---------

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]A few [U]club-oriented[/U] swim competitions going on this weekend involving our 2015 Dream Team + 2016 & 2017 prospects, in case Men's Pac-12 Champs isn't enough swimming for some of you :p

Don't think any of these are taper meets for the majority of participants, so don't expect any record-breaking performances...[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

---------


[SIZE=5][COLOR="#FF0000"]Carmel Swim Club, Bolles Among Headliners to Race at 2015 Southern Premier Meet[/COLOR][/SIZE]



[SIZE=1]2014 USA Swimming Junior Nationals - The team of Rachel Hayden (57.37), Veronica Burchill (56.06), Claire Adams (56.23) and Amy Bilquist (55.22) rocketed their way to the top time of 3:44.88 in the 400m free relay. That smashed the previous record of 3:45.58 set by SwimMAC a year ago, also broke the 15-18 U.S. National Age Group record of 3:45.50 set by the Colorado Stars with Missy Franklin in 2010.[/SIZE]


http://swimswam.com/carmel-swim-club-bolles-among-headliners-to-race-at-2015-southern-permier-meet/

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR="#FFA500"]Amy Bilquist[/COLOR] (2015 Baby Bear) - [U]200 Back[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U].
Claire Adams (2016) - [U]200 Back[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U].
Veronica Burchill (2016) - [U]200 Free[/U], [U]100 Breast[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]200 Breast[/U].
Emma Nordin (2017) - [U]200 Free[/U], [U]200 Back[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]500 Free[/U], [U]1650 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U].
Kennedy Lohman (2016) - [U]100 Breast[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 Breast[/U].

Will be surprised if the above will actually swim all their entered races, though they could end up contesting some off-events for training purposes. There are also all the relays involved, so a pretty exhausting schedule planned!

Furd commit Leah Stevens (distance) & Indiana-bound Lilly King (breast) are also competing.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]


---------


[SIZE=5][COLOR="#FF0000"]2015 American Short Course Champs: Day 1 Preview[/COLOR][/SIZE]



[SIZE=1]2014 USA Swimming Senior Nationals - Abbey Weitzeil[/SIZE]


In the women's [U]200 IM[/U], 18-year-old sprint sensation Abbey Weitzeil is the top seed with her time of 1:58.13, and she will have Becca Mann, Quinn Carrozza and Daniela Georges with which to contend.

The prelims of the women's [U]50 free[/U] should set up a blistering splash n' dash final, as Abbey Weitzeil, Amanda Weir, Quinn Carrozza and Ariel Weech will spin it out in the morning to position themselves in the middle of the pool for the evening session.


http://swimswam.com/2015-american-short-course-champs-day-1-preview/

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR="#FFA500"]Abbey Weitzeil[/COLOR] (2015 Baby Bear) - [U]200 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U], [U]200 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U].
Becca Mann (2016) - [U]500 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]200 Free[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U], [U]1650 Free[/U].
Kenisha Liu (2016) - [U]200 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]200 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 Breast[/U].
Sierra Schmidt (2017) - [U]500 Free[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]200 Free[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U], [U]1650 Free[/U].
Nikol Popov (2017) - [U]200 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U], [U]100 Breast[/U], [U]100 Free[/U].
Nora Deleske (2017) - [U]200 IM[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]100 Breast[/U].
Victoria Edwards (2017) - [U]200 IM[/U], [U]200 Free[/U], [U]200 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U].
Regan Barney (2017) - [U]500 Free[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U], [U]100 Back[/U], [U]200 Back[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U].
Eva Merrell (2017) - [U]50 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U], [U]100 Back[/U], [U]200 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U].

Sean Grieshop (2017) on the men's side.

2015 commits to other schools who are participating include Sonia Wang (Harvard), Quinn Carrozza (Texas), Daniela Georges (Arizona), & Tamara Santoyo (USC).

Also a bunch of big name veterans competing at this meet, such as Allison Schmitt, Megan Romano, Amanda Weir, Laura Sogar and Danish Olympian Lotte Friis.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]


---------


[SIZE=5][COLOR="#008000"]Wisconsin 13 & Over State Championship Meet[/COLOR][/SIZE]



[SIZE=1]2013 USA Swimming Junior Nationals - Katie Drabot[/SIZE]


http://www.patriot-swimming.com/EventShow.jsp?id=440949&team=wikbst

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Katie Drabot (2016) - [U]200 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]500 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U].
Cassy Jernberg (2016) - [U]1650 Free[/U], [U]500 Free[/U], [U]1000 Free[/U].
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

---------

---------
[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Heck, wasn't quite expecting Abbey to put up such a fast time in the [U]50 Free[/U] this morning! After all, it's just a club-level meet, not a full-taper Championship (never mind the misleading name of the event lol), and this was just the preliminaries session! For a bit of context, Abbey's 21.79 qualifies for an A cut this year, would have tied for 4th place @ 2014 NCAAs with Ivy Martin, and is the 6th fastest collegiate time this season ...psyched to see what she may have for us in tonight's finals!
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------


[SIZE=5][COLOR="#006699"]Abbey Weitzeil Scorches 50 Free at American Short Course Championships[/COLOR][/SIZE]





AUSTIN – Abbey Weitzeil of Canyons Aquatic Club provided the highlight swim of the morning at the American Short Course Championships held in Austin, Texas.

Weitzeil lit the pool afire with a 21.79 this morning, which is not far off her personal best of 21.49 from December’s Winter Junior Nationals. Weitzeil is the fifth-ranked swimmer all time in the event, and could be looking for more this event.

The future California Golden Bear could leapfrog a pair of former Bears in Natalie Coughlin and Liv Jensen, and might potentially vie for Lara Jackson’s American record from 2009.

The 10th-ranked swimmer all time, Amanda Weir with a 21.62 from 2008, will be there to push her after qualifying second in 22.34.

All Time 50 Free

[U]Rank Name Time[/U]

1 Lara Jackson 21.27r
2 Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace 21.34
3 Natalie Coughlin 21.46
4 Liv Jensen 21.48
5 Abbey Weitzeil 21.49r


Earlier in the day, NBAC’s Becca Mann let an NBAC 1-2-3-4 in the 500-yard free with a 4:37.98. Lotte Friis (4:39.17), Allison Schmitt (4:40.74) and Sierra Schmidt (4:41.43) qualified second through fourth.

NBAC’s Frank Dyer (4:18.12) and Zane Grothe (4:18.27) will do battle in the men’s 500-yard free after taking first and second out of prelims.

Aquazot’s Sonia Wang (1:58.17) and NBAC’s Austin Surhoff (1:43.47) led the way in the 200 IMs with Texas A&M’s Cory Bolleter pacing the men’s 50-yard free in 19.39.


http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/abbey-weitzeil-scorches-50-free-american-short-course-championships/


---------

Get that Berkeley isn't everyone's cup of tea and that Bakersfield is closer to LA than Berkeley, but I still don't get Stanzi's choice swimming wise. If she has 2020 Olympic aspirations in the 50/100/200, Cal's clearly the better choice. Abbey, Farida, Amy, Cierra, Baker, and Katie M are better training partners than anyone in those events at 'SC. Stanzi can anchor 4 relays at 'SC, but she wouldn't anchor any at Cal. Choice and timing still seem really odd to me.

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Currently in progress...

Becca Mann swam a PB of 4:34.77 in the [U]500 Free[/U], coming in behind Friis' 4:33.47 and Schmitty's 4:32.08 PB (in the All-Time Top 5?).

If Becca was in college, that time would earn her an NCAA A cut and also ranks as the 3rd fastest in the NCAA so far this year! (behind only Cierra & Leah Smith)

Here are the best times for prospective 2016 recruits in this event, relative to the Bears who will be there for that incoming class. I've also included Sierra who swam a PB tonight that rates a high B cut, note that she's in the 2017 recruiting class!
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------

[INDENT][SIZE=4] [COLOR="#FF8C00"][U]500 Free[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR="#696969"]American Record: Ledecky - 4:26.58
NCAA Record: Cierra - 4:31.90
NCAA A Cut: 4:36.45
NCAA B Cut: 4:47.79[/COLOR][/INDENT]

---------
4:31.90 Cierra [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
4:34.77 Becca Mann [COLOR="#808080"](3/15)[/COLOR]
---------
4:38.47 Sierra Schmidt [COLOR="#808080"](3/15)[/COLOR]
4:42.32 Hannah Cox [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
4:42.59 Cassy Jernberg [COLOR="#808080"](1/15)[/COLOR]
4:43.09 Katie Drabot [COLOR="#808080"](11/14)[/COLOR]
4:43.43 Megan Byrnes [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
4:44.57 Lauren Case [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
4:44.62 Moriah Simonds [COLOR="#808080"](1/14)[/COLOR]
4:44.72 Erin Voss [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
4:46.24 Marina [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
4:47.56 Brittany Kampfer [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
---------
4:48.80 Celina [COLOR="#808080"](11/12)[/COLOR]
4:51.34 Katie M [COLOR="#808080"](11/13)[/COLOR]
4:55.62 Cat L [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]

---------

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[U]50 Free[/U]: Abbey won it in 21.84, slightly slower than her prelims time but which still comes under the A standard of 21.90. Eva Merrell (2017 recruit) was 3rd in that A final behind Amanda Weir's 22.01, and achieved a B cut with her 22.71.

[U]200 Free relay[/U]: Incidentally, Abbey showed that she's a team player (just like at Short Course Worlds) by putting up a faster swim in a relay than in an individual. Her 21.68 leadoff here would rank as the 4th fastest time in the 2014-2015 NCAA season, behind only Simone's 21.59, and Farida + Ivy's 21.65! Of course she's recently gone faster than any current collegiate swimmer with her 21.49 from Dec 2014.

---------

[COLOR="#006400"]Results Update[/COLOR]

[U]400 Medley Relay[/U]: Abbey took one for the team and led off the back leg of their 400 Medley relay instead of anchoring their free leg. Her 53.80 still ended up faster than any of the backstroke specialists in the field by more than 2 seconds! Unfortunately a 1:08.30 breast split by her teammate doomed Canyon Aquatics' A team to 6th place. Interestingly enough, if Abbey's coach had put her on their B team, swimming the back leg which is an off stroke for her, they would have won since Abbey had gone almost 5 seconds faster than the B team's backstroker...

Noteworthy also - Nikol Popov, Abbey's clubmate who was on their B team, was the only swimmer to dip below a minute on the breast leg, splitting a 59.82! Not too shabby for a HS sophomore!

---------

Meanwhile, over at the Wisconsin State Championship Meet (for clubs not high schools), Katie Drabot also took one for the team and split the fastest fly leg of the entire field (41 relay squads!) in 23.99 to power Ozaukee Aquatics to a state record of 1:42.33 in the [U]200 Medley relay[/U]. She had earlier led off the [U]800 Free relay[/U] with a 1:47.19 (again the fastest split by far of anyone in that race) for a new state record.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842462949 said:

---

A few [U]club-oriented[/U] swim competitions going on this weekend involving our 2015 Dream Team + 2016 & 2017 prospects, in case Men's Pac-12 Champs isn't enough swimming for some of you :p Don't think any of these are taper meets for the majority of participants, so don't expect any record-breaking performances...

---------

[SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]Carmel Swim Club, Bolles Among Headliners to Race at 2015 Southern Premier Meet[/COLOR][/SIZE]

http://swimswam.com/carmel-swim-club-bolles-among-headliners-to-race-at-2015-southern-permier-meet/

---------

[COLOR="#FFA500"]Amy Bilquist[/COLOR] (2015 Baby Bear) - [U]200 Back[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U].
Claire Adams (2016) - [U]200 Back[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U].
Veronica Burchill (2016) - [U]200 Free[/U], [U]100 Breast[/U], [U]200 Fly[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]200 Breast[/U].
Emma Nordin (2017) - [U]200 Free[/U], [U]200 Back[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]500 Free[/U], [U]1650 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U].
Kennedy Lohman (2016) - [U]100 Breast[/U], [U]400 IM[/U], [U]50 Free[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], [U]200 Breast[/U].

Will be surprised if the above will actually swim all their entered races, though they could end up contesting some off-events for training purposes. There are also all the relays involved, so a pretty exhausting schedule planned! Furd commit Leah Stevens (distance) & Indiana-bound Lilly King (breast) are also competing.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
In case anyone's interested, all 3 finals sessions [U]March 6-8[/U] will be streamed live here, starting @ 4:50 pm this afternoon, 6:30 pm Sat, and 6 pm Sun (all times CST):
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
http://www.team1sports.com/index.php/state/index?state=TN

---------

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR="#FF0000"]1)[/COLOR] At the 2015 Southern Premier meet in Nashville, Carmel Swim Club has just won the [U]200 Free Relay[/U] with a 15-18 NAG record of 1:30.12!



[COLOR="#000000"][U]Mar 2015 time[/U]: 1:30.12
• Veronica Burchill - 22.76
• Claire Adams - 22.76
• Kendall Smith - 22.96
• Amy Bilquist - 21.64
[/COLOR]
Their time today's even faster than their stunning 1:30.72 achieved last month when representing Carmel HS, which had broken the old record by a staggering 6 seconds. All 3 relay members who were on that record-breaking relay in Feb were actually slower today (not surprising since they would not be fully tapered for this meet as opposed to their HS State championship), but as you can see from their splits below from the Indiana HS State Champs where Amy didn't swim this relay, Amy's anchor leg today made all the difference!
[COLOR="#696969"]
[U]Feb 2015 time[/U]: 1:30.72
• Veronica Burchill – 22.29
• Claire Adams – 22.53
• Kendall Smith – 22.77
• Trude Rothrock – 23.13
[/COLOR]
[U]200 Back[/U]: Amy doesn't get a chance to swim this distance too often since the 100 distance is usually the only one raced @ the HS level, but she finally got to compete in the 200 tonight, and promptly busted out a 1:53.28 best time for the winner! Amy's previous PB was 1:56.33 from Jan 2014, she's been stuck in the 1:56 range for the past few years, so this looks like a really promising development seeing that she's not fully tapered for this meet :beer: For reference, this time would set Amy up as our 2nd fastest 200 backstroker next season, behind Liz, but ahead of Kelly's recent 1:54.15 from Pac-12s, and trumps Kathleen's 1:54.30...

[U]800 Free Relay[/U]: Triples are always tough to do well at if your name isn't Missy or Michael lol, esp when the 200 Back's one of your events as it really takes a lot out of your legs, but Amy was apparently unfazed by all of this, and trotted out a leadoff split of 1:45.03 to power Carmel to a dominating 9.5 seconds win over runner-up Lakeside (in spite of relatively mundane splits from her tired teammates)! This is a significant upgrade over her 1:47.44 PB for the 200 free distance from March of 2014, and positions Amy for consideration to Cal's 800 free relay squad next season, with a bit more improvement and further drop in her time.

---------


[COLOR="#FF0000"]2)[/COLOR] Meanwhile, out at the Wisconsin meet, Katie Drabot (who's not a sprinter per se) led off her Ozaukee Aquatics squad with a 23.35 split to win the [U]200 Free relay[/U] in 1:32.65.


---------


[COLOR="#FF0000"]3)[/COLOR] Also over at the Speedo ESSZ (Eastern Section Southern Zone) Champions Series in Greensboro NC, where several promising recruits are competing (Erika Brown 2016, Madison Homovich 2017), here are some results:
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
SwimmingWorld:
Women's [U]200 free[/U] final features 31 year old @KirstyCoventry and 14 year old @MHomovich, split by Nora McCullagh.
TWO TIES! @MHomovich and Erika Brown win at 1:47.18, McCullagh and @KirstyCoventry 3rd 1:47.58. What a finish there!
Co-champions and co-third-places. @MHomovich @nora_mccullagh @KirstyCoventry


---------

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR="#FF0000"]4)[/COLOR] Not to overlook the so-called American SC Champs happening in Austin lol

[U]400 IM[/U]: Becca Mann won in a 4:05.52 PB, good for 8th in the NCAA currently. For reference, Celina sits @ 6th with her 4:05.13 from the Georgia Invite. Bears don't have much top end depth in this event (for example Georgia's projected to score 35 points or more in March compared to our 13 for the 400 IM!). Stanfurd's already recruited Ella Eastin & Kim Williams to shore up their weaknesses in the IMs... After this stellar time from Becca in an event that's not her specialty, I would imagine this makes her even more valuable to recruit, and should position her for the prime distance prospect in our constant retooling of the [U]2016 Dream Team[/U] components :p

[U]100 Fly[/U]: Eva Merrell (2017 recruit) placed 2nd with her 52.46 - ranked 30th in the NCAA, so would have received an invite this year

[U]200 Free[/U]: Allison Schmitt looks to be getting back to form with her 1:40.62 winning time (Missy's American record is 1:40.31), which will be great news for Team USA leading up to Rio 2016! The more pertinent stat for me here, though, is Abbey's new PB of 1:44.28 in placing 2nd tonight (her best was 1:44.64 from Dec 2014). This would rank her the 4th fastest Bear in this event for the 2015-2016 season, after Liz, Cierra & Kathleen, and ahead of Katie M & Amy as well as prospective recruit Claire Adams.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

---------



---------

Awesome relay by Carmel, but sobering when you apply their splits to Cal swimming. KV barely made it into NCAAs in the 50 at 22.38. That's without the benefit of a relay start. Adams & Burchill are juniors and have another year to improve, but neither are slam dunks to be instant relay contributors for the Bears.

BearDevil;842463847 said:

---

Awesome relay by Carmel, but sobering when you apply their splits to Cal swimming. KV barely made it into NCAAs in the 50 at 22.38. That's without the benefit of a relay start. Adams & Burchill are juniors and have another year to improve, but neither are slam dunks to be instant relay contributors for the Bears.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Too true, the competition at this distance is really fierce @ the NCAA level when compared to HS!

Teri's Bears will boast 2 team members who are already capable of 21 sec splits from a standing start (Abbey 21.45 & Farida 21.65), with another hovering close to an A cut (Amy 22.15). Then there are several in the mid 22 sec range (KV 22.38, Kathleen 22.63, Katie M & Jasmine 22.70). So as you had noted, competition for a Cal relay spot will be at a particularly insane level.

Good news is that the Carmel girls aren't in full taper mode at this weekend's meet, these 2016 top recruits will also have another year to improve on their times (as mentioned by BD). Veronica's PB in this distance is a 22.29. Would have been nice if Stanzi hadn't taken leave of her senses by prematurely verbaling to the condoms (from my biased perspective at any rate lol), as she's a 22.11 sprinter...
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Alyssa Marsh swam a 22.72 50 free this weekend. She might be able to contribute earlier in college than previously thought.

BearDevil;842464454 said:

---

Alyssa Marsh swam a 22.72 50 free this weekend. She might be able to contribute earlier in college than previously thought.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]That's really encouraging news! tedbear will be especially pleased, I'd imagine :p

Report on the meet below.

Also note 2016 recruit Grace Oglesby competing @ Greensboro who had made a bit of a splash with her 51.75 in the [U]100 Fly[/U] just over a week ago. 2nd fastest in HS history, behind only 2016 recruit Beata Nelson's eye-opening 51.08 record. Only 2 current Bears have gone faster than Grace in this event - [U]Farida[/U] 51.14 (2015 Pac-12) and [U]Boots[/U] 51.68 (2013 NCAA).
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------


[SIZE=4][COLOR="#006699"]Alyssa Marsh, Dean Farris Double on Night Three of Greensboro Sectionals[/COLOR][/SIZE]



After setting a sectional record in prelims of the women's 50 free with a 22.88, SwimMAC Carolina's Alyssa Marsh took the record even lower in finals with a 22.76. Teammate Nora McCullagh out-touched Enfinity Aquatic Club's Andrea Hillen for second, 23.30 to 23.31.

Three SwimMAC Carolina ladies swam under 55 seconds in the women's 100 back final, led by Alyssa Marsh, who claimed her second title of the night with a 54.80. Alexis Souther, who set a new sectional record of 54.45 in prelims, couldn't quite match that time in finals and finished second in 54.83. Rebecca Postoll took third in 54.95.


http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/alyssa-marsh-dean-farris-double-night-three-greensboro-sectionals/


---------
[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
And in other recruit-related news...
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]Romano Scorches 200 Back, Weitzeil Almost Goes Sub-47 to Close American Short Course Champs[/COLOR][/SIZE]



In the very next women's event, Abbey Weitzeil of the Canyons Aquatic Club swam a 47.05 to win the women's [U]100 yard freestyle[/U]. That beat out a trio of Georgia Bulldogs, including Allison Schmitt (47.77), Romano (48.30), and Amanda Weir (48.35). Schmitt has swum very well all weekend long coming down out of altitude, and that's another lifetime best swim for her in yards.

While that wasn't a best time for Weitzeil, it was her second-fastest swim ever in that event continuing a trend of swimming very well at this meet. Maybe more importantly, much as we saw Simone Manuel doing about a year ago, this is a confidence building swim for Weitzeil beating out a group of Olympians and National Team level swimmers for a high schooler, even at regular-season meets, can start to grow a sprinter's confidence and help them make the transition from the mentality of the "underdog" to "perennial favorite."

Weitzeil later split 46.56 on a relay start to combine with Mik Ranslem (51.57), Nikol Popov (49.46), and Tamara Santoyo (50.71) to win the women's [U]400 free relay[/U] running-away.

Irvine Aquazot's Sonia Wang won the women's [U]200 fly[/U] in 1:56.08, beating out NBAC's Becca Mann (1:56.97) and local Longhorn Aquatics 15-year old Dakota Luther (1:57.08). United States women's 200 butterflying has been in a trough for a long time, but the group at this meet represents the heart of a group that is reviving the event, with five junior-level swimmers going 1:58.1 or better.


http://swimswam.com/romano-scorches-200-back-weitzeil-almost-goes-sub-47-to-close-american-short-course-champs/

---------
[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
A few observations after scanning some results from the 2015 American Short Course Championships above...

Baby :bear: [U]Abbey[/U]: Great in-season times/splits in the [U]100 Free[/U]!

For a bit of sobering context, Abbey's 2nd quickest time of 47.05 here:
Would have won [U]2014 NCAAs[/U] (beating Margo Geer's 47.10)
Would have won [U]2014 Pac-12s[/U] (beating Missy's 47.17)
Would have been good for #2 @ [U]2015 Pac-12s[/U] (trumping Lia Neal's 47.16)
Currently ranked #2 in the NCAA after Simone's 46.62 from the Art Adamson Invite
Swifter than Missy, Liz & Farida's PBs (47.17, 47.78 & 47.93 respectively)
2nd on Cal's all-time list after Natalie's 47.00 from 2003 (if this had been swum next season )
[COLOR="#696969"]Of course Abbey has already trumped that school record virtually, thanks to her 46.29 American record from Dec![/COLOR]


[U]Becca Mann[/U] (2016 distance recruit): Promising performance in light of her tackling a really tough double.

First of all, her 15:48.04 in the [U]1650 Free[/U] coming behind Lotte Friis' win yesterday:
Would have won @ [U]2014 Pac-12s[/U] (beating Samantha Harrison's 15:55.57)
Would have been worth the #2 spot @ [U]2015 Pac-12s[/U] (an upgrade over Harrison's 2nd place 15:54.61)
Would rank 2nd on Cal's all-time list, behind Cierra's impressive winning time & PB from 2015 Pac-12s, but faster than Lauren Boyle's 15:56.93
Currently #4 in the NCAA (Cierra 15:40.17, Leah Smith 15:42.75, Jessica Thielmann 15:47.95...Bonnie Brandon 15:48.35)
Would have placed 6th @ [U]2014 NCAAs[/U]

Of note: 2017 distance recruit Sierra Schmidt was 3rd with a very solid time of 15:57.89 in the mile. btw, NBAC had swept this race 1-2-3!
A cut = 15:56.18, B cut = 16:30.59

Becca's 1:56.97 PB in the [U]200 Fly[/U] from the same session wasn't too shabby seeing that this would only be her 4th or 5th best event @ NCAAs, after her 1650 & 500 Free + 400 IM.
Worth a B cut (standard is 1:59.59), and 4th quickest among Bears this season (swifter than Celina's 1:57.52 from 2015 Pac-12s, but slower than Noemie, Jasmine & Rachel has been)

[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------


[COLOR="#A52A2A"][SIZE=3][U]Studio Santa Clarita[/U]: Living Nativity, Abby Weitzeil[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Published on Dec 29, 2014

Today we look at a local church's nativity scene, then Abby tells us her incredible story.

[video=youtube;ojdCDJf6M4Y][/video]

[COLOR="#696969"](Abbey's segment starts @ 2:43 approx.)[/COLOR]


---------

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
This weekend of competitive racing will close with baby :bear: [U]Amy[/U] tackling the [U]100 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U] & [U]400 Medley Relay[/U] at the 2015 Southern Premier meet in Nashville.



Claire Adams (2016 recruit) is also scheduled to swim in the [U]100 Free[/U], [U]100 Fly[/U] & [U]400 Medley Relay[/U] finals @ 5 pm.



[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

---------

Quote:

---

Alyssa Marsh swam a 22.72 50 free this weekend. She might be able to contribute earlier in college than previously thought.

---

Quote:

---

That's really encouraging news! tedbear will be especially pleased, I'd imagine

---

Go Marshmallow! #stanziwho? #rollwithusorgetrolledover

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842464473 said:

---

This weekend of competitive racing will close with baby :bear: [U]Amy[/U] tackling the [U]100 Back[/U], [U]100 Free[/U] & [U]400 Medley Relay[/U] at the 2015 Southern Premier meet in Nashville.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][U]100 Back[/U] : Amy won the A final in 52.26.
[INDENT][INDENT]Her prev best was a 52.58 from March 2014.[/INDENT][/INDENT]

Anyway, I've updated the relative rankings in this event for the 2016-2017 season accordingly. Both incoming 2015 + prospective 2016 recruits have their names bolded.

This list only shows swimmers who meet the 55.09 B standard for this year's NCAAs. The A cut is 51.63.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
----------------


[INDENT][SIZE=4][U][COLOR="#800080"]100 Back[/COLOR][/U][/SIZE][/INDENT]
[COLOR="#FF0000"]
***** (2014 NCAA A Finals Qual) *****
51.51 Kathleen B. [COLOR="#808080"](3/14)[/COLOR]
51.67 Beata Nelson [COLOR="#808080"](11/14)[/COLOR]

[/COLOR][COLOR="#006400"] ***** (2014 NCAA B Finals Qual) *****
51.99 Claire Adams [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
52.26 Amy B. [COLOR="#808080"](3/15)[/COLOR]
[/COLOR]
52.96 Jasmine M. [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
53.37 Allie Szekely [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
53.37 Erin Voss [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
53.80 Abbey W. [COLOR="#808080"](3/15)[/COLOR]
53.95 Courtney Mykkanen [COLOR="#808080"](5/13)[/COLOR]
54.36 Kristen V [COLOR="#808080"](2/15)[/COLOR]
54.80 Alyssa Marsh [COLOR="#808080"](3/15)[/COLOR]


----------------
[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR="#008000"]UPDATE[/COLOR]: Carmel was a whopping 2.87 seconds behind Lakeside after the fly leg of the [U]400 Medley Relay[/U], so Amy busted out a 47.67 anchor split for her team. Unfortunately her valiant effort fell short of catapulting them to 1st place by 0.2 sec (the 100 free split from Lakeside's anchor was a 50.34 in contrast).
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
----------------

---------


[SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]Bilquist & Carmel rewrite record book at Southern Premier Meet[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE=1]Amy Bilquist and the girls of the Carmel Swim Club ripped up the record book at the Nashville Aquatic Club's Southern Premier meet over the weekend.[/SIZE]


Amy Bilquist and the girls of the Carmel Swim Club ripped up the record book at the Nashville Aquatic Club's Southern Premier meet over the weekend.

Bilquist, a high school senior and Cal commit, broke 4 individual records, while Carmel's relays knocked off 3 meet records and won 4 of the 5 relay races.

Among Bilquist's most notable times was a lifetime-best 1:53.28 in the 200 back. That lopped over three second off Bilquist's personal best, and broke the meet record by more than a second.

Bilquist also cut three tenths off her 100 back lifetime-best, going 52.26 for the win, and was just off best times in the 50 free (22.22) and 100 free (48.58).

Carmel also shattered meet records in the 200 and 400 free relays, plus the 200 medley relay. Bilquist split 21.64 as she, Veronica Burchill, Claire Adams and Kendall Smith went 1:30.12 in the 200 free relay, breaking the record by almost three seconds.

Adams, Alex Clarke, Burchill and Bilquist went 1:40.32 to win the 200 medley, getting a 25.55 from Adams on backstroke and a 21.87 from Bilquist on the end. Finally, Burchill, Adams, Trude Rothrock and Bilquist went 3:17.60 to win the 400 free relay, with Adams splitting 48.71 to lead the way.

The other relay meet record to go down was the 400 medley, which went to Lakeside in 3:39.85. They beat Carmel by two tenths as both teams got under the previous record. Lakeside was led by a big 1:01.59 breaststroke split from Kennedy Lohman as well as a 52.59 fly leg from Asia Seidt.

The other big individual winner was Nashville Aquatic Club's Tatum Wade, who took three events, all in new meet records. Wade won the 200 free (1:45.81), 200 fly (1:58.34) and 200 IM (1:57.53), topping Bilquist in the IM along the way.

Other girls meet records in the open age group fell to Newburgh Sea Creature Lilly King in both breaststrokes (1:00.75 in the 100 and 2:11.82 in the 200), Nashville Aquatic Club's Elizabeth Stinson in the 500 free (4:45.14) and SwimAtlanta's Haley McInery in the 100 fly (53.83).


http://swimswam.com/bilquist-carmel-rewrite-record-book-southern-premier/


---------


[SIZE=4][COLOR="#0099ff"]Bilquist, Carmel girls resume record swims[/COLOR][/SIZE]



There was nothing for Carmel High School's female swimmers to prove. Not after tying a national record with a 29th successive state championship, posting a record score and totaling six national high school or age-group relay records.

But in this sport, there is always a next meet or new goal. Or, for Amy Bilquist, new versatility. And, inevitably, another national record.

Carmel swimmers set a national record for girls 15-18 in the 200-yard freestyle relay Friday at Nashville, Tenn. Veronica Burchill, Claire Adams, Kendall Smith and Bilquist had a time of 1 minute, 30.12 seconds .01 better than that of a Carmel team in December 2013.

It was Carmel's 13th national relay record in 15 months.

The Southern Premier meet, held three weeks after high school state, was the last of the short course season for the Carmel Swim Club. Coach Chris Plumb acknowledged Carmel's girls peaked for state and that it was "hard to match those emotions."

However, the meet offered a chance to try other events and simulate college swimming that is, compete in the NCAAs soon after conference.

High school swimmers are limited to two individual events at state. Bilquist showed she would have been a contender in as many as five. At Nashville, she:

Won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles in 22.22 and 48.58, compared with her state-winning times of 22.15 and 48.36.

Led off the 800 freestyle relay in 1:45.03, faster than Adams' state record of 1:45.09 in the 200 free.

Won the 100 and 200 backstrokes in 52.26 and 1:53.28, approaching Adams' state record of 51.99 in the 100.

Was second in the 200 individual medley in 1:58.75, faster than the state-winning time of 1:59.24. State champ Lilly King of Evansville Reitz finished seventh.

In her 14th race in a 52-hour span, Bilquist anchored Carmel's 400 medley relay with a 100 free leg of 47.67, nearly erasing a 3-second deficit. Lakeside Swim Club, Louisville, Ky., upset Carmel in that race.

Next March, Bilquist will be trying to help California win a NCAA team title.

"Obviously, she proved she can do a lot of work and swim a lot of races," Plumb said. "I think it just showed that she's capable of doing longer stuff. That's important for her for the long course season."

Elsewhere, Carmel sophomore Emma Nordin was out-touched in the 500 freestyle in finishing second in 4:45.20 only .05 off her state record. Plumb said it was a "tremendous swim" to nearly duplicate what she did before and to do so outside the environment of a state meet.

Burchill set a Carmel record of 1:59.72 in finishing sixth in the 200 butterfly. Carmel's depth was underscored by a 1-3-4-7 finish in the 100 free from Bilquist, Adams, freshman Trude Rothrock and Smith, and by first and third places from "A" and "B" teams in the 800 free relay.

"It was good for us to swim new competition and to see new faces," Plumb said. "It helps us keep it fresh."


http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2015/03/10/bilquist-carmel-girls-resume-record-swims/24723289/


---------

Doesn't look like Kennedy Lohman can help the Bears. Baker's already below 1:00 without a relay start. 1:01 mid isn't a scorer at NCAAs, so she couldn't free up Baker to swim the 100 back.

BearDevil;842464923 said:

---

Doesn't look like Kennedy Lohman can help the Bears. Baker's already below 1:00 without a relay start. 1:01 mid isn't a scorer at NCAAs, so she couldn't free up Baker to swim the 100 back.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Hmmm only remaining sprint breaststroker in the [U]2016 class[/U] who could make an immediate impact for Bears would be Lindsey Horejsi then.

Challenge there is I'm not aware of any prior ties or connections between Lindsey and Cal, other than her coming from the same state as Boots. Pretty sure she'll be a prime target for the other big programs as well, some of whom who has had a more successful record of recruiting breaststroke studs than Teri has historically...

Not the ideal setup for everyone concerned, but may have to fall back on Kathleen for an additional season, all the while hoping that Marina will bloom to her full potential in her senior year, or Maija developing far enough to be a contributor at NCAAs. Perhaps scour the international field for an elite breaststroker, or wait patiently for the 2017 crop...
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842458805 said:

---

The only American breaststrokers in the [U]2016 class[/U] who strike me as immediate impact contributors would be [COLOR="#800080"]Lindsey Horejsi[/COLOR], and [COLOR="#800080"]Kennedy Lohman[/COLOR].

Lindsey is the class of the entire field when it comes to sprints in that stroke, as she's already a sub-minute 100 breast swimmer!

Though a minute slower than Lindsey in the 100, Kennedy's not exactly a slouch there, would represent an upgrade over Marina/Celina/Maija's times at that distance. Her competitive range does extend somewhat to the 200 distance unlike Lindsey, but that time is still a second-and-a-half from qualifying for the B final @ 2014 NCAAs. One thing to note is that Kennedy's PBs were achieved a while ago, Dec 2013, so there's always the concern that these young women may have already peaked...

If we miss out on a sprint breaststroker for 2016, domestically & internationally, guess we can always shoot for a studly prospect from the [U]2017 class[/U], such as [COLOR="#ff0099"]Nikol Popov[/COLOR] who hails from Abbey's swim club - she currently has a 1:00.67 in the 100 BR (12/14)...

----------------

[SIZE=4] [COLOR="#FF8C00"][U]100 Breast[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR="#FFFFFF"]_.[/COLOR]59.37 Kathleen [COLOR="#808080"](3/14)[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#FFFFFF"]_.[/COLOR]59.56 Lindsey [COLOR="#808080"](11/14)[/COLOR]
1:00.51 Kennedy [COLOR="#808080"](12/13)[/COLOR]
1:01.26 Marina [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
1:01.34 Allie [COLOR="#808080"](12/14)[/COLOR]
1:01.45 Maija [COLOR="#808080"](12/13)[/COLOR]
1:02.63 Katie D [COLOR="#808080"](3/14)[/COLOR]
1:03.80 Celina [COLOR="#808080"](10/13)[/COLOR]

---

The hard cold math is brutal. 23 swimmers on the team, 16 NCAA qualifiers, 12-14 NCAA probable NCAA scorers, and 21 Pac-12 scorers. Just to hold serve, Teri needs 4 NCAA qualifiers in every class, 3 scorers in every class (plus 4 scorers every other year), and only 1 non-Pac 12 scorer every other year.

Numbers are even more daunting if Teri wants to get to 18 qualifiers/scorers.

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Brutal indeed. We may have gotten a little spoilt by "[U]Dream Team 2015[/U]", and having hauled in superstar Missy in the previous recruiting class, not to forget Liz & Boots prior to that!

The [U]2016 class[/U] doesn't appear to field quite the same depth in heavy hitters either (relative to 2015), so we may have to rein in our lofty expectations somewhat.

TBH, there's no guarantee that our dream class will even fulfill their spectacular promise from HS once they compete for us in the NCAA - first season is especially challenging as they learn how to adapt to a completely new coaching staff & training methodology, new school & teammates/classmates, and a new social environment on top of the academics.

Recent results do provide some encouraging indications that there's a lot of upside associated with our baby :bear:s though!
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Quote:

---

The 2016 class doesn't appear to field quite the same depth in heavy hitters either (relative to 2015), so we may have to rein in our lofty expectations somewhat.

---

Yup, very true, and that is what makes the Dream Team 2015 so special. That being said, Claire Adams and Katie Drabot will be first year scorers. Although they would not be perfect answers, Allie Skekeley (Breast) and Megan Byrnes (Distance) would be welcome additions. I'm still waiting for Teri to surprise us with an impact international recruit too. Also, waiting for a late bloomer to get our attention. Still a long time until July 1st to see who Teri is really going after.

tedbear;842461667 said:

---

For this upcoming year, I would rather fill some needs in Breast and Distance, instead of taking all the top rated prospects. In fact, I think we go a little more international this year, than taking all the top US high school talent.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]But why not have our cake and eat it too?! :p

I would like to believe we have a shot at top rated Becca Mann. The USA Senior National Teamer's such a distance & versatile stud that even the snotty country club boys across the bay wouldn't pass her up despite her being home-schooled. Already a potential A final scorer @ NCAAs in the [U]1650 Free[/U], [U]500 Free[/U], and [U]400 IM[/U]. Incidentally all 3 events are where Bears are lacking in depth, outside of Cierra & Celina respectively, i.e. a major need for reinforcements ASAP.

Becca's quirky enough judging from her social media & footwear on the podium, and a published fantasy author to boot at age 15, that I can see her fitting in with Cal's "unique environment" and feeling quite comfy hanging out in Berkeley. She will be much sought after with Georgia's connections to NBAC and Michigan's distance tradition, along with Gregg Troy/Florida possibly making a play for Becca, but don't forget Cierra's a clubmate and national teammate of Becca, and Ms Runge's promising development under Teri's tutelage won't have gone unnoticed.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

tedbear;842461667 said:

---

Katie Drabot, on the other hand, already knows a handful of people on the team. I'm actually feeling fairly confident that Katie will be a Baby Bear. Claire has the Amy connection as you mentioned earlier, plus I think a few others from National Team meets. I actually think Stanzi going to the Trojans will be a better for Pac 12 balance. It's a little boring, when you know there are only two possible outcomes for the conference championship.

Claire Adams and Katie Drabot will be first year scorers.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Boring perhaps for non-committal fans, but I wouldn't mind a Bears-Furd dynasty dominating the conference & NC2As for the next half-decade or longer - as long as Cal always comes out the winner out of the two lol.

Seriously though, yes in many ways it'd be interesting to see a more evenly distributed balance of power, or at least have Salo's group challenge LSJU now that they have added a really massive incoming class to their arsenal. Zona's also making a bit of a move with next season's commits, though neither program's latest crop of recruits will be anywhere in the league of the immediate impact contributors that Cal + Stanfurd's 2015 studs are promising to be.

KD & Claire would be massive gets for Teri, I'm sure!

Claire's an A finals scorer in the [U]200 Back[/U], a B final scorer in the [U]100 Back[/U] & [U]200 Free[/U], and not far from contributing in the [U]100 Free[/U] with some additional development. She'd fulfil our immediate need in the back & middle distance dept. esp after Liz & Boots' departure. Katie's already a B scorer in the [U]200 Free[/U], and has potential in the [U]500 Free[/U], [U]100 Free[/U], and also in the [U]Fly[/U].

Of equal importance, or perhaps of greater import, both recruits are A students, appear to be a great fit with Teri's group and the school (Drabot has already expressed an interest in coming here), and have connections with Amy & some other team members.

I find myself tending to target prospects based mostly on their best times, partly because that's the only solid data available to us. We don't have access to the inside info which Teri has regarding the various other parameters which she deems to be relevant to her program (academics, fit, program's immediate & long term needs etc), nor the full-blown database she keeps on their historical performances which I'm sure takes into consideration all sorts of more subtle interactions and interdependent factors, not just pure times without a context attached.

One thing I did notice about Claire's in-the-pool results is that she does sometimes swim faster @ prelims than in finals, and when tackling a tough double or triple schedule, her performance does take a hit - qualities which I'm confident that Teru & Kristen can work on if she becomes a Baby Bear
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

How the pieces fit together matters. Adams wouldn't swim both the 200 free and the 100 back because of the schedule. See Pelton and Missy. Adams would be a 100/200 back swimmer for the Bears looking for a third event. She'd allow Baker to stay in the 100 breast and would compete with Amy for the back legs on medley relays.

Drabot would swim the 500, 200 free, and 200 breast. Also on the 800 relay and might compete for a leg on the 400 free relay.

Becca would swim the 500, 400 IM, and 1650. Could sub the 200 free for the 400 IM. 1650 is a bigger need than the 200 back. Not sure about the 400 free relay, but definitely in the mix for the 800 free relay. Homeschooling probably precludes LSJU, but with Stanzi off the board, Becca will be the most coveted recruit in the class. Solid ties to Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Cal, UVa, and Texas.

BearDevil;842465406 said:

---

How the pieces fit together matters.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Never a truer word spoken! Should be interesting to compare our choices for Dream Team 2016 when they eventually are finalized, against Teri's actual recruits and Swimswam's rankings in July.

Good reminder about KD's [U]200 Breast[/U] skills, had overlooked that in my post!

btw BD I do admire how you so economically say so much more in so fewer words...at least when compared to a propensity to indulge in verbosity at my end haha.

[U]NCSA Juniors[/U] are scheduled in Orlando next week (March 17-21) where many of our recruits will compete - data points may be limited as the format there is SCY @ prelims, but LCM @ finals, I believe.

---------

And on a lighter note: Amy's latest tweets, involving more pet dress-up shenanigans (in a good sense here lol) and other trivia... :cool:
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]10 Mar[/COLOR]
When your dog wears your clothes better than you do [SIZE=4][COLOR="#808080"]��[/COLOR][COLOR="#FFD700"]��[/COLOR][COLOR="#A52A2A"]��[/COLOR][COLOR="#0066cc"]��[/COLOR][/SIZE]



Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]10 Mar[/COLOR]
Lucas full of smiles before his walk today [SIZE=4][COLOR="#FFD700"]��[/COLOR][/SIZE]
cutest puppy ever



Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]10 Mar[/COLOR]
When you win a bet against your dad [SIZE=4][COLOR="#FFA07A"]��[/COLOR][/SIZE]



Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]10 Mar[/COLOR]
Mission Impossible: finding a prom dress long enough for a 6'2 swimmer [COLOR="#ff0066"]#gypsy[/COLOR]


---------

Quote:

---

Becca's quirky enough judging from her social media & footwear on the podium, and a published fantasy author to boot at age 15, that I can see her fitting in with Cal's "unique environment" and feeling quite comfy hanging out in Berkeley.

---

I'm sure Teri will let Becca know that Cal has the number one ranked Graduate English Department in the country.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/english-rankings

Or maybe she can connect Becca with Michael Lewis. Uh, then again, that might be a recruiting violation.

Thanks for the kind words, UAC. Perhaps I've been too fixated on maximizing the number of potential qualifiers and scorers, when total points is all that matters. Doesn't really matter if 14 or 18 scorers generate 500 points. A team that scores that many points at NCAAs is generally always going to win no matter how many swimmers and divers are used to get there.

Missy and Baker are so valuable because they can score in so many individual events and swim on multiple relays. Their talent is squandered in off events. While a sprint breast specialist may only be able to score in 1 event and swim on 2 relays, she's disproportionally more valuable to Cal if she frees up Baker to swim the 100 back or 200 free and the back legs instead of the breast legs on medley relays.

tedbear;842465542 said:

---

Or maybe she can connect Becca with Michael Lewis. Uh, then again, that might be a recruiting violation.

---

Michael Lewis is one of my favorite authors. Went to the same Nawlins prep school (Newman) as former Bear Erica Dagg and Peyton and Eli Manning. The dad in Blind Side was one of Lewis's high school friends who played hoops at Ole Miss.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842465498 said:

---

[U]NCSA Juniors[/U] are scheduled in Orlando next week (March 17-21) where many of our recruits will compete - data points may be limited as the format there is SCY @ prelims, but LCM @ finals, I believe.

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Looks like several 2016 & 2017 recruits whom we've discussed in the past will be competing, including Katie Drabot, Stanzi Moseley, Megan Byrnes, Cassidy Bayer, Isabella Rongione, Paige Madden, Lauren Case, Chenoa Devine, Skylar Fore plus a bunch of 2015 commits to other schools. On the men's side, Andrew Seliskar & Townley Haas.

[SIZE=4][COLOR="#008000"]Psych Sheet[/COLOR][/SIZE]: https://www.teamunify.com/recndncsa/UserFiles/File/ncsa15psychv3.pdf

[SIZE=4][COLOR="#A52A2A"]Website[/COLOR][/SIZE]: https://www.teamunify.com/EventShow.jsp?id=443215&team=recndncsa

Keep a lookout for any new breakouts, in particular an emerging sprint breaststroker who may be just the ticket to take the load off Kathleen in the medley relays...

[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------


[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=4]5 Stories to Watch at 2015 NCSA Junior National Championships[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[SIZE=1]Andrew Seliskar will put National Age Group Records on notice in every event he swims at next week's NCSA Junior National Championships.[/SIZE]

3. Anything Andrew Seliskar Swims Especially the 400 IM and 200 Breaststroke

The 200 free will be a fun battle for Andrew Seliskar, but the real tale of his meet will come in the 400 IM and 200 breaststroke. He broke National Age Group Records (and landed a spot among the top 10 in history) in both races at last weekend's PVS Senior Champs, with a 3:37.52 in the 400 IM and a 1:51.57 in the 200 breaststrokes. If his post-meet interview is to be believed, he was only on four days' worth of rest.

If he can get down below 3:36.26 in the 400 IM, then he'll surpass Michael Phelps' best-ever time in this event (at any age). 3:35.98 jumps Tyler Clary for 2nd all-time, and Chase Kalisz's American Record is 3:34.50. In the 200 breaststroke, a 1:51.40 will move him into the top 10 swims of all-time, with Cody Miller's 1:51.03 the closest reasonable target (2nd all-time).

He'll be challenged by teammate Carsten Vissering in the breaststroke races for the last time in yards in short course before they become Pac-12 rivals next fall, with Vissering at USC and Seilskar at Cal.

Don't sleep on Seliskar's "off" races either, if they can be called that. A National Age Group Record is in the crosshairs in the 100 fly and 200 fly as well.


http://swimswam.com/5-stories-to-watch-at-2015-ncsa-junior-national-championships-psych-sheets/


---------

---------


[SIZE=3]USA Swimming Stats[/SIZE]: #1 seed at the women's NCAA D1 200 Fl is Christina Bechtel 1:52.36 at 16 she was a 2:03.14. The top 20 15-16 2015:





---------
[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
[U]Note[/U]: This list hasn't been updated with Becca's 1:56.97 from the recent American Short Course meet, which should move her up 2 slots to #5...
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
---------

[U]2:06[/U] - Cal & Teri mention
[U]2:30[/U] - [COLOR="#696969"]"The future Golden Bear will put Cal on hold for a year. 2016 is all about making that US Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil."[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003399"][SIZE=3]Abbey Weitzeil- Saugus High School[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[video=youtube;kz382wwywPA][/video]

Does this mean she will enter Cal as a freshman in 2016 ?

cmfan64;842468676 said:

---

Does this mean she will enter Cal as a freshman in 2016 ?

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]That's my interpretation from the above.

Maybe someone who knows more about the various rules pertaining to this area can chime in? :confused:

Teri undoubtedly had considered all the ramifications when recruiting Abbey and this came up in their discussions. Perhaps that was one of the reasons for Abbey's relatively late commitment?

Would actually be kinda shocked if Teri hadn't already factored in Abbey's absence from the 2015-2016 season...

My next question is whether Abbey intends to stick with her club coach Coley Stickels leading to Rio (most likely scenario I'd assume), or will she perhaps start some training with Teri who will be one of the national team coaches at 2015 Worlds, with a good chance at the women's head coach position for the Olympics?
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Does this open up more money for 2015/2016 then? A transfer or international swimmer?

OBear073akaSMFan;842468694 said:

---

Does this open up more money for 2015/2016 then? A transfer or international swimmer?

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Uh, where's BearDevil when you need him, eh?! lol

btw no idea at my end when it comes to answering your question, OBear...sorry :p
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Sounds pretty clear that Abbey's going to defer. Eligibility clock (5 years to swim 4) starts when she enrolls somewhere as a full-time student, so assume she stays in SoCal. She can knock out some core courses at a JC part-time between training sessions.

Teri knew that Abbey, Baker, and Katie were potential 2016 Olympians, but probably as relay swimmers (top 6 in the 100 or 200 frees) at Trials. Didn't appear that Abbey had a realistic shot at finishing in the top 2 in the 100 and maybe the 50 until December. Teri has 9 swimmers leaving and targeted 5 high level swimmers. She may not have expected to get all 5, but she can definitely still sign a high end international now to replace Abbey.

Teri loses 5 swimmers after next season, so she can probably add 4 elite swimmers in the next class. Abbey's a better get than Stanzi, so that's no big deal. Kinda hope Teri adds a distance swimmer or sprint breast if she takes an international now.

Did think the Bears would be the 2016 NCAA favorites. Now not so sure unless Ledecky defers (possible) or Simone redshirts (not likely).

----------


[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=4]#2 Recruit in Class of 2015 Abbey Weitzeil Decides to Defer Enrollment at Cal[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"]The fastest 100 yard freestyler in history has decided to stay at home and train for a year before heading off to Cal.[/COLOR]


http://swimswam.com/2-recruit-in-class-of-2015-abbey-weitzeil-decides-to-defer-enrollment-at-cal/


High school senior Abbey Weitzeil has decided to defer her enrollment in Cal until after the 2016 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, she confirmed to SwimSwam on Tuesday.

"It was a tough decision, but I decided to stay with Coley (Stickels) for a year to keep up the same training I am doing now," Weitzeil said. "Coley knows me and my swimming best and sticking with what has been working well, as well as trying some new things that he has in mind, is what I feel could benefit my swimming the most. Although I am staying here for a year, I can't wait to start my journey as a Golden Bear next year!"

This means that Weitzeil will continue training under Coley Stickels at the Canyons Aquatic Club for one more season before joining Teri McKeever's crew in Berkeley.

Weitzeil is the fastest American junior swimmer in history in the 50 and 100 yard freestyles (21.49 and 46.29, respectively), and the fastest ever at any age in the 100 (American/U.S. Open Record holder). That makes this decision a blow to Cal in the short-term, with top relay swimmer Missy Franklin planning to turn pro at the conclusion of this season, but it will give Weitzeil the opportunity to focus on long course training (50 meter pool) with a goal of making the Olympic Team. Weitzeil will still have four years of NCAA eligibility, if she chooses to use them all.

Last summer, the Pan Pacs team member placed 5th in the 50 meter free and 4th in the 100 meter free at the long course Summer National Championships. Overall, she was the 5th-best American 100 freestyler with the top 6 expected to be selected for the 2016 Olympic Team.

In 2012, Natalie Coughlin was the 6th-place finisher at the Olympic Trials in the 100 free with a 54.44. With the emergence of talented young sprinters like Weitzeil, Lia Neal, Simone Manuel, and Missy Franklin, along with post-grads who bloomed a little later in their careers like Margo Geer and Shannon Vreeland, the bar for 2016 qualification is expected to be much higher.

Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky, another of the top recruits in the class of 2015, has still not announced whether she will be deferring her freshman year at Stanford as well, though she has acknowledged that it's under consideration. Ledeckyt was the #1-ranked recruit in the high school girls' class of 2015, while Weitzeil was #2.


----------

BearDevil;842468876 said:

---

Sounds pretty clear that Abbey's going to defer. Eligibility clock (5 years to swim 4) starts when she enrolls somewhere as a full-time student, so assume she stays in SoCal. She can knock out some core courses at a JC part-time between training sessions.

Teri knew that Abbey, Baker, and Katie were potential 2016 Olympians, but probably as relay swimmers (top 6 in the 100 or 200 frees) at Trials. Didn't appear that Abbey had a realistic shot at finishing in the top 2 in the 100 and maybe the 50 until December. Teri has 9 swimmers leaving and targeted 5 high level swimmers. She may not have expected to get all 5, but she can definitely still sign a high end international now to replace Abbey.

Teri loses 5 swimmers after next season, so she can probably add 4 elite swimmers in the next class. Abbey's a better get than Stanzi, so that's no big deal. Kinda hope Teri adds a distance swimmer or sprint breast if she takes an international now.

Did think the Bears would be the 2016 NCAA favorites. Now not so sure unless Ledecky defers (possible) or Simone redshirts (not likely).

---

[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Yeah think you're right on point with regards to this decision possibly not having taken permanence until after Abbey and her coach saw what she can really accomplish on the national stage @ Short Course Worlds followed by her American record performances in Dec. During the recruiting period this summer, Katie was about the only candidate out of the Fab Four who seemed to have a realistic shot at an individual spot on Team USA's roster for Rio (200 fly). Every member of Dream Team 2015 of course has massive potential and represents the bright future of a very exciting USA Swimming National Team...it was just that 2016 was coming on fast and it didn't seem to be their time quite yet, until recently.

On the bright side of things, can't wait to see what interesting recruiting plans Teri has in store that takes this all into consideration, whether it be an international or transfer or some other option. Guess I can wait an extra season for Bears to dominate NCAAs lol (if they don't do it this weekend that is :p)

[U]Edit[/U]: Only (niggling) concern at the back of my mind is that Abbey, if she qualifies for Rio and ends up winning a few medals, might consider turning pro and not come to Cal ultimately. Great for her swimming career no doubt and I'd wish her the best in such an endeavor, but not so great for Teri & Cal... Chances are slight for that happening, but still...
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

BearDevil;842468876 said:

---

Did think the Bears would be the 2016 NCAA favorites. Now not so sure unless Ledecky defers (possible) or Simone redshirts (not likely).

---

What are the chances of Bootsma and Pelton sitting out a year? Bootsma maybe not because she got a gold but Pelton just missed qualifying last Olympics and will be hungry to be on the team especially with the USA's strong backstroke competition.

Doubt either blueshirts. Worst case scenario, Missy and Klaren don't train in Berkeley. Even without those 2, Bootsma, Pelton, Baker, and Bilquist will still be the best backstroke training group in the US. Pelton couldn't duplicate that in Baltimore. Do think she has better 2016 chances than Bootsma. Pelton has chances in both backs, 200 IM, and as an 800 free relay swimmer. Bootsma's only ticket is via 100 back.

Was kinda holding out the slim hope that Abbey's boyfriend Cogswell might still wind up at Cal. Hasn't signed his LSJU LOI. He's not deferring, so think he does end up on the farm.

Did hear today that it's very likely that Ledecky also defers. That makes even more sense than Abbey deferring,