Junior two-time Olympic Trials competitor and former Golden Bear, Samantha Shellem, has proven time and time again that she is one of the most fierce and ambitious swimmers in California. From shattering the school’s 500-yard freestyle record at 4:48.69, to hitting NCAA “B” qualifying standards in the 200-free at Missouri, to being dubbed MPSF Female Athlete of the Week two times, Shellem has displayed that she can consistently perform at a high level. Shellem took several minutes out of her day after a grueling practice at Schaal Aquatics Center to speak with Aggie Sports Writer Veena Bansal about her experiences and goals heading into the future. How did you get into swimming? I just really liked water and stuck with it. How was your experience with the Olympic Trials? This was actually my second Olympic trials — I had one in 2008. I had an idea of what the meet was going to be like — well at least I thought I did — until I got there and everything... ...

UC Davis ended its dual meet schedule in impressive fashion at the Fresno Aquatics Center, defeating the host Bulldogs 195-105 and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival UC Santa Barbara by a score of 180-120 in Saturday’s double dual-meet. UC Davis captured its first victory over UCSB for the first time since 2006. The Aggies won nine individual events and both relays against both teams to finish their dual schedule with an 8-2 record. “This was a very good team effort,” said head coach Barbara Jahn. “We focused more on the final results of each event instead of times.” Junior Liliana Alvarez was UC Davis’ lone overall double event-winner, capturing the two breaststroke events. She posted a time of 1:04.68 in the 100-yard breaststroke, then 2:20.37 in the 200-yard race in the 11th event of the meet. In addition, junior Samantha Shellem dominated the 500-yard freestyle with a winning time of 5:00.91, four full seconds ahead of Gaucho sophomore Heren Alanis at 5:05.35. She also posted 1:51.62 in the 200 free.... ...

The Aggies prevailed over Pacific in a home meet at the Schaal Aquatic Center 176.5-106.5. With the win, the team maintains a 5-2 record this season. The Aggies opened the meet on a strong note, winning the first nine events against the Tigers to create a sizable advantage. Sophomore Hilary Hunt and junior Haley Porter captured two events each, while six different Aggies won their individual events to seal the victory. Hunt posted top times in the 100-yard (58.00) and 200-yard (2:04.75) backstroke events, while Porter captured the 50- and 100-yard freestyles with times of 24.41 and 53.44 respectively. In addition, junior Liliana Alvarez captured the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.28 and sophomore Marilyn Carey clocked a 10:26.58 in the 1000-yard free. Junior Megan Leung posted 2:06.08 in the 200-yard butterfly and junior Samantha Shellem swam the 200-yard free in 1:52.39. “The game kind of came down to the wire,” said head coach Barbara Jahn. “We could have had a larger lead, but we were definitely in racing... ...

This past weekend, the UC Davis swimming and diving team wrapped up their trip to Missouri with impressive results. The Aggies finished third out of nine teams with 575.5 points. On the first day of competition, junior Samantha Shellem shattered the UC Davis school record in the 500-yard freestyle with a winning time of 4:48.59. With this time, Shellem bested the nearest competitor, Sonia Perez, by almost two full seconds and surpassed the old record of 4:54.59 that was set at the 2010 Big West Conference Championships. In addition, freshman Marissa Brown hit a personal-best 4:53:93 in the 500 free final heat. With that time, Brown moves into fourth in school history and improves on her eighth-best prelim time of 4:57.22. The 200-yard freestyle relay team placed seventh with a time of 1:34.72, which is the fastest by a UC Davis squad since the 2011 MPSF Championships. Other highlights from the first day include junior co-captain Sabrina Cochrane finishing eighth in the 200 individual medley at 2:03.47. On the second... ...

Teams: UC Davis (4-2) at Missouri Invite Where: Mizzou Aquatic Center — Columbia, Mo. When: Thursday to Sunday Who to watch: In UC Davis’ 178-117 win over Nevada, freshman Marissa Brown battled Nevada’s Jojo Mi in the 1,000 freestyle, touching in at 10:06.97. Brown surpassed senior Linda Hermann’s school record by almost 6 full seconds. With that time, Brown has taken over the conference lead, more than 11 seconds faster than UC Santa Barbara’s Heren Alanis (10:18.04). In addition, Brown holds sixth place on the 500 Freestyle list with a time of 5:00.14. Expect a thrilling and solid freestyle performance from Brown at the invite. Did you know? Two years ago at the Texas Invitational, the Aggies posted strong results with a sixth-place finish. Current senior Heidi Kucera and junior Liliana Alvarez both recorded two additional NCAA “B” Consideration Standard times. Kucera finished third overall in the 200 breaststroke to solidify the Aggies’ sixth-place spot. Kucera clocked in with a time of 2:14.01 while Alvarez accomplished a season-best time of... ...

Senior Kayleigh Foley has been more than just a standout performer over the past four years — she has been a program-defining swimmer for UC Davis. This season, Foley won Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles in four events — including the 200-yard freestyle where she set a school record at the MPSF Championship meet with a time of 1:47.29. Her performances this season netted Foley MPSF first-team honors in four events, along with second team honors in three more. Overall, Foley won multiple individual events at six meets this season, including a three-win performance at Fresno State and San Jose State. “She is so strong and powerful and has a sheer determination,” said swimming and diving coach Barbara Jahn. But Foley was far more than just a one-year-wonder for the UC Davis program. The Pleasanton, Calif. native won five MPSF titles in the 2010-11 season. She also netted three Big West Conference titles as a sophomore in 2009-10 and another as a freshman in 2008-09 before the Aggies made the... ...

Sophomore Liliana Alvarez has already become a key part of the UC Davis swimming and diving team in just two years with the program. The San Anselmo, Calif. native qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row this season, finishing her year with a 36th place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke. Alvarez also took first in the 100 breast at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Finals last month. The sophomore hit season best times of 1:00.71 in the 100 breast and 2:12.72 in the 200 breast at the Mizzou Invitational in December. Alvarez was also named last season’s MPSF Freshman of the Year and was given Mid-Major All American honors by CollegeSwimming.com. With two more years of collegiate swimming still ahead of her, UC Davis fans can expect Alvarez to continue providing the team with strong performances. — TREVOR CRAMER ...

Sophomore swimmer Liliana Alvarez competed in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championship meet at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Ala. this weekend. Alvarez opened up on Friday with a 36th place finish in the 100 breast, posting a time of 1:01.83. She followed that up with a 51st place finish in the 200 breast, clocking in at 2:16.38 on Saturday. The weekend marked the second time Alvarez has competed in the NCAA Championships in her two-year collegiate career. The San Anselmo, Calif. native qualified for the NCAA Championships by posting multiple NCAA “B” consideration times throughout the season. Alvarez also took first place in the 100 breast at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Finals in February. —Trevor Cramer ...

Swimming and Diving Sophomore Liliana Alvarez will represent UC Davis at the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships this week in Auburn, Ala. The San Aselmo, Calif. native qualified to compete in the 100-yard breaststroke by posting solid times in the event throughout the season, including a season best of 1:00.71 at the Mizzou Invitational Dec. 12. Alvarez also took the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.80 at the conference championship meet in February. She will also compete in the 200 yard breaststroke for which she recorded a season best of 2:12.74. This is the second time Alvarez has made it to the NCAA Championships in her short career. Last season she finished 23rd in the 100-yard breaststroke and 45th in the 200-yard breaststroke. While the meet will begin Thursday, Alvarez will not compete until the 100-yard breaststroke trials Friday afternoon. — Trevor Cramer ...

The UC Davis women’s swimming and diving team traveled to compete in the 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Swimming and Diving Championships held on the campus of East Los Angeles College. After four days of competition, the Aggies finished in third place with 546 points only behind BYU and UC Santa Barbara, each totaling 732 and 699 points, respectively. The star of the weekend was senior Kayleigh Foley, who had had a strong showing through all four days of the competition. She won the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, and was also part of the unit that secured the 400-yard freestyle relay. During her 200-yard freestyle victory, Foley set the new school record with a time of 1:47.29. Sophomore Katie Edwards, who finished in second, also would have broken the school record in the same race had Foley not set the new time to beat. “To me, I thought [Foley] should have won athlete of the year,” said coach Barbara Jahn. “She is so strong and powerful and has... ...

After successful meets against both Loyola Marymount and University of San Diego last weekend, UC Davis continued its streak of dominance with a solid win over Fresno State on Saturday. The Aggies won 11 of 16 events, coasting to an impressive 194-106 victory over the Bulldogs. Though UC Davis dominated across the board, senior Kayleigh Foley was the standout performer, leading the Aggies with three individual wins, and setting Fresno State pool records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200 yard IM. Foley currently holds the UC Davis school record in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle. “[Foley] stepped it up today,” said Head Coach Barbara Jahn. “She’s not a 200 IM normally … [but] she did extremely well.” Sophomore Liliana Alvarez and freshman Lauren Damian had two individual wins apiece for the Aggies. The swimmers are just two of the many underclassmen who contribute to the young team. Though the individual swimmers had strong showings at the meet, the victory was truly a team effort. UC Davis won... ...