AUBURN, Ala. “”mdash; The UCLA swim and dive squad is used to
exceeding expectations.
After posting a 2-4 Pac-10 dual meet record in the 2002-2003
season, the Bruins overcame odds that would have bookies
salivating. UCLA won the conference tournament with a dominating
1,399 points.So after a second day at the NCAA national swim and
dive championships, where UCLA seemed to be the poster children for
Murphy’s Law, the team was down but far from out. After all,
the No. 12 Bruins entered the third and final day of the meet in
13th place, only four team points out of the top 11, ready to again
exceed expectations. “If you look at it on paper, right now
we are better off than where we should be,” head coach Cyndi
Gallagher said. “But then again, I always expect to be one of
the top teams in the country.” Though their coach expected
it, the Bruin faithful in attendance at the James E. Martin Aquatic
center were pleasantly surprised by the results of the national
meet, where the UCLA swim and dive team finished 11th in the
nation. “You always like to hear an even number like
“˜top 10′, but 11th is still one of the top teams in the
country,” Gallagher said. UCLA gave itself every chance to
finish among the top teams on Saturday. In Saturday morning’s
preliminaries, the Bruins qualified four swimmers, a diver and a
relay team for the evening finals. “The girls showed a lot of
heart this morning.” Gallagher said. The high point of the
day, and perhaps the entire meet for the swim and dive squad, was
the performance of its lone diver. Senior Regan Gosnell, who took
20th in the one meter springboard on Thursday and 15th in the three
meter springboard Friday, competed in the platform competition
Saturday. Gosnell, in her first trip to the national meet, came out
of nowhere and qualified for the platform diving finals. She was
masterful from the platform in the finals, placing eighth and
earning All-American status in her final year as a Bruin.
“That was the event of the meet,” Gallagher said of the
diver’s performance. “For the entire team, that was it.
Simply phenomenal.” Freshman Kim Vandenberg served as the
team’s other highlight. Vandenberg, a former High School
all-American in 10 events, became an NCAA all-American Saturday.
She placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly, swimming the
championship final in 1:57.15. “This is my first time at the
NCAA meet, so I wasn’t expecting anything,” the
freshman all-American said. “I am really happy with how I
did.” Junior backstroke artist Taylor Spivey was the first
Bruin to qualify on Saturday for the Saturday evening meet. Spivey
swam the 200y backstroke in 1:57.92 to obtain the 12 seed, good
enough for the consolation finals. “(The 200y back) has
gotten really fast in recent years,” Spivey said. “A
few years ago a time in the 1:57 range would have made the
championship finals.” Spivey swam a competitive race in the
consolation final, placing 13th (1:58.15). In the 100y freestyle,
UCLA experienced a rare but minor setback. Junior Sara Platzer, the
team’s fastest sprinter, got a late jump in her preliminary
race, which cost her a spot in the Championship finals. She
finished 14th. Platzer swam like she had something to prove in the
consolation final. She led after the first 50y and was barely
out-touched by Texas’ Tanica Jamison at the finish. Platzer
finished tenth in the event with a time of 49.48. Gallagher
finishes her 15th year as the head coach of the Bruins with her
second Pac-10 championship. “It was a great year,” the
coach said. “I am never satisfied, but to show the heart that
these girls did all year “¦ this was a great year.”