MALIBU, Calif. – Highlighted by
Vivian Vallely qualifying for NCAA Zones, the Pepperdine swimming and diving program had a successful first day at the fourth annual Rodionoff Invite at
Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
Out of the three Division I teams competing at the Rodionoff Invite, the Waves are currently in second place with a total of 133 points, and are just four points behind Utah Tech.
SWIM RECAP
In the first event of the day, the 200 free relay team of
Alexandra Browne (Arlington, Va.),
Layla Busquets (Diablo, Calif.),
Eleanor Mashkovich (Calabasas, Calif.) and
Anna Ryan (Alamo, Calif.) took first with a time of 1:37.50.
The 400 medley relay team of
AJ Adams (Castle Rock, Colo.),
Mollie Cho (Frisco, Texas), Busquets and Browne finished second as they completed the event in 3:56.72.
On the individual side of swimming, the Waves won one event, had one second-place finish and took third in two events.
Browne won the 100 free by posting a time of 25.22.
Adams clocked a time of 2:08.44 in the 200 back, which was good for second place.
Ansley Halbach (Watkinsville, Ga.) finished right behind her with a time of 2:08.53.
In the 1000 free, sophomore
Madeline Wheeler (Chino Hills, Calif.) took third as she posted a time of 10:58.95.
Junior
AJ Adams (Castle Rock, Colo.) earned a fourth-place finish in the 200 IM as she swam the event in 2:11.32.
Freshman
Mollie Cho (Frisco, Texas) swam the fastest for the Waves in the 100 breast with a time of 1:07.75.
Freshman
Natalie Do (Mansfield, Texas) finished the fastest for Pepperdine in the 200 fly with a time of 2:11.23.
DIVING RECAP
In the first 3-meter event of the year,
Vivian Vallely (Newport Beach, Calif.) took second out of the 16 divers by posting a score of 283.50. With her performance today, Vallely qualified for NCAA Zones for the second year in a row.
Amanda Wong (Santa Ana, Calif.) took fifth with a score of 250.20.
Delainey Pisaruk (Phoenix, Ariz.) posted a score of 232.40, good for seventh.
Lexie Martin (Keller Texas) notched a score of 221.65 to finish in ninth.
QUOTABLES
"I'm very pleased with how the Waves performed today," head coach
Ellie Monobe said. "It was very exciting to see our veterans step up on the 3-meter board. I'm very excited about Vivian, getting a spot in NCAA Zones this early in the season is huge for us. The overall consistency with all our divers has been great to see. Winning the 200 free relay to start to meet set the tone early and was awesome to see. It's fun to see our sprinters continue to progress over the years and showcase our depth there. I felt like our 200 backs were very solid as well. I'm very impressed with
Alexandra Browne and her sprints. It's been exciting to see our freshman step up and do these tough lineups of events back-to-back-to-back. All-in-all, seeing our depth early on this season is excellent and it's something we look forward to seeing as we continue throughout the season."
"We had a strong start with our first 3-meter event of the year today," diving coach
Monique Demaisip said. "We're still working on the finer details and our consistency, but we're in a great spot compared to last season, which is exciting to see. We've got some good competition with some new schools entering the dive portion tomorrow. I'm excited to see how tomorrow goes with it being our largest event we've had in a Rodionoff Invite."
DIVISION I STANDINGS: 1. Utah Tech, 137; 2. Pepperdine, 133; 3. California Baptist, 24.
NEXT UP
The fourth annual Rodionoff Invite will conclude tomorrow at
Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Diving starts at 10 a.m. with swimming to follow. Along with all Pepperdine home swim meets, admission to the Rodionoff Invite is free to all fans.
FOLLOW
Follow @WavesSwimDive on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Find the Waves on Instagram @waveswimdive. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
