The UCLA swimming team returned to the pool with a splash, edging out USC in two important relays prior to the start of the two schools’ rivalry week.

The Bruins built on their strong season by winning the A3 Invitational, which took place in Monterey Park from Nov. 19-21. The swimming team garnered first place finishes in 12 of the 18 events and had numerous swimmers set pool and personal records.

One of the biggest moments of the weekend came on the first night of the invitational, as the Bruins went head to head with the Trojans in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay. UCLA set a new pool record in the medley relay and came out on top in both events, winning them by a combined .37 seconds.

“We were next to them on both of the relays,” said swimming coach Cyndi Gallagher. “(There) was a change of lead every lap, it seemed like … it could’ve gone either way, but I was just really happy that our girls dug deep and got the win.”

Over the past few years the A3 Invitational has served as a key bonding experience for the swimmers as the entire team goes despite it being an away meet. There was never a quiet moment inside the aquatic center at East Los Angeles College, as more than 25 UCLA swimmers were spread out over the pool deck cheering their teammates on.

Senior Arlyn Upshaw had one of her best meets, winning the 400-yard individual medley and setting a personal best with a third place finish in the 200-yard butterfly.

“When I was warming up for the (400-yard individual medley), everyone across the pool deck was chanting and cheering,” Upshaw said.

The format of the invitational followed a similar structure to that of the Pac-12 and NCAA championship, as swimmers competed in preliminaries for each event and, if they finished in the top 32, advanced to finals later on in the day. This was different from the Bruins’ past six meets, allowing Gallagher to see how her freshman would react to three straight days of a rigorous event schedule.

Freshman Emma Schanz showed no signs of struggling with this unfamiliar format as she had an exceptional meet, placing first in the 200-yard individual medley while also breaking the pool record in the 200-yard breaststroke.

“We’re still midseason, so we’re all a little bit tired, but we overlooked that and we just focused on racing fast,” Schanz said. “It was one of the most fun meets that I’ve been to because everyone was supportive of everyone and we were all cheering for each other.”

With another meet in the books, the swimming team plans to enjoy its win as it prepares for the next meet on Dec. 2 in Austin, Texas.

“(We) all walked away feeling good about (ourselves) and about (our) team and about where we are in our journey,” Gallagher said. “This isn’t by any means the end but it’s just one little stop that they can celebrate.”

Published by Brent Troop

Troop currently writes on the men's water polo beat. He has been in the Sports section since fall 2015 and previously covered softball and swimming and diving.

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