This post was updated Jan. 12 at 12:10 a.m.
The Bruins will be split this weekend.
No. 25 UCLA swim and dive (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12) will be hosting two separate competitions over the weekend – the Bruin Diving Invitational Friday through Sunday and a dual meet against Utah (6-2, 0-2) on Saturday.
Senior swimmer Crystal Murphy said the first meet at home after intense winter training is always fun.
“For me, especially, it’s really exciting because it’s one of my last dual meets as a senior on this team and with this program,” Murphy said. “It’s always really exciting to be in front of a home crowd and have our own daily routine stay in place.”
The Bruin Diving Invitational will feature divers from 15 different schools, including crosstown rival No. 4 USC (3-0, 2-0).
Freshman diver Laura Fisher said she tries to focus on herself rather than the large field of divers.
“Looking at where you were at the last meet, where you were at practice … and just knowing what’s improvement for you and focusing on that,” said Fisher about her strategy.
The invitational format of the meet more closely resembles that of the Pac-12 championship and the NCAA Zone E Championship. This will be the last diving invitational for the Bruins before those meets.
Coach Jordan Wolfrum said this format allows the team to fine-tune skills it might not get the chance to otherwise.
“In a dual meet, they only hit six dives and only in two events,” Wolfrum said. “But here, they can do all the events that they are going to do. For our platform specialists, to get a full prelims and finals list on platform, that’s a big deal.”
There will be divers from Utah competing in the invitational, and the Ute swimmers will be facing off against the Bruin swimmers in the meet. UCLA holds an 8-0 record against Utah.
Last season, the Bruins beat the Utes by 50 points in Salt Lake City.
Murphy said this success comes from her team’s depth.
“We don’t just have top scorers,” Murphy said. “We have amazing swimmers. But alongside that, we have tons of people who fill every other gap that we need.”
After this upcoming dual meet, UCLA will have three more dual meets before it enters the championship stretch of the season.
Wolfrum said dual meets are the time to practice racing, especially against the teams the Bruins will face at the Pac-12 championship.
“Seeing our competition, practicing against them, practicing being competitive – that’s what it is,” Wolfrum said. “It’s all rehearsals.”
The Bruin Diving Invitational will start Friday and the dual meet at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Both competitions will be held at Spieker Aquatics Center.
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