[COLOR="#006699"]
Thank you beaverbear for pointing out the schedule & roster updates!

Brilliant to see that Maddie is now officially on the team haha, though I personally still favour Golden Bear Sports over ISI Photos in terms of the photography...conspiracy theories notwithstanding

Do approve of Teri signing up her women for the [U]UGA Fall Invite[/U] instead of Winter Nationals in a non-Olympic year going forward :beer:

Will mean we won't get an early preview of the much-anticipated clash with the furdettes (likely NCAA faves)...

But going up against defending National Champions Georgia on their home turf plus a good field (lineups not yet announced) will be a great test & measure of where the team is at that point in the season under championship conditions (albeit buffered by the extra rest from the meet hosting both the women's and the men's competitions at the same time).

More crucially, seeking to secure those all-important NCAA cuts...

Back in 2014, the field consisted of the following programmes on the women's side:
[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]#2 Georgia
#5 Cal
#6 Auburn
#9 Virginia
#15 Penn State
#19 UCLA
Florida State
Harvard
Virginia Tech[/INDENT][/COLOR]
Fondly recall hearing all those rowdy "Go Bears" chants from Dave's lads in unified support of the women (and vice versa), quite gratifying as they were by far the most vocal & enthusiastic cheers out of all the teams there, to my admittedly biased ears haha

At the conclusion of that meet, :bear:s came in 2nd overall, trailing the dawgs by just 9 points even when handicapped by not having brought the diving team here: http://www.georgiadogs.com/livestats/c-swim/14gainv/

Several NCAA cuts & Division I leading times were also achieved:


A few days later, Cal vaulted up to the top of CSCAA's national rankings, ahead of #2 Georgia & #3 Stanfurd.

What ensured at the end of that season is, of course, history

http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?91525-2015-Women's-NCAA-Championships-(Swimming)

:gobears:
[/COLOR]

Will Celina win it for the fourth year in a row? Personally I hope they retire those swim suit. Suits kind of busy looking.

http://www.calbears.com/news/2016/9/22/womens-swimming-diving-bears-open-at-queen-of-the-pool.aspx

OBear073akaSMFan;842733354 said:

---

Will Celina win it for the fourth year in a row? Personally I hope they retire those swim suit. Suits kind of busy looking.

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Bookies may favour Celina by a massive margin, and deservedly so (even Missy was unable to dethrone our IM studette in 2 successive tries, albeit Franklin was still recovering from her back spasms back in 2014) ...
[/COLOR]

BearDevil;842361485 said:

---

Celina wins two in a row. Don't see that happening next year when Sheriff Kathleen swims into B-town.

---

[COLOR="#006699"]But, echoing BD's sentiments from a couple of years ago hehhe... I wouldn't completely dismiss Thleen either if she's having a good day this afternoon (i.e. free of health issues).

Perhaps a versatile swimmer such as Keaton, may also be in the running, seeing that this meet is competed in a pentathlon format. Wouldn't be surprised either if dream teamers Amy & Katie put up a decent showing (tempted to include Abbey there except I haven't looked up how solid, or not, Weitzeil's other strokes are!)

btw, OBear, congrats on your rapidly improving photo embedding know-how there ... :p Wouldn't disagree with your opinion of those swimsuits too

Got a chance to take a glance at the froski bios now that the roster is up. Know that we had in the past talked about freshies Aislinn & Courtney as being legacies, but hadn't realised how impressively deep these ties were (parents & relatives not just having attended school here, but many of them were also athletes repping Cal) ... or that Maddie & Mia were legacies too! :beer:
[/COLOR]
------

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Courtney Mykkanen [/SIZE][/INDENT]

Has a long family connection to Cal, a list of graduates that includes both parents, grandparents, aunts, uncle and great grandparents
The Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library at Cal is named for her great grandfather, a longtime member of the civil and environmental engineering faculty
Father, John, was a distance freestyler for Cal in the mid-1980s and earned a silver medal in the 400m free at the 1984 Olympics

------

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Maddie Murphy [/SIZE][/INDENT]

Both of her parents graduated from Cal, in addition to a total of 32 cousins aunts and uncles
Father was a two-time NCAA champion as a member of the Cal men's water polo team

------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842728061 said:

---

An addition that I was unaware of previously is Mia Diliberto (Diving) - appears to be a legacy (sister Monica was a 2015 :bear: graduating from Haas?), who had competed with the Stanford Diving Club

---

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Mia Diliberto[/SIZE][/INDENT]

Older brother, Michael, is a member of the Cal men's gymnastics team, while older sister, Monica, also attended Cal
A competitive gymnast for 10 years before shifting to diving

------

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Aislinn Light [/SIZE][/INDENT]

Older brother, Austin, graduated from Cal in 2012 and older sister, Audrey, is a current Cal student
Father, Jack, also earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Cal

------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842721718 said:

---

There's also a Maggie Gallagher in [U]Gymnastics[/U] who's actually on the National Team - same person, or someone else?!
[INDENT]https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=194997[/INDENT]

---

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842731095 said:

---

[COLOR="#696969"]Abbey & Maggie (older sis is a furdette)[/COLOR]

---

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Maggie Gallagher[/SIZE][/INDENT]

A member of the U.S. Trampoline Junior National Team from 2010-15
A finalist at the World Age Group Games from 2009-11 and again from 2013-15
An eight-time national champion in trampoline
Competed in numerous national and international trampoline events, traveling to such locations as Denmark, Bulgaria, England, France, Canada and Russia
Sister, Sammy, is a junior diver at Stanford
Uncle, Clay, played football at UCLA from 1971-72

------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842515870 said:

---

here's an article from a couple of days ago which provides some insight into Keaton's fascinating background and some of the challenges she faced growing up:

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

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/07/lakeridge_senior_keaton_blovad.html

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Hopefully a stable coaching, team & school environment for the next 4 years will help bring out all the best in Keaton [/COLOR]

[INDENT][SIZE=3]Keaton Blovad[/SIZE][/INDENT]

Earned the President's Award from her high school and was a member of the Chinese Honor Society
Lists Lake Oswego, Oregon, as her hometown, but has also lived in Bangkok and Shanghai

------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842733491 said:

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Bookies may favour Celina by a massive margin, and deservedly so (even Missy was unable to dethrone our IM studette in 2 successive tries, albeit Franklin was still recovering from her back spasms back in 2014) ...
[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#006699"]But, echoing BD's sentiments from a couple of years ago hehhe... I wouldn't completely dismiss Thleen either if she's having a good day this afternoon (i.e. free of health issues).

------

---

The results are in, and Kathleen Baker is the new Queen of the Pool (as predicted), with a narrow victory over Celina Li. Other class winners are Abbey Weitzeil and Jasmine Mau. Links below:

• Recap
  
• 2016 results
  
• 2015 results (because I just love looking at these stats to see year-to-year trends)
  

Some thoughts:

• Kathleen is faster over the 100y distance. Maybe Celina would have won at the 200y distance ....
  
• Amy is fast at backstroke. Look --- a 3 second drop from last year.
  
• Katie is back; all faster times than last Fall.
  
• Could Maddie challenge for a spot on the sprint free relays?
  
• "Distance swimmer" Chenoa is pretty good at breaststroke.
  
• Noemie wasn't there (or, at least, didn't swim)
  
• Everyone looks great!
  

[COLOR="#006699"]
Great summary & astute observations, beaverbear ... cheers too for posting the results from last year! :beer:

Kathleen's the "new sheriff in B-town" indeed, deservedly so as "she's so good in so many events" (to paraphrase Coach Dave Marsh), though Celina made lil Bean work hard for her victory



[COLOR="#696969"]calwswimanddive: Queen Baker and her court! Thank you @calpolyswimming for hosting another great meet! #QueenOfThePool #GoBears #ThleenTheQueen[/COLOR]


Dream Team 2015 all made it to the Top 5 as anticipated! Wow, didn't know Abbey had such sick breaststroke skillz lurking in her too (won the [U]100 breast[/U] in 1:04.56) - hey maybe Teri will press-gang Abbey into relieving Thleen on the breast leg of our medleys haha (actually Chenoa showed some mad breast chops too with her 5th placing in that discipline).

Amy killed the rest of the field in her back (her 53.25 really impressive for such an early part of the season), 2nd in both the free & IM, 5th in the fly...but ultimately Bilquist's 1:09.72 breast (ouch!) ruined her chances of queen-dom lol

Also very happy to see Katie back to form ([U]100 fly [/U]- 2nd to Thleen, [U]100 free[/U] & [U]100 IM[/U] - #5, [U]100 back[/U] - #6), but alas, her #17 spot in the breast also did her in...

[COLOR="#696969"]calwswimanddive: Golden Bears ready to kickoff the 2016-2017 season! #CalPoly #GoBears #QueenOfThePool[/COLOR]
https://instagr.am/p/BKtSF9nBruJ

Freshies put up a great fight too, with Keaton shining in the 6th overall spot, Maddie just behind @ 7th (tied w/KV), and Chenoa one spot down from her!

------


Here's the luvly group photo from the official recap that beaverbear had linked to:



[/COLOR]

[SIZE=3]2016 [U]Combined Events[/U] Results[/SIZE] (from Cal Poly website, similar to the CalBears version): http://static.psbin.com/8/7/69jlydnje4l0nv/2016_queen_of_the_pool_standings.pdf

[SIZE=3]2016 [U]Individual Events[/U] Results[/SIZE] (from Cal Poly website): http://static.psbin.com/d/s/8jz7fapux4w5b4/2016_queen_of_the_pool_results.pdf


------


[COLOR="#0099cc"][SIZE=5]Kathleen Baker "Queen of the Pool" as Cal Women Return to Competition[/SIZE][/COLOR]




http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/kathleen-baker-queen-of-the-pool-as-cal-women-return-to-competition/


------

Sadly fixated on 100 Breast times, so Abbey's unexpected time stands out. Baker's perhaps the 2017 & 2018 medley breaststroker if a 2017 recruit doesn't materialize. Would have liked to have seen faster breast times from Keaton & Maija.

BearDevil;842733616 said:

---

Sadly fixated on 100 Breast times, so Abbey's unexpected time stands out. Baker's perhaps the 2017 & 2018 medley breaststroker if a 2017 recruit doesn't materialize. Would have liked to have seen faster breast times from Keaton & Maija.

---

Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong for the medley relays ....

• Back: Kathleen or Amy
  
• Breast: Abbey (why not, she could be the female Caeleb Dressel (Florida) --- natural sprinter, can put together a decent 50y or 100y breast split due to great reaction time and/or strong pullouts or plain hustle) or Marina or Kathleen
  
• Fly: Farida or Noemie or Katie or Maddie
  
• Free: Farida or Amy or Abbey
  

(etc.)

Since it's easier to find sprint freestyle talent (maybe), or at least develop them well at Cal, why not try this?

Keaton is a distance IM/backstroker (like Stanford's Maya Dirado), and Maija is a distance breaststroker (5'2"); sprint breaststroke is so tempo-driven, it's almost like a different stroke compared to the distance version.

Bears have minimal relay issues this season:

800 Free: Baker, McL, Amy, Abbey
200 Medley: Baker, Marina, McL, Farida/Amy
400 Medley: Baker, Marina, McL, Abbey
200 Free: Farida, Abbey, Amy, Hull/KV
400 Free: Farida, Abbey, Amy, Baker/McL

Have to replace Farida on three relays (Hull or a recruit/transfer) and Marina on two relays (Baker or a recruit/transfer).

beaverbear;842733644 said:

---

Maija is a distance breaststroker (5'2"); sprint breaststroke is so tempo-driven, it's almost like a different stroke compared to the distance version.

---

[COLOR="#006699"]I think Maija wouldn't vehemently disagree with you on that count haha (seen w/Longhorn Bethany Leap in the photo below):[/COLOR]

------

Maija: 50 Breast day has all the 200 Breastrokers stumped... #phillips66nats



https://instagr.am/p/rcwhrLCE66

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BearDevil;842733675 said:

---

400 Free: Farida, Abbey, Amy, Baker/McL
200 Free: Farida, Abbey, Amy, Hull/KV

---

beaverbear;842733574 said:

---

• Could Maddie challenge for a spot on the sprint free relays?
  

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Maddie's PB of 22.49 in the [U]50 free[/U], from May 2016, would have ranked her #5 last season for the Bears (see stats below). If she shows a similar rate of improvement (prev PB = 23.13 from Aug 2015), or develops her speed a bit more between now and March, I can even see our baby :bear: contending w/Val & KV for that last spot on the [U]200 free relay[/U].


Heck, a bit of a stretch, but maybe the [U]400 free relay[/U] as well, even if it's a tough proposition there as one would have to get past the Dream Team first! Maddie's chances would be greater in her soph year, after Farida & KV's graduations. Murphy does hold a 48.62 PB in the [U]100 free[/U], also achieved at the CIF-NCS Championships this May ... prev PB = 50.02 from May 2014, with her 2015 best being 50.20.

btw, pretty impressed with Celina placing 4th in the [U]100 free[/U] this afternoon, beating the pure sprint specialists like Farida, KV & Val...the 3-time Queen of the Pool certainly wasn't going to give up her crown without a serious bearfight lol
[/COLOR]

[INDENT][SIZE=3]2015-16 California Season-Best List[/SIZE][/INDENT]

50-yard Freestyle (NCAA A: 21.86; NCAA B: 22.99)
1. Farida Osman .........................!*21.32......2/25/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
2. Amy Bilquist .......................... ^22.10......2/25/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
3. Valerie Hull ............................ ^22.24......2/25/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
4. Kristen Vredeveld ................... ^22.30......2/25/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
5. Noemie Thomas ..................... ^22.91......2/25/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs

100-yard Freestyle (NCAA A: 47.79; NCAA B: 49.99)
1. Farida Osman ..........................*47.20......2/27/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
2. Amy Bilquist .......................... ^48.02......2/27/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
3. Rachel Bootsma ..................... ^48.24......3/19/16 ...... at NCAA Champs
4. Kristen Vredeveld ................... ^48.51......2/27/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
5. Rachael Acker ........................ ^48.81......2/27/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs
6. Katie McLaughlin .................... ^49.06......2/27/16 ...... at Pac-12 Champs

http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/calberk.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/6/1/535435.pdf

------

[COLOR="#006699"]
More pool pix from [U]Cal Poly[/U]:
[/COLOR]


Marina: and we are seniors ✌ ��️





Aislinn: first meet and she's already making moves, couldn't ask for a better way to start the season!





[COLOR="#006699"]Alt subtitle: "clinging to mummy" :p[/COLOR]

Jaz: SLO excited for junior year ��


https://instagr.am/p/BKtoB3UBY3O



Val: when you break a minute in the 100 fly for the first time ever!!!! #10yearsinthemaking #gainz #thanksjoel #maijadidtoo #princessjaz ���� #juniortakeover


https://instagr.am/p/BKtfGrah56e


------


Keaton: What a sweet balcony





Kathleen: Isn't it crazy we are humans ������


https://instagr.am/p/BKuMTe4D5T6



KV: I've got bug on my face ��


https://instagr.am/p/BKuWhM1gX9Z



Amy: Our sick house #202




------

[COLOR="#006699"]
TGIF...the SLO afterparty...
[/COLOR]

calwswimanddive: Some bears having a dance off with the Avila Beach locals! #AvilaBeachFarmersMarket #BearBreakdown



[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO ->[/SIZE] [/COLOR] https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/t50.2886-16/14444078_1298377350194286_6658403110823657472_n.mp4



Amy: Had some fun at the Reggae concert we stumbled upon tonight... Found a new dance partner @CalWSwim



[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO ->[/SIZE] [/COLOR]

------

Some nice freshmen in Moseley and Mann. They are strong where we are weak, breast and distance!


https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-6-usc-women-freestyle-powerhouse/

OBear073akaSMFan;842733978 said:

---

Some nice freshmen in Moseley and Mann. They are strong where we are weak, breast and distance!

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Trojans are definitely a fast rising threat that we'll need to pay some attention to sooner than later, in a shifting landscape that may not revolve solely round the Cal-LSJU-UGA triumvirate for much longer.

Salo has put together impressive (and dangerous) classes the past couple of recruiting cycles, including poaching Kristen Vose from Teri (though Amy & Abbey didn't fall for his spiel that year haha), with early verbals already from distance freestyler Isabella Rongione and breaststroke ace Maggie Aroesty (#3) for the next class.

Think $C's relays going forward will be every bit as potent as ours & the furd's, which is pretty amazing when one considers all the superstar Olympians & National Teamers on both of the Bay Area teams.

Speaking of the Dream Team, was looking at some older posts, and the prior edition of the Dream Team was the [U]2012 class[/U] I guess.
[/COLOR]
Dream Team 2015
#2 - Abbey [COLOR="#006699"](well, Rio sort of broke up our dream group :bawl:, but they are finally all here this season, yay yay! )[/COLOR]
#3 - Kathleen
#4 - Katie [COLOR="#006699"](announced her commitment just the day after her official visit :beer[/COLOR]
#5 - Amy

Dream Team 2012
#3 - Lizzie [COLOR="#006699"](committed to :bear: really early, April 2011!)[/COLOR]
#4 - Lauren [COLOR="#006699"](Driscoll subsequently transferred to the Tenn Vols)[/COLOR]
#5 - Bootsie [COLOR="#006699"](early verbal too, in Aug 2011) [/COLOR]
#8 - Kelly
#? - Rachael
[COLOR="#006699"]
Top recruit in the 2012 class was PASA stud Jasmine Tosky, who ended up with the women of Troy but retired from swimming in her Junior year (another notable retirement was that of Maddy Schaefer from LSJU). #2 was Bonnie Brandon (Missy's HS "arch-rival" @ the Colorado State Champs who became a Zona wildcat).
[/COLOR]

longseeker;842026060 said:

---

USC's coach brags how he has recruited a number of top prep swimmers "under Cal and Stanford's noses": Trotsky, Morgan, Stump
and Chenault. We have great prep swimmers in the Bay Area and we should be able to continue to mine those High School programs.

---

operbear;842026086 said:

---

Contrary to Trojan talk, U$C is not as challenging academically as either Cal or Stanfurd.

---

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842734016 said:

---

Trojans are definitely a fast rising threat that we'll need to pay some attention to sooner than later, in a shifting landscape that may not revolve solely round the Cal-LSJU-UGA triumvirate for much longer.

Salo has put together impressive (and dangerous) classes the past couple of recruiting cycles, including poaching Kristen Vose from Teri (though Amy & Abbey didn't fall for his spiel that year haha), with early verbals already from distance freestyler Isabella Rongione and breaststroke ace Maggie Aroesty (#3) for the next class.

Think $C's relays going forward will be every bit as potent as ours & the furd's, which is pretty amazing when one considers all the superstar Olympians & National Teamers on both of the Bay Area teams.

---

Georgia will hang nationally for another season or two, but their recruiting has taken a severe hit and they're close to running on empty.

'SC, Texas, UVa, and Louisville are on the rise. Would prefer Lville to fill the vacuum since less recruiting cross over with Cal. There's enough talent in the West to stock three PAC national powers and all three can recruit nationally and internationally too. Competent coaching at UCLA would help burst the condoms.

BearDevil;842734032 said:

---

Competent coaching at UCLA would help burst the condoms.

---

Is it a matter of time Kristen winds up coaching here? This would be her ideal school.

OBear073akaSMFan;842734037 said:

---

Is it a matter of time Kristen winds up coaching here? This would be her ideal school.

---

That's my guess. Would be a double edged sword: would take a chunk out of 'SC, Cal, and LSJU recruiting, but Kristen could groom a young assistant like Klaren who could eventually replace Teri.

------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]Kathleen Baker Crowned Queen of the Pool in Annual Cal Meet[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[INDENT]https://swimswam.com/kathleen-baker-crowned-queen-pool-annual-cal-meet/[/INDENT]


The usual SwimSwam reader comments:
[COLOR="#696969"]
a_trojan: Cal’s best breaststroker is Abbey Weitzeil?!? looks like Cal still has a breaststroke problem

Observer: I can see it now…a 45 split relay swimmer swimming breaststroke. That would probably be the fastest combo. Baker, Weitzeil, McLaughlin, Bilquist. Yikes.

Spectatorn: I know Amy Bilquist is a strong backstroker, but it is still shocking to see her over 2 seconds faster than Kathleen Baker (2nd in this race) – 53.25 vs 55.55 – in a 100yd race. I assume that is because Amy has superior turn and underwater? thoughts?

ArtVanDeLegh10: If you watched the Olympics, Baker has great UWs, and better than Bilquist’s.
[/COLOR]

------

beaverbear;842733574 said:

---

• Amy is fast at backstroke. Look --- a 3 second drop from last year.
  
• Katie is back; all faster times than last Fall.
  
• Could Maddie challenge for a spot on the sprint free relays?
  
• "Distance swimmer" Chenoa is pretty good at breaststroke.
  
• Everyone looks great!
  

---

[COLOR="#006699"]
Listed the times here for some of the top finishers in each of the 5 events for both years:
[/COLOR]
[SIZE=3]100 fly[/SIZE] | [COLOR="#696969"]2016 NCAA B cut: 54.49[/COLOR]
1. Kathleen - 54.11 (NT in 2015)
2. Katie - 54.25 (54.81 in 2015)
3. Farida - 54.57 (55.17 in 2015)
4. Celina - 54.90 (55.99 in 2015)
5. Amy - 55.00 (56.63 in 2015)
6. Abbey - 55.75
7. Maddie - 55.85


[SIZE=3]100 back[/SIZE] | [COLOR="#696969"]2016 NCAA B cut: 55.09[/COLOR]
1. Amy - 53.25 (56.50 in 2015)
2. Kathleen - 55.55 (NT in 2015)
3. Celina - 55.81 (57.26 in 2015)
4. Keaton - 56.57


[SIZE=3]100 breast[/SIZE] | [COLOR="#696969"]2016 NCAA B cut: 1:02.49[/COLOR]
1. Abbey - 1:04.56
2. Celina - 1:05.24 (1:05.80 in 2015)
3. Kathleen - 1:05.59 (1:06.03 in 2015)
4. Chenoa - 1:05.72


[SIZE=3]100 free[/SIZE] | [COLOR="#696969"]2016 NCAA B cut: 49.99[/COLOR]
1. Abbey - 49.81
2. Amy - 50.39 (51.26 in 2015)
3. Katie - 51.02 (51.51 in 2015)
4. Celina - 51.23 (51.63 in 2015)
5. Farida - 51.33 (51.57 in 2015)
6. Maddie - 51.60
7. KV - 51.74 (53.42 in 2015)
8. Val - 52.15 (52.12 in 2015)
9. Kathleen - 52.24 (NT in 2015)


[SIZE=3]100 IM[/SIZE]
1. Kathleen - 55.79 (57.79 in 2015)
2. Amy - 56.88 (57.84 in 2015)
3. Abbey - 57.72
4. Celina - 57.73 (57.12 in 2015)
5. Katie - 58.80 (59.32 in 2015)
6. Keaton - 59.08
7. Maddie - 59.26

[COLOR="#006699"]
As beaverbear had pointed out, almost everyone swam faster than they did last year, which is a great sign!

- Amy seems to have exhibited the biggest time drops across all her swims, she's going to be such a beast in the pool (if her health holds up this season, knock on wood!)
- KV a massive improvement on her 100 free, confirming her continuing return to her HS studly form (hopefully <g>)
- Kathleen, flushed with success after her extraordinary Rio exploits, now swifter in the 2 races that she had participated in during her frosh year, 100 breast & IM, the latter in particular (limited 2015 Cal Poly swims stemming from her Crohn's flaring up then?)
- Celina some nice time upgrades over 2015 ... but still couldn't get past Thleen (positive indication that the standard of competition is higher now)
- Katie's results a very encouraging sign that her neck injury's finally behind her
- Abbey every bit the sprint ace closer that we've all been so (im)patiently waiting for, showing some additional talents as well
- Maddie & Chenoa, maybe Keaton too, providing us a glimpse of their upside, could contribute sooner than some had anticipated
- Jasmine's times are very nice compared to 2015 - really look forward to her regaining the form that was mysteriously in absentia last season
- Marina's times (not to mention a DQ in the breast) a step or two backwards ... but it's still really early in the season
- yeah, what happened to Noemie?! Hope everything's alright at her end of things!

Comparing apples to oranges lol (different format, schedule, pool, setup - in addition to every team being in a different phase of their training esp at the very start of a new season), but FWIW, here are the winning times from the [U]All-Florida Invitational[/U] held this weekend for reference:
[/COLOR]
100 fly: 56.26
100 back: 56.65
100 breast: 1:05.16

It's a team bonding weekend and gives Teri an early data point on who likes to race/hates to lose. SwimSwam trolls examing it like the Zapruder film are clueless. NCAAs, PACs, and duals don't have five events back to back. Fun exhibition that clearly favors IMers and tougher swimmers. Nobody should be shocked that the team has limited sprint breast options, that Baker, Amy, and Abbey are studs, and that Celina is tough.

[COLOR="#006699"]
Couldn't agree more - very well said, BD!!!

Sticking to the [U]team-bonding[/U] theme, here are a few more photos from this weekend's fun @ Pismo State Beach (as well as a classic from 2014 - looks like upgraded accommodations for this year's venture lol).[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842361867 said:

---

Melanie Klaren [COLOR="#696969"]21 Sept[/COLOR]
Had a phenomenal time these past 3 days with my bears. ������

---

------


Keaton: How my weekend was spent




------


Maija: Captured the one moment we weren't in our luxury robes this weekend...

------


calwswimanddive: 7:30am ocean swim to wrap up a great weekend! #PismoBeach #SundayFunday




------


Val: what better way to spend a weekend than beachin' it with my bears? ������




------

------


Chenoa: Baby bears on the beach ����

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]Anina & Chenoa[/COLOR][/INDENT]



------


Abbey: It's okay she survived ����

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]Abbey & Maddie[/COLOR][/INDENT]




Abbey: Bears take on a weekend in SLO �� Playing in the ocean after workout is what we do best ����



[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=4]VIDEO [/SIZE][/COLOR] (2:20 - feat. a sick soundtrack, with a chest bump thrown in lol!) -> https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/780457340600397824


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Val: really lucked out with a pal like you, maija diane!



https://instagr.am/p/BK1Ezv_BdQo


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Maddie: we're the same human ��




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[COLOR="#006699"]
Daily Californian's take on [U]Queen of the Pool[/U], published today:
[/COLOR]
------

[COLOR="#0099cc"][SIZE=5]Cal women’s swimmer Kathleen Baker named Queen of the Pool[/SIZE][/COLOR]

http://www.dailycal.org/2016/09/25/cal-womens-swimmer-kathleen-baker-named-queen-pool/

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BearDevil;842735345 said:

---

It's a team bonding weekend and gives Teri an early data point on who likes to race/hates to lose. SwimSwam trolls examing it like the Zapruder film are clueless. NCAAs, PACs, and duals don't have five events back to back. Fun exhibition that clearly favors IMers and tougher swimmers. Nobody should be shocked that the team has limited sprint breast options, that Baker, Amy, and Abbey are studs, and that Celina is tough.

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Yup, h8ters will hate...hope that our women don't take those trollish commenter remarks on SwimSwam seriously in any way (seeing as they originate from just a handful of belligerent no-bodies hiding cowardly under the anonymity of the internet), cos these losers are just plain jelly of how bleeding awesome & brilliant our :bear:s are. The team should take comfort in knowing they will always have our collective support & cheers, thru thick & thin! :cheer


The Daily Cal article above had also echoed BD's sentiments to some degree here: [SIZE=3][FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR="#696969"]"It should be noted that swim meets early in the season are used more for refining technique and getting the swimmers back into shape rather than going all out. It isn’t until later in the school year, when swimmers will be in peak condition, where they post their best times. Still, it is encouraging to see the depth and versatility of the women’s swim team on display. With seven of the top 10 times being posted by freshmen and sophomores, Cal appears set to continue its dominance for the foreseeable future."[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

As for [SIZE=3][FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR="#696969"]"Expectations are high yet again for the Bears this season. For the past eight years, Cal has finished in the top three of the NCAA Championships and will look to surpass last year’s third-place finish"[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE], well & true, but it's always nice when one doesn't have the target painted on their backs as much anymore, unlike during the Missy era and last season (Dream Team)! Let's see how those super furdettes handle being the fave this year and down the road... :p
[/COLOR]
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[COLOR="#006699"]
This just in - Swimming World's article:[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#003399"][SIZE=5]Performance of the Week: Kathleen Baker Crowned Queen Of The Pool[/SIZE][/COLOR]



http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/performance-of-the-week-kathleen-baker-crowned-queen-of-the-pool/

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842723713 said:

---

------------
[COLOR="#A9A9A9"]
[U]Sat, 28 Jan[/U] UCLA @ Berkeley, CA
[/COLOR]
------------

[COLOR="#000000"][U]Confirmed/Official[/U] in BLACK[/COLOR]
[COLOR="#A9A9A9"][U]Guesses[/U] in GREY[/COLOR]

---

[COLOR="#006699"]UCLA's official 2016-2017 schedule here: http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/uclabruins.com/documents/2016/9/13/16_17_Schedule.pdf

So, now confirmed:
[/COLOR][COLOR="#000000"]
[INDENT][U]Sat, 28 Jan[/U] UCLA @ Berkeley, CA (11:00 am)[/INDENT]
[/COLOR]

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842728427 said:

---

[INDENT][COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=5]College Swimming Previews[/SIZE][/COLOR][/INDENT]


[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#10[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#663333"]Michigan[/COLOR][/U] Seeks Back-To-Back B1G Titles:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-10-michigan-seeks-back-back-b1g-titles/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#9[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#663333"]NC State[/COLOR][/U] Women Rising:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-9-nc-state-women/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#8[/COLOR] Worrell Departs, but [U][COLOR="#663333"]Louisville[/COLOR][/U] Reloads:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-8-worrell-departs-but-louisville-reloads/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#7[/COLOR] Elite Talents Back from Redshirt for [U][COLOR="#663333"]IU[/COLOR][/U]:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-7-elite-talents-back-redshirt-iu/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#6[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#663333"]USC[/COLOR][/U] Women A Freestyle Powerhouse:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-6-usc-women-freestyle-powerhouse/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#5[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#663333"]Virginia[/COLOR][/U] Women Look to Hold Course:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-5-virginia-women-look-hold-course/

[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=4][COLOR="#800080"]#4[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#663333"]Texas A&M[/COLOR][/U] Led by Outstanding IM Depth:[/SIZE][/COLOR] https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-4-texas-led-outstanding-im-depth/

---

[COLOR="#006699"]No surprises as to who will end up in the top 3!

Reckon [U]SwimSwam[/U]'s picks will be:
[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]1. Stanford
2. Georgia
3. Cal[/INDENT][/COLOR]
[U]Mine[/U]:
[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]1. Furd
2. :bear:
3. Dawgs[/INDENT][/COLOR]
But IMHO not a foregone conclusion by any means, Bears def do have a chance to win back the national title, tho it'll be quite an uphill & massive challenge this season...

Sure Meehan has his ace Ledecky who can be a game changer just by herself, enough said! Then throw in Olympic 100m free champ & AR holder Manuel's return, plus 5 Top 20 recruits in their freshman class...quite a potent/intimidating/frighteningly dominating combo, to say the least!

We've also lost perennial faves Boostie & Lizzie :bawl:, along with Kelly, Rachael & Alicia :cry:

However, reckon if the Dream Team's able to side step the health issues plaguing them last season and hits their stride going forward...Abbey the alpha cub who will make some wonder "Simone who?!" :p...the generally underestimated freshies out to show the world that they have more upside than previously given the credit for (I'm especially looking at yer, Maddie/Chenoa/Keaton )...Jaz & KV making comebacks...Noemie building on her improvements which had thrust her onto the Rio stage..Farida & Marina going out with a bang as captains in their senior year..Celina wanting to prove that losing her Queen of the Pool treble crown was just a pure fluke lol...Pheebs and perhaps one of the froski divers qualifying for NCAAs (and hopefully scoring tho this may be a bit of a tall order the 1st year) now that the new trainng facility is finally here...basically everyone chipping in their own lil ways to make this truly a team effort...if it all comes together, well the underdog can triumph in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds!

All I'd wish for is for everyone in the team to take in and enjoy each other in and out of the pool, the school and life in general...train diligently but sensibly, give it your best shot whenever it counts...relish the process and take what you can from the life experiences as you unearth all the unique discoveries on your individual & shared paths (heck, starting to sound a mite too zen here haha).

In other words, no pressure or expectations other than what you put on yourself and your teammates (even if we like to argue over who's the fastest and who will win what on the board, that's only human nature!). Everyone here takes great pride in your impressive achievements, collectively feels your hurt & frustrations during those darker moments, and will always be supportive no matter the results - just look at the continued cheers for some of the other school sports who have not done nearly as well as the swimming teams for ages).

Swim on you Bears! :cheer
[/COLOR]

[COLOR="#006699"]
No actual Teri or Amy content lol, but liked [U]SWM[/U]'s cover so thought I'd post it here... :p
[/COLOR]
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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]11 Coaches Reveal the Funniest Excuses They Have Ever Heard[/SIZE][/COLOR]




[INDENT]http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/11-coaches-reveal-the-best-excuses-they-have-ever-heard/[/INDENT]


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[COLOR="#006699"]
Looks like Dana (presumably Thleen & Abbey too) is back in town from Team USA's White House visit. What better start to an early Sat am practice @ Spieker than playing with [U]cute babies[/U]?! (well, guess there's puppies & kitties too, for a start... :p)

Think Farida's back in Egypt celebrating a close friend's wedding, but should be back in time for school and this coming Friday's dual meet v. OSU.
[/COLOR]
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Dana: The whole family came to Saturday morning workout and Arlen was giving out hugs & kisses �� to all the girls! #gobears #swim @andywgrant

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[COLOR="#006699"]
This one belongs more properly to one of the Missy threads, but just couldn't resist throwing it here:
[/COLOR]
hairysunyang: To be Frank-lin, sometimes I really Miss-y swimming



https://instagr.am/p/BKmqXO-gTZE

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[COLOR="#006699"]
Another home game winner = another round of photos from the football field...
[/COLOR]
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Marina: ayayay it is a bear-y good day to be a golden bear ������

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]KV & Marina[/COLOR][/INDENT]




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Maggie Gallagher: Football games don't have snicky snacks #gobears

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]Connor & Maggie[/COLOR][/INDENT]




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Val: golden gamedays with the golden bears ��

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]Keaton, Val & Maddie[/COLOR][/INDENT]



https://instagr.am/p/BLCZfrehnVJ


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Amy: Put me in coach! The dive team just got a whole lot taller

[INDENT][COLOR="#696969"]Hayden, Amy & Phoebe[/COLOR][/INDENT]




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Maddie: me and keeks killin game day ��




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UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842737155 said:

---

No surprises as to who will end up in the top 3!

Reckon [U]SwimSwam[/U]'s picks will be:
[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]1. Stanford
2. Georgia
3. Cal[/INDENT][/COLOR]
[U]Mine[/U]:
[COLOR="#696969"][INDENT]1. Furd
2. :bear:
3. Dawgs[/INDENT][/COLOR]

---

[COLOR="#006699"]Check out the linked-to SwimSwam article below to read the detailed analysis & assessment by Lauren Neidigh.

Rated Bears higher in some areas than I had expected (not that I'm complaining, mind you lol).

Note that Lauren does include the [U]200 free[/U] in the "Distance" category, hence we don't get quite as dodgy of a mark there as anticipated, due to our :bear:'s strengths in that event.
[/COLOR]

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[CENTER][COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=6][U]College Swimming Previews[/U][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER]


[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]WEITZEIL INCOMING FOR [COLOR="#800080"]#3[/COLOR] [U][COLOR="#FFD700"]Cal[/COLOR][/U] WOMEN:[/SIZE][/COLOR]


[COLOR="#696969"]With the returning group, Cal has no lack of depth in the sprints and several potential individual scorers. Now add Abbey Weitzeil, Maddie Murphy, and Keaton Blovad to the mix and you've got a dangerous looking sprint free group for the Golden Bears. Archive Photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography
[/COLOR]

[U]Key Losses[/U]: Rachel Bootsma (37 NCAA points, 3 NCAA relays), Liz Pelton (8 NCAA points, 1 NCAA relay), Rachel Acker (1 NCAA Relay, Pac-12 finalist freestyler), Kelly Naze (33 NCAA points)

[U]Key Additions[/U]: Abbey Weitzeil (sprint free), Maddie Murphy (sprint free/fly), Keaton Blovad (sprint free), Chenoa Devine (distance free), Courtney Mykkanen (back/IM)

[SIZE=3]
[U]SPRINT FREE[/U]: A+

[U]DISTANCE FREE[/U]: B+

[U]IM[/U]: A-

[U]BUTTERFLY[/U]: A+

[U]BACKSTROKE[/U]: A

[U]BREASTSTROKE[/U]: C+


[U]2016-17 OUTLOOK[/U]:
[/SIZE]
Cal is stacked in a handful of areas, and should be very competitive in the sprint relays with the likes of Osman and Weitzeil. Like last year, their biggest challenge will come in the breaststroke events. They also have some holes in the longer events, as no one stands out as an immediate scorer in the 400 IM, 500 free, or mile. Despite those gaps in the lineup, the Bears will likely find themselves fighting for another top 3 finish thanks to a great outlook for their free relays, sprint freestylers, and fliers.


[INDENT]https://swimswam.com/college-swimming-previews-weitzeil-incoming-3-cal-women/[/INDENT]


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Quote:

---

Quote Originally Posted by UrsusArctosCalifornicus View Post
No surprises as to who will end up in the top 3!

Reckon SwimSwam's picks will be:
1. Stanford
2. Georgia
3. Cal

Mine:
1. Furd
2.
3. Dawgs

---

"Olympic Stars shines for [COLOR="#000000"]#2 [/COLOR]Stanford Women"

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5915[/ATTACH]

Quote:

---

SPRINT FREE: A+
Both Lia Neal (21.7/46.8) and Simone Manuel (21.3/46.0) will return for the Cardinal after winning medals for the USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Manuel is the American Record holder in the 100 free, and will be in the race for NCAA titles in the 50 and 100 after she won both of those races in her freshman season.
Neal and Manuel are both sub-47 100 freestylers and sub-22 50 freestylers, which bodes well for the Stanford relays. They also have all of their free relay swimmers from last season returning. That includes Ella Eastin (23.1/49.1), Janet Hu (21.8/47.9), Lindsey Engel (22.2/48.9), and Ally Howe (22.8/49.5), who all split sub-22 in the 50 and sub-48 in the 100 from rolling starts.
The freshmen will add some depth to the potential relay lineups, as Katie Drabot (22.4/48.3) and Katie Ledecky (22.6/48.2) come in at 22-mid in the 50 and 48-low in the 100.
DISTANCE FREE: A+
The arrival of distance ace Katie Ledecky (1:41.0/4:26.5/15:13.30) will be huge for the Cardinal. Ledecky’s reputation precedes her, as she’s been dominant in the distance races on the Olympic and World Championship stage. This season, Ledecky will take a shot at sweeping the 200 through 1650 freestyles at NCAAs.
Katie Ledecky - 2016 Olympic Games in Rio -courtesy of simone castrovillari
Katie Ledecky (Photo: Simone Castrovillari)
The freshmen distance swimmers coming in with Ledecky are Erin Voss (4:44.7), Katie Drabot (1:44.2/4:40.5), and Megan Byrnes (4:43.4/16:01.8). Drabot and Voss aren’t distance specialists, but their times in the middle distance races are fast enough to at least score big points at Pac-12s.
Byrnes, on the other hand, extends her range to the mile, which will make her a good training partner for sophomore Leah Stevens (4:43.1/16:07.7). Byrnes comes in with a time that’s just shy of what it took to get 8th at NCAAs last season.
In terms of the 200 free and 800 free relay, the Cardinal has a stacked group this year that’ll be hard for any team to beat. With Ledecky, Lia Neal (1:42.5), and Simone Manuel (1:41.1), they’re probably looking at at least 2 A-finalists in the event. Throw Ella Eastin, who split 1:42.1 last season, in the mix for the 800 free relay, and they’re probably the favorites in the relay title hunt.
IM: A
Ella Eastin (1:51.6/3:58.4) took the IM races by a storm as a freshman, winning both at NCAAs and setting a new American Record in the 200 IM. Eastin is set to challenge for back-to-back sweeps of the IM races.
Incoming freshmen Katie Drabot (1:56.0/4:08.87) and Allie Szekely (1:57.7/4:06.3) are already within B-final scoring range in at least one of the two IM races, as is Ally Howe (1:56.2) in the 200 IM. Szekely’s time in the 400 IM would’ve landed her in the championship final last season.
Leah Stevens (1:59.9/4:10.2) and Kim Williams (1:58.1/4:10.2) both qualified for NCAAs, but could move up into the top 16 of the 400 IM if they can dip under 4:10.
Ella Eastin broke the American, U.S. Open, and NCAA Records with the fastest 200 yard IM in history. Photo Courtesy: Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com
Ella Eastin (Photo: Tim Binning)
BUTTERFLY: A
Ella Eastin (1:51.0) finished a close second in the 200 fly last season, but her time was over 2 seconds faster than anyone behind her. Now that Kelsi Worrell has graduated, we could see Eastin run away with this one, depending on the health of Cal’s Katie McLaughlin.
Janet Hu (51.0/1:52.9) and Lindsey Engel (51.8/1:54.1) could both bring in A-final points, and both scored in the fly races at NCAAs last season. Hu was 4th in the 100 fly, but opted for the 200 back instead of the 200 fly. Engel scored in the B-final for both, but she’s just shy of what it took to make the top 8 in the 100.
BACKSTROKE: A+
Last season, Ally Howe topped a stacked field in the 100 back to become Pac-12 champion, and went on to score in both backstrokes at NCAAs, including a 3rd-place finish in the 100 behind a pair of seniors. Likewise, Janet Hu was an A-finalist in the 100 back, and she also pulled in B-final points in the 200 back. Between those two, the Cardinal could get a big boost in backstroke.
Joining them this season is Erin Voss (53.3/1:51.9), who’s already good enough to make the top 8 in the 200. That could give the Cardinal 3 finalists in the event.
BREASTSTROKE: B-
Stanford isn’t as deep in breaststroke, but they’ve still got Heidi Poppe (59.2/2:11.3), who could be a top 8 scorer in the 100 breast. Poppe gained considerable time last year compared to her freshman season, and still has never been faster than she was at a midseason rest meet in the fall of 2014. But if she can bring her times back down, the Cardinal should have a solid shot at NCAA points in breaststroke and a good medley relay swimmer.
Aside from Poppe, they’ve got Kim Williams (1:01.3/2:11.3) and newcomer Allie Szekely (1:01.3/2:10.3) to bring in big points at Pac-12s. Szekely is a versatile swimmer, so the coaches will have decisions to make about what events to put her in at conference and NCAAs, but she’s already got the fastest 200 breast time of anyone on the team.
If the Cardinal medley relays were really in a bind, they could always use Ella Eastin (1:00.3), who currently has their 2nd fastest 100 breast time behind Poppe.
2016-17 OUTLOOK:
The Cardinal team is packed with stars this season, including Ella Eastin, Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, and Lia Neal, who could make up a scary-good 800 free relay. They’re clearly on the short list of favorites for the Pac-12 and NCAA titles this season.
The Cardinal breaststrokers may have some work to do, as Sarah Haase has now graduated. That aside, the team has a depth of talent in pretty much every area plenty enough to cover their few thin spots, especially after bringing in the nation’s #1-ranked recruiting class.

---

What a major surprise with STanford coming in #2 instead of the expected #1. Looks like they are expecting Georgia to repeat.

The previews of the "top 10" teams on both the men's and women's sides are not their predictions for 2017 NCAA results but are based on teams' finishes at the 2016 meet.

HBear;842740124 said:

---

The previews of the "top 10" teams on both the men's and women's sides are not their predictions for 2017 NCAA results but are based on teams' finishes at the 2016 meet.

---

Thanks for the correction. I did read it where someone in the peanut gallery explained it.

[COLOR="#006699"]
Yup, as HBear had pointed out there, thanks.

TBH that had also confused me completely lol, until I bothered to read the comments! Apparently SwimSwam is saving their 2017 NCAA predictions for an ongoing series of articles starting in a few weeks' time...
[/COLOR]

I'm sharing some statistics from the 2013 through 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, in hopes that we'll gain some insight into how a title-winning team is constructed.

The basic facts are that 4,030 points are available for distribution throughout the meet. A finals placings are awarded as follows: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11. B finals placings are awarded as follows: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Relays are scored double.

As a reminder, Cal placed:

• 2013 - 2nd (to Georgia)
  
• 2014 - 3rd (to Georgia and Stanford)
  
• 2015 - 1st (over Georgia)
  
• 2016 - 3rd (to Georgia and Stanford)
  

During the last quad:

• The winning team scored an average of 476 points. Of these, 314 points are individual and 162 points are relay. 12 scorers contributed to this total.
  
• The second place team scored an average of 410 points. Of these, 252 points are individual and 158 points are relay. 10 scorers contributed to this total.
  
• Although the women's team is allowed a maximum of 14 scholarships, only Georgia in 2013-2015 and Cal in 2014-2015 essentially maxed out their rosters. Otherwise, the top 3 teams brought ~13 swimmers and divers to the championship.
  

During Cal's 2015 title run:

• 11 scorers contributed 328 individual points and 186 relay points.
  
• 6 (Franklin, Runge, Pelton, Osman, Klaren, Bootsma) contributed the equivalent of 3 A final placings, for a total of 253 points.
  
• 1 (Li) contributed the equivalent of 2 A final placings, for a total of 20 points.
  

During Cal's other three years, on average:

• 11 scorers contributed a total of 233 individual points.
  
• One relay might be "sub-par" (e.g., B final appearance or DQ)
  
• Georgia has scored a little over 300 individual swimming points in 2013-2015, but was boosted by 56 diving points in 2014.
  
• Stanford has progressively scored more points on diving from 2014 to 2015 to 2016, with 56 diving points in 2016.
  

As an easy rule-of-thumb, a winning team needs about 300 individual points and 175 relay points. The ceiling for 5 A final relays is 200 points, and the floor is 110 points. I believe that this year, it is possible for us to do it if we have a full team of 18 swimmers/divers, distributed as follows:

• 5 swimmers scoring >33 points each
  
• 2 swimmers scoring 22-32 points each
  
• 4 swimmers scoring 11-21 points each
  
• 7 swimmers scoring some points
  

Naturally, the more swimmers that move up in categories, the better! We should also aim for at least top-3 finishes in every relay, with a couple of wins.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts (or suggestions on additional stats to analyze).

[COLOR="#006699"]
Hey that's bloody brill, beaverbear - thank you very much for doing all the grunt work and sharing your smashing analysis on both the women's & men's sides of things :acclaim:

Will give much food for thought, could serve as a very solid baseline guide as to what the team should aim for this year, and/or what we as spectators on the sidelines should look for or expect! We may not have all the fancy, customised databases and algorithms to track all the relative progression of every NCAA swimmer's times & such that the coaches enjoy access to, but this is def. a great starting point for a more simplistic model of what may be predictable.

Will also be interesting to compare this to SwimSwam's take on the stats & points when they release it further down the road.

Look really forward to delving into all of this and learning from everyone's feedback as soon as my current focussing on the recruiting scene gets a bit of a breather lol
[/COLOR]

beaverbear;842740343 said:

---

I'm sharing some statistics from the 2013 through 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, in hopes that we'll gain some insight into how a title-winning team is constructed.

The basic facts are that 4,030 points are available for distribution throughout the meet. A finals placings are awarded as follows: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11. B finals placings are awarded as follows: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Relays are scored double.

As a reminder, Cal placed:

• 2013 - 2nd (to Georgia)
  
• 2014 - 3rd (to Georgia and Stanford)
  
• 2015 - 1st (over Georgia)
  
• 2016 - 3rd (to Georgia and Stanford)
  

During the last quad:

• The winning team scored an average of 476 points. Of these, 314 points are individual and 162 points are relay. 12 scorers contributed to this total.
  
• The second place team scored an average of 410 points. Of these, 252 points are individual and 158 points are relay. 10 scorers contributed to this total.
  
• Although the women's team is allowed a maximum of 14 scholarships, only Georgia in 2013-2015 and Cal in 2014-2015 essentially maxed out their rosters. Otherwise, the top 3 teams brought ~13 swimmers and divers to the championship.
  

During Cal's 2015 title run:

• 11 scorers contributed 328 individual points and 186 relay points.
  
• 6 (Franklin, Runge, Pelton, Osman, Klaren, Bootsma) contributed the equivalent of 3 A final placings, for a total of 253 points.
  
• 1 (Li) contributed the equivalent of 2 A final placings, for a total of 20 points.
  

During Cal's other three years, on average:

• 11 scorers contributed a total of 233 individual points.
  
• One relay might be "sub-par" (e.g., B final appearance or DQ)
  
• Georgia has scored a little over 300 individual swimming points in 2013-2015, but was boosted by 56 diving points in 2014.
  
• Stanford has progressively scored more points on diving from 2014 to 2015 to 2016, with 56 diving points in 2016.
  

As an easy rule-of-thumb, a winning team needs about 300 individual points and 175 relay points. The ceiling for 5 A final relays is 200 points, and the floor is 110 points. I believe that this year, it is possible for us to do it if we have a full team of 18 swimmers/divers, distributed as follows:

• 5 swimmers scoring >33 points each
  
• 2 swimmers scoring 22-32 points each
  
• 4 swimmers scoring 11-21 points each
  
• 7 swimmers scoring some points
  

Naturally, the more swimmers that move up in categories, the better! We should also aim for at least top-3 finishes in every relay, with a couple of wins.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts (or suggestions on additional stats to analyze).

---

Thanks for formally crunching the numbers. My only quibble would be that an NCAA championship team doesn't have to outscore other championship teams, they just have to outscore the second place team. Potential champion doesn't necessarily have to score 480; 420 would get it done on average.

Ballpark, Teri needs to build a team that scores between 420 and 480
points irrespective of how the points are generated. Ideally would be 17 swim scorers (an A & B scorer in each event) and two scoring divers, but the mix really doesn't matter. Get in that range and tip your hat if somebody beats you. Missy's title team win was especially sweet since Georgia scored 452 points and still lost.

[COLOR="#006699"]
Top times rankings usually mean nought at the start of the season especially when a whole slew of programmes haven't even begun competition yet, with the rest mostly warming up and playing loosely around with lineup configurations in intra-competitions, or engaging in non-conventional meet formats such as the Cal Poly "Queen of the Pool" event.

Encouraging signs for our Bears though - the Dream Team already has [U]NCAA 'B' cuts[/U] from "Queen of the Pool" back in Sept - Abbey (100 free), Amy (100 back), Kathleen & Katie (100 fly) :beer:
[/COLOR]
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USA Swimming: The NCAA swim year is just getting started. A few school have already had bona fide competitions. Check out the top D1 times so far.



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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]Women's Preseason Top 50[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="#696969"]October 5th, 2016[/COLOR]



With the new season underway, top times lists turn over meaning you have to look back / look forward to getting a sense of what the season looks like. Here's a quick and definitely unofficial look at the returning/incoming Top 50 look like. Stanford leads the way with seven swimmers ranked in the top eight in fifteen different events. Cal features four swimmers ranked in the top eight across ten different events. [U]

RANK TEAM PTS[/U]
1 Stanford 307
2 Texas A&M 183
3 Calilfornia 176
4 Virginia 114
5 Georgia 113
6 Michigan 100
7 Southern Cal 98
8 Indiana 97
9 Tennessee 81
10 Wisconsin 80

Here for a look at our [U]2017 Projected NCAA Qualifying Times[/U]: https://www.collegeswimming.com/news/2016/jul/13/ncaa-qualifying-times-2017-projections/


[INDENT]https://www.collegeswimming.com/news/2016/oct/05/womens-preseason-top-50/[/INDENT]


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