Sports WOMEN’S SWIMMING
STANFORD ROUNDUP
Tosky set for busy summer
Women chase NCAA track titles Carter reaches 400 hurdles final, Weissenbach and Fedronic in 800 finale
Palo Alto High grad gets a good tuneup at Santa Clara GP by Rick Eymer
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Kyle Terada
alo Alto High grad Jasmine Tosky learned a lot about training outside the pool during her freshman year at USC. She also learned that swimming is serious business, but there’s always time for fun. Tosky completed her weekend at the Arena Grand Prix at Santa Clara on a good note last Sunday at the George F. Haines International Swim Center. She finished fifth in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:15.85, in a race that featured Olympians Caitlin Leverenz and Missy Franklin. Tosky also finished second, and was the top American, in the 200 fly in 2:10.89. Canada’s Audrey LaCroix won the race in 2:08.64. On Saturday, Tosky also finished eighth in the 50 free, swimming a confounding 33.60. And no, she didn’t cramp up during the race. She choose to swim the breaststroke. “I had an open lane next to me, so I thought I would take advantage,� Tosky said, smiling. “Dave (USC coach Dave Salo) liked it. I’m not sure what (Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics coach) Tony (Batis) thought.� Tosky earned one of her two AllAmerican honors during her first collegiate season the 200-yard fly, finishing fifth at the NCAA championship in Indianapolis with a time
by Rick Eymer tanford junior Kori Carter hopes to repeat her efforts from Wednesday’s semifinal in Friday’s championship race of the 400-meter hurdles at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Carter, who was named Women’s West Region Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday, ran the fastest women’s 400 hurdle preliminary race in meet history (54.67) and joined 800-meter runners Justine Fedronic and Amy Weissenbach in Friday finals. Carter won the Pac-12 championship in the 100-meter hurdles, in which she was scheduled to compete Thursday, and 400 hurdles and is ranked among the top 10 in the world in both events. She is also scheduled to compete on Stanford’s 1,600 relay team. Carter’s season best of 54.21 in the 400 hurdles ranks her No. 3 in the world and No. 1 in the United States. She has three of the top five times in that race in the U.S. Her 100 hurdles time of 12.76 ranks her No. 8 in the world and No. 2 in the NCAA. Friday’s 400 hurdles race promises drama as Carter looks to complete an undefeated season against 2012 Olympic finalist Georganne Moline of Arizona. The two women already have raced against each other four times. Moline holds the other two-fastest times in the U.S. Carter’s 54.67 in the prelims surpassed the previous NCAA preliminary record of 55.35 by Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison in 2010. In their fourth matchup this season, Carter used a late-race surge to maintain her undefeated record — against her Pac-12 rival and for the season. Moline was second in the heat in 54.89. This is the first time Carter has qualified for an NCAA final, after three previous appearances in NCAA indoor and outdoor championship meets. Her time is nearly 10 seconds faster than she ran in this meet last year (1:04.19) and more than four seconds faster than she ran as a freshman (59.14). Carter has broken 55 seconds four times this season. No other collegian besides Moline has done so even once. Fedronic and Weissenbach became the first Stanford teammates to reach the final of the 800. Fedronic, who attended nearby Carlmont High in Belmont, was second in her heat with a time of 2:04.07. They also become the first from Stanford to reach a women’s 800 final since
Palo Alto High grad Jasmine Tosky gained a valuable swimming education during her first season at USC and has carried that over into the early summer. She’ll compete at the U.S. National Championships in a few weeks. of 1:55.11. She also earned an AllAmerican award with the 800 free relay team, which finished sixth. Tosky will be back in Indianapolis for the U.S. National Championships that begin June 25. She’ll be focusing on the 200 fly, 200 free and 200 IM, although she may throw in a 50-meter event just for fun. “We really did a lot of experimenting at USC,� Tosky said. “I wanted to try different things and I think that I benefited from that.� She swam the Trojans’ best times of the season in the 200 fly (1:53.98) and 200 free (1:45.14) and helped set the school record in the 200 free relay (1:28.42). Tosky swam in eight events during the Santa Clara Grand Prix, including two relays. She swam in three ‘A’ finals and a ‘B’ final. The PASA 800 free relay team, which also included Sacred Heart
Prep junior Ally Howe, Gunn sophomore Jennifer Campbell and California sophomore Camille Cheng, finished second on Saturday. PASA’s 400 medley relay team, with Tosky, Campbell, Howe and Monta Vista junior Sarah Kaunitz, was fifth. Tosky appeared tired on Friday and Saturday, seemingly pushing herself through every event. Sunday, she seemed fresh, relaxed and smooth. “I usually do better later in a meet,� Tosky said. “I was tired early but it was more mentally tiring. I’ve been training a lot and it’s been rough, but worked out better.� One of the first things she learned about college swimming was the training done outside the pool. “I lifted a lot more and changed my training,� Tosky said. “When I got back with PASA, the sets were
just as hard as I remember them.� She also trained alongside the Trojan Swim Club occasionally and found the experience eye-opening. “Here are some of the greatest swimmers in the world and the guys would talk about surfing,� Tosky said. “It made me realize there is a time to focus and a time to have fun. I’ve tried surfing but I also don’t go to the beach a lot.� Tosky already has qualified for the World University Games, which get underway in Kazan, Russia on July 6, in both the 100 fly and 200 fly. She’s hoping to finish among the top two at the national championships, which also serve as the world trials, and change her itinerary to include Barcelona for the World Championships that start July 16. Gunn grad Rachael Acker and Palo Alto grad Liv Jensen are also qualified for the University Games. N
Stanford grad Godsoe is back enjoying swimming Solid efforts at Arena Grand Prix at Santa Clara meet gives former All-American a bright outlook for the summer. by Rick Eymer motivation. I had a bad freshman ugene Godsoe returned to year at Stanford but that became the Stanford to help put the fun avenue toward the NCAA title as a back into swimming. Being senior.� able to reconnect with former CarHe swam 54.69 in Sunday’s dinal teammates and others in the championship race, just behind the Stanford community shared winning time was a bonus. of 54.47 produced by His life and swimAmerican Olympian ming career on the Matt Grevers and upswing, the 25-yearRussian Olympian old former NCAA Arkady Vyatchanin. champion seems to “We’re a month out have a balanced perfrom the world trials spective about life. and more than times Godsoe added I was more interested a third-place finin seeing where I ish in the 100 back am,� Godsoe said. Eugene Godsoe (an event in which “Training has been he won his NCAA title in 2010) consistent and that has been paying on Sunday to his weekend at the off. I’m seeing improvement month Arena Grand Prix at Santa Clara, by month.� a meet that featured most of the top Godsoe, who spent two years American swimmers. He was fourth training at Swim MAC in Charlotte in the 100-meter fly on Saturday at following graduation, has his sights the George F. Haines International on a possible berth in the World Swim Center. Championships. He has to finish “My whole career has been a among the top two at the U.S. Naseries of ups and downs,� Godsoe tional Championships, which begin said. “I’ve grown to use that as June 25 in Indianapolis.
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“I had a good 2012 but I knew I had more in me,� Godsoe said. “Swimming was 24/7 there and now I do a lot of things that are exciting to me. Now only can I immerse myself in the sport, I can immerse myself in Silicon Valley and reunite with friends with start-up companies.� He also became part of a group of Stanford grads who formed their own post-grad swim group through Stanford swimming and Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics. That group also includes Chad La Tourette, Bobby Bollier, BJ Johnson and Jason Dunford, all of whom competed in Santa Clara over the weekend and swam in an ‘A’ final. “It’s an elite group who has a strong desire to improve and get to the next level,� Godsoe said. La Tourette finished third in the 1,500 free in 15:28.22, Bollier was sixth in the 200 fly with a time of 2:00.00, just behind Stanford freshman and Sacred Heart Prep grad Tom Kremer’s time of 1:59.91, and Johnson was seventh in the 100 breast in 1:02.65.
Dunford, who represented Kenya in the last Olympic Games, finished third in the 100 fly on Friday, swimming a 52.69. Godsoe was right behind in 52.85. Johnson, whose best events are in the breaststroke, “has really developed� Godsoe said. La Tourette, an eight-time AllAmerican, won the 2010 NCAA title in the 1,650 free and holds the Stanford record in the event. Bollier is a 14-time All-American and finished as an NCAA runner-up in the 200 fly in 2011. He’s also an assistant swim coach at Menlo-Atherton High. Bollier and La Tourette each finished third in their respective events at last year’s United States Olympic Trials, just missing a chance to swim in the Olympics. “It’s still fun to improve,� Godsoe said. “It’s fun to challenge myself. I’m still learning about myself and swimming.� He’s committed to swimming at least through 2014, when he will re-evaluate his expectations for the future. N
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