tedbear;842513936 said:

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Not a big surprise, but now it makes me want Mann even more. With such a quick decision, I wonder if Teri even gave Ms. Byrnes a phone call.

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BearDevil;842513902 said:

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Makes it less likely that Mann ends up on the farm. With Stevens last year along with Ledecky and Brynes, they're now saturated in distance. Bigger holes elsewhere than adding more distance with Mann.

No doubt Brynes would have helped, but Voss might be more productive when you factor in 100 back. Kirsten Jacobsen is nearly a Brynes clone in the 500 and 1650. None of the three would contribute on any Bear relays. Brynes would help build an NCAP pipeline. Bears do need to hold serve with a distance recruit. Mann would be a home run, but Voss or Jacobsen would work just fine, especially if a local with distance upside (Simonds or Devine) is part of the final class.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Agree. Not to mention that Becca being home schooled might be considered a strike against her over at the farm...

Kirsten J's one of the few top recruits we hadn't really chatted about in the past, but could be our distance hope if Becca & Erin don't bite (or if Teri didn't approach either), looks like she can come down to the shorter 200 and make a contribution at the conference champs level there.

Another backup distance prospect up for consideration is Cassy Jernberg, the 3rd ranked Wisconsin recruit after Beata & KD...though with the limited funds available, going with a "2nd tier" distance local that has some upside (as BD had mentioned, Moriah or Chenoa) might end up being a viable stopgap option with the wealth of distance studs becoming available in 2017?
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BearDevil;842514179 said:

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LSJU doesn't have enough to wn in 2016, but the right 2016 recruiting class (Ledecky, an elite sprinter, back and fly scorers, and Byrnes) could make them the 2017 favorites. Adding Drabot, Mann, Nelson, and Small would be brutal. Drabot and Nelson would have bigger impacts than Small and Mann.

Georgia's a wildcard, but a Cal class of Abbey, Adams, Drabot, and Mann could make a Bear three peat possible. Not to be overly dramatic, but Small. Nelson, Mann, Adams, and Drabot could determine the 2017 title. Drabot would help both Cal and LSJU, but she may not be fast enough in the 50/100 to help the Bears in sprint relays. Rooting for a Cal class of Adams, Drabot, and Mann. If not, hope none of them or Small or Nelson go to LSJU or Georgia.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Definitely - even if some of us are already assuming that studs like Meghan, Beata, Becca aren't likely to be wearing the blue & gold next season for a variety of reasons, it would be best and in our selfish interests if they were to pick a nice Div I programme that is [U]not[/U] named Stanfurd or Georgia lol ...well, not that the Wildcats, Horns or Trojans should be completely overlooked or underestimated at all here, as they are starting to build a formidable base with a plethora of incoming talent who may well be making some noise down the road.

Believe we are the red hot co-candidate, with LSJU slightly behind, for KD's signing :cheer

CA I'm a bit less confident about, but still think she'd be a great fit here, and there's always the Amy connection courtesy of CHS in our favour.

Legacy preference would be Alyssa if she's fine with a partial scholly - hey perhaps Ms Marsh can help persuade Erika & Jessica Merritt to come on board for book money... :p

Have already discussed Moriah (Pleasanton Seahawks) & Chenoa (Davis), but another low-risk high-upside local that tedbear had included in his OP post is Maddie Murphy from Orinda (Crow Canyon Sharks), whose sprint free & fly prowess would always come in handy with some more development. Other names to enter in the discussion here are Chloe Isleta (PASA) & Samantha Coloma (Terrapins).

Oh I would be fine with Allie picking UVA if she isn't coming here, I guess Would always welcome Lindsey Horejsi's breaststroke skills too, should she have any interest in Cal!
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BearDevil;842514228 said:

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http://swimswam.com/2015-spanish-summer-nationals-end-with-multiple-new-meet-records/

Realize that Marina's LCM results haven't translated to SCYs, but....

A 1:07.70 100 m breast translates to 59.18, which would have been 8th at the 2015 NCAAs. That's faster than Baker's personal best (59.37). Would free up Baker to swim 100 back or 200 free at NCAAs and maybe swim the 200 free relay instead of one of the medley relays. Would also mean a 2016 backstroker wouldn't be an absolute must. Lots of ifs and still all in for Adams, but still. Sigh...

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I still think there's a chance that Marina could turn into the superstar breast stroker that we all thought she would be when she first announced that she was coming to Cal. Back then we thought she was the key missing link. Now we know we can still win it all without her being a superstar. I still wonder if she takes a year off to focus on long course and the Olympics though.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842514259 said:

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]

Another backup distance prospect up for consideration is Cassy Jernberg, the 3rd ranked Wisconsin recruit after Beata & KD...though with the limited funds available, going with a "2nd tier" distance local that has some upside (as BD had mentioned, Moriah or Chenoa) might end up being a viable stopgap option with the wealth of distance studs becoming available in 2017?
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UAC, didn't Jernberg commit to someone else already?

tedbear;842514302 said:

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UAC, didn't Jernberg commit to someone else already?

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Hey so sorry for completely spacing out there - Cassy has indeed already verbaled to the Lady Volunteers! :p
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842500429 said:

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[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=4]Cassy Jernberg To Swim With the University of Tennessee For The 2016-2017 Season[/SIZE][/COLOR]



http://swimswam.com/cassy-jernberg-to-swim-with-the-university-of-tennessee-for-the-2016-2017-season/

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tedbear;842514299 said:

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I still think there's a chance that Marina could turn into the superstar breast stroker that we all thought she would be when she first announced that she was coming to Cal. Back then we thought she was the key missing link. Now we know we can still win it all without her being a superstar. I still wonder if she takes a year off to focus on long course and the Olympics though.

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There's always the coaching debate: talent vs improvement, especially in college sports. Are the best coaches the ones who get the most out of lesser talents (Mike Montgomery, Bo Ryan) or with elite talent (Coach K, Eddie Reese). In the end, you need talent and you have to improve the recruits you get. Teri and Durden can recruit, but NCAA titles aren't awarded solely based on recruiting.

Bears were dominant at NCAAs last year without the anticipated contributions from Marina and KV. Imagine how good the team would be had they lived up to expectations? Door's not shut on either's Cal careers yet. There's a long list of highly touted former Cal recruits who flopped after transferring from Cal. Teri may not make every swimmer a champion, but she knows how to build championship teams even when the individual swimmers may not turn out as planned.

Was definitely stoked that one of Missy's teams won a title, but also stoked that Marina scored at NCAAs and that KV qualified. As talented as the Bears are, not everyone on the team qualifies or scores at NCAAs.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842514259 said:

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Agree. Not to mention that Becca being home schooled might be considered a strike against her over at the farm...

Kirsten J's one of the few top recruits we hadn't really chatted about in the past, but could be our distance hope if Becca & Erin don't bite (or if Teri didn't approach either), looks like she can come down to the shorter 200 and make a contribution at the conference champs level there.

Another backup distance prospect up for consideration is Cassy Jernberg, the 3rd ranked Wisconsin recruit after Beata & KD...though with the limited funds available, going with a "2nd tier" distance local that has some upside (as BD had mentioned, Moriah or Chenoa) might end up being a viable stopgap option with the wealth of distance studs becoming available in 20

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Still think Bears need a distance ace in this recruiting class. Cierra needs a training partner and Bears can't let LSJU and Georgia pile up too many points in distance.

Whoever gets Mann or AS will have a leg up on top 2017 distance recruits Sierra Schmidt (Mann club teammate) or Courtney Harnish (AS club teammate). ASU will be into the mix for Mann and Schmidt thanks to NABC ties.

BearDevil;842514338 said:

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There's always the coaching debate: talent vs improvement, especially in college sports. Are the best coaches the ones who get the most out of lesser talents (Mike Montgomery, Bo Ryan) or with elite talent (Coach K, Eddie Reese). In the end, you need talent and you have to improve the recruits you get. Teri and Durden can recruit, but NCAA titles aren't awarded solely based on recruiting.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Too true. Oft in the heady rush of debating our wish-lists of the top elitist student-athletes that we somehow assume wouldn't want to go anywhere other than to one of the very best collegiate swimming programmes in the nation (i.e. Cal ), there's naturally a tendency to overlook that the recruiting side of things is only half of the picture (at the most). It's what one does with the less-touted recruits' development on top of the star-studded talent that makes the difference in the overall scheme of things.
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BearDevil;842514338 said:

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Teri may not make every swimmer a champion, but she knows how to build championship teams even when the individual swimmers may not turn out as planned.
...
As talented as the Bears are, not everyone on the team qualifies or scores at NCAAs.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]That's one of the very difficult conundrums which Teri has to wrestle with, I think. In the public's eye, her success is largely measured these days by the number of NCAA Championship titles she brings back to Berkeley, and she has set the bar almost impossibly high with her amazing track record to date! Conference titles are almost looked upon as just the icing on the cake, an afterthought as it were when compared to the bigger prize & end game! There is apparently this unrealistic expectation from many quarters that McKeever will always recruit the cream of the crop, that these superstars will immediately deliver on their HS promise as soon as they get here...

OTOH it would seem to me that Teri's approach is more nuturing in nature, as she strives to help each of these young women grow, develop and find themselves in a new & challenging environment, and this extends to the academic & social areas as well as the swimming itself. Year after year, she fills her roster with a bunch of low-profile but talented individuals who may never end up scoring or even qualifying for NCAAs, but their contribution to the well-being & sisterhood of the team are well documented. Many a wounded bird, whether facing a physical or psychological challenge, have also thrived under Mother T's care & tutelage!

Would seem like a dichotomy then when it comes to how Teri can so adeptly balance winning Championships with not always recruiting the strongest prospects on paper, but I reckon the results thus far do speak for themselves, whilst acknowledging that there have been some notable hiccups along the ride too! (No one is perfect lol)

Anyway, am looking so forward to learning who our latest crop of baby :bear:s will be for the recruiting class of 2016 - there will be more than a few surprises to be sure...well hopefully pleasant ones

With a spot of luck some pics may leak from the official recruiting visit (early Sept?) that'll give us an early preview glimpse, though wouldn't hold my breath too much on this as Teri's understandably very protective of her swim family (recall when Missy came on board that her roommate's identity was kept under tight wraps for some time?).
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842459537 said:

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Amy's group photos (quoted above) from that recruiting weekend in early Sept 2014 may provide us with some additional insights into the recruiting process. The tall brunette who's flanked by Amy & Missy in the 1st picture looks like Kirsten Vose, who swims for Rose Bowl Aquatics in Pasadena. So it appears that Teri did target a local sprint breaststroker after all for the 2015 class, alongside an IM'er from in-state (Ella Eastin who's by Katie & Kathleen in the pic).

Salo would go on to snatch up Kristen + Riley Scott for his breast dynasty, while Ella wounded up shoring up Meehan's vulnerability in the IMs. To Teri's credit :acclaim:, Bears ended up with the [U]Dream Team[/U], sporting a backstroker who's faster than both Riley & Kirsten in their specialty (breast), and swifter than Ella in hers (IMs) - Kathleen...
:bravo

btw, anyone with an idea of who the person sandwiched between Ella & Cindy may be? (turquoise tee, curly blonde mop in the 1st photo...next to Farida and in front of Missy in the 2nd)

Don't see Jenna Campbell in either group photos either...unless she's the Marina lookalike?

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Remember these 2 group photos (see attachments below) from the 2014 recruiting trip that were published but then became unavailable shortly afterwards? btw still haven't figured out who that curly-haired recruit is...any takers? :P
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Rightly or wrongly, Teri's judged by NCAA titles now and she recruits and builds her team accordingly. Ultimately she'd like every recruit to score eventually at PAC-12s or NCAAs, but that's not even entirely feasible. With a cap of 18 NCAA swimmers and a roster around 24 swimners, a few are left home. Gets worse in the new facility since theoretically Bears can add two divers and push out a swimmer. Pretty much everyone on the team can score at PAC-12s. You also need three full relays for dual meets, so there will always be room for role players.

There is a lot of pressure on Teri since expectations are always so high. Third place in 2014 was viewed as a disaster as were dual losses to 'SC in 2014 and Texas last season. Never mind that the Bears crushed both at NCAAs.

http://swimswam.com/top-20-swimming-recruits-in-the-girls-high-school-class-of-2016/

Not a huge fan of SwimSwam comments, but definitely mixed bag on Beata Nelson. Thought she was a slam dunk for Wisconsin, but maybe not. Whitney Hite may have been a former Teri asst, but he needs to go if he whiffs on Drabot, Beata, and Jernberg. Jernberg's already gone and very likely Drabot comes West.

Still would prefer Drabot and Adams, but Beata could fit if Bears miss on either/both. SCY specialists Shields and Tran worked out for Cal. Nelson would thrive in a low yardage program. OTOH, as tedbear noted, she may not have a sufficient base in and out of the pool to move beyond 100s in various strokes. Teri has enough fly depth to bridge the gap between 2016 and 2018 when Cassidy Bayer and Eva Merrell will be in play. Beata would be a better fly bridge to 2018 than 2017's Hannah Kukuragya. Tough call with lots of mixed signals/drama.

Quote:

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Emily Overholt would have been an interesting recruit. She was second in both the 200 Fly and the 400 Free today, and yesterday she finished second in the 400 IM and ninth in the 200 Free. Too bad she decided to stay home in Canada and swim for UBC. She is deferring though, so maybe Teri can get her to talk with fellow Vancouverite Noemie about her Cal experiences.

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I know it is still pipe dream of mine, but Emily Overholt is still tearing it up! She got DQed for an illegal flip turn in the 400 IM, but the talent is definitely there. To me, she is the most exciting recruit of the class of 2016.

http://swimswam.com/toronto-2015-pan-american-games-day-three-finals-live-recap/

Overholt seems to be a mix of Mann, Drabot, Beata, and Small. Intriguing recruit for sure, especially in areas of need for the Bears, but she's never shown any interest in swimming in the U.S. She never even bothered to register for collegeswimming.com.

Not entirely sure, but pretty sure Canadians can go to college for free or for very little cost. Anyone not receiving a full ride would pay significantly more to swim in the U.S since they're not eligible for financial aid.

Definitely would be a great get, but even if there's interest Teri needs to balance 2017 needs (sprint, breast, IM, distance, fly) against cost to fill those needs with California or domestic recruits.

On closer inspection, Erin Voss isn't an ideal fit for the Bears, Scorer in the 200 back and close to a scorer in the 500 free and 100 back. Not close to a scorer in the 1650, so the timing of the event relative to the 200 back doesn't matter. Bears need another 100 back scorer (to complement Amy) and additional scoring in the 500 and 1650 (to complement Cierra),

Back priority; Adams, Small, Beata, Blovad, Voss
Distance priority: Mann, Jacobsen, Voss

Bears will already be formidable in the 800 free relay choosing from Cierra, Baker, Katie Mc, Abbey, and Bilquist. Adding Adams, Drabot, and Mann too certainly wouldn't hurt.

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(relocated from earlier Drabot/Nelson post above)
[COLOR="#3333ff"]
Over at the 2015 Pam Am Games this evening, Meghan Small was 2nd in the "B" final of the [U]200m Breast[/U]. Her 2:31.35 is a PB, I believe...prev best time was a 2:31.70 from 2014 Summer Nationals.

Meghan will also be repping Team USA in the [U]200m IM[/U] on Saturday.

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[COLOR="#B22222"]UPDATE ->[/COLOR] Caitlin Leverenz won the [U]200 IM[/U] in 2:10.51 (Pam Am record), with Meghan Small earning the silver with a lifetime best of 2:11.26. Leverenz is ranked fifth in the world with that swim, Small is now ranked seventh in the world for her time.
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Caitlin Leverenz - [COLOR="#696969"]19 July[/COLOR] @ [COLOR="#A9A9A9"]Pan Am Games-Toronto[/COLOR]
Proud to have finished off Pan Ams with a USA 1-2 finish in the 200IM! #TO2015 #PanAmazing

[U]Meghan Small[/U]: Love this @c.leverenz [SIZE=4]��[/SIZE]


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May be heresy, but a class of Adams, Small, and Mann could make Drabot expendable. Would work with both the NCAA schedule and Bears' needs. 200 IM (Li, Baker, Small), 500 Free (Cierra, Mann); 400 IM (Li, Small, Mann), 100 Back (Amy, Adams); 1650 (Cierra, Mann), 200 Back (Baker, Adams, Small). That's an extremely young team. Only holes would be additional scoring in 100 breast (Baker), 200 breast (Marina), and diving.

Drabot and Jacobsen obviously work too, but a class of Abbey, Adams, Small, and Mann would allow Teri to focus on sprint, breast, fly, and diving in 2017.

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Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]19 July[/COLOR]
So excited for ya and the future can't wait for you to be at Cal! Congrats!!! (we'll take newer pics very soon) lol





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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Ranked [U]#4[/U] in the class by CollegeSwimming!
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http://www.collegeswimming.com/swimmer/201625/

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842511371 said:

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[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=5]Top 20 swimming recruits in the girls high school class of 2016[/SIZE][/COLOR]

http://swimswam.com/top-20-swimming-recruits-in-the-girls-high-school-class-of-2016/

Top 10 Swimmers from the Class of 2016
(All best times are in short course yards.)

Honorable Mention (#11-20)

13. Keaton Blovad Tualatin Hills Swim Club Lake Oswego, OR
Best times: 100 back 53.51, 50 back 24.93, 200 IM 1:58.71, 100 free 49.01, 50 free 22.75, 200 free 1:46.65, 100 breast 1:01.02, 200 back 1:57.38

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Haven't come across any official confirmation at this early point in time (think there was also strong interest from the Wildcats in recruiting KB btw), but here's an article from a couple of days ago which provides some insight into Keaton's fascinating background and some of the challenges she faced growing up:
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http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/07/lakeridge_senior_keaton_blovad.html

[COLOR="#006699"][SIZE=5]Lakeridge senior Keaton Blovad swimming toward second Olympic Trials trip ...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Keaton Blovad fell in love with swimming when she was 7-years-old. At the time her family was living in Irvine, California and her mother wanted to make sure Blovad and her brother were safe around water. While he didn't care too much for the sport, Blovad felt an instant connection.

But then her family moved to Shanghai, China. Blovad's mother was a teacher and her dad worked for Sony, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for their kids to get a worldly experience. It was supposed to be only a six-month experiment, but it turned into four years.

While she was in Shanghai, Blovad kept swimming.

"I tried swimming with a kids government team while I was there but they were very harsh," Blovad said. "I ended up quitting that and my school made a swim team the last year which was a little better, but definitely one of the main reasons we moved back was because I missed the sport and there just wasn't a program there."

Now, after years in the water the Lakeridge high school senior has dreams of the Olympics as she prepares for her second Olympic Trials in 2016.

Blovad's mother was from Oregon so when they decided to move back to the states, they decided to call Lake Oswego home. When Blovad got into a consistent swimming routine, she flourished. She joined the Lake Oswego club swim team and at 12-years-old in 2011 broke the national age group record in the 50 meter backstroke. She still holds the record today of 30.16.

She described breaking the record as an incredible moment that was a turning point in her swimming career.

"I always said when I was little that I wanted to go to the Olympics and that was my dream," Blovad said. "But it started to seem feasible and that that could actually happen."

The first step to making an Olympics swim team is qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Blovad qualified in 2012 and was the youngest swimmer at the meet at 13-years-old. She qualified in the 100 meter backstroke and 50 meter freestyle.

Her best stroke is backstroke.

"She knows how to swim it well, she was taught really young with really good stroke mechanics," Tualatin Hills Thunder head coach Franz Resseguie said. "She's strong and powerful and makes it come across pretty fast."

As Blovad approached her freshman year of high school she decided to move to Arizona. Her swim coach from Lake Oswego Swim Club took a coaching job there, and Blovad wanted to continue swimming with him since she had success in the past.

The move was supposed to be for four years but it turned into only a semester after her coach accepted a job in California. It wouldn't have been a big of a deal except her family moved abroad again, this time to Thailand.

"It stressed me out when I found out," Blovad said. "I thought it was going to be through high school when I moved there. It stressed me out when it didn't and then with my family being in Thailand there's not really a great swim program. So to go from training at this very elite level to not really training at all was a fall back."

She spent the rest of her freshman year in Thailand and once again was out of the pool.

But if she could break a national record after living in China for four years, Blovad wouldn't let a semester in Thailand hinder her. When she got back to the U.S., she joined the Tualatin Hills Thunder Swim Club and began training.

In practice, Resseguie said that Blovad isn't afraid of racing the boys and can keep up. With her though, he wanted to round her out as a swimmer and made sure she didn't just focus on backstroke.

"She's really good, but she wouldn't be as good if she just focused on the 100 backstroke," Resseguie said. "But she's got enough skills and ability to swim a lot of different events which makes her one of the top recruits in the country."

One of Blovad's friends' Sara Metzfch, started out as opponent. Now, they both swim together for Tualatin. In the pool Blovad is a hard worker with great stroke mechanics Metzfch said, and away from it she's fun to be around.

Metzfch also has an Olympic Trial cut in the 100 meter backstroke and said it's good practicing with Blovad and others who have made Olympic Trial cuts.

"I feel like I'm trying to race her sometimes but it's fun, I enjoy practicing with her.," Blovad said. "It's fun to be able to race someone who has done some similar things. We share some of the same strokes."

As Blovad embraces becoming a versatile swimmer, she's planning the next few years of her swimming career. She said she wants to make the junior national team this summer and travel to Singapore and swim at the trials again. So far she's qualified in the 100 meter backstroke and said she wants to have six total events.

After living halfway across the world and extended times out of the water, Blovad has proved that she can make it.

"I just loved being in the water," Blovad said about her early affinity for swimming. "Every chance I had I either wanted to be in a pool or in the ocean. I like winning, so when I started to win things that also helped fuel my passion."

--Alexandria Valdez

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842515870 said:

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*Keaton Blovad* -> 1st 2016 Baby Bear commit?!

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[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=5]#13 Recruit Keaton Blovad Commits to Defending NCAA Champs Cal[/SIZE][/COLOR]



http://swimswam.com/13-recruit-keaton-blovad-commits-to-defending-ncaa-champs-cal/


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WooHoo!!!! Welcome Keaton! :woohoo

Initially surprised since I didn't think Teri would add two backstrokers unless they were Adams and Small, but after looking at KB's times, she's more a sprinter/IMer than just a backstroker. Potential individual program of: 200 IM/50 Free, 100 Back, 100 Free. Not as much relay upside as Amy, but a potential 3 event scorer/2 relay swimmer for the Bears. Not as strong an IMer as Eastin, but more relay upside.

Bears still need another backstroker (Adams), a 400 IMer (Small/Mann/Drabot), and another 200 Breast scorer (Szekeley or Drabot). Adams, Small, Mann, Drabot and AS can all solve multiple Cal problems. Also a chance that Marina can solve her SCY woes (freeing up Baker for 100 Back or 200 Free) or Maija can grow into a 200 Breast scorer.

Lots of possibilities. Curious where Cal stands with Small, Adams, Mann, Drabot, and AS. Right combo of two of those and the Bears have a decent shot at a three peat.

This just goes to show you how off my original list is going to be. Hahaha! Welcome Keaton!

tedbear;842515957 said:

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This just goes to show you how off my original list is going to be. Hahaha! Welcome Keaton!

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Well don't believe Keaton was tops on most peeps' radar here - even tho she's rightfully an elite recruit who has no doubt been wooed by more than a few of the top programmes in the country, so we'll forgive you tedbear for your oversight in not having included her on your original list :p

After learning a bit more about KB from a perusal of that oregonlive article, I can see where she'd fit in really nicely with the team culture & spirit, and agree with BD's original assessment (when Swimswam had first published their Top 10 list) that Keaton will be of considerable help to Cal!
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BearDevil;842515944 said:

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Lots of possibilities. Curious where Cal stands with Small, Adams, Mann, Drabot, and AS. Right combo of two of those and the Bears have a decent shot at a three peat.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Still very bullish on the chances of KD -> :bear: but this more based on intuition/wishful thinking than anything else lol

Harder to read where the others from our fave prospects are leaning towards tho when based on public social media sources alone. Have to constantly remind ourselves that [U]Dream Team 2015[/U] was a very special high point in Teri's (& Kristen's) career, so should temper our unrealistically elevated expectations somewhat for the class following perhaps?

BD definitely on fleek, I mean, on point with his observation that any 2 from the group will cap off another stellar class who will be instrumental in helping to keep Bears at the very top of the NCAA food chain!

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Not even out of July and Teri's (probably) had to convince KM not to defer, lost a long time asst, spent time interviewing replacements, and still landed a top 15 recruit. Neither KB nor Byrnes were absolute must have top picks for Cal or LSJU, and both could have gone anywhere, but hopped on early offers from their dream schools. Same with Stanzi

Nothing's settled yet with Small, Adams, Mann, Drabot, and AS. Bears just need two more and it won't matter where the others go. A team that gets all of their relays in the top 3 and has two scorers in each individual swimming event generates around 450 points and almost always wins the title. Georgia did that last season and still lost by 50 points. Bears lost the face of the program, a golden class, a beloved asst, their top recruit, and will still be favored. With a little luck, improvement from Marina, KV, and Maija, and the right two final recruits, the 2017 team could also generate more than 500 points. Doesn't have to be cookie cutter perfect or even have any divers, but the program is in incredibly good shape.

Have a ton of respect for Natalie, Missy, Baker, and McL-not only were they great Golden Bears, but they sucked it up and swam off events that didn't translate to their international aspirations. Natalie swam 100 Back, 100 Fly, and 200 Back for the Bears. Obviously dominated 100 Back internationally, but would have been better served swimming the 100 Free instead of the 200 Bavk. Missy won't swim the 400 m (500 Free) or the 200 IM internationally. McL's best event in the 100 Fly and she may forgo that for the 200 Free next season. Baker won't be an international breaststroker, but she likely forgoes the 100 Back and 200 Free for two seasons to swim the 100 Breast.

It's relatively rare for college swimmers to swim their natural events on the best teams. Cierra, Farida, Pelton, and Abhey do, but many superstars make sacrifices. Drabiot's an interesting case. Could swim whatever she wants at Wisconsin, but may have to make compromises at Cal. 200 Free is her bread and butter, but if Mann or Small aren't paired with her, she may swim the 400 IM for Cal which is a near impossible double with the 200 Free. Best program for Cal would be 500 Free, 400 IM, 800 Free Relay, 200 Breast. She could swim on 4 relays at UW, and likely forgoes the 400 IM at LSJU. If she does end up at Cal, it's because she truly wants to be a Bear and not purely a swimming decision.

Kinda think Teri wants to make KB into a full time IMer. Strong backstroker and sprinter, decent breaststroker, and OK flyer. For sure Teri can improve her in three strokes. aIf she becomes stronger breaststroker, she could swim both IMs plus the 100 Free for the Bears. 400 IM, 200 Breadt, 200 Fly, and 200' Back are extremely tough events that every team struggles to fill.

http://swimswam.com/rooney-eastin-andrew-head-2015-junior-national-psych-sheets/

Psych sheets for junior nationals. Lots of additional data points on current and future recruits: KB. Drabot, AS. Adams is MIA-is she injured? No Small or Beata either. In the locals' boat, Chloe Isleta has some good times. Same for former local (and UAC favorite) Erika Brown. Legacies Marsh and Mykkanen had fallen back a bit.

In coming attractions, Taylor Ruck (2018) is the next big thing. Canadian training in AZ. PAC-12 footprint is Bear Territory.

BearDevil;842517362 said:

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Adams is MIA-is she injured? No Small or Beata either.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Thanks BD for the heads up on Juniors. Bunch of exciting talents to keep an eye out on!

Perhaps CA's ready for the big times and focussing more on Seniors as her priority meet for this summer, as are KD, MS & BN apparently?

Which is probably good news - remember when Amy tore it up at Junior Nationals last year, but then had a rough time trying to best her performance a few weeks later @ Seniors? Always a massive challenge to maintain/extend one's taper into a 2nd subsequent meet, especially if there isn't enough time in between to re-train and then to fully re-taper...
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BearDevil;842517362 said:

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In coming attractions, Taylor Ruck (2018) is the next big thing. Canadian training in AZ. PAC-12 footprint is Bear Territory.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]TR has been touted as "the next Missy" in some quarters, and for good reason. Taylor will definitely remain loyal to Canada when/if she's ready to hit the big international stage, but hopefully she'll continue to train in the States and participate in NCAA competition when her college years roll around down the road. Competing as a :bear: of course - Canadians are always very welcome here, something that Noemie can happily attest to :p
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[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=5]All the links you need for the 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=3]2. [U]Girls 200 IM[/U][/SIZE]

We'll have to wait until the final day for what's potentially the marquee matchup on the girls side. Future Stanford teammates Ella Eastin and Kim Williams are set to do battle in the 200 IM, holding the top two seeds. But blue chip prospect and high school senior Katie Drabot is lurking just behind them, and all three have a chance to take down Missy Franklin's meet record of 2:12.73. The 17-18 NAG (Liz Pelton's 2:10.02) is quite a bit farther off, but all three are the type of elite talents that could potentially pop off big swims in the national spotlight, especially if a close finals struggle brings out the competitive best in all three.

http://swimswam.com/all-the-links-you-need-for-the-2015-u-s-junior-national-championships/

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Read through the article quickly and didn't realize that this wasn't the qualifying meet for junior worlds, That being said (posted?), CA didn't swim in the earlier meet where Amy made her return either. Think that CA has to be priority recruit number one for the Bears at this point.

Some interesting seeds-Cat Ladd, Jenna Campbell, KB, and Marsh alll bunched together in the mid-30s to mid-40s in the 100 Free. Would have liked some additional data points on Madi Hurst, but she's nowhere to be found, perhaps she'll show up at senior nationals. Drabot's right behind furdettes Eastin and Williams in the 200 IM. Ruck and Brown are the top seeds in the 200 Free with Campbell and Mary Pelton a few seeds back.

Well aware of the Missy comparisons to Ruck. Amy and KB probably know her from AZ swimming.

BearDevil;842517488 said:

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CA didn't swim in the earlier meet where Amy made her return either. Think that CA has to be priority recruit number one for the Bears at this point.

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BearDevil;842517362 said:

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In the locals' boat, Chloe Isleta has some good times. Same for former local (and UAC favorite) Erika Brown.

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Haha I will (gladly) plead guilty to having talked up both Claire & Erika on this board Still think they would be great assets, and good fits with :bear:s!
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[COLOR="#696969"]Alyssa, Kathleen & Erika[/COLOR] ^


[COLOR="#696969"]Kathleen, Albury (I think) & Erika[/COLOR] ^

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Speaking of CA...HBD today!! Though have to confess I'm more than a mite concerned with what Claire's wearing in that 2nd photo from Amy :eek:, and her being close to Dawg commit Veronica... :rolleyes:
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Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]26 July[/COLOR]
Happy Birthday Clur!!! You're 17!!!!!!!!




Veronica Burchill - [COLOR="#696969"]26 July[/COLOR]
Happy 17th Birthday Claire! [SIZE=4]�� ��[/SIZE]



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Hannah Kukurugya - [COLOR="#696969"]26 July[/COLOR]
HBD @claireadams26 hope your day is as amazing as you are!!! Love ya lots!! [SIZE=4]����������1⃣7⃣ [/SIZE]

[COLOR="#696969"]Hannah, Claire & Amy[/COLOR] ^

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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
Let's not forget our multi-talented uggwear fashionista aka fantasy authoress recruit either:
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Becca Mann - [COLOR="#696969"]27 July[/COLOR]
Excited for some racing tomorrow! #usa [SIZE=4]��������[/SIZE]








Ashley Twichell - [COLOR="#696969"]28 July[/COLOR]
Just got massage work done while @BeccaMannSwims gave a Broadway musical performance - and it was fantastic

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Cierra Runge - [COLOR="#696969"]28 July[/COLOR]
Happy birthday to my little sis and partner in crime @maddogg58 !! Go kick some butt at Juniors! [SIZE=4]��������[/SIZE]��


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[COLOR="#3333ff"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]
btw, please take note, baby :bear: recruits... :gobears:
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[COLOR="#003366"][SIZE=5]The 10 best public universities in America[/SIZE][/COLOR]



http://www.businessinsider.com/best-public-universities-2015-7



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[SIZE=5][COLOR="#000066"]2015 ARWU rankings: Berkeley is world’s top public university[/COLOR][/SIZE]



http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/08/17/berkeley-fourth-in-2015-arwu-global-rankings/

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Don't lose hope, UAC, the Birkenstocks cancel out the Georgia shirt. Still up in the air about this class. The only clear game changing talent is Stanzi. Bears would have taken her in a heartbeat, even though sprint depth isn't the most pressing need. Lots of talent that could fill Bears more pressing needs: back depth (Adams, Small, Beata, Voss), distance depth (Mann, Jacobsen), IM depth (Small, Mann, AS, Drabot), and breast depth (Horejsi, Drabot, AS). Obviously some combos work better than others, but the program has enough overall depth to make it work. Leaning toward Adams/Mann, but Small/Drabot and other variations work too. Any upside from Marina, KV, KB, Maija, or Jenna would help.

Slightly frustrating/aggravating footnote from Juniors. Incoming Indiana frosh breastroker Miranda Tucker won the 100 Breast. Tucker's from Michigan and was never on Cal's radar. Was a decent (1:01,30) sprint breastroker (slightly faster than Maija, but slower than Baker, Marina, and Riley Scott) on signing day, but now is a sub-minute (58.90). IU now has two freshmen ace breaststrokers.

BearDevil;842519093 said:

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Slightly frustrating/aggravating footnote from Juniors. Incoming Indiana frosh breastroker Miranda Tucker won the 100 Breast. Tucker's from Michigan and was never on Cal's radar. Was a decent (1:01,30) sprint breastroker (slightly faster than Maija, but slower than Baker, Marina, and Riley Scott) on signing day, but now is a sub-minute (58.90). IU now has two freshmen ace breaststrokers.

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That is very frustrating!! We must've upset the breaststroke god.

icecream12345;842519112 said:

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That is very frustrating!! We must've upset the breaststroke god.

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problem it happens in all sports. You have some over achievers or they blossom later, while others do not live up to expectations. Hopefully Maija does better in her 2nd season and Marina breaks out too. I wonder though does size matter in the strokes. Maija is only 5-2 which means she has to pump a lot faster. I'm just saying & wondering.

The trend in breaststrokers has been to taller breaststrokers (Breeja Larson). Rebecca Soni was only 5'8", but both breaststrokers on the farm (Haase and Poppe) are 6'. IU's other frosh breastroker, Lilly King, is probably 5'8"/5'9".

UCLA's Allison Wine is originally from the East Bay and she exploded after signing day too. Now also a sub-minute. For the record, she's only 5'4".

No discernible Cal connection to Minnesota's Lindsey Horejsi, but she could help the Bears. Would free up Baker to swim the back legs on medley relays and choose between the 100 Back or 200 Free instead of the 100 Breast at NCAAs. Would give Teri more flexibility and not make another backstroker as big a need in this class. Horejsi in 2016 and Nikol Popov in 2017 would make Teri's breaststroke problems disappear.

Only lingering doubts about Teri are breast and distance. Cierra, Becca Mann, Sierra Scmidt or Courtney Harnish in 2017, and Madison Homovich in 2018 would do the same.

Remains to be seen how many $s Teri will commit to diving, so she may never have the textbook perfect team. Doesn't really matter, since she's already won 4 titles without every box being checked.

OBear073akaSMFan;842519185 said:

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I wonder though does size matter in the strokes. Maija is only 5-2 which means she has to pump a lot faster. I'm just saying & wondering.

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[COLOR="#006699"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Think it's a pretty complex subject where many factors are interdependently involved. Speaking of physical attributes only, size in terms of favourable height/body length & width/wingspan/hands & feet surface area can certainly confer an advantage. Other physical factors such as body density & flexibility, core strength & arm/leg power, stroke efficiency & rate/count, aerobic capacity, technique, feel for the water (to name but a few) can also come into play.

Now I can be sprouting a bit of made up nonsense here lol, but have noticed that traditionally at any rate, height by itself doesn't seem to be as much of a determining factor in the "short axis" strokes, [U]breast[/U] & [U]fly[/U] - esp. the former. Many of the elite breaststrokers seem to me to be shorter than their counterparts who are contesting the freestyle sprints & back events. Former World Record holder Rebecca Soni being a case in point. Now, Jessica Hardy & Dana Vollmer are pretty tall, but they aren't solely just breast or fly specialists since Hardy also excels in the sprint frees, and Dana was one of the top 200/100 freestylers in the world. Distance freestyle legend Janet Evans is, what, 5' 5" give or take an inch?

Always exceptions to the rule, of course, and that's a good thing. Also, as BD had pointed out, there is (recently?) a trend towards taller breaststrokers... Kirsten Vose, whom Teri had recruited for the Class of 2015 but who ultimately decided to swim for U$C instead, looks to be on the other side of 6 ft? Actually I'd rather have Miranda go to IU than to Salo's group, for selfish reasons of course hehe.

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Anyway, Senior Nationals poised for action in San Antonio next week (6-10 Aug). This will be the selection meet for Junior Worlds scheduled for 24-30 August @ Singapore.

http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1418&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en

Quick peek @ the psych sheet reveals a pretty exciting lineup - most of Cal's [U]Women's[/U] & [U]Men's[/U] Swim squads who aren't representing their countries in Kazan will be at this biggest domestic meet of the summer, including many of our famous postgrads & alums (minus Natalie, but compensated by Dana's continuing return to competition), plus a bunch of National Teamers who had put in some rather impressive performances at the recent [U]2015 World University[/U] & [U]Pam Am Games[/U]. Sizable Aussie contingent will be there as well, btw.

http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/05246695-5c72-4cb7-9318-957af5f0ad22/psyche%20sheet%20nationals.pdf

Really look forward to seeing Amy in action, could provide a gauge of how she's progressing in her ongoing recovery from her micro-fracture injuries and an indication of her hoped for contribution to :bear:s in the little pool this semester. Our very first 2016 commit, Keaton, will be on deck too!

Whole slew/gaggle of the [U]2016 class[/U] will show off their talents at this event actually. Many of them had eschewed Junior Nationals going on right now in order to participate at this higher-level meet.

Several familiar names who haven't verbalised their commitments and whom we have discussed on these pages include Katie Drabot, Claire Adams, Meghan Small, Beata Nelson, Allie Szekely, Lindsey Horejsi. Also in the mix: Erin Voss, Kirsten Jacobsen, Lauren Case, Erika Brown, Courtney Mykkanen, Chenoa Devine.

Interestingly, Alyssa (Marsh)'s racing Juniors but apparently not Seniors - perhaps she has plans to fly out to Kazan to cheer on her dad after this weekend? :p

Also saw the following names from the recruits class of 2017 & 2018: Cassidy Bayer, Sierra Schmidt, Hannah Kukurugya, Courtney Harnish, Madison Homovich, Isabella Rongione, Erin Earley, Nikol Popov, Victoria Edwards, Eva Merrell, Alexis Wenger, Paige Madden, Emma Nordin, Lucie Nordmann, Regan Barney, Ruby Martin, Brittany Usinger, Grace Ariola, Samantha Shelton...to name but a select few

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Amy Bilquist - [COLOR="#696969"]1 Aug[/COLOR]
Nats ready [SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]��[/COLOR] �� [COLOR="#0099cc"]��[/COLOR] �� [COLOR="#FFD700"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#800080"]��[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[COLOR="#696969"]Claire Adams[/COLOR]


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842519232 said:

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[COLOR="#006699"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]

http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/05246695-5c72-4cb7-9318-957af5f0ad22/psyche%20sheet%20nationals.pdf

Really look forward to seeing Amy in action, could provide a gauge of how she's progressing in her ongoing recovery from her micro-fracture injuries and an indication of her hoped for contribution to :bear:s in the little pool this semester. Our very first 2016 commit, Keaton, will be on deck too!

Whole slew/gaggle of the [U]2016 class[/U] will show off their talents at this event actually. Many of them had eschewed Junior Nationals going on right now in order to participate at this higher-level meet.

Several familiar names who haven't verbalised their commitments and whom we have discussed on these pages include Katie Drabot, Claire Adams, Meghan Small, Beata Nelson, Allie Szekely, Lindsey Horejsi. Also in the mix: Erin Voss, Kirsten Jacobsen, Lauren Case, Erika Brown, Courtney Mykkanen, Chenoa Devine. [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

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Will definitely be interesting to get some additional data points on recruits, but it's also pretty clear that some are stronger LCM swimmers (Drabot, Voss) and some are weaker LCM swimmers (Blovad, Beata, Adams, Horejsi). Will have to factor that into relative results).

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842515887 said:

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[COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=5]#13 Recruit Keaton Blovad Commits to Defending NCAA Champs Cal[/SIZE][/COLOR]



http://swimswam.com/13-recruit-keaton-blovad-commits-to-defending-ncaa-champs-cal/


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Was initially confused about the timing and fit of KB's commit because thought there were more pressing needs (breast and distance), but now have a more reasonable idea of how Teri may potentially use KB. Georgia's Meaghan Raab was one of Teri's top targets in the 2014 class and her prep times/profile are very similar to KB's:

http://swimswam.com/7-meaghan-raab-tailor-made-georgia-bulldog-recruit/

Raab swam 3 individual events/2 relays at NCAAs and was a scorer in the 200 IM. KB probably swims same individual events (200 IM, 200 Free, 100 Free). As an aside, Dawgs really need a breastroker if Raab swam the breast leg on the 200 Medley relay. Also surprised that Raab was a 400 Free relay swimmer at Georgia. Cal free relays will be young and deep when KB arrives, but she has a lot of upside if she can get some consistent coaching.

As strong as recruiting has been, you can still see Teti backfilling on transfers and recruiting misses. Lauren Driscoll projected as a distance savior (500/400 IM/1650). Didn't happen and she now swims the same events as former classmate Naze (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Back). Bears would nhave additional depth in the 500 Free and 200 Back had Driscoll worked out.

Teri wasn't going to take Eastin over any of the Dream Team, but she does have a looming 400 IM hole with potentially only LI in 2017. Eastin would have fixed that and Mann, Small, AS, or Drabot still can. Baker's needed for the breast leg of the 200 Medley relay and a 400 IM, 200 Free, 800 Free relay is probably too much for Drabot. Drabot works best at Cal if she's paired with Mann, Small, or AS.

Cierra is the classic high value distance recruit (500/200/1650), but Bears now have enough 200 Free depth that they can look for distance recruits (Mann, Schmidt, Harnish, Homovich) who have the 400 IM as their third event instead of looking for another 800 Free relay leg. KB's not super fast in the 200 Free right now, so Teri can work on her fly and breast and potentially swap the 400 IM for the 200 Free.

Of the potential locals, none have three events, but Isleta looks promising in the 400 IM and Simonds looks promising in the 500 Free. Like Campbell (200/500), they could be potential NCAA qualifiers/scorers in the future.

Drabot got DQed in the 200 IM final (her only event) at Juniors. Incoming LSJU frosh Eastin and Williams go first and second. If Drabot swims for the Bears, her first day event would be the 500 Free instead of the 200 IM. Li, Baker, and Blovad would swim the 200 IM instead of Drabot.