USC womens’ swim and dive is back for a new season and looking to build from last year’s 12th-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship, a placement that returned the program to the top 15 for the first time in four years. 

“We’re trying to return a winning tradition to USC,” said second-year Head Coach Lea Maurer in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We’re going to perform our best at the higher-pressure meets and finals where the lights are on.” 

This year, the Trojans’ assortment of new and returning talent will be led by senior Kaitlyn Dobler. Dobler is also the most recent addition to the U.S Swimming National Team roster. 

Dobler’s senior season is coming off the heels of a historic Pac-12 performance where she became the first in USC history — and second-ever — to capture first place in the 100-yard breaststroke for three consecutive years. This feat guided USC to second place at the Pac-12 Championships. 

At the 2023 NCAA finals, Dobler capped off her season with a 57.50 fourth place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and two top ten finishes as the breaststroke leg for the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays. 

“I think everyone has a renewed motivation because it’s an Olympic year,” Dobler said. “We’re definitely going for NCAA and doing well this season, but I think everyone has goals looking at the Olympics, so that’ll be really exciting.”

Senior Anicka Delgado will join Dobler, riding her performance at last year’s Pac-12 Championships, which saw the senior place first in the consolation final for the 100-yard butterfly and fourth in the 100-yard free with a 48.26. As a leg for the 200-yard medley and free relays, Delgado helped the Trojans capture third in both events at the NCAA finals.

Returning seniors Hanna Henderson and Caroline Famous will also look to build on their performances from last season. At the Pac-12 finals, Henderson grabbed a 22.30 fifth place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, with two top ten finishes in her backstroke events: a 53.05 seventh place in the 100-yard and a 1:54.42 10th place in the 200-yard. Famous’ top ten finishes in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard medley relay at the Pac-12 and NCAA finals will roll momentum into this season. 

With the success the individual swimmers achieved at the end of last season, Maurer’s focus has shifted towards applying that success to the collective group.

“We worked a lot on culture last year [so] now we’re trying to translate that culture into performance,” Maurer said. “There’s a way where you can be a successful team with a conglomerate of individuals, but we’re looking into a championship where there is that collective good.”

For the dive team, returning senior divers Maddie Huitt and Allison Ward and graduate diver Nike Agunbiade will carry top ten placements at last year’s NCAA Zone E Championships into this season. Junior diver Grace Lee will round out the returning group, picking up after a 9th place finish in the 3-meter at the Pac-12 Championships. 

While USC will enjoy a strong and seasoned returning class, the team’s new additions come with a plethora of experience in their own right. Freshman Macky Hodges comes into USC as a seasoned Trinity League swimmer with a league MVP and the national record for the 400-yard freestyle relay under her belt. Freshman Lilla Minna Abraham will bring experience and many gold medals from her time on the Hungarian National Teams.

Heading into the first competition at Southern Methodist University, Maurer expressed the energy felt on the deck leading up to the season opener. 

“They are really excited to take their marks,” Maurer said. “[October] is just a really challenging month, [and] it’ll be nice to break it up [and] travel, so they’re really excited.”

USC will travel to Dallas, Texas to compete in the SMU Classic Invitational Friday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 7 at Robson & Lindley Aquatic Center.