THIS WEEK...
San Jose State at UC Davis
Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
3 p.m.
Schaal Aquatics Center
Davis, Calif.

UC Davis at Pacific
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014
10 a.m.
Kjeldsen Pool
Stockton, Calif.
Game Coverage: Live Video

Season Preview: UCD swimmers eye third straight title - Bruce Gallaudet, Davis Enterprise

DAVIS, Calif. -- Fresh off its second straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title -- and its third in the last four years -- the UC Davis women's swimming and diving team returns to the pool to kick-off its 2014 campaign, welcoming San Jose State to the Schaal Aquatics Center on Friday (Oct. 17) at 3 p.m., before heading south to Stockton to swim against Pacific in a non-scoring dual on Saturday (Oct. 18) at 10 a.m.

Last season, the Aggies snapped a five-meet losing skid against San Jose State dating back to the 2006 campaign and will look to avenge a 208-92 loss to the Spartans in the last meeting between the two schools at Schaal during the 2012-13 season. UC Davis' last win against SJSU at home came almost eight years ago to the day by the score of 169-131.

The Aggies then take on Pacific in a dual meet that will not feature team scoring, but will give UC Davis its first appearance in "hostile" waters this season. Although it will not count toward the team's dual record (the two teams meet again at Schaal on Jan. 31 at Noon in the regular season finale), the Aggies traveled to Stockton last season and won 11 of 14 events in handing the Tigers a 182-80 loss for their sixth dual win of the year.

Trailing after day one of last season's MPSF Championships, the Aggies stormed back to regain the lead on day two and they would never look back, posting the third-highest team total (712.5) in conference championship history to sprint past second-place UC Santa Barbara (638) and third-place BYU (620). UC Davis qualified a pair of swimmers (Liliana Alvarez and Hilvy Cheung) to the NCAA Championships while the Aggies combined to claim a total of 32 all-conference honors at the end of the year.

It was a fitting end for a UC Davis squad that finished off the first perfect dual season in school history (9-0) and carries a streak of 16 consecutive dual match wins into Friday's clash against the Spartans dating back to a split against UCLA (L, 135-119) and Washington State (W, 139-119) on Nov. 2, 2012, in Los Angeles.

Of UC Davis' 712-plus points at last year's MPSF Championships, gone are a total of 212 of those individual points, including high-scorers Haley Porter (48), Katie Edwards (47), and Liliana Alvarez (43). The cupboard is not entirely bare, however, as the Aggies return 26 members of last season's squad, including eight All-MPSF honorees and the conference's Freshman of the Year in Cheung, who finished 49th in the 100 fly (53.19) and 37th in the 200 fly (1:58.57) in her first appearance at the NCAA Championships.

Along with Cheung, who scored 43 individual points in three events at last year's MPSF meet, returning first team all-conference honorees include Marissa Brown in the distance free events, who finished third at the MPSF's in the 1650 free last season and accounted for 45 individual points with a trio of top-five finishes, as well as senior Samantha Shellem, who scored 44 individual points with three, top-five finishes in the 200 and 500 free, as well as the 200 back.

Junior Lexy Troup, who swam the second-fastest 500 free in school history with a season-best 4:49.19 at the MPSF Championships, finished third in the event and scored 41 individual points for the Aggies. Sophomore Kirsten Brand also looks to build off a strong freshman season that saw her earn four all-conference nods after scoring 37 individual points at the conference meet, setting a quintet of top-10 school times in the 50 free (23.78), 200 free (1:50.64), 500 free (4:54.00), 1000 free (10:09.65), 1650 free (16:49.19), last season.

Senior Hilary Hunt, who earned three second-team all-conference awards as a junior, returns for her final season after setting a pair of school records in both the 100 (53.68) and 200 (1:57.96) back, while also swimming the lead-off leg of the school record-setting 200 (1:39.89) and 400 (3:38.47) medley relay squads.

Having graduated 11 seniors in the Class of 2014, 12 newcomers dot the Aggies' roster for this year's campaign.

Freshman Courtney Schultz is among that group, showcasing blazing speed in winning both sprint freestyle events, including a time of 23.90 in the 50 free -- just three-tenths off the pool record -- and 52.76 to win the 100 free by almost two seconds. She was followed by another pair of new faces in classmate Robin Lampron (54.23) and junior transfer Brittany Rojo (54.27).

Freshmen Ali Sena (55.44) and Jordan Gueniot (57.71) made it four freshmen in the top six in the 100 free, while Aislinn Dresel was third in the 100 back (1:00.61) and second in the 200 back (2:12.69).

Rojo, another of the standout newcomers, brings tremendous experience to the squad after competing at a pair of NCAA Division II National Championship meets at Cal State East Bay and was a three-time All-American as part of the Pioneers' 200 and 400 free relay squads. She also earned All-America Honorable Mention honors after placing 12th in the 100 fly as a sophomore in 2013.

Schultz was one of five UC Davis swimmers to double in the intrasquad: Hunt won both the 100 and 200 back along with swimming a leg in a air of relay wins, Shellem won both the 200 and 400 free events as well as swimming part of the winning 200 free relay squad, junior Hailey Ferko was a double winner in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and junior diver Lucy Lafranchise, who represented the Aggies at the Zone E Diving Regionals for the second consecutive season in 2014, won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.