Something stood out to those who watched the members of the UCLA swim and dive team as the Bruins lined up to shake hands with their opponents at their meet on Saturday: No. 42. Written on the upper right arm of each member of the team, it sent a message to the Bruin fans.
The number is one of great significance to UCLA. Belonging to the former Bruin student-athlete Jackie Robinson, it is a number that is most often associated with greatness.
With UCLA’s recent retirement of the number in honor of Robinson, coach Cyndi Gallagher found it important to share with her team the late athlete’s story of courage and success.
“They need to know who Jackie Robinson is,” Gallagher said. “They’re a part of that (story). He went here – they’re here.”
In the tri-meet at the Spieker Aquatics Center, the Bruins finished first against both Kansas (168-126) and San Diego (154-83). Inspired by Gallagher’s speech, each team member decided to write “No. 42” on her arm for motivation.
“We’re swimming for him, all he has done and the struggles he had to go through,” said senior captain Courtney Wilde.
The team did just that.
The 10th-ranked Bruins had a dominant performance, winning 11 out of 16 events, including two relays.
Freshman Ciara Monahan was victorious in both of the meets’ diving events, scoring 260.63 in the 3-meter and 269.55 in the 1-meter. Finishing close behind her in second was sophomore Danni Repper, who said the past week of practice was crucial to her successful performance.
“Going into it, I felt more relaxed than normal,” Repper said. “I had a really good week at practice, so I tried carrying that into competition today, and it really worked for me.”
The work done at practice paid off for more than just Repper. Seven swimmers came out on top of their individual races, including two first-place finishes for sophomore Linnea Mack in the 50-meter free and the 100-meter butterfly.
Senior swimmers Jessica Khojasteh and Monica Dornick took advantage of their last time racing at home, each placing first in their respective events. Sharing time with them in the winner’s circle was junior Katy Campbell as well as freshmen Katie Grover and Carly Reid.
While Khojasteh does feel somber about her last time competing on home turf, she is looking forward to the rest of the season.
“From now on, it’s all fun,” Khojasteh said. “We have been working so hard for these next few meets, so it’s the best part of the season. This is what we’ve all been swimming for.”
These upcoming meets will test the Bruins more than ever this season as they begin to take on more challenging opponents, including the top-ranked Cal Bears as well as a No. 3-ranked Stanford team.
Whatever level of competition that the team faces, Gallagher is confident her team will be ready.
“You have to race the best to get better,” Gallagher said. “We’re not afraid to do that.”
The swimmers will race again this upcoming Friday and Saturday, when they make a two-day road trip to face Oregon State. The divers will be back at Spieker Aquatics Center from Saturday to Monday to host the Bruin Diving Invitational.