LOS ANGELES, Calif.-- The CSU Bakersfield men's swimming and diving team traveled to Southern California on Friday to take on USC in a dual. The Trojans, ranked No. 11 in the nation, came out victorious while the Roadrunner men posted strong times early in the season.
“Lovre Soric and Bryce Timonera once again led the team with their swims,” said Chris Hansen, Director of Swimming for CSUB. “Along with the vets, freshmen Jake Chir and Christopher Salcido both stepped up. So far, we have different freshmen stepping up at different meets. Once this class figures it all out and all rise at the same time, it's going to be something to watch!”
Soric finished fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:43.43) and third in the 200 backstroke (1:51.16) to lead the way for CSUB. Timonera placed third in the 100 back (51.64), fourth in the 100 free with a time of 46.60, and fifth in the 100 fly (51.63).
Salcido bested his teammate Soric in the 200 free with a second-place time of 1:41.86, his collegiate best by almost two seconds. The freshman also finished third in the 400 IM (4:18.63) while Mario Vasquez and Justice Kramer tied for first in the event with equal times of 4:11.09.
“Chir's breaststroke events really impressed me,” said Hansen of his freshman. “He is listening to what needs to be fixed and he is swimming great.” Chir, a native of Henderson, Nev., earned a fourth-place finish in the 100 breast (58.50) while lowering his collegiate best time by over half of a second.
Tyler Greenwald posted a strong early-season score of 301.58 to win the 3-meter diving competition. Already the CSUB record holder in the event, Greenwald is closing in on his record score of 333.45 in the event just a few weeks into the season.
After Friday's dual, the 'Runners will not be in competition in the pool for almost a month which, according to Hansen, means time to focus and refine: “We are off to the Triton Classic. It's time to work on technique and endurance.”
The 'Runners will hit the water in Los Angeles Nov. 19-21 for the Triton Classic. For full results from Friday's dual, see the linked PDF.
~GoRunners.com~
