Cal Poly Swimming and Diving opened conference play for the first time since joining the Big West conference, splitting the meet against blue-green rival UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Anderson Aquatic Center.
The men’s team put up a dominant performance at home, outscoring the Gauchos in a close 151-143 finish. The women’s team scored well but wasn’t enough to complete the sweep, resulting in a 100-194 loss.
Junior transfer Evan Yoo was a standout performer on the men’s side, winning the 1000 freestyle (9:32.19) and 200 breaststroke (1:58.64) in just his second meet as a Mustang.
Yoo, who transferred from the United States Military Academy before the season, posted the third-best time in program history for 200 breaststroke.
He was named the King of the Pool after a similarly fast swim in the team’s first meet against the University of California, Berkeley.
Last year’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation 200 backstroke champion, Drew Huston, won the event at 1:49.96 and was just outpaced in the 100 backstroke, taking second.
Star sophomore women’s swimmer Olivia Sundgren finished first in the 500 freestyle (5:07.76) and 1000 freestyle (10:32.53).
Sundgren’s pair of victories were the only wins on the women’s side, but sophomore Amalie Claus-Udarbe placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.32), and senior Summer Cheng took third in both the 100 butterfly (58.07) and 200 freestyle relay (1:38.79).
The swimmers will be under new coaching yet again this season. The team announced in April that former head coach Phil Yoshida would not be returning after having been on leave all last season following abuse allegations in 2023.
Interim co-head coaches Kim Foster Carlson and Traci Granger will share the coaching duties after being announced less than a month before the start of this season.
On the diving side, sophomore Justin Dolezal won the men’s 1-meter with a zone diving championship qualification-worthy score of 302.70.
Dolezal is looking to repeat last season’s success after he finished third in the MPSF championships, the best finish in program history.
Freshman divers won both events for the women’s team. Ava Lazovsky scored 230.78 in the 1-meter, while Ava Geronimo scored 232.05 in the 3-meter, pointing towards a strong class of new divers this season.
The Mustangs will travel to Bakersfield next to compete in the CSU Bakersfield Spring Classic on Oct. 11.