UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842773809 said:

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[COLOR="#006699"]Reading that article you had linked to did stir up some mixed feelings and even sadness at my end. But will wait to read [COLOR="#DAA520"]Missy[/COLOR]'s book for myself to see what she had actually written in it (and most importantly the surrounding context), before I'll feel qualified enough to comment further on this...

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I finally had the chance to read Missy Franklin's autobiography, "Relentless Spirit". Previously, I highlighted the summary from the New York Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/missy-franklin-book-fills-gap-glory-failure-article-1.2897422

Overall, I think the book is a worthy read and gives a lot of insight into her family background and thought process. To put into perspective the Cal-related parts and the long(er)-term implications, I wanted to discuss with you some points:

• Teri McKeever and Kristen Cunnane created a warm and caring team atmosphere that kept everyone accountable along the way towards the goal of an NCAA team title.
  
• Franklin made the decision in January 2015 to move back to Colorado. McKeever was informed then (by unfortunate circumstances, in a phone call instead of a face-to-face meeting) but the team as a whole was not informed until after NCAAs.
  
• The "Decision" was based on the feeling that Franklin was not getting enough long-course, backstroke-specific, and altitude training necessary to have a similar Rio performance as London 2012. Although she had already been training at Cal for >1 year at that point, she viewed the looming Olympic year as a fork in the road between the unknown (Cal) and known (Colorado). She also wasn't thrilled about the post-grad team's plan to spend March 2016 in Tasmania training with Mitt Nelms, the stroke coach (she viewed it as yet another coaching change right before the Olympics). Finally, she, and her parents, disagreed with the training for the 500 free during her freshman year, saying that it took away from her main events and wasn't well suited to her muscle development.
  

We can look back in hindsight and see that possibly the worst-case scenario, from both Franklin's and McKeever's standpoints, happened in this Olympic year. Franklin had neither a great Trials nor Olympic games. McKeever and Cal endured a couple of non-#1 recruiting classes. Part of this was exasperated by McKeever probably overcompensating from the sting of Franklin's decision by making the mid-season meet being long course nationals in Fall 2015; this, when coupled with the difficult NCAA LCM->SCY time conversions, resulted in necessitating a peaking for Pac-12s, not NCs, in 2016. Much of this may have been mollified with more frequent and open communication, instead of bottling up thoughts and emotions.

I'll end by referencing Cal S&C coach Joel Smith's recent blog post on "Change Your Environment, Elevate Your Performance", and the influence of a swimmer's neurotransmitter dominance. Most of the swimmers at Cal are GABA dominant, which means "These athletes can sustain a similar workload for an extended period of time, and don't really do well with high intensity." They like consistency in their training environment. Some of the swimmers are dopamine dominant, which means "Highly charged athletes who handle intensity very well, yet need fairly frequent changes in exercise, as well as de-loads." They "require the highest level of excitement to really perform their best". However, I believe McKeever (and Smith, for that matter) may be acetylcholine dominant; these "tend to be pioneers in their sport, coming up with creative and extravagant plans and goals". So it's important for swimmers to recognize their personalities and training styles, and make sure their coaches are: 1. aware (speak up if you're unhappy with something!), and 2. adaptable (to their needs once these have been identified).

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/change-environment-elevate-performance/

http://www.theinertia.com/surf/the-five-elements-of-athlete-its-all-about-neurotransmitters/

beaverbear;842779050 said:

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I finally had the chance to read Missy Franklin's autobiography, "Relentless Spirit". Previously, I highlighted the summary from the New York Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/missy-franklin-book-fills-gap-glory-failure-article-1.2897422

Overall, I think the book is a worthy read and gives a lot of insight into her family background and thought process. To put into perspective the Cal-related parts and the long(er)-term implications, I wanted to discuss with you some points:

• Teri McKeever and Kristen Cunnane created a warm and caring team atmosphere that kept everyone accountable along the way towards the goal of an NCAA team title.
  
• Franklin made the decision in January 2015 to move back to Colorado. McKeever was informed then (by unfortunate circumstances, in a phone call instead of a face-to-face meeting) but the team as a whole was not informed until after NCAAs.
  
• The "Decision" was based on the feeling that Franklin was not getting enough long-course, backstroke-specific, and altitude training necessary to have a similar Rio performance as London 2012. Although she had already been training at Cal for >1 year at that point, she viewed the looming Olympic year as a fork in the road between the unknown (Cal) and known (Colorado). She also wasn't thrilled about the post-grad team's plan to spend March 2016 in Tasmania training with Mitt Nelms, the stroke coach (she viewed it as yet another coaching change right before the Olympics). Finally, she, and her parents, disagreed with the training for the 500 free during her freshman year, saying that it took away from her main events and wasn't well suited to her muscle development.
  

We can look back in hindsight and see that possibly the worst-case scenario, from both Franklin's and McKeever's standpoints, happened in this Olympic year. Franklin had neither a great Trials nor Olympic games. McKeever and Cal endured a couple of non-#1 recruiting classes. Part of this was exasperated by McKeever probably overcompensating from the sting of Franklin's decision by making the mid-season meet being long course nationals in Fall 2015; this, when coupled with the difficult NCAA LCM->SCY time conversions, resulted in necessitating a peaking for Pac-12s, not NCs, in 2016. Much of this may have been mollified with more frequent and open communication, instead of bottling up thoughts and emotions.

I'll end by referencing Cal S&C coach Joel Smith's recent blog post on "Change Your Environment, Elevate Your Performance", and the influence of a swimmer's neurotransmitter dominance. Most of the swimmers at Cal are GABA dominant, which means "These athletes can sustain a similar workload for an extended period of time, and don't really do well with high intensity." They like consistency in their training environment. Some of the swimmers are dopamine dominant, which means "Highly charged athletes who handle intensity very well, yet need fairly frequent changes in exercise, as well as de-loads." They "require the highest level of excitement to really perform their best". However, I believe McKeever (and Smith, for that matter) may be acetylcholine dominant; these "tend to be pioneers in their sport, coming up with creative and extravagant plans and goals". So it's important for swimmers to recognize their personalities and training styles, and make sure their coaches are: 1. aware (speak up if you're unhappy with something!), and 2. adaptable (to their needs once these have been identified).

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/change-environment-elevate-performance/

http://www.theinertia.com/surf/the-five-elements-of-athlete-its-all-about-neurotransmitters/

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Thanks for your thoughts. I will have to obtain a copy and read about Missy's experience. Shame her Cal experience was less than ideal, but maybe things happen for a reason. She will always be one of my favorite student/athletes.

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Robin - [COLOR="#696969"]14 Jan 2017[/COLOR] @ [COLOR="#A9A9A9"]Amsterdam Airport Schiphol[/COLOR]

Off to a 3 week training camp in Malaga with the Dutch team ☀️������ #workhard #playharder




https://instagr.am/p/BPP8uEkgwzy


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[COLOR="#006699"]Additional discussion concerning our 2017 recruits and their potential swimming contribution to the team next season, following the results of the [U]2017 NCAA Division 1 Championships[/U]:

[INDENT]http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?106392-2017-Women%92s-NCAA-Championships-(Swimming-amp-Diving)/page10 [/INDENT]
[/COLOR]

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Robin - [COLOR="#696969"]5 Apr 2017[/COLOR] @ [COLOR="#A9A9A9"]Pieter van den Hoogenband Zwemstadion[/COLOR]

Getting ready for the Eindhoven Swim Cup which starts tomorrow ���� I'll be swimming the 100, 200 and 400 freestyle ����*♀️�� #worldtrials #gameface #EindhovenSwimcup




https://instagr.am/p/BSgRDoWDvBJ


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[COLOR="#006699"]I'm not at all cognisant of the Dutch selection criteria & procedures for [U]Budapest 2017[/U] (Worlds), but hopefully Robin getting onto the podium with her 3rd spot finish of 1:59.15 in the [U]200m Free[/U] A final will earn her a berth on Team NED's [U]4x200m Free Relay[/U] at the very minimum.

More than a second off her 1:57.85 PB from last year's trials, but Neumann will have plenty of time to work on her endurance & speed before Worlds in late July. Robin was actually running 2nd by almost a second ahead of the rest of the field not named Femke, but faded quite a bit in the last 50m to get outtouched by Germany's Isabel Gose for runner-up!

[INDENT] [SIZE=3][COLOR="#000080"]Women, [U]200m Freestyle[/U] RESULTS:[/COLOR][/SIZE] https://knzblive.nl/livetiming/sceh/2017/ResultList_7F_us.pdf [/INDENT]

Does look like Marrit Steenbergen (another extremely promising Dutch recruit that I've raved about in the past) will get to represent her country in the [U]200m Free[/U] individual though, as her 1:57.28 B final winning time (National record for the 17 age group) would make her the 2nd fastest Dutch swimmer, behind Femke Heemskerk's 1:56.62 tonight...
[/COLOR]

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[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=4][U]200m Free[/U] race video[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR="#000080"](Robin's in lane 3)[/COLOR]

[video=youtube;HfoZzY7SByM][/video]


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dgong;842741081 said:

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I am assuming Andrea has decided to remain in Italy and train with national team. With the size of the incoming class, 10 freshmen (including one diver and two internationals) and two transfers, the numbers do not add up to include Vergani. .

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[COLOR="#006699"]In other international news, former #10 [U]2016 commit[/U] Andrea Vergani busted out a 23.89 in the [U]50m Fly[/U] at Riccione (Italian trials) today, that time catapulting him to #6 in the world in this event for this season.


(Andrea's the one in the white & blue kit)


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[/COLOR]

Sorry that I have not kept current on foreign swim recruiting but does Cal have a serious shot at Robin Neumann? I saw the ten recruit article before with 7 swimmers and 3 divers. I do not recall the foreignors in the class, however.

Schroeder71;842829797 said:

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Sorry that I have not kept current on foreign swim recruiting but does Cal have a serious shot at Robin Neumann? I saw the ten recruit article before with 7 swimmers and 3 divers. I do not recall the foreignors in the class, however.

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[COLOR="#006699"]Schroeder71 - please see quoted posts below for the answer to your question...[/COLOR] :p

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842758610 said:

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[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]BEARS WELCOME 10 NEWCOMERS[/SIZE][/COLOR]

BERKELEY With a class comprised of seven swimmers and three divers, the California women's swimming & diving team signed 10 newcomers to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, giving the Golden Bears a big influx of talent for the 2017-18 season.

The list of recruits features several who participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials this past summer, in addition to a [U]2016 Olympian[/U] in Robin Neumann, who swam both the 200-meter freestyle and on the 800-meter free relay for the Netherlands in Rio.


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Cal W Swim/Dive: Signing with the @CalWSwim brings a smile to [U]Robin Neumann[/U] and [U]Alexa Skorus-Neely[/U]. What else would you expect?

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842758629 said:

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[COLOR="#006699"]
Well, actually our 2017 sleeper recruit, Robin Neumann who's already an Olympian for the Netherlands, could turn out to be a really major coup for Teri & Ian!

Will definitely be a key & massive get if Robin's considerable LCM skills transition/translate well to the little pool. Sprint to mid-distance freestyle, with some backstroke chops in her history, very nice.

From what I can gather thus far, Robin had made recruiting visits to [U]Cal[/U], [U]Georgia[/U], [U]USC[/U] & [U]Zona[/U]. Possibly [U]Tenn[/U] as well. So brilliant that she chose the :bear: family, after being vigorously pursued by all those other programmes :beer:
[/COLOR]

Robin Neumann: National signing day ! So excited about signing and can't wait to be a part of the CAL team next year ���� #gobears��



https://instagr.am/p/BMmQlIOgYLy

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Thank you! It's hard to keep up on the recruiting for the majority of Cal's 26 sports. GO BEARS!

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[COLOR="#006699"]Robin came in 5th with a 55.19 in the [U]100m Free[/U] A final at the Eindhoven Swim Cup today...not too far off her 55.02 PB from April 2016. Not sure if this may earn her a berth on NED's [U]4x100m Free Relay[/U] prelims team at Worlds this summer? Doesn't meet the FINA 'A' standard of 54.90 though.

FWIW, converted SCY "equivalent" time = 48.27, which wouldn't have quite made it to 2017 NCAA's [U]100y Free[/U] B finals (48.10 = cutoff qualifying time from prelims), but would still be faster than anyone on our women's team next season other than the Dream Team/Fab Four...


[INDENT] [SIZE=3][COLOR="#000080"][U]100m Freestyle[/U] RESULTS:[/COLOR][/SIZE] https://knzblive.nl/livetiming/sceh/2017/ResultList_25F_us.pdf [/INDENT]


Veteran sprint aces Ranomi Kromowidjojo & Femke Heemskerk went 1-2 in this event as expected. Notably, Marrit Steenbergen busted out another 17 y.o.Dutch age group record with her impressive 53.98. [/COLOR]


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[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=4][U]100m Free[/U] race video[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR="#000080"](Robin's in lane 8)[/COLOR]

[video=youtube;2-pDpM35pQ0] [/video]


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[COLOR="#006699"]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]

[INDENT] [SIZE=3][COLOR="#000080"][U]400m Freestyle[/U] RESULTS:[/COLOR][/SIZE] https://knzblive.nl/livetiming/sceh/2017/ResultList_29F_us.pdf [/INDENT]


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[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=4][U]400m Free[/U] race video[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR="#000080"](Robin's in lane 3)[/COLOR]

[video=youtube;8tfJb1bKRHE][/video]


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Robin: So happy to say that I've officially qualified for the World Championships that will be held this summer in Budapest, Hungary �������� #roadtobudapest #world #championships




https://instagr.am/p/BStwkl6j3YE


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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]DUTCH RELEASE 2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROSTERS[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Following the Eindhoven Cup, The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KZNB) has released the names of the swimmers selected for the World Championships, World Para Swimming Championships, and the European Junior Championships in 2017.

The World Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary in July.

Femke Heemskerk
Kira Toussaint
Maaike de Waard
Marrit Steenbergen
Ranomi Kromowidjojo
Maud van der Meer
Kim Busch
[COLOR="#DAA520"]Robin Neumann[/COLOR]
Esmee Vermeulen
Marjolein Delno
Arno Kamminga
Jesse Puts
Mathys Goosen
Ferry Weertman
Kyle Stolk
Maarten Brzoskowski
Stan Pijnenburg
Ben Schwietert


https://swimswam.com/dutch-release-2017-world-championships-rosters/


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[COLOR="#800080"][SIZE=3]UPDATE =>[/SIZE] [/COLOR] [COLOR="#006699"]Robin competed @ the 10th Bergen Swim Festival in Norway, 5-7 May 2017. Came in 4th @ the [U]200m IM[/U], in 2:19.40, with Katinka Hosszu winning the event in 2:16.44. Now Robin's SCY converted time of 2:02.70 falls outside of an NCAA 'B' cut, but it's always encouraging to see a recruit busting out an in-season PB, even if the 200 IM is an off event for her![/COLOR]


******


Robin [COLOR="#696969"]@ Bergen, Hordaland[/COLOR]: Enjoyed the last rays of sun here ☀️ Once in a while school has priority over swimming, so instead of going to Malaga [COLOR="#696969"](Dutch National Team Training Camp)[/COLOR], I'm heading back to Holland for my final exams ���� #finalexams #nearlydone #8daystogo




https://instagr.am/p/BT1jozJDv-5


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Robin [COLOR="#696969"]@ Sloterparkbad - Optisport Amsterdam[/COLOR]: Run Robin run ����*♀️ Clearing my head after exam number one. Two to go ... ��#finalexams #gottakeepmoving



[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO ->[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/t50.2886-16/18468669_747382048800614_5522802500651974656_n.mp4

https://instagr.am/p/BT65OQ2DiPb


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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.

[SIZE=6]SIGNING DAY: THE SWIMSWAM INDEX OF CLASS OF 2017 COLLEGE COMMITMENTS[/SIZE]




Embedded in the middle of the article is an excel spreadsheet a listing by school of all 2017 women and men -swimmers & divers recruits. Not sure if possible to embed the xl files directly in the thread (UAC?).



https://swimswam.com/signing-day-the-swimswam-index-of-high-school-class-of-2017-college-commitments/

OBear073akaSMFan;842832311 said:

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Not sure if possible to embed the xl files directly in the thread (UAC?).

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[COLOR="#006699"]Not AFAIK... (but then again, what do I know haha)[/COLOR]

[U]Swimmers[/U]
[INDENT]Alexandra Skorus-Neely | CA | Canyon High School
Ali Harrison | CA | Ventura High School
Dannie Dilsaver | NE | Lincoln Southwest High School
Elizabeth Bailey | GA | Marist School
Natalie Tuck | CA | Castilleja High School
Robin Neumann | Netherlands |
Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou | CA | Santa Clara High School[/INDENT]

[U]Divers[/U]
[INDENT]Briana Thai | CA | Alhambra High School
Jackie Im | CA | Torrey Pines High School
Kathleen Navas | CA | Homeschooled[/INDENT]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842830976 said:

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04-10-2017

[COLOR="#006699"]Now we may be in with a shot at 2017 Canuck recruit Sarah Darcel (#1 BC, #11 National), esp since BD had pointed out that Sarah had qualified for WUGS (World University Games) from the recent Canadian trials, i.e. she has already indicated her intention to swim in college. Naturally that could be any number of Canadian Universities, or perhaps programmes with a tradition of recruiting from north of the border such as Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, A&M or Indiana.

Sarah would really help out the team if she was to be announced at the last moment, esp if MSH was never coming here at all...but OTOH there are some critical top flight talent in both the classes of 2018 & 2019 (actually 2020 for that matter!) who may serve our needs even better or be closer fits, so Teri will have to be ultra-selective about who to target considering the limited scholly slots available...[/COLOR]

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=4]Sarah Darcel [/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"](#1 BC, #12 Nat)[/COLOR] [/SIZE]



https://www.collegeswimming.com/swimmer/412528/


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[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]SARAH DARCEL SIGNS WITH CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING[/SIZE]

[COLOR="#808080"] [SIZE=3]4/18/2017 10:12 AM | By: Cal Athletics[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/COLOR]



[COLOR="#696969"][/COLOR][COLOR="#696969"]Sarah Darcel earned a gold medal for Canada in the 400 IM at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.[/COLOR]


BERKELEY Cal's women's swimming & diving team has added another recruit to its roster for the 2017-18 season with the signing of Sarah Darcel from Victoria, British Columbia, to a National Letter of Intent Tuesday.

A member of Canada's national team for the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 meters) this past December, Darcel will represent Canada at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan, this coming August.

"Sarah is a very versatile, smart swimmer who should make a wonderful addition to our team," head coach Teri McKeever said. "She just did a great job at Canada's World Championships Trials, making their World University Games team for this summer. We look forward to Sarah joining our program."

Darcel competed in all three individual medley events at short-course worlds in December, finishing sixth in the 200-meter IM (2:08.59), 10th in the 100 IM (1:00.06) and 10th in the 400 IM (4:35.66). She also swam in the prelims of the 200 free relay that later won a gold medal.

Darcel captured individual gold of her own in the 400 IM at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui last August, touching the wall in 4:39.83. In addition, she earned silver medals after swimming the anchor leg on Canada's 400 free relay and 400 medley relay, while taking fourth in the 200 IM and seventh in the 200 butterfly.

At the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, Darcel placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 400 IM, and also competed in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events.

Darcel becomes the 11th member of Cal's recruiting class for next season, joining a group that signed with the Bears in the fall.

As a team, Cal is coming off a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships the ninth year in a row the Bears have placed among the top three nationally.


http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/4/18/womens-swimming-diving-sarah-darcel-signs-with-cal-womens-swimming.aspx


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[COLOR="#003366"][SIZE=5]CAL WOMEN ADD CANADA'S SARAH DARCEL TO CLASS OF 2021[/SIZE][/COLOR]




https://swimswam.com/cal-women-add-canadas-sarah-darcel-class-2021/


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842833458 said:

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[COLOR="#003366"][SIZE=5]CAL WOMEN ADD CANADA'S SARAH DARCEL TO CLASS OF 2021[/SIZE][/COLOR]



Cal's women's swimming & diving team has added another recruit to its roster for the 2017-18 season with the signing of Sarah Darcel from Victoria, British Columbia, to a National Letter of Intent Tuesday.

A member of Canada's national team for the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 meters) this past December, Darcel will represent Canada at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan, this coming August.
"Sarah is a very versatile, smart swimmer who should make a wonderful addition to our team," head coach Teri McKeever said. "She just did a great job at Canada's World Championships Trials, making their World University Games team for this summer. We look forward to Sarah joining our program."

Darcel competed in all three individual medley events at short-course worlds in December, finishing sixth in the 200-meter IM (2:08.59), 10th in the 100 IM (1:00.06) and 10th in the 400 IM (4:35.66). She also swam in the prelims of the 200 free relay that later won a gold medal.

Darcel captured individual gold of her own in the 400 IM at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui last August, touching the wall in 4:39.83. In addition, she earned silver medals after swimming the anchor leg on Canada's 400 free relay and 400 medley relay, while taking fourth in the 200 IM and seventh in the 200 butterfly.

At the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, Darcel placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 400 IM, and also competed in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events.

Darcel becomes the 11th member of Cal's recruiting class for next season, joining a group that signed with the Bears in the fall. (See our articles on Alexandra Skorus-Neely, Ali Harrison, Briana Thai, Dannie Dilsaver, Elizabeth Bailey, Jackie Im, Kathleen Navas, Natalie Tuck, Robin Neumann, Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou. As a team, Cal is coming off a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships the ninth year in a row the Bears have placed among the top three nationally.

https://swimswam.com/cal-women-add-canadas-sarah-darcel-class-2021/


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[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]SARAH DARCEL SIGNS WITH CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING[/SIZE]

[COLOR="#808080"] [SIZE=3]4/18/2017 10:12 AM | By: Cal Athletics[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/COLOR]



[COLOR="#696969"][/COLOR][COLOR="#696969"]Sarah Darcel earned a gold medal for Canada in the 400 IM at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.[/COLOR]


BERKELEY Cal's women's swimming & diving team has added another recruit to its roster for the 2017-18 season with the signing of Sarah Darcel from Victoria, British Columbia, to a National Letter of Intent Tuesday.

A member of Canada's national team for the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 meters) this past December, Darcel will represent Canada at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan, this coming August.

"Sarah is a very versatile, smart swimmer who should make a wonderful addition to our team," head coach Teri McKeever said. "She just did a great job at Canada's World Championships Trials, making their World University Games team for this summer. We look forward to Sarah joining our program."

Darcel competed in all three individual medley events at short-course worlds in December, finishing sixth in the 200-meter IM (2:08.59), 10th in the 100 IM (1:00.06) and 10th in the 400 IM (4:35.66). She also swam in the prelims of the 200 free relay that later won a gold medal.

Darcel captured individual gold of her own in the 400 IM at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui last August, touching the wall in 4:39.83. In addition, she earned silver medals after swimming the anchor leg on Canada's 400 free relay and 400 medley relay, while taking fourth in the 200 IM and seventh in the 200 butterfly.

At the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, Darcel placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 400 IM, and also competed in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events.

Darcel becomes the 11th member of Cal's recruiting class for next season, joining a group that signed with the Bears in the fall.

As a team, Cal is coming off a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships the ninth year in a row the Bears have placed among the top three nationally.


http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/4/18/womens-swimming-diving-sarah-darcel-signs-with-cal-womens-swimming.aspx


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---

Yup, BearDevil called this one. Welcome to Cal Sarah!

Welcome, Sarah!

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.

BC (Noemie, Bagshaw) should always be Bear Territory. Extra points if she persuades MSH (Quebec-2018) and Penny (Ontario-2019) to follow.

Terrific get. She would be the highest recruit for 2017. How is her breaststroke? Is her breaststroke better than the other frosh? Some on swamswim possible think so!

OBear073akaSMFan;842833521 said:

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Terrific get. She would be the highest recruit for 2017. How is her breaststroke? Is her breaststroke better than the other frosh? Some on swamswim possible think so!

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Robin's still the more valuable recruit: individual scorer in the 100/200 Frees and would swim on the 400/800 Free Relays. Question if she can move down to the 50 Free (and a leg on the 200 Free Relay) or move up to the 500 Free.

Sarah would qualify in both IMs, but doesn't have a third event. Haven't see a 200 Free time yet. Her 100 Breast converts to 1:01.79. Best returning times are Maija (1:00.78) and Abbey (1:00.86). Maija's going to have trouble getting an individual NCAA invite (200 Breast?), so barring dramatic improvements, Abbey probably swims the medley breast legs.

BearDevil;842833504 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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OBear073akaSMFan;842833521 said:

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Terrific get. She would be the highest recruit for 2017. How is her breaststroke? Is her breaststroke better than the other frosh? Some on swamswim possible think so!

---

[COLOR="#006699"]CollegeSwimming's database isn't up to date for Sarah, but assuming Darcel's times at the recent [U]Canadian Trials[/U] from April 2017 are PBs (always a good thing for one's lifetime bests to be recent, as it would imply a continuing upside to one's performance!), would imagine our latest baby :bear:'s likely 2018 NCAA events to be:

[INDENT][U]Day 2[/U] - 200 IM [COLOR="#696969"](potential B final scorer!)[/COLOR]

[U]Day 3[/U] - 400 IM [COLOR="#696969"](potential A final scorer!!!)[/COLOR]

[U]Day 4[/U] - 200 Breast [COLOR="#696969"](potential B final scorer!)[/COLOR] [/INDENT]
Sarah would massively fill in a couple of key areas of deficiency for Bears, the longer [U]IM & Breast[/U] :cheer Will still need a stud sprint breaststroker such as Zoe Bartel in 2018, also hope we can address the distance weakness by recruiting Erica Sullivan or Madison Homovich in the next cycle...without cutting into our chances with Eva, Mary-Sophie etc - and a top-notch diver or two, of course :p

Now CollegeSwimming doesn't currently list a time for our Canadian recruit in events such as the [U]200 Free[/U], and Sarah may develop nicely in some other areas when she transitions to the collegiate SCY format (already holds converted times with B cuts in the [U]100 Breast[/U] + [U]100 & 200 Fly[/U]), but I'd sort of expect the above to be her primary events whilst at Cal as that's where we'll need her help the most!

Anyway, I've updated the "PBs v. 2017 NCAA scoring potential" posts in the [U][COLOR="#000080"]2017 Women's NCAA Championships (Swimming & Diving)[/COLOR][/U] thread with Sarah's times in those 3 events[/COLOR]:


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



[SIZE=4][U]200y IM[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA 'A' Cut: [U]1:55.35[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]1:55.59[/U] ~[/INDENT]
Kathleen Baker ........ 1:51.69...... 2017 NCAAs***
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] ....... 1:55.55...... 2016 Dec*[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]1:56.34[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003366"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA Slowest [COLOR="#0099cc"]Invited[/COLOR] Time (40th) = [U]1:57.66[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] ....... 1:56.49...... 2017 Canadian Trials* [COLOR="#808080"](converted from 200m IM LCM time of 2:12.51)[/COLOR]
Keaton Blovad ......... 1:57.21...... 2016 Georgia Fall Invite* [/COLOR]


[COLOR="#000000"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' Cut: [U]2:01.59[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Hannah Kukurugya[/COLOR] 1:57.99...... 2017 Feb*
Abbey Weitzeil ......... 1:58.13...... 2014 Dec
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Grace Zhao[/COLOR] .......... 1:59.31...... 2017 Feb*
Maija Roses ............. 1:59.71...... 2017 Pac-12s**
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sophie K-Zhou[/COLOR] ..... 1:59.85...... 2014 May
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Dannie Dilsaver[/COLOR] .... 2:00.37...... 2015 Dec
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Lex Skorus-Neely[/COLOR] .. 2:00.38...... 2016 May
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Lauren Green[/COLOR] ....... 2:00.66...... 2015 Dec
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Katie Glavinovich[/COLOR] .. 2:00.66...... 2015 Mar
Courtney Mykkanen .. 2:00.70...... 2017 Pac-12s**
Chenoa Devine ......... 2:00.93...... 2016 Feb[/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]~ Outside of a 2017 NCAA 'B' cut ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Ali Harrison[/COLOR] ........... 2:01.67...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Elizabeth Bailey[/COLOR] ..... 2:02.36...... 2016 Feb
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Natalie Tuck[/COLOR] .......... 2:02.93...... 2016 May[/COLOR]



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



[SIZE=4][U]400y IM[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA 'A' Cut: [U]4:05.36[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]4:06.00[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] ....... 4:02.51...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] ....... 4:05.84...... 2017 Canadian Trials* [COLOR="#808080"](converted from 400m IM LCM time of 4:39.29)[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]4:07.88[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003366"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA Slowest [COLOR="#0099cc"]Invited[/COLOR] Time (40th) = [U]4:10.86[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]


[COLOR="#000000"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' Cut: [U]4:19.39[/U] ~[/INDENT]
Kathleen Baker .......... 4:11.38...... 2013 Mar
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Hannah Kukurugya[/COLOR] . 4:12.34...... 2017 Mar*
Chenoa Devine .......... 4:13.51...... 2017 NCAAs***
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Katie Glavinovich[/COLOR] .... 4:13.89...... 2016 Mar
Courtney Mykkanen .... 4:14.22...... 2017 Pac-12s**
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Dannie Dilsaver[/COLOR] ...... 4:14.28...... 2016 Nov*
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Lauren Pitzer[/COLOR] ......... 4:16.77...... 2014 Dec
Maija Roses ............... 4:18.52...... 2016 Pac-12s[/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]~ Outside of a 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' cut ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Elizabeth Bailey[/COLOR] ..... 4:21.54...... 2014 Dec
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Natalie Tuck[/COLOR] ......... 4:23.47...... 2017 Jan*[/COLOR]



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



[SIZE=4][U]200y Breast[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA 'A' Cut: [U]2:07.33[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]2:07.45[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]2:09.79[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] ...... 2:09.12...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Grace Zhao[/COLOR] ........ 2:09.21...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] ....... 2:09.49...... 2017 Canadian Trials* [COLOR="#808080"](converted from 200m Breast LCM time of 2:27.74)[/COLOR] [/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003366"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA Slowest [COLOR="#0099cc"]Invited[/COLOR] Time (40th) = [U]2:10.55[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]


[COLOR="#000000"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' Cut: [U]2:15.99[/U] ~[/INDENT]
Kathleen Baker ....... 2:11.17...... 2013 Mar
Maija Roses ............ 2:11.75...... 2017 Pac-12s**
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Ali Harrison[/COLOR] ......... 2:13.53...... 2016 Dec*[/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]~ Outside of a 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' cut ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Dannie Dilsaver[/COLOR] .... 2:16.01...... 2016 Oct*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Natalie Tuck[/COLOR] ........ 2:16.28...... 2016 Dec*
Alexa Buckley .......... 2:16.58...... 2014 Dec
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Lex Skorus-Neely[/COLOR] . 2:17.78...... 2014 Jan[/COLOR]



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

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842833458 said:

---

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]SARAH DARCEL SIGNS WITH CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING[/SIZE][/COLOR]

At the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, Darcel placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 400 IM, and also competed in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events.

http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/4/18/womens-swimming-diving-sarah-darcel-signs-with-cal-womens-swimming.aspx

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Just wish the press release would have given credit to Sarah's 3rd placings in both the [U]200 IM[/U] & [U]400 IM[/U] @ 2017 Canadian Worlds Trials.

Well we all know how frustrating & devastating 3rd place finishes at National swim trials can be - just ask Amy ([U]100 Back[/U], Rio :cry, Caitlin ([U]200 IM[/U], Rio :cry, Madison ([U]50 Free[/U], Rio :cry, & Lizzie the most heartbreaking one ([U]200 IM[/U] + [U]200 Back[/U], London :bawl.

However, reckon some acknowledgement of Sarah's pool accomplishments & recent improvements would have been nice, even if they didn't take place at an Olympics qualifications meet!

Now I do recognise that the official announcement was prob. drafted a while back, i.e. before Canadian trials, but still...[/COLOR]

BearDevil;842833504 said:

---

Welcome, Sarah!

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.

BC (Noemie, Bagshaw) should always be Bear Territory. Extra points if she persuades MSH (Quebec-2018) and Penny (Ontario-2019) to follow.

---

Please refresh my memory as to who MSH is?

juarezbear;842834161 said:

---

Please refresh my memory as to who MSH is?

---

MSH is 2018 recruit Mary-Sophie Harvey. She's a distance oriented IMer with even more upside than fellow Canadian Darcel. Based on an interview in the 2018 recruiting thread,worries about the French Canadian language barrier appear to be overblown. Don't know about spelling, but clearly MSH's vocabulary is much more advanced than UAC's. MSH actually uses words that civilized/educated North Americans recognize.

Penny is Penny Oleksisk, Canadian Olympic medalist heroine and featured in tedbear's avatar. Reasonable chance that either/both MSH and Penny will turn pro and still swim for Canadian colleges.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842823874 said:

---

Note that several of these Baby Bears have yet to participate in their rested SCY meet for this season (in particular the in-state recruits since the CA sectionals & State Champs equiv. aren't typically scheduled until May), so may improve their times further once these championship meets have taken place. Also seem to recall that Dannie didn't race her HS states this year, not certain if it was an injury-related issue or something else...

---

[COLOR="#006699"]2017 CIF Southern Section Champs are underway. [U]Prelims[/U] for Division 1 took place Thurs, to be followed by Sat [U]Finals[/U] @ 5 pm.

Haven't checked on all the race outcomes for our incoming :bear:, but live results can be monitored here: http://faculty.polytechnic.org/cifss/Results/2017-D1/index.htm


------




Of some note was Alicia Harrison's 27.91 breast split for Ventura in the [U]200 Medley Relay[/U]. 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 @ [U]2017 NCAAs[/U], and a 27.00 @ [U]2017 Pac-12s[/U].

To demo her versatility, Ali had anchored Ventura to a 7th seeded spot for finals with her 50.62 split in the [U]400 Free Relay[/U] prelims session (her relay teammates in the 53 to 54 sec range).

She also claimed the #2 seed behind Nikol Popov with a 1:01.39 in the [U]100 Breast[/U] prelims.

******

[COLOR="#800080"][SIZE=3]FINALS UPDATE =>[/SIZE] [/COLOR] Ali killed it with a dominating 27.71 breast split to propel Ventura High to an upset win in the [U]200 Medley Relay[/U] finals!! Next fastest breast split in the field was a 28.93.


[COLOR="#696969"]Ventura girls win 200 medley relay[/COLOR]

Definitely positions Ali for consideration for a medley relay spot @ [U]2018 NCAAs[/U], 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). Marina & Celina won't be around for the forthcoming season, and whilst Maija did make great progress this past season, her forte tends to lie in the longer distances. Thleen's prob more valuable on the backstroke leg in this relay, with Amy in play as well for this lead off position. Naturally fellow [U]2017 commits[/U] Sarah, Dannie, Lexa & Natalie may have something to say about claiming a spot here lol.


[COLOR="#696969"]Alicia Harrison, Ventura[/COLOR]

Although Ali didn't lower her times further in her individual events from prelims (PB of 49.87 @ [U]100 Free[/U], and 1:01.39 @ [U]100 Breast[/U]), she claimed the runner-up spot in the Championship final for both of these 2 events (50.02 @ [U]100 Free[/U] & 1:01.78 @ [U]100 Breast[/U]). Also anchored Ventura to a 6th place finish with a 50.72 free split in the concluding [U]400 Free Relay[/U].


------




Our other SoCal Div 1 recruit was busy too! Alexa Skorus Neely laying claim to the #2 seed in the [U]200 IM[/U] behind Nikol, in a time of 2:03.29:



Alexa (or is it Lexa...or perhaps Lexi?? ) had also qualified as the top seed in the B final of the [U]100 Breast[/U] with her 1:04.70


------
[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842839210 said:

---

2017 CIF Southern Section Champs are underway.

Although Ali didn't lower her times further in her individual events from prelims (PB of 49.87 @ [U]100 Free[/U], and 1:01.39 @ [U]100 Breast[/U]), she claimed the runner-up spot in the Championship final for both of these 2 events (50.02 @ [U]100 Free[/U] & 1:01.78 @ [U]100 Breast[/U]). Also anchored Ventura to a 6th place finish with a 50.72 free split in the concluding [U]400 Free Relay[/U].

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Very impressed by Alicia Harrison's performances @ the [U]2017 California High School Swimming Girls State Championship[/U] this weekend!

Standout race for our 2017 recruit had to be the [U]100 Breast[/U] 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) :beer:

Harrison had also claimed 5th in the [U]100 Free[/U] with her 50.30.

For reference, here are the current PBs in the [U]100 Breast[/U] for our women's swim team next year, including our incoming [COLOR="#DAA520"]Bears[/COLOR] + the 2017 [COLOR="#B22222"]saplings[/COLOR]:
[/COLOR]

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



[SIZE=4][U]100y Breast[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: [U]59.04[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]59.06[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A -[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]59.81[/U] ~[/INDENT]
Kathleen Baker ....... 59.37...... 2014 Mar[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003366"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA Slowest [COLOR="#0099cc"]Invited[/COLOR] Time (38th) = [U]1:00.34[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]


[COLOR="#000000"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' Cut: [U]1:02.49[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Grace Zhao[/COLOR] ...... 1:00.54...... 2016 Dec*
Maija Roses ......... 1:00.78...... 2017 Pac-12s**
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Ali Harrison[/COLOR] ...... 1:00.80...... 2017 May*
Abbey Weitzeil ..... 1:00.86...... 2016 Georgia Fall Invite*
Keaton Blovad ...... 1:01.02...... 2015 Mar
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] .... 1:01.61...... 2017 Mar*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] ....... 1:01.79...... [COLOR="#696969"]{converted times per BearDevil}[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Dannie Dilsaver[/COLOR] . 1:02.03...... 2016 Nov*[/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]~ Outside of a 2017 NCAA '[COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR]' cut ~[/INDENT]
Alexa Buckley ........ 1:02.51...... 2017 Pac-12s**
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Lexa Skorus-Neely[/COLOR] 1:02.81...... 2016 May
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"]Natalie Tuck[/COLOR] ...... 1:04.02...... 2017 Feb*[/COLOR]



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

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842839210 said:

---

Ali killed it with a dominating 27.71 breast split to propel Ventura High to an upset win in the [U]200 Medley Relay[/U] finals!! Next fastest breast split in the field was a 28.93.

Definitely positions Ali for consideration for a medley relay spot @ [U]2018 NCAAs[/U], 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). Marina & Celina won't be around for the forthcoming season, and whilst Maija did make great progress this past season, her forte tends to lie in the longer distances. Thleen's prob more valuable on the backstroke leg in this relay, with Amy in play as well for this lead off position. Naturally fellow [U]2017 commits[/U] Sarah, Dannie, Lexa & Natalie may have something to say about claiming a spot here lol.

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Ali had actually started off today's finals session with quite a bang, propelling her Ventura HS team to the title in the [U]200 Medley Relay[/U], with her fastest 50y Breast split to date of 27.68 (surpassing last week's 27.71 from sectionals)! Only breast leg to go under 28 sec in the entire field, with Zhao's 28.07 representing the 2nd fastest.



If I recall correctly, Ali was one of the most enthusiastic Cal recruits in this class, even attended some of last season's duals with her mum to cheer on her future teammates. Couldn't be happier for our baby :bear:, yaaaay!!!

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

Fellow commit Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou had also raced in the A finals at States, taking 5th in the [U]100 Back[/U] (54.62), and 8th in the [U]100 Fly[/U] (55.22).

[U]2018 prospects[/U] such as Amalie Fackenthal, Elise Garcia, Hallie Kinsey, Mikki Thompson, Izzi Henig & Vivian Wang competed as well. Their results can be checked here:

[INDENT]http://www.results.teamunify.com/clov/2017/CIFSTATEMEET/[/INDENT]

Not the appropriate thread for this mention so I'll keep it brusque lol, but basically 2017 signees on the men's side made their mark today too @ their respective States - Daniel Carr in CO, Bryce Mefford & Jarod Hatch in CA.
[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842833552 said:

---

[COLOR="#006699"]CollegeSwimming's database isn't up to date for Sarah, but assuming Darcel's times at the recent [U]Canadian Trials[/U] from April 2017 are PBs (always a good thing for one's lifetime bests to be recent, as it would imply a continuing upside to one's performance!), would imagine our latest baby :bear:'s likely 2018 NCAA events to be:

[INDENT][U]Day 2[/U] - 200 IM [COLOR="#696969"](potential B final scorer!)[/COLOR]

[U]Day 3[/U] - 400 IM [COLOR="#696969"](potential A final scorer!!!)[/COLOR]

[U]Day 4[/U] - 200 Breast [COLOR="#696969"](potential B final scorer!)[/COLOR] [/INDENT]
Sarah would massively fill in a couple of key areas of deficiency for Bears, the longer [U]IM & Breast[/U] :cheer
[/COLOR]
-------------


[SIZE=4][U]200y Breast[/U][/SIZE] (2017 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: [U]2:07.33[/U])


[COLOR="#000066"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#ff3399"]A[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (8th) = [U]2:07.45[/U] ~[/INDENT]
- N/A - [/COLOR]

[COLOR="#000033"][INDENT]~ 2017 NCAA [COLOR="#0066cc"]B[/COLOR] Final Qualifying Time (16th) = [U]2:09.79[/U] ~[/INDENT]
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Brooke Forde[/COLOR] ...... 2:09.12...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#006400"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#B22222"]Grace Zhao[/COLOR] ........ 2:09.21...... 2016 Dec*
[COLOR="#8B4513"]��[/COLOR] [COLOR="#DAA520"][U]Sarah Darcel[/U][/COLOR] ....... 2:09.49...... 2017 Canadian Trials* [COLOR="#808080"](converted from [U]200m Breast[/U] LCM time of 2:27.74)[/COLOR] [/COLOR]

---

------

MEL ZAJAC MEET PREVIEW; SHAPING UP TO BE CANADA VS. USA SHOWDOWN

Kierra Smith | May 24th, 2017
UBC Aquatic Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
May 26th-28th, 2017
Meet site (with past results): https://www.teamunify.com/SubTabGeneric.jsp?team=canubc&_stabid_=38821
Psych sheets: https://cdn.swimswam.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170518-zajac-psychsheet-01.pdf
Live results: http://results.teamunify.com/canubc/2017/zajac/

Womens 200m Breaststroke

My predictions,

1st Kierra Smith. I feel as awkward writing this part as you probably do reading it. Theres over. Lets just move on.

2nd Sarah Darcel. The Cal Berkeley commit enters with a 2:27 after a bronze medal performance at World Trials. This represents a 5 second (not a typo) time drop over a year ago. Apologies to the Grande Cache Alberta swimming community, but coming out of nowhere to swim with Brad Dingies NexGen program on Vancouver Island, Darcel has lit it up and doesnt seem to be letting up.


American Juniors

Dakota Luther, Taylor Ault, Morgan Tankersley and Alex Sumner might not be household names right now but in 2009 the USA brought up a junior team to this same meet which included names like Margalis, Vreeland, Hannis, Dirado, Shields, Geer and Franklin. Love, hate or indifferent, United States swimming is a juggernaut and at some point some of this lot of Americans are going to replace the current lot. And, make no mistake, whoever does will be expected keep the dynasty going. For many of the 11 American juniors in Vancouver, it will be their first time representing their country on foreign soil.

https://swimswam.com/mel-zajac-jr-intl-psych-sheets-out-meet-preview/

------

As noted in this article, baby :bear: Sarah Darcel will be competing...


Congratulations to Claremont's Sarah Darcel on signing with the University of California Berkeley! Sarah's full-ride, Div 1 NCAA scholarship is valued at $425,000 over 4 years. She will also be representing team Canada and Berkeley at the FISU games in Taiwan this August. Way to go Sarah!

...along with a number of some bright prospects that we have been discussing over on the [U]2018 recruits[/U] thread:



------

Another swim meet to keep an eye on this weekend will be the 2017 Novaquatics Speedo Grand Challenge down in Irvine.

A number of our women's team, plus the men, will be getting some long course racing/training under their belts, before the high profile Arena Pro Series @ Santa Clara after the holiday weekend.

Minus Murph, Pebs, Josh & Tom, who are presently busy training up a storm up at the Olympic Training Centre in CO:

Incoming Bear Ali Harrison will also get to race alongside her future teammates at the SoCal meet.

http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?102330-2016-2017-Season-Women-s-Swimming/page23&p=842841494#post842841494

------

---


Robin Neumann: Full racing program this weekend in Vienna with 'de drie biggetjes' ������������*♀️




https://instagr.am/p/BUhSf0zjcXI


---


Robin: Dutchies rocking Vienna �������� Swam a good 400 freestyle with a new meet record ����*♀️���� #halloleben #iamfocussed




https://instagr.am/p/BUkG7xqDIJ6


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842841521 said:

---

A number of our women's team, plus the men, will be getting some long course racing/training under their belts, before the high profile Arena Pro Series @ Santa Clara after the holiday weekend.

---

------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 SANTA CLARA PSS PSYCH SHEETS: DWYER, BEISEL SET TO RETURN[/SIZE][/COLOR]



There are so many key swimmers entered for Santa Clara that the meet will serve as a little preview for World Trials. Along with all of the Americans, there are some international swimmers entered too, including some of Canada's World Championship squad.

Below are just some of the notable names entered at the meet, which will take place from June 1-4:

MEN

Nathan Adrian
Ryan Murphy
Tom Shields
Josh Prenot
Jacob Pebley
Anthony Ervin

Women

Abbey Weitzeil
Katie McLaughlin
Kathleen Baker
Farida Osman


https://swimswam.com/2017-santa-clara-pss-psych-sheets-dwyer-beisel-set-return/


------

[COLOR="#006699"]
So, from a quick perusal of the psych sheet here at https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/17-5-26_arena-pro-series-santa-clara-psych-sheet.pdf, thought I'd throw out a slew of names of potential interest who weren't deemed worthy of mention in the SwimSwam article:

Cal W Swim Team (sizeable contingent) + alums Farida & Marina + Camille, Yvette & Stephanie (HK :bear
Cal M Swim Team (sizeable contingent) + alums
Sarah Darcel (2017 signee)
Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou (2017 signee)
Amalie Fackenthal (2018 prospect)
Zoe Bartel (2018 prospect, possibly a furdette lean tho?! :cry
Hallie Kinsey (2018 prospect)
Izzi Henig (2018 prospect)
Ema Rajic (2018 prospect)
Vivian Wang (2018 prospect)
Isabel Ivey (2019 prospect)
Regan Smith (2020 prospect)

One interesting observation - top 2 seeds in the [U]100m Breast[/U] are Cal alumna (Yvette & Marina), as are the top seed (Marina) & #6 seed (baby :bear: Sarah) in the [U]200m Breast[/U]. Reckon LCM can be quite a different beast from SCY perhaps... :p
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842841521 said:

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]MEL ZAJAC MEET PREVIEW SHAPING UP TO BE CANADA VS. USA SHOWDOWN[/SIZE][/COLOR]

https://swimswam.com/mel-zajac-jr-intl-psych-sheets-out-meet-preview/

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[COLOR="#006699"]As noted in this article, baby :bear: Sarah Darcel will be competing...
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[COLOR="#006699"]
Seeing that SwimSwam has yet to publish a report on tonight's results from this meet, reckon I'd post a quick update here before going out to party for the rest of the evening... :p

[INDENT]Sarah Darcel won the [U]400m IM[/U] A final in a time of 4:43.32

She also took 4th in the [U]200m Free[/U] (2:02.83)

Came in 12th in the [U]50m Fly[/U] (28.33)[/INDENT]
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FUNK, SMITH CRUISE TO 200 BREAST VICTORIES ON DAY 2 OF MEL ZAJAC

In the women's event 50m Free American junior Katherine Douglass cleared the field easily in 25.56, followed by Robrock's German teammate Johanna Roas (26.04).

The women's 200 IM was arguably the most exciting race of the night, with Island Swimming's Sarah Darcel emerging in 2:15.27. Darcel, who swam three finals on the night, was run down by Kelsey Wog on the breaststroke leg before holding her off in the freestyle.

https://swimswam.com/funk-smith-cruise-200-breast-victories-day-2-mel-zajac/

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Kate Douglass Sprints to a First-Place Finish at 2017 Mel Zajac Jr International

15-year-old Kate Douglass, USA national teamer and multiple NAG record holder, sprinted to a first place finish in the women's 50-meter freestyle with her time of 25.56, topping a packed field by half a second. University of Denver's Johanna Roas touched second in 26.04, and USA's Daria Pyshnenko was close behind in 26.07 to round out the top three finishers in the event.

The next event underway was the finals of the women's 200-meter IM, where Sarah Darcel of Island Swimming Club managed to hold on to first place, touching in 2:15.27 to Kelsey Wog of Team Manitoba's second-place time of 2:15.63. Darcel's teammate 26-year-old Hilary Caldwell notched a third-place finish for the team with her time of 2:16.62.

To finish out the session, the women and men competed in the 800-meter freestyle relay. On the women's side, the USA Junior National team bested the Canada Junior National team by about four seconds. For the US team, Madelyn Donohoe, Morgan Tankersley, Douglass, and Ault put together a time of 8:18.92, while Canada's Kyla Leibel, Aleksa Gold, Isabel Sarty, and Jessica Luo stopped the clock in 8:23.06.

https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/kate-douglass-sprints-to-a-first-place-finish-at-2017-mel-zajac-jr-international/

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Judging from her Santa Clara times (uptapered in season), Sarah Darcel has more range/versatility than previously thought. 200/400 IM and 200 Breast. Her 50/100 Free times are reasonably close to Maddie Murphy's. Realize we're talking about LCMs, but may be able to compete for 200/400 Free relay legs. If Sarah, Robin, and Ali can contribute on relays as froskies, the 2017 recruiting class will be very productive.

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[COLOR="#006699"]Smashing news on Dannie's recovery below[/COLOR] :cheer


Dannie Dilsaver [COLOR="#696969"]@ Woods Pool[/COLOR]: 7 months later I am so happy to be swimming my favorite stroke again #noaclnoproblem




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Robin Neumann [COLOR="#696969"]@ Amsterdam, Netherlands[/COLOR]: Graduating high school together with my best friend is the most amazing feeling in the world ❤���� America HERE I COME ���� #berkeleybound #graduation #toocoolforschoool



https://instagr.am/p/BVUoDeNjS3N


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Robin Neumann [COLOR="#696969"]@ Canet, Languedoc-Roussillon, France[/COLOR]: Love being back in the sun ☀️ Racing starts tomorrow ���� I'll be swimming the 50,100,200 and 400 free ����*♀️ #marenostrum #canet #roadtobudapest



https://instagr.am/p/BVZQphfD74p


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Alicia Harrison: On to the next one ������ #weout




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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842846411 said:

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[COLOR="#006699"]Smashing news on Dannie's recovery below[/COLOR] :cheer


Dannie Dilsaver [COLOR="#696969"]@ Woods Pool[/COLOR]: 7 months later I am so happy to be swimming my favorite stroke again #noaclnoproblem
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Maybe I missed it but Wow had no idea she was injured. What kind of injury did she have.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Lincoln Southwest Athletics: We miss you in the water Dannie!! Thanks for being a Great Teammate!!!




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Sydney Schneider‏: If he can do it you can do it @[U]DilsaverDannie[/U]

Quote:

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PeterBurnsESPN: Twitter is a rough place today so here's a video of my pup doing rehab after tearing his ACL's...

https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/825423019619340291

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OBear073akaSMFan;842846415 said:

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Maybe I missed it but Wow had no idea she was injured. What kind of injury did she have.

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[COLOR="#006699"]Dannie tore/sprained her ACL I believe, judging from that hash tag in her post.

Particularly tough on breaststrokers as theirs is such a leg-based discipline.

One positive is that Olympian Ryan Lochte suffered a similar injury after being mobbed by an over-enthusiastic fan, but was able to adjust his leg kicks to compensate after his recovery, ended up developing an even faster breast style![/COLOR]

[COLOR="#006699"]
As is obvious from my posting history here lol, I've been championing the recruitment of Dutch junior ace Marrit Steenbergen for a while now, so a mite disappointed that she has withdrawn from Worlds.

However, the upside to the story below is that baby :bear: Robin will now get a shot to compete for her country in an individual event ([U]200m Free[/U]) @ Budapest, on top of her valued contribution to NED's relay(s)! :beer:
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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]DUTCH EUROPEAN JR CHAMPION STEENBERGEN OPTS OUT OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS[/SIZE][/COLOR]



From the KNZB website, it appears that Robin Neumann will be racing the women’s 200m freestyle now in addition to Femke Heemskerk.


https://swimswam.com/dutch-europeanjr-champion-steenbergen-opts-out-of-worldchampionships/


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[COLOR="#336699"][SIZE=5]Jack Dolan Tops 200 Back Field at 2017 L.A. Invite[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"]Elise Garcia[/COLOR]


The 2017 L.A. Invite hosted its first night of finals with [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] and Jack Dolan among the event winners.

[COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] of ISC picked up her first win of the meet in the women’s [U]200 fly[/U], posting a dominating finish of 2:12.59. HRA’s Alex Reddington turned in a second place finish of 2:15.18, while SoCal’s [COLOR="#DAA520"]Elise Garcia[/COLOR] was third with a 2:15.36.

[COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] added a second gold medal to her collection in dominating fashion. Darcel delivered a gold medal finish of 4:42.99 in the women’s [U]400 IM[/U], followed by Solie Laughlin’s 4:53.62. NOVA’s Isabelle Odgers rounded out the podium with a third place finish of 4:54.55.


https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/jack-dolan-tops-200-back-field-at-2017-l-a-invite/


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[COLOR="#336699"][SIZE=5]Sarah Darcel Among Night 2 Winners of 2017 L.A. Invite[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR]


[COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] continued to collect gold medals on night two of the 2017 L.A. Invite

ISC’s [COLOR="#DAA520"]Sarah Darcel[/COLOR] turned in a final time of 2:13.76 to top the women’s [U]200 IM[/U].

ISC continued to turn in top times as Faith Knelson charged to victory in the women’s [U]200 breast[/U]. Knelson turned in a 2:30.75 to narrowly finish ahead of NOVA’s Isabelle Odgers’ 2:30.84. BUEN’s [COLOR="#DAA520"]Ali Harrison[/COLOR] completed the top three with a time of 2:32.81.


http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/sarah-darcel-among-night-2-winners-of-2017-l-a-invite/


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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=3]L.A. Invite: [U]Night 1 & 2[/U][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR="#006699"]
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:

2017 baby :bear: Sarah improved her lifetime best by quite a bit with that 2:12.59 in the [U]200m Fly[/U] yesterday! According to CollegeSwimming, Darcel's prev PR = 2:14.12 from 2016 Jr Pan Pacs last August.

Sarah's [U]400m IM[/U] PB = 4:39.29 from 2017 Canadian Trials in April, and her [U]200m IM[/U] PB = 2:12.51, also from Worlds Trials.

Not to be left out, 2018 commit Elise joined the club by lowering her [U]200m Fly[/U] PB from 2:15.59 (Aug 2016) down to 2:15.36 on Friday.


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

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), and 1:01.02 for 4th in the [U]100m fly[/U] (prev PB = 1:01.18 from May)

Elise equaled her PB of 1:01.05 to take 5th in the [U]100m fly[/U]

Sarah shared the runner-up spot in the [U]100m fly[/U], 1:00.59
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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.