BearDevil;842856399 said:

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Robin's rated the 33rd ranked 2017 recruit on college swimming. That's patently absurd. LCM/SCY conversions are imprecise, but she did finish 16th in the world in 200 m Free. Her converted time (1:43.49) would have been 7th at 2017 NCAAs.

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[COLOR="#006699"]With you on that - don't forget that CollegeSwimming had placed Abbey @ #40 nationally back in the summer of 2014!!!

[INDENT]http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?84251-Women-s-Swim-Recruits&p=842317829&viewfull=1#post842317829[/INDENT]

Robin's 1:58.66 leading off the Dutch [U]4x200m Free Relay[/U] prelims @ 2017 Worlds, and her 1:58.80 time in the individual semis, are both off her PB. However the former still translates to a very solid 1:44.01 yards time (using SwimSwam's Speedo Time Conversion Tool) that would have placed in the B finals @ the last NCAAs ... incidentally, faster in this event than any of the 2017 "super-furdette" freshie class!

Also agree that Long Course Metres to Short Course Yards conversions aren't always reliable (for one, they can't accurately factor in a swimmer's performance when it comes to their walls & underwaters v. their over-the-waters).

But, as you can see from my chart of our women's [U]200y Free[/U] best times that would have earned at least a 2017 NCAA 'B' cut (with the incoming furdettes who are rated the top 2017 recruits class included for comparison), the figures match quite closely in Katie McL & Anina's cases...
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[SIZE=4][U]200y Free[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: [U]1:43.63[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]1:43.73[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Kathleen Baker ....... 1:42.66...... 2017 NCAAs
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Katie McLaughlin ..... 1:43.01...... 2015 May [COLOR="#696969"]{also, 1:57.55 LCM (2015 June) => 1:43.01 SCY!}[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Abbey Weitzeil ........ 1:43.25...... 2016 Mar
[COLOR="#8B4513"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"] Robin Neumann[/COLOR] ..... 1:43.28...... 2016 Apr (converted from [U]200m Free[/U] LCM time of 1:57.85)[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]1:44.96[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] ......... 1:44.68...... 2017 Feb[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003366"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA Slowest [COLOR="#0099cc"]Invited[/COLOR] Time (39th) = [U]1:45.44[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Amy Bilquist ............ 1:45.03...... 2015 Mar (busted out 1:42.08 @ 2017 NCAAs w/flying start in the [U]800 Free Relay[/U]) [/COLOR]


[COLOR="#000000"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' Cut: [U]1:47.99[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Lauren Pitzer[/COLOR] ......... 1:45.68...... 2014 Dec
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Keaton Blovad ......... 1:46.05...... 2016 Georgia Fall Invite
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Jenna Campbell ....... 1:46.35...... 2013 May
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Jasmine Mau ........... 1:47.09...... 2014 Mar
[COLOR="#006400"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Hannah Kukurugya[/COLOR] . 1:47.10...... 2015 Dec
[COLOR="#006400"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Lauren Green[/COLOR] ......... 1:47.12...... 2016 May
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Valerie Hull ............. 1:47.33...... 2016 Georgia Fall Invite
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Anina Lund ............. 1:47.36...... 2016 Georgia Fall Invite [COLOR="#696969"]{also, 2:02.31 LCM (2017 Apr) => 1:47.30 SCY}[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"] Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] .......... 1:47.77...... 2017 May (converted from [U]200m Free[/U] LCM time of 2:02.83)[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]Curr ��[/COLOR] Chenoa Devine .........1:47.78...... 2016 Feb
[COLOR="#8B4513"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sophie K-Zhou[/COLOR] ....... 1:47.90...... 2016 Mar
[COLOR="#8B4513"]2017 ��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Dannie Dilsaver[/COLOR] ...... 1:47.91...... 2016 Nov


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Robin: Bye Budapest, thanks for the great memories ������
Swimming my first finals at a big meet has got me even more motivated for the future and my exciting adventure ahead [SIZE=3]������[/SIZE]
Next stop: World Cup in Berlin ���� #finabudapest2017 #worldcup [COLOR="#DAA520"]#calbears[/COLOR]




https://instagr.am/p/BXNdWrADUFz


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842854042 said:

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=3]L.A. Invite: [U]Night 1 & 2[/U][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Of note, I believe that 2017 baby :bear: Ali had achieved a new PB of 2:32.81 in her [U]200m Breast[/U] today - her old best was 2:33.52 from May of this year! :beer:

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[COLOR="#006699"]2017 baby :bear: Alicia Harrison continuing her PB-breaking streak! :bravo

The 100 distance & shorter may be her stronger suit, but Ali achieved a lifetime best of 2:29.69 to place 6th in the 'A' final of the [U]200m Breast[/U] at the 2017 U.S. Open this evening, after having busted out a 2:30.33 PB in prelims.

Was out-touched by 2017 Trojan signee Mags Aroesty (2:29.53) in this 'A' final event, whilst 2018 furdette commits Allie Raab (2:29.18) & Zoe Bartel (2:29.37) were also a bit faster in their 1-2 sweep of the 'B' final.

Still, a pair of very impressive swims today...well done Ali!
[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842858393 said:

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[COLOR="#006699"]2017 baby :bear: Alicia Harrison continuing her PB-breaking streak! :bravo

The 100 distance & shorter may be her stronger suit, but Ali achieved a lifetime best of 2:29.69 to place 6th in the 'A' final of the [U]200m Breast[/U] at the 2017 U.S. Open this evening, after having busted out a 2:30.33 PB in prelims.

Was out-touched by 2017 Trojan signee Mags Aroesty (2:29.53) in this 'A' final event, whilst 2018 furdette commits Allie Raab (2:29.18) & Zoe Bartel (2:29.37) were also a bit faster in their 1-2 sweep of the 'B' final.

Still, a pair of very impressive swims today...well done Ali!
[/COLOR]

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I really hope that Ali and Ema develop into the superstar breaststrokers that we need and hope for. They need to make Abbey the third best breaststroker on the team!

tedbear;842858447 said:

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I really hope that Ali and Ema develop into the superstar breaststrokers that we need and hope for. They need to make Abbey the third best breaststroker on the team!

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[COLOR="#006699"]Hear hear! Would rather not "waste" Abbey on the breast leg of our medley relays, saving our sprint ace for the free anchor in those races. Both Ema & Ali are on the cusp of an NCAA invite in the [U]100 Breast[/U] individual, so look forward to their development when they start training with the team and under Teri! :beer:

As for the [U]200 Breast[/U], think we'll have a fairly studly breaststroker already there in the guise of Sarah, who would have scored in the B final @ 2017 NCAAs with her converted time!
[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842854042 said:

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Ali smashed a couple of PBs ... and 1:01.02 for 4th in the [U]100m fly[/U] (prev PB = 1:01.18 from May)

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[COLOR="#006699"]Alicia at it again with a 1:00.28 (Prelims) & 1:00.16 (3rd in the B Final) at the 2017 U.S. Open this afternoon. New PB in the [U]100m fly[/U] by almost a full second!


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Er, a mite off-topic, but the men's team were champs on last night's [U]4x100m[/U] + tonight's [U]4x200m[/U] relays! Matt Josa also the winner in the [U]M 100m Fly[/U]!








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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842854042 said:

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Ali smashed a couple of PBs, 1:09.36 in the [U]100m breast[/U] to take 2nd (old PB = 1:10.26 from July 2015)

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[COLOR="#006699"]Her PB-breaking spree evidently still very much in play,Alicia dropped a nice 1:08.94 in the [U]100m breast[/U] during this morning's prelims for a new LCM lifetime best in this event! :beer:

Wasn't able to quite reproduce that pace in the A final this evening. Touched the wall at the 50m mark in 3rd, but then faded relative to the field in the last 30m or so to finish 7th, ahead of 2018 furdette Allie Raab.

If Ali had swum her finals in her prelims time, she would have come in 4th, beating breast ace recruits Zoe Bartel (2018 furdette) & Maggie Aroesty (2017 trojanette)...
[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#006699"]
Robin was very impressive with her 1:55.56 PB during the morning heats for the [U]200m Free[/U] (short course) to claim the #5 seed for finals at the Berlin stop of the FINA World Cup today! :acclaim:

That lifetime best time converts to 1:44.10 SCY, which would have scored in the B final @ 2017 NCAAs. Neumann's entry time was 1:58.16.

Had the 2nd fastest last 50m split of the entire field too. Outswam some big names like Aussies Cate Campbell, Brittany Elmslie & Blair Evans, and will contest finals later today against superstars Sarah Sjstrm, Federica Pellegrini & Femke Heemskerk!
[/COLOR]

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Robin: When you swim an unexpected pb on the 200 free and also swim a limit for the European short course championships ���� �� #waitwhat #me? #berlin #swc2017 #copenhagen #shortcourse




https://instagr.am/p/BXcw-M4jJ5-


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[COLOR="#006699"]
Completing her PR-busting streak, our breast specialist baby :bear: turned in a 26.54 in the [U]50m Free[/U] during the prelims session on the final day of the US Open.

Ali's old PB was a 26.75 from June 2016.

LCM to SCY conversion of this latest 26.54 long course metres time would yield a theoretical 23.18 in yards, whilst Alicia's current best for the [U]50y Free[/U] is actually a 23.73 from Dec 2015.
[/COLOR]

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Ali: Jumpin' for joy bc 5 events & 5 drops!!! NY you treated me too well ������




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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]SARAH DARCEL COMPLETES IM SWEEP AT CANADIAN NATIONALS[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"]Sarah Darcel had two more lifetime bests on Sunday in Montreal. Archive photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography[/COLOR]


18-year old Island Swimming Club swimmer Sarah Darcel completed a sweep of the IM races on Sunday and teenagers dominated the women's [U]100 fly[/U] final as the Canadian Swimming Championships rolled through their 3rd day.

Darcel opened the session with a 2:12.32 in the [U]200 IM[/U], beating out 2016 Olympian Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, who was 2nd in 2:13.89. That's a new best time for Darcel, improving about two-tenths from her time at Canada's World Championship Trials.

Later, in the women's [U]100 fly[/U], teenagers again ruled the day. None of those top three swam best times, but Darcel did again with her 4th-place finish of 1:00.17.

The top men's performer of the day was Jeremy Bagshaw of Island Swimming.


https://swimswam.com/sara-darcel-completes-im-sweep-at-canadian-nationals/


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[COLOR="#006699"]
[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]NOTE[/SIZE][/COLOR]:

Sarah's 2:12.32 LCM (new PB) => 1:56.32 SCY, a time which would have scored in the [U]200 IM[/U] B final at 2017 NCAAs (#15 overall)!

- Prev [U]200m IM[/U] PB = 2:12.51 from 2017 Canadian Trials back in April.




Furthermore, Darcel's 1:00.17 LCM (new PB) => 52.94 SCY, which would have marked her as the quickest [U]100 flyer[/U] amongst the incoming froskis, if it wasn't for fellow baby :bear: Ali's 1:00.16 PB from a couple of days ago haha :p

(Both of our fast improving signees are still less than half a second away from an NCAA invite in what's an off-event for the pair)

- Sarah's prev [U]100m Fly[/U] PB = 1:00.59 from last month.


Sarah Darcel is now a potential scorer @ NCAAs in her 3 likely Nattys events, [U]200y IM[/U] / [U]400y IM[/U] / [U]200y Breast[/U], based on these converted LCM best times! :beer:
[/COLOR]

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]WOG, ZAVAROS & [U]DARCEL[/U] TIE FOR HIGH POINT AWARD AT CANADIAN NATIONALS[/SIZE][/COLOR]



Darcel of Island Swimming finished in the top three in four of her five events, sweeping the IMs and finishing runner-up in the 200 breast and 200 fly. She added a 4th place finish in the 100 fly.


https://swimswam.com/wog-zavaros-darcel-tie-high-point-award-canadian-nationals/


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842830700 said:

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[COLOR="#0066cc"]
[INDENT][U]Robin: 400m Free LCM results (Eindhoven Swim Cup) [/U][/INDENT]

Robin was 5th with her 4:15.59 in the [U]400m Free[/U] A final. 3rd fastest Dutch woman in that race, and a new PB to boot (prev = 4:16.26, from April 2016). The 2017 FINA 'A' standard is 4:10.57.

According to the SwimSwam Swim Time Converter, the "equivalent" [U]500y Free[/U] time = 4:46.37, though take that with a grain of salt as reckon that 400m LCM is quite a different sort of race from 500y SCY...

Katie McL is still Bears' swiftest in this distance (4:36.04 PB which is 2017 NCAA A finals worthy), followed by Chenoa (4:41.19 that qualifies for a 2017 NCAA invite), with Thleen (4:45.49 from Jan 2016) & Jenna (4:45.83 from May 2015) also having been faster albeit from a while ago.

Robin's 4:46.37 converted time would have earned her a 2017 NCAA 'B' cut (4:47.79) at any rate.

Heck, any assistance we can get in the middle & long distance freestyle dept would be sorely welcome as that has been one of Cal's glaring weaknesses for some while now! If Chenoa & Robin can make strides and develop in this area, would help take the pressure off McL having to take one for the team in this event similar to what Missy had endured in her freshie season.[/COLOR]

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BearDevil;842830716 said:

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Robin's a good get for our Bears: (SCYs conversion pending), should be plug and play on the 800/400 Free Relays. Gravy if you can move down to swim a 200 Free Relay leg or move up to score in the 500.

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[COLOR="#006699"]
Well Robin continuing to make gains by breaking another PB, on Day 2 of the Berlin World Cup finals session today :beer:



Neumann's 4:07.84 [U]400m Free[/U] SCM => 4:43.24 [U]500y Free[/U] SCY, which edges her closer to the NCAA Invite time of 4:41.84 from last year's championship.

Old PB = 4:09.67 (Dec 2016), according to CollegeSwimming.

Robin now becomes potentially the 3rd fastest on this coming season's squad at this distance, after Katie McL. & Chenoa.


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[/COLOR]
Robin: Couldn't have wished to end my season in a better way���� Always love swimming in the pool where I first became German champion back in 2010 ���� Now my next adventure truly can begin [SIZE=3]��[/SIZE] America here I come ���� #swc2017 #berlin #calbears




https://instagr.am/p/BXgLAvyjNEG

[COLOR="#006699"]
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Well recent pool results for our incoming freshies have been very encouraging indeed, brings to mind the conversations I've had with several prominent BearInsiders...er, if I may take the liberty of liberally quoting some of their astute observations here
[INDENT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Garamond][COLOR="#696969"]"Coach Teri, once again, showing she knows what she is doing. :acclaim:"

"Robin, Darcel, and Ali is a sneaky good under the radar class. Teri knows talent and upside: Farida, Maddie, Bing."[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [/INDENT]

I do realise that it's all too facile for our cheering squad to act like armchair pundits by cherry-picking the top-ranked swimming recruits from a list, then going on to whinge & lament that most of our "wants" went elsewhere as had seemingly happened to the last 2 recruiting classes, which was a massive let-down for some here particularly after the heady rush & excitement over Dream Team 2015 (Thleen, Amy, Katie, Abbey)!

However, those rankings can be very arbitrary and not necessarily an accurate indicator of the upside for a recruit - personal bests as static snapshots don't tell the whole story, such as the candidate's interest & fit for the swim programme/team/coaching, their academics, personality, aspirations, the areas of need for the team, scholly considerations etc.

That pesky furdette juggernaut may strut around confident that they will be receiving accolades from SwimSwam & others once again for reeling in the #1 haul of this recruiting class ... 5 saplings on SS's [U]Top 20[/U] list, with 4 of them ranked in the [U]Top 10[/U]:
[INDENT]Brooke Forde (#4), Lauren Pitzer (#6), Hannah Kukurugya (#8), Grace Zhao (#10), Ashley Volpenhein (#12)[/INDENT]

Whilst none of our baby Bears were deemed worthy of inclusion on the SwimSwam list... :cry:

[INDENT]https://swimswam.com/top-20-ncaa-recruits-girls-high-school-class-2017/[/INDENT]

Switching to College Swimming's ranking system yields similar stats, the above 5 furdettes on CS' [U]Top 21[/U] metrics (Forde = #1), with Lauren Green bringing up the rear @ #28.

Compare that to our incoming froskis ratings by College Swimming, as of 7 Aug 2017:
[INDENT]Sarah (#12), Robin (#33), Sophie (#53), Ali (#58), Dannie (#97), Elizabeth (#143), Alexa (#160), Natalie (#246)[/INDENT]

[INDENT]https://www.collegeswimming.com/recruiting/rankings/2017/F/[/INDENT]

Anyway reckon what I really wanted to point out in this rather meandering post is that things actually look quite bright for our freshies who will be hitting the campus starting this weekend, despite some appearances on the surface!

IMHO several of our latest :bear: are grossly under-rated, which is partially confirmed by their performances from this summer (Robin, Ali, Sarah in particular), whilst others may start to hit their stride as recent injuries may have downplayed their results this past year (Dannie).


In Teri We Trust! :gobears:
[/COLOR]

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Robin: Question of the day: How am I going to sneak teddy past airport security and then into my dorm room? ���� #teddy #calbears #qotd #backhomefor24hours




https://instagr.am/p/BXhglrpjlkr


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Robin: It's happening ... bags are packed, tears have been shed, goodbyes have been said. No turning back now. America here I come ✈️���� #movenumber12 #berkeley #calbears




https://instagr.am/p/BXkHD6NDuxD


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2017 Froskis are in town! :cheer

They may have to wait a couple of weeks for Sarah Darcel to join them, as she'll be racing for Canada at the World University Games starting in Taipei next Sunday...

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Cal W Swim & Dive;: It's Move-in Weekend at Cal and our new freshmen are starting to settle into their dorm rooms. Welcome, Baby Bears! @CalAthletics


Ali, Alexa, Elizabeth


Dannie, Sophie


Robin, Sarah, Alexa, Ali, Elizabeth

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Cal W Swim & Dive;: More Baby Bears on the way on Move-in Day! Jackie Im and Kathleen Navas are ready to dive into college. #GoBears @CalAthletics


Jackie Im


Kathleen Navas

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]RANKING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NCAA RECRUITING CLASSES: #9-12[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[SIZE=3]HONORABLE MENTIONS (NO PARTICULAR ORDER):[/SIZE]

Mizzou
Minnesota
Ohio State
Louisville
Arizona State


[SIZE=3]#12: VIRGINIA[/SIZE]

[U]Top-tier additions[/U]: #18 Paige Madden, Kyla Valls, Erin Earley, Abby Richter, Emma Seiberlich
Others: Anna Pang, Marcie Maguire, Caroline Gmelich, Jocelyn Porter (diver)


[SIZE=3]#11: ALABAMA[/SIZE]

[U]Top-tier additions[/U]: Leonie Kullmann, Flora Molnar
Others: Amy Stevens (diver), Bean Faunce, Julia Kukla, Kaila Wong, Kathryn Nicholson, Leonie Kullmann, Lydia Jackson, Mallory Underwood, Maria Reed, Nicole Smith, Sezin Eligul, Sydney Dawson, Tori van Buskirk


[SIZE=3]#10: NC STATE[/SIZE]

[U]Top-tier additions[/U]: Julia Poole, Tamila Holub, Olivia Calegan, Jacquee Clabeaux, Summer Finke (transfer), Lexie Lupton (transfer)
Others: Maddie Morello, Miranda Donley, Olivia Fisher, Kate Moore, Danika Huizinga, Anna Shumate


[SIZE=3]#9: GEORGIA[/SIZE]

[U]Top-tier additions[/U]: #1 Courtney Harnish, Sammie Burchill, Olivia Anderson, Danielle Dellatorre
Others: Donna Blaum, Emmaline Peterson, Kayla Tennant, Maddie Wallis


https://swimswam.com/ranking-the-2017-womens-ncaa-recruiting-classes-9-12/


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[COLOR="#006699"]
So, where on this [U]Top 12[/U] list do you all think our Baby Bears should be ranked?

Obviously I'd like to believe that our freshies are [U]Top 4[/U] material, esp after considering Robin, Sarah & Ali's upside potential amongst other promising things :cheer

However, in a sneaky sort of way, I may actually prefer to see SwimSwam rate our :bear: [U]#5 - #8[/U] (that writeup will prob. be published tomorrow), i.e. a super sleeper class slipping under most pundits' radar...whilst the furdettes as the #1 class gets the glaring spotlight focussed on them with all the attendant expectations & pressure lol.

Keep in mind that this 2017 class may be somewhat weaker than the following two. So, in spite of all the hype surrounding LSJU snagging 4 of the Top Ten (and 5 of the Top Twenty!), none of the saplings are at present guaranteed to score massive points or make an immediate relay impact - other than ace Brooke Forde in her individual events (in fact several of them didn't improve on their PBs this past spring/summer).

This would also partly apply to the Trojanettes, who are likely to be rated in the [U]Top 4[/U], but where some of their incoming swimmers may be arguably over-advertised in terms of their upside...

Programmes like the Wolverines (Miranda Tucker, Taylor Garcia to a lesser extent), Horns (Kennedy Lohman) & even the Gators (Lilina Szilgyi) will also get a significant boost from these aforementioned impact transfers/internationals on top of their regular cadre of recruits.
[/COLOR]

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RANKING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NCAA RECRUITING CLASSES: #5-8


#8: TEXAS LONGHORNS

Top-tier additions: #11 Victoria Edwards (TX fly/back), Evie Pfeifer (MO free), Ella Tierney (IL free), Kennedy Lohman (Arizona transfer breast)

Others: Ashley Pollok, Emily Reese, Grace Ritch, Peyton Quattlebaum, Logan Shiller


#7: FLORIDA GATORS

Top-tier additions: Liliana Szilagyi (Hungary fly), #17 Taylor Ault (CA distance free), Bettina Boszormenyi (Hungary free), Rachel Ramey (TX breast)

Others: Nikki Miller, Gabrielle Hillis, Jillian Hatch (Pacific transfer), Emma Whitner (diving)


#6: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Top-tier additions: #5 Nikol Popov (CA breast/IM), Tjasa Pintar (Slovenia free/breast/IM), Alexis Yager (IL IM/breast), Stanzi Moseley (USC transfer free)

Others: Emily Sykes, Megan Sichterman, Bailey Grinter, Amanda Nunan


#5: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS



Top-tier additions: Robin Neumann (Netherlands free), Sarah Darcel (Canada IM/breast), Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou (CA back), Ali Harrison (CA breast)

Others: Alexandra Skorus-Neely, Dannie Dilsaver, Natalie Tuck, Elizabeth Bailey, Briana Thai (diving), Jackie IM (diving), Kathleen Navas (diving)

Cal is another international-heavy class at the top. Robin Neumann rolls in from the Netherlands with freestyle times clearly a cut above any other international on this list. She's been 1:57.8 in the 200 meter free (converts to 1:43.2) and 55.0 in the 100 meter free (converts to 48.1), which would put her right about at Moseley's level, depending on how well she makes the difficult transition to the college-sized pool.

Canadian Sarah Darcel is a 4:39 long course IMer, which should put her into A final contention based on conversions (roughly 4:05). She had as good a summer as she possibly could without making the Canadian World Champs team, coming up third at Canadian Trials in both the 200 and 400 IMs. Darcel should have NCAA scoring shots in both IMs, and is maybe an outsider to fix Cal's longtime breaststroke woes, with long course times of 2:27 in the 200 and 1:10 in the 100.

Within the states, California got local Santa Clara product Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou, who's a nice versatile pickup. She's 53-mid in both fly and back with solid 200s (headed by a 1:56.7 back) and a 1:47.9 in the 200 free that could make her a future relay chip.

With the rest of the class, Cal went after its two biggest weaknesses: breaststroke and diving. Ali Harrison is on the cusp of a sub-minute breaststroke, and is coming off a massive summer that saw her drop from 2:34 to 2:29 in the 200 long course meter breast and 1:10 to 1:08 in the 100 meter breast. Those times well outclass her current short course bests (1:00.8 & 2:13.5), suggesting Cal might be getting a Mallory Comerford-type riser who blows up just before starting college and keeps surging from there.

Beyond Harrison, Alexandra Skorus-Neely and Natalie Tuck both specialize in breaststroke. Dannie Dilsaver could project as a breaststroker, too, but is also pretty good in free and fly. Then the Bears added a trio of divers to round out a big class that's pretty well-targeted based on need.


https://swimswam.com/ranking-2017-womens-ncaa-recruiting-classes-5-8/


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Fifth is a reasonable ranking for the 2017 class, especially since the most important recruits (Robin, Darcel, and Ali) all still have upside.

Assume the top four will be LSJU, 'SC, Michigan, and A&M. As long as Manuel and Ledecky are both still on the team, the 'furdettes will be heavy NCAA favorites.

Georgia's still dangerous, but they're fading. A&M and Texas are on the rise.

No quibbles with your guesstimate on the top 4 or their ordering, BD!

The 2 Texas teams will def continue to challenge for a Top 3-5 spot, and could become even more dangerous with their impressive haul of highly-rated 2017 + 2018 recruits.

Dawgs have suffered from a bit of a hiccup in their recruiting since the incident involving their coach and a certain Olympian, could find themselves struggling more than a mite to be in contention what with the loss of studs Olivia Smoligal, Chantal Van Landeghem & co. this season...but shouldn't be discounted down the road as their 2017 & esp 2018 recruiting appears to be returning to form & more.

Trojanettes remain sort of a mystery to me - keep getting these monster classes the past few years (initially quantity-wise, but lately of a very high calibre, and 2018 will continue that trend), doing really well at conference - but then somehow don't fulfill their full potential at the big dance, when it matters the most...

The furdette juggernaut...what more can I say that hasn't been expressed here already?! Short of our extremely wishful cheering for Ledecky & Manuel to go pro early lol, 2019 NCAAs could represent our biggest chance to pull off the upset - with the Dream Team still eligible, key Bears with big upsides from the 2016 & 2017 froski classes coming into their own, supported by a promising 2018 class hopefully to be headed up by Eva and perhaps even MSH.

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RANKING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NCAA RECRUITING CLASSES: #1-4


#4: USC TROJANS

Top-tier additions: #3 Margaret Aroesty (NY - breast/IM), #13 Marta Ciesla (FL - sprint free), #14 Caitlin Tycz (ME - fly), Isabella Rongione

The rest: N/A

This is a very top-heavy class and, well, the top is the only thing that's there. Only four are joining the Trojans in the fall, but the kind of talent in those four is enough to get USC to the top tier of our rankings.

They snagged the fastest sprint breaststroker in the class, which is something that even schools like Cal and Georgia (and Stanford, though Grace Zhao might be able to buck that trend and the class of 2022 is certainly going to change that around) have a lot of trouble doing.


#3: TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Top-tier additions: #9 Taylor Pike (AR - fly), #16 Anna Belousova (MD/Russia - breast), #19 Joy Field (TX - distance), Haley Yelle (TX - distance)

The rest: Kara Eisenmann, Audrey McMurry, Camryn Toney, Charlye Campbell (diver), Haley Walding (diver)

The Aggies did a great job of snagging in-state talent, with all but Taylor Pike (Arkansas) and Anna Belousova (Maryland/Russia) coming from Texas.

The supporting cast is also promising for A&M, which is ultimately what puts them ahead of USC on this list. There are two divers joining up, too, which is another plus.


#2: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Top-tier additions: #2 Sierra Schmidt (PA - distance), #15 Alexis Margett (CA - fly), Miranda Tucker (IU transfer), Taylor Garcia (Arizona transfer), Daria Pyshnenko (IL - sprinter), Kate Krolikowski (CA - free/IM)

The rest: Alex Hughes, Claire Maiocco, Emma Cleason, Margaret Rogers (diver), Nikki Canale (diver), Christy Cutshaw (diver)

Transfers have shaken things up a bit this summer, but Michigan really cashed in now that all the dust has settled.

Essentially, Michigan has covered all of the bases with lots of added depth in fly and free, and they are shoring up their backstroke and breaststroke groups with incoming transfers. There's no pure IM talent in this class, though Krolikowski has been 2:00/4:15 in the IM's and could go that route instead of the mid-distance free track.


#1: STANFORD CARDINAL

Top-tier additions: #4 Brooke Forde (KY - IM/everything), #6 Lauren Pitzer (TX - free), #8 Hannah Kukurugya (IN - fly), #10 Grace Zhao (CA - breast), #12 Ashley Volpenhein (OH - sprint free)

The rest: Lauren Green, Katie Glavinovich

Rarely do we see something like four top 10 and five top 20 recruits committing to the same school quite like we've seen it happen with the Stanford women. Welcome to Greg Meehan's dynasty.

Stanford's class is much like Michigan, getting elite speed in nearly every event, and whereas Michigan lacks IM talent, Stanford is missing backstroke power. With Hu, Howe, Erin Voss, and Allie Szekely on the roster, though, there's no immediate need for that anyways.

https://swimswam.com/ranking-the-2017-ncaa-womens-recruiting-classes-1-4/


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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RANKING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NCAA RECRUITING CLASSES: #5-8

#7: FLORIDA GATORS

Top-tier additions: Liliana Szilagyi (Hungary fly), #17 Taylor Ault (CA distance free), Bettina Boszormenyi (Hungary free), Rachel Ramey (TX breast)

https://swimswam.com/ranking-2017-womens-ncaa-recruiting-classes-5-8/

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Liliana Szilagyi -> Switzerland?!

https://instagr.am/p/BY8S_OUnHaE

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25 Sept UPDATE =>

https://instagr.am/p/BZdzKJ7niuD

Also as confirmed by SwimSwam:

https://swimswam.com/brazils-arilson-silva-adds-hungarian-liliana-szilagyi-to-squad/

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An update on the progress & development of a few of our froskis, seeing that the 2018 edition of Pac-12 Championships had just concluded last night.

2018 NCAAs will naturally be the more relevant meet for ultimately evaluating the performances of our 2017 frosh class...

For reference - 2018 Pac-12s thread here => https://bearinsider.com/forums/5/topics/78662/1


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* ALI * - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #75 in the 2017 class by CollegeSwimming)

................. (v. #10 ranked sapling Grace Zhao who had also taken an official visit to Cal, but elected instead to go to her "dream school" aka the Farm)

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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2017 CIF Southern Section Champs are underway. Of some note was Alicia Harrison's 27.91 breast split for Ventura in the 200 Medley Relay. Let's see if she can improve upon that in the finals session...

Would be ever so fab for us if Ali can drop down to the upper 26s to low 27s after a season of training under Teri & Ian, as that would allow Abbey to throw down an insane anchor to increase our chances of repeating this relay title now that Bears will no longer have the luxury of using Farida to close out the race! For some perspective, Abbey had busted out a 26.67 @ 2017 NCAAs, and a 27.00 @ 2017 Pac-12s.

FINALS UPDATE => Ali killed it with a dominating 27.71 breast split to propel Ventura High to an upset win in the200 Medley Relay finals!! Next fastest breast split in the field was a 28.93.

Definitely positions Ali for consideration for a medley relay spot @ 2018 NCAAs, esp if she can drop more time in her upcoming freshie year.

For reference, the corresponding medley relay splits @ 2017 Pac-12s for our Bears were 27.00 (Abbey), 27.76 (Marina), 28.15 (Maija), 28.59 (Alexa B).

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Very impressed by Alicia Harrison's performances @ the 2017 California High School Swimming Girls State Championship this weekend!

Standout race for our 2017 recruit had to be the 100 Breast A final, where Ali stormed to 2nd place not that far behind furdette-to-be Grace Zhao who took the win in 1:00.66.

Noteworthy here was Ali dipping into the minute territory for the first time in her career, with her new PB of 1:00.80! (prev lifetime best = 1:01.22 from Dec 2016)

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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tedbear;842858447 said:

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I really hope that Ali and Ema develop into the superstar breaststrokers that we need and hope for. They need to make Abbey the third best breaststroker on the team!

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Hear hear! Would rather not "waste" Abbey on the breast leg of our medley relays, saving our sprint ace for the free anchor in those races. Both Ema & Ali are on the cusp of an NCAA invite in the100 Breast individual, so look forward to their development when they start training with the team and under Teri!

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swimswam said:

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"#10 Grace Zhao is at NCAA scoring level in the 200 breast at 2:09.1, and her 1:00.5 100 complements that nicely. She'll be a big help to Kim Williams, who had to ditch the IM's for the most part last season to take over as Stanford's medley breaststroker."

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2018 Pac-12 Finals - placing & time

100 Breast: #4 Ali (59.52) - NCAA #17 ... v. #5 Grace (1:00.04) - NCAA #32
200 Breast: #6 Ali (2:10.56) - NCAA #45 ... v. #7 Grace (2:10.57) - NCAA #46 (to be fair Grace does have a faster 2:09.88 this season from the LSJU @ 'SC dual = NCAA #33)
50 Free: #35 Grace (23.35)

200 MR: Ali (26.75) - Grace (27.24)
400 MR: Ali (59.06) - Grace (DNS)


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* ROBIN * - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #33 in the 2017 class by CollegeSwimming)

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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BearDevil said:

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Robin's rated the 33rd ranked 2017 recruit on college swimming. That's patently absurd. LCM/SCY conversions are imprecise, but she did finish 16th in the world in 200 m Free

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Robin was very impressive with her 1:55.56 PB during the morning heats for the 200m Free (short course) to claim the #5 seed for finals at the Berlin stop of the FINA World Cup today! That lifetime best time converts to 1:44.10 SCY, which would have scored in the B final @ 2017 NCAAs. Neumann's entry time was 1:58.16.

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Well Robin continuing to make gains by breaking another PB, on Day 2 of the Berlin World Cup finals session today
Neumann's 4:07.84 400m Free SCM => 4:43.24 500y Free SCY, which edges her closer to the NCAA Invite time of 4:41.84 from last year's championship.

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2018 Pac-12 Finals - placing & time

100 Free: #3 Robin (48.09) - NCAA #22
200 Free: #3 Robin (1:43.64) - relay leadoff time = NCAA #8 (0.08 sec from an 'A' cut!)
500 Free: #8 Robin (4:40.92) - NCAA #39

800 FR: Robin (1:43.38) - A team leadoff
200 FR: Robin (22.38) - B team anchor
400 FR: Robin (48.11) - B team 2nd leg


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* SARAH * - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #12 by CollegeSwimming)

BearDevil said:

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Her converted IM times are just outside scoring in the 200 and slightly farther back in the 400. Expectoration that she qualifies in both and scores in the 200 IM as a froskie. Early scorer in the 400 would be gravy.

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Canadian Nationals: Sarah's 2:12.32 LCM (new PB) => 1:56.32 SCY, a time which would have scored in the 200 IM B final at 2017 NCAAs (#15 overall)!

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2018 Pac-12 Finals - placing & time

200 IM: #2 Sarah (1:54.50) - NCAA #9 ('A' cut)
400 IM: #4 Sarah (4:03.00) - NCAA #6 ('A' cut)
200 Fly: #9 Sarah (1:55.26) - NCAA #26

800 FR: Sarah (1:44.55) - B team 3rd leg


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swimswam said:

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"RANKING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NCAA RECRUITING CLASSES:

***

#5: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
Top-tier additions: Robin Neumann (Netherlands free), Sarah Darcel (Canada IM/breast), Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou (CA back), Ali Harrison (CA breast)
The rest: Alexandra Skorus-Neely, Dannie Dilsaver, Natalie Tuck, Elizabeth Bailey, Briana Thai (diving), Jackie IM (diving), Kathleen Navas (diving)

***

#1 STANFORD CARDINAL
Top-tier additions: #4 Brooke Forde (KY IM/everything), #6 Lauren Pitzer (TX free), #8 Hannah Kukurugya (IN fly), #10 Grace Zhao (CA breast), #12 Ashley Volpenhein (OH sprint free)
The rest: Lauren Green, Katie Glavinovich

Rarely do we see something like four top 10 and five top 20 recruits committing to the same school quite like we've seen it happen with the Stanford women. Welcome to Greg Meehan's dynasty.

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barabbas said:

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Incredible with all the good publicity from the Olympics and a new pool that you have probably the worst recruiting class in 20 years. Teri needs to hire a super recruiter, immediately!!!

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ttgiang15 said:

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Yes, very mystifying. Between last year's top 20 signees, and this year's 19 of the top 20 committed recruits, Cal has only landed one. Given the strength of the program and upgrade in facilities, it doesn't make sense that Cal should be suffering a decline in recruiting.

Even Cal were swinging and missing on this year's recruits, one would have expected to see a much stronger group of official visitors.

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Here are some board comments from the 2018 Pac-12s topic comparing Bears & Furdettes' 2017 freshman classes...

tedbear said:

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Thoughts and feelings from the Pac 12 Championships.

-Winning four of five relays and having the best time in the nation on those relays! Woo Hoo!!!

-Props to the freshman for coming up huge. They definitely surpassed my expectations. Robin was 8th in the 500 Free, third in the 200 Free, and 3rd in the 100 Free. Sarah was 2nd in the 200 IM, 4th in the 400 IM, and 9th in the 200 Fly. Ali was 5th in the 100 Breast and 6th in the 200 Breast. Sophie K-Z was 6th in the 100 Back. Dannie was 13th in the 200 IM and 14th in the 400 IM.

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solobear said:

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Cal class 2017 is far better than what swim-websites ranked and projected.

The following freshmen made Pac-12 A finals.

Cal:
Neumann, Robin (500 FR, 200 FR, 100 FR)
Darcel, Sarah (200 IM, 400 IM)
Harrison, Ali (100 BR, 200 BR)
Krivokapic-Zhou (100 BK)

Furd:
Forde, Brooke (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 BR)
Pitzer, Lauren (500 FR, 200 FR)
Zhao, Grace (100 BR, 200 BR)
Kukurugya, Hann (400 IM)

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Conclusion - Teri knows way more than the recruiting pundits and casual fans!

International recruits are always great to have!! Robin and Sarah are more used to SCY now which is why they dropped so much !

When I was comparing our 2017 class & the Furd's highly touted 2017 class, I couldn't help but realize:
Robin > Lauren Pitzer
Ali = Grace Zhao
Sarah = Brooke Forde

Ashley Volpenhein was overrated, only went a 23.1 at Pac-12's and won't be making NCAA's

SwimSwam's unranked swimmers Lauren Green & Katie Glavinovich (recruited by Teri), both went under NCAA invite times, with Green in 41st & 33rd in the 100 & 200 fly (will also probably make it in 100 fly, as swimmer such as Claire Adams, Katie Grover, Beata Nelson, and maybe Katie McL will probably not swim it in favor or either the 200 free or 100 back. Glavinovich is 35th in the 400 IM, and might be cut as well due to the filled roster for the Card, and she's has a lower rank than another swimmer who only made one cut (Erin Voss)

tedbear said:

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Conclusion - Teri knows way more than the recruiting pundits and casual fans!

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The fact is that Cal has missed out on elite domestic recruits unlike the years previous to 2016. It appears that Cal May recapture their recruiting mojo for the 2019 class. As much as I love Missy, I think her dip in performance was/is due to her body maturing into something less optimal for swimming at the Olympic level. If she returns to Olympic form, I believe it will be in different events.

"2018 Pac-12 Finals - placing & time

100 Breast: #4 Ali (59.52) - NCAA #17 ... v. #5 Grace (1:00.04) - NCAA #32
200 Breast: #6 Ali (2:10.56) - NCAA #45 ... v. #7 Grace (2:10.57) - NCAA #46 (to be fair Grace does have a faster 2:09.88 this season from the LSJU @ 'SC dual = NCAA #33)
50 Free: #35 Grace (23.35)

200 MR: Ali (26.75) - Grace (27.24)
400 MR: Ali (59.06) - Grace (DNS)"
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Also this proves Teri can coach breaststroke! Send more breaststrokers!

Dannie Dilsaver has put her name into the transfer portal. Per Swimswam.

Best of luck to Dannie



The latest swimmer to enter the NCAA transfers database is Cal breaststroker Dannie Dilsaver, who will leave the program after 2 seasons.
Dilsaver grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she was an 11-time state champion at Lincoln Southwest High School and set four state records. A two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, she had to sit out her senior year of high school because she tore an ACL in her knee playing kickball with her club team, Greater Nebraska Swim Team. In her first year with the Golden Bears, Dilsaver went lifetime bests in the 100/200 breast and 200/400 IM. She ranked among Cal's top five swimmers in all four events. At the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, she placed 13th in the 200 IM (1:59.97), 14th in the 400 IM (4:14.84) and 16th in the 200 breast (2:15.96) and was named a 2018 CSCAA Scholar All-American. As a sophomore at the 2019 Pac-12 conference meet, she finished 12th in the 400 IM (4:15.64), 22nd in the 200 breast (2:15.04), and 24th in the 200 IM (2:00.65).
Dilsaver has not yet made an official announcement as to her destination for the 2019-20 season but by requesting that her name be placed in the database, she is free to talk to other coaches to explore her options.