W. swim travels to ‘SC for Trojan Invite
By Ross Bersot
A UCLA vs. USC contest without bitterness, spite and overall
hatred of the opponent is like putting an elevator in an outhouse
 it makes no sense. But that is exactly what is going to
happen this Saturday when the UCLA women’s swim team travels to
McDonald’s Stadium for the Trojan Invitational.
"We cheer for them and they cheer for us," UCLA head coach Cyndi
Gallagher said. "Basically you want the kids to swim and make
(NCAA) standards and make it to the (NCAA Championships). That’s
what swimming is about. So there is no rivalry or anything Â
at that meet."
Falling one week after the conclusion of the Pacific-10
Conference Championships and 12 days before the beginning of the
NCAAs, the meet is a last chance for swimmers to guarantee
themselves a ticket to Austin, Texas, site of this year’s
NCAAs.
Those Bruins who have already qualified, depending on the way
the NCAA selection for each race decides, will go to the meet with
hopes of improving on their times and ensuring themselves a
berth.
Mayuka Noda is in this precarious position, as she has the 25th
best time in the nation in the 200-yard individual medley.
"Last year (the NCAA) took 27 (in the 200 IM), but we don’t know
how many they’re going to take this year," Gallagher said. "It’s
stupid. It’s a stupid way the NCAA does it. It’s a draft. They have
a set number but it depends on how many doubles (people swimming in
more than one event) they have. We don’t really know that; the
computer knows.
Cindy Bertelink, Shawna Larsen and Annette Salmeen will swim the
200 freestyle, with hopes of improving the team’s 800 free relay
time, as well as their own.
Because her time in the 200 breaststroke has not qualified,
Glenda Lueders will race in that event and will also try to better
her time in the 100 breast, currently 22nd nationally.
"Sometimes you have kids swim because they may not have been
completely rested (at conference championships)," Gallagher said.
"It’s where the coaches’ mistakes come in, I think."