After a historic regular season for No. 4 USC, the Trojans are preparing for the dogfight ahead of them at the Pac-12 Championship meet. The USC swim and dive team is set to travel to Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington, where it’ll compete against other Pac-12 swim and dive powerhouses — arguably in the toughest conference in the nation. 

The Trojans (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12) will come well-rested after an eventful early February. In one week, USC secured crucial wins at home against then-No. 5 UC Berkeley (7-1, 5-1) and then-No. 4 Stanford (6-2, 4-2). Also, the Trojans headed across town to rival UCLA (5-4, 3-4) and battled against a respected Bruins team. 

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The Pac-12 meet will include preliminary rounds. Then, the top eight will progress to the finals to determine final placement points. This is a different format compared to the conference dual meets; maximizing the number of swimmers in the top eight becomes pivotal for accruing significant points for your team. With intensified competition, opportunities to secure maximum points through sweep finishes, where your team clinches first and second place in a race, become less frequent.

“We have to get the job done in the morning, the top eight are really big points,” said Head Coach Lea Maurer in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “It’s like this back-to-back of Cal and Stanford, but add five more sessions … It’s going to be hard to get any space.” 

But through all the high stakes and adversity they may go through, Maurer — a gold and bronze medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics — had wisdom for this Trojans squad. 

“Right now, it’s about connectivity and enjoying the sport as you hope it always is,” Maurer said. “But even more as the stakes get higher, reminding them that we have a pretty special group right now … We’re just trying to focus on all of the pieces that are magical pieces about the sport and school.”

The Trojans’ results during the regular season didn’t go unnoticed, as they controlled the top in 11 of their 26 events. Consistent results are what the Trojans need to keep their running for the week and their aspirations of becoming Pac-12 champions. 

Graduate Vasilissa Buinaia and senior Anicka Delgado led the charge in the 50-yard freestyle for USC. They each hold the No. 1 and No. 2 times for the 50 free. Buinaia also holds the top time in the 100 free, followed by the 17-year-old freshman Minna Abraham. 

Speedy Abraham, the freestyle specialist, is an immense asset at Maurer’s disposal that displays a clutch factor. She anchors the freestyle leg on the 200 free relay. No opponent is safe against her, no matter how much of a lead they have. Against Stanford, she entered the water more than a second behind Stanford junior Lillie Nordmann, ultimately upending the Cardinal by 0.61 seconds and securing the meet for the Trojans.

Senior Caroline Famous looks to resume where she left off before the short break. Famous found her groove this month and hasn’t looked back since. After earning consecutive Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week accolades on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, she’ll want to continue her red-hot streak. Famous enters with the second-best time in the conference behind Cal senior Isabelle Stadden for the 50 and 100 backstroke. The two will probably be in a constant dogfight for the entire week. 

“It’s not going to be fun if it’s not close,” Famous said. “That’s just our energy going in … it’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s all us together. We can feel it and we are ready.” 

Senior Kaitlyn Dobler remains the Trojans’ unbeatable force in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke, and the reigning Pac-12 champion — and 2022 NCAA champion of the 100 breaststroke — is looking to defend her titles. She has been undefeated for the whole season and has easily swam past her opponents. Additionally, she contributes a strong medley breaststroke leg that proves to be prominent for the team.