No. 7 Men, No. 6 Women Head to Austin For Texas Invitational

USC's No. 7 men's and No. 6 women's swim teams head to the Lone Star state for the annual Texas Hall of Fame Invitational, Wednesday through Saturday (Nov. 28-Dec. 1), at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin in a meet that will be broadcast on The Longhorn Network.

The Trojan men are 3-0 to start the season while the women's squad is 4-0 and has also posted a second-place finish at the SMU Classic.

FAST TIMES

USC has wasted little time posting NCAA B times this season, chalking up numerous consideration qualifying swims during the fall schedule.

Junior Louise Hansson has already posted one A time – a blistering 50.40 in her specialty, the 100y fly – and five more B times in the 50y (22.10), 100y free (47.94) and 200y free (1:44.23) as well as in the 100y fly (51.56) and the 100y (51.84) and 200y back (1:53.10). Senior Riley Scott also has four B times in the 200y (1:58.97) and 400y IM (4:12.15) and the 100y (59.55) and 200y breast (2:08.13).

Many Trojans have posted multiple B times including junior Kirsten Vose in the 100y free (49.51) and 100y (1:01.12) and 200y breast (2:12.55), junior Tatum Wade in the 200y free (1:45.55), 200y IM (1:57.89) and 200y back (1:57.19), senior Maddie Wright in the 100y (53.06) and 200y fly (1:55.32), sophomore Maggie Aroesty in the 100y (1:01.39) and 200y breast (2:12.89), sophomore Marta Ciesla in the 50y (21.17) and 100y free (48.95), sophomore Caitlin Tycz in the 100y (52.58) and 200y fly (1:54.89), junior Catherine Sanchez in the 100y (53.05) and 200y fly (1:57.07), freshman Isa Odgers in the 200y breast (2:11.45) and freshman Makenna Turner in the 200y fly (1:57.83).

For the men, senior Patrick Mulcare posted B times in the 100y (47.20) and 200y back (1:40.75), senior Alex Valente has them in the 100y (47.26) and 200y fly (1:46.23) and freshman Alexei Sancov owns B times in the 200y (1:35.44) and 500y free (4:21.91). Senior Kyle Grissom owns a B time in the 50y free (19.83), freshman Victor Johansson has one in the 500y free (4:17.06) and the 1650y free (15:17.22), freshman Owen Kao does as well in the 500y free (4:22.70). Senior Carsten Vissering has one in the 100y breast (51.82) and Nikola Miljenic has one in the 100y fly (47.24).

Many Trojan bests dot the nation's top 25 in their events. On the women's side, Hansson's 100y fly of 50.40 is second best in the nation. Her top times in the 50y, 100y and 200y free and the 100y back are all in the top 7 while her 200y back is ninth.

Scott's 200y breast time is sixth nationally, her 100y time eighth. Ciesla's time in the 50y free is 10th fastest in the nation. Tycz's time in the 200y fly is fifth best and she's 13^th in the 100y fly. Wright is ninth in the 200y fly and 25^th in the 100y fly. Other Trojans with top 25 times are Wade (200y free, 17th, 200y IM, 24th), Elizabeth Stinson (1000y free, 19^th) and Sanchez (24^th, 100y fly, 22^nd in 200y fly).

Johansson's time in the 500y free currently is fifth in the nation, his time in the 1000y free (8:57.14) is fourth and his time in the 1650y free is 22^nd. Mulcare is fifth in the 200y back, 23^rd in the 100y back. Vissering is third in the 100y breast.

SMU Classic

The Trojans finished second at the 2018 SMU Classic, posting a combined five individual A heat victories. Louise Hansson swept the 100y (51.84) and 200y (1:53.10) back while Riley Scott took the 100y breast (1:59.55) and 200y IM (1:59.52). Marta Ciesla won the 50y free (22.18).

TEAM OUTLOOK
The USC women features an upperclassmen-laden squad with 12 seniors and 10 juniors, led by defending junior NCAA 100y fly champion and Trojan co-captain Louise Hansson. Her co-captain is senior Lily Dubroff.

Hansson was a three-time All-American as a 2018 sophomore, her season highlighted by capturing USC's first national title in the 100y fly with the second-fastest time ever (49.80) at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She complemented the win with a career-best third in the 200y fly while leading USC's 200y medley relay to seventh.

Senior Maddie Wright is USC's other returning individual All-American from last season after reaching the 200y fly for the second year in a row. Other All-Americans returning include fellow 200y medley relay finalists sophomore Marta Ciesla and senior Riley Scott.

Additionally, redshirt junior All-Americans Kirsten Vose and Hanni Leach are also back after missing last season due to injuries. Vose was an NCAA individual finalist in the 200y breast and 200y IM as a freshman and a two-time All-American in the 400y free relay while Leach earned All-American honors as part of USC's 2017 200y and 400y medley relays.

Scott (100y breast) and sophomore Maggie Aroesty (200y breast) return as the defending Pac-12 champions in the breaststroke and both were NCAA B final first-place finishers in each distance as well.

USC returns four veteran divers, led by three-time NCAA participant senior Madi Witt and multiple Pac-12 finalist junior Naomi Gowlett.

USC Head Coach Dave Salo, in his 13^th year directing the Trojans, also has a host of newcomers who figure to lend immediate dual meet and postseason scoring.

The Trojans' men's team is coming off of sixth place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships and a third at the Pac-12s and will be led by a pair of returning 2018 individual All-American in seniors Patrick Mulcare and Carsten Vissering.

Mulcare is a three-time NCAA finalist in the 200y back while Vissering is a two-time finalist in the 100y breast and the only returning member of USC's 2018 NCAA title-winning 200y medley relay. Both were 2017 Pac-12 champions in their specialties.

Senior co-captain Kyle Grissom is USC's only other returning All-American as part of Troy's 200-yard freestyle relay. Junior diver Henry Fusaro is Troy's lone returning 2018 Pac-12 champion (3-meter) and is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier while senior Pac-12 butterfly finalist and veteran NCAA participant Alex Valente is back, too.

Salo brought in a talented class of newcomers to bolster the Trojans' lineup, led by Swedish distance freestyler Victor Johansson, freestyler Alexei Sancov and freshman butterflyer and medley swimmer Ariel Spektor.

Joining Hansson as co-captain for the women's team is senior Lily Dubroff while senior Billy Monjay joins Grissom as men's team co-captain.

Players Mentioned

Henry Fusaro

Kyle Grissom

Victor Johansson

Owen Kao

Nikola Miljenic

Billy Monjay

Patrick Mulcare

Alexei Sancov

Ariel Spektor

Alex Valente

Carsten Vissering