Trojans close out regular season at home
Men’s swimming ends regular season Saturday vs. Utah.
Turning it around · Sophomore Vladimir Morozov is hoping to get the Trojans back to their winning ways. The team has lost two straight meets. - Photo courtesy of USC Sports Information
After a pair of tough losses to No. 6 California and No. 3 Stanford, USC’s No. 5-ranked men’s swimming and diving team (3-3, 1-3) will end its dual meet season at home against Pac-12 rival Utah (5-5, 1-2) Saturday at noon.
The Trojan squad is led by a plethora of All-Americans, including sophomores Vladimir Morozov and Dimitri Colupaev, junior Alex Lendrum and senior Jeff Daniels. Morozov currently holds the nation’s top times in the 50- and 100-yard backstroke, with Colupaev leading the nation in the 200-yard freestyle. Lendrum is ranked second in the 200-yard backstroke, and freshman Chad Bobrosky ranks ninth in the 200-yard freestyle.
The Utes are coming off a tough loss to rival BYU. Junior Ryan Hansen won the 500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyle, and senior Major Robinson and junior Austin Fiascone finished first and second in the 200-yard backstroke, respectively. They were originally scheduled to host the meet in Salt Lake City but moved it to USC in order to check out the facility where the Pac-12 championships will be held.
The meet is also the final home event for seniors Daniels, Julian Bonse, Will Orlady and co-captain Jack Ostler. After this, the teams will prepare for the Pac-12 championships in Long Beach from Feb. 29-Mar. 3, followed by the NCAA championships qualifiers, which begin March 8.