Leah Polonsky Leads California to Decisive Victory over Washington State
Leah Polonsky won three events as California cruised to a 179-81 victory at Berkeley’s Spieker Aquatics Complex on Friday night.
The 11th-ranked Golden Bears won every race but one. Polonsky continued a hot streak, winning three events for the second straight meet.
Polonsky claimed the 200 freestyle early in the meet, his time of 1:47.23 a second behind his teammate. Eloise Riley. Polonsky was targeted Hannah Brunzell by less than a second in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:13.93. He finished the meet with a strong victory in the 200 IM, an event in which he is the reigning Pac-12 champion, with a time of 1:58.99.
Cal met little resistance in the win. The 200 medley relay in the Isabelle Stadden, Jade Neser, Mia Kragh and McKenna Stone started by going 1:37.26 to win. Neser won the 100 breast in 1:00.33 and was third in the 200. Kragh claimed the 100 butterfly in 52.83, a 1-2-3 finish for Cal with Rock third.
Rock went 22.78 in the 50 free to edge Stadden (23.01) to the wall. Stadden won the 100 back in 1:52.71. Riley won the 100 free in 49.78.
Kathryn Hazle had a strong showing, the freshman won the 1,000 free in 10:01.57 which was a teammate’s first Fanni Fabian. Hazle was also third in the 200 back and second in the 200 IM. Fabian was third in the 500 free, an event he won Mia Motekaitis. The fifth year also won the 100 back in 55.23.
The Stone Quartet, Ella MazurekStadden and Riley posted the fastest time in the 400 free relay, an exhibition A relay that ran 3:19.41.
Cal has no goods in all of this. Washington State won from Dori Hathazi, who went 1:56.43 in the 200 fly. Wazzu freshman Mira Simczak went 10:10.77 for third in the 1,000 free, setting the seventh-fastest time in program history. Szimcsak finished second in the 500 free.
Freshman Madison Parker second in the 100 free and third in the 50. The former, with a time of 49.83, is 10th in program history. Kiana Swain finished second in the 200 back. Hathazi, Parker, Emma Wright and Noelle Harvey went 3:21.71 in the 400 free relay, just two seconds behind the Bears.
