaries, Larson recorded a school-record time of 22.16 in the same event, breaking Cougar legend and Lithuanian Olympian Rugile Mileisyte's previous mark of 22.45 set in 2009. Larson capped her week with a program-record 100 free in the morning preliminaries (49.00) and again in the evening "B" final (48.74).
WSU SET TEAM RECORD AT 2021 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Washington State closed the final day of the 2021 Pac-12 Conference Championships in Houston with another school record and finished with the highest team score in program history. The Cougars tallied 533 points, the most scored in a Pac-10/12 Conference Championship Meet since totaling 793 points at the NorPac Championships in 1985-86. In the four days in Houston, WSU recorded nine Top-10 times including school records in the 50 and 100 free by Chloe Larson.
LAST TIME OUT
WSU went on the road and posted a 142-119 victory over a solid Nevada team in Reno in January. The Cougars, who were coming off a two-week pause due to Covid-19 protocols, claimed eight races over a Wolfpack team who entered the meet with a 5-1 dual record. WSU improved to 4-3 in dual meets and own wins over at Idaho, Arizona, Grand Canyon and now Nevada.Pac-12 Conference defending 50 freestyle champion senior Chloe Larson led the way with a pair of wins in the 50 free and 100 free to push her season win total to nine including all seven 50 free races she has competed in this season. Senior Taylor McCoy added a pair of wins in the 200 back and 400 IM to push her team-leading win total to 11.
COUGS SET FIVE SCHOOL RECORDS AT PHILL HANSEL INVITE
WSU capped a record-setting week with two more school records and five more Top-10 times on the final day of the Phill Hansel Invitational hosted by the University of Houston in late November. The Cougars finished the three-day meet with five school records and 12 WSU Top-10 times. One day after breaking the school record in the 400 IM, senior Taylor McCoy added another one with a top time in the 200 back. Later in the day, the Cougars posted their second relay record of the week with a 3:19.23 in the 400 free relay two days after setting a new top time in the 200 free relay. In Saturday's 400 free relay win, the team of senior Chloe Larson, freshman Angela Di Palo, senior Emily Barrier and freshman Selena Duran beat the previous record by nearly half a second. Defending Pac-12 Conference 50 Free Champion Chloe Larson added an NCAA "B" time to win the 100 free. The Cougars finished in fourth place out of nine teams with seven of the nine schools earning points in diving. WSU does not have diving.
COUGARS CLAIM NINE RACES, CRUISE TO WIN OVER GRAND CANYON
WSU claimed nine of the 11 races to post a 126-74 win over Grand Canyon at Gibb Pool Nov. 12. The Cougars recorded their third dual meet win of the season after senior Taylor McCoy and freshman Angela Di Palo each tallied 18 points with McCoy posting wins in the 200 IM and 200 backstroke while Di Palo won the 200 free and 100 free and was part of the 200 free relay win. McCoy pushed her team-leading individual win total to nine while Di Palo pushed her win total to seven, second-most on the team. Washington State opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay and defending Pac-12 Conference 50 free champion Chloe Larson later won the 50 free for the fifth straight meet. Freshman Noelle Harvey won the 500 free and senior Mackenzie Duarte claimed the 200 breaststroke.
THREE COUGS NOTCH WINS AT UCLA
WSU recorded three individual wins but dropped a 169-91 decision at UCLA Oct. 30. Freshman Angela Di Palo continued her impressive start to her Cougar career, notching her fourth win of the season and third against a Pac-12 Conference opponent after claiming the 200 free with a season-high time. Larson notched a win in the 50 free as the defending Pac-12 Conference champion in the 50 free has won all four races against conference opponents. Di Palo later finished second in the 100 free, McCoy was second in the 200 back, Mackenzie Duarte was third in the 200 breast and Noelle Harvey was second in the 500 free. Freshman Ilaria Moro finished second in the 200 fly and McCoy later won the 400 IM, her team-leading seventh win of the season.
WSU POSTS SEASON-BESTS, LARSON WINS 50 FEE AT NO. 17 USC
Washington State produced 25 season-best times and senior Chloe Larson won the 50 free but the Cougars dropped a 161-93 decision to No. 17 USC in Los Angeles Oct. 29. The Cougars opened the meet finishing second in the 200 medley relay and Larson, the defending Pac-12 Champion in the 50 free, used a season-best 22.96 to notch her third straight win. Freshman Angela Di Palo was second in the 100 free after finishing four-tenths of second behind the winner, senior Taylor McCoy recorded a pair of season-best times and second-place finishes in the 200 back and 200 IM while senior Lauren Burckel also recorded a season-best time to place fourth in the 200 IM. Senior Mackenzie Duarte finished second in the 200 breast and third in the 100 breast, both were season-best times. Freshman Noelle Harvey was third with a season-best time in the 500 free and WSU closed the meet finishing in a close second in the 200 free relay.
COUGARS BATTLE NO. 22 ARIZONA STATE, WIN FIVE EVENTS
The Cougars went toe-to-toe with No. 22 Arizona State at Gibb Pool October 16, claiming five races but dropped a 157-105 contest. WSU battled the No. 22-ranked Sun Devils throughout the meet, winning four straight events at one point and closed the day with big win in the 200 free relay. Senior Taylor McCoy led the way with a 17 points.
WSU KNOCKED OFF ARIZONA FOR FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY
WSU made history Oct. 15, posting its first win over Arizona in program history with a 131.5-129.5 victory at Gibb Pool. The Cougars entered the meet having dropped all five of the previous meetings with Wildcats before collecting seven individual victories in the conference opener. Senior Taylor McCoy led the way with a meet-best 21 points after winning the 200 back and 200 IM while five different Cougars collected wins (Chloe Larson, Lauren Burckel, Mackenzie Duarte) including a pair of freshmen, Noelle Harvey and Angela Di Palo. WSU's top 400 medley relay team finished second to clinch the win.
COUGARS COMPETE AT CHICK-FIL-A INVITE
Washington State saw a pair of relay teams post Top-10 finishes at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational last weekend. The Cougars' 800 free relay team of Taylor McCoy, Hailey Grotte, Emily Barrier and Angela Di Palo placed fifth while the 200 free relay team of Chloe Larson, Paige Gardner, Grotte and Di Palo finished sixth. The Cougars saw their 400 free relay team lead the way on the second and final day of the Invitational as the team of Angela Di Palo, Chloe Larson, Hailey Grotte and Paige Gardner placed seventh.
COUGARS OPEN SEASON WITH WIN AT IDAHO
WSU opened its season with a 166-128 win over Idaho. The Cougars won 11 of the 16 events that saw Idaho claim 32 points on both diving events (WSU does not have diving). Senior Taylor McCoy led the way with three individual wins while freshman Angela Di Palo from Italy won her first two collegiate races in the 200 free and 100 free. Senior Lauren Burckel recorded an early win in the 100 breast and freshman Ilaria Moro from Italy won the 200 fly. WSU began to make their move by sweeping the top-3 spots in the 50 free as senior Paige Gardner earned her first career win, sophomore Hailey Grotte finished second and junior Mikaela Kirton touched third. Seniors Mackenzie Duarte (200 breast) and Keiana Fountaine (500 free) each added wins before the Cougars closed the meet with a win in the 200 free relay.
KATE MOORE ADDS TITLE OF RECRUITING COORDINATOR
Assistant Coach Kate Moore added the title of recruiting coordinator to her duties, Head Coach Matt Leach announced in July. Kate Moore begins her second season at Washington State and recently brought in the seven-member 2021 recruiting class that features swimmers from Italy, Spain, California, Minnesota and Texas. "Kate has done an amazing job finding recruits the fit the mold of our family. Family first, academics second and competing third is exactly what we look for and Kate has been outstanding at bringing student-athletes into our program who can add to our family first culture," Leach said. "It is my pleasure to elevate Kate Moore to Recruiting Coordinator. Go Cougs!"
CHLOE LARSON COMPETED AT 2021 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Senior Chloe Larson produced an impressive showing at the 2021 NCAA Swimming Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Larson also qualified in the 100 freestyle and posted a 48.88 in the preliminaries, tying for No. 23 in the country, improved 12 spots from her initial seed and good for the second-fastest time in program history. The Rapid City, S.D. native finished three-tenths of a second from earning a spot into the evening final but finished her season with the top two 100 freestyle times in WSU history after breaking the school record at the Pac-12 Championships in February. In the NCAA 50 freestyle preliminaries, Larson recorded a 22.37, good for No. 25 in the country but just missed from earning a spot into the final (Top-16). Larson finished the season with the top three 50 free times in program history. Larson was the second Cougar in the last three seasons to earn a trip to the NCAA's, joining fellow teammate Mackenzie Duarte who earned an invite in 2019.
THREE COUGS COMPETED AT U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Three Washington State swimmers competed at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials this past summer. Seniors Mackenzie Duarte, Chloe Larson and Taylor McCoy each competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Duarte competed Wave I in the 200 breaststroke and posted a 2.35.12, good for No. 16 in the group and moved her to the Wave I "B" Final where just missed out on advancing to Wave II. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native earned the qualifying time at the U.S. Open in 2019. Larson competed in the 50 freestyle in Wave II and tied for No. 13 with a 25.42 to advance to the semifinal round. The Rapid City, S.D. native posted a 25.35 in the semifinal, the No. 14 time in the country but just short of advancing to the final. Larson qualified in the 50 free after recording a 25.26 split during the 100 freestyle at the long course meters event at the 2021 St. George Sectional Meet in Utah. McCoy competed in the 200 backstroke and posted a 2:14.00, the second fastest time in the Wave I to advance to the "A" final but missed the Wave II cut. The Pullman, Wash. native recorded the qualifying time in the summer of 2019. The last Cougar swimmer to compete in the Olympics was Rugile Mileisyte who competed in the 50 free at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing for Lithuania.
LARSON, McCOY NAMED CSCAA SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICANS
Chloe Larson and Taylor McCoy each earned 2021 CSCAA Scholar All-America honors, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). Larson earned first-team honors after posting a 3.78 GPA while majoring sport science, becoming the first Cougar to earn first-team accolades since 2006 (Jane Copland and Erin McCleave). McCoy received honorable mention after posting a 4.00 GPA while majoring in political science and recorded a pair of NCAA "B" times this past season. McCoy led the Cougars with nine individual wins last season, recorded two NCAA "B" and WSU Top-10 times at the Pac-12 Conference Championships.