OBear073akaSMFan;842820939 said:

---

200free relay was out best chance for a relay win. 400MR will be a bonus!! Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can! (Note: I'm being positive here)

---

I think we have a great chance in both medley relays. The 400 Free relay would be a bonus IMO.

Yeeessssss!!! Kathleeeeeeeennnn!!!!!

Yay yay yay - Thleen over Ella for the win in 1:51.69!!!! :bravo

I love this meet already!!!!!!

School record (overtakes Caitlin's 1:51.77). Almost took down Eastin's NCAA/US Open/AR of 1:51.65 from last year too












[video=youtube;YhwyLVotPkE][/video]

Cal has huge momentum right now. Kathleen mentioned the relay as motivation for her victory.

Bears 4-5-6 in the [U]50 Free[/U] A final:
Farida 21.38, Abbey 21.58, Maddie 21.76 PB (4th fastest in school history!)

Simone broke Smoliga's NCAA record with her 21.17 to win the event (fierce finish too!), but not quite Abbey's 21.12 AR

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842820915 said:

---

[COLOR="#006699"]btw Phoebe just missed out on scoring in the [U]1 m diving[/U] with an 18th placing. The Card's Olympian Cook is seeded 2nd in tonight's finals (rooting for the Chinese & Russian divers to push her down in the scoring hehe), but their freshman diver was shut out @ #35.
[/COLOR]

---

Cook 8th for the furdettes in the diving

Wow, Lia Neal gave it a go and us a bit of a scare, but Abbey took the Bears home for the 400 Medley relay win! 3:26.18. Misses the the American record by .04

Results unofficial tho. Nervous...

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842821004 said:

---

Wow, Lia Neal gave it a go and us a bit of a scare, but Abbey took the Bears home for the 400 Medley relay win! 3:26.18. Misses the the American record by .04

Results unofficial tho. Nervous...

---

I'm nervous too.

Aaaaargh...the dreaded DQ (had thought Abbey's takeoff looked a mite early tbh) :bawl:

Furdettes gain an extra 46 pts relative to Cal courtesy of the DQ... :cry: :cry: :cry:

Thleen's 49.80 leadoff back to no avail (Howe had only managed a 51.42)...




------


[video=youtube;1EbSlYJxhlM][/video]


------

tedbear;842821005 said:

---

I'm nervous too.

---

F***, that sucks!

Really rough on the Bears. Had to thread the needle to take down the 'furdettes and were looking solid up until then. Likely don't break 400 points now, but still...

Really feeling for our :bear: but they did everything almost right tonight to give us all renewed hope (if somewhat dashed after the DQ :p) that the furdette juggernaut wasn't quite as invincible as advertised, and I for one will be cheering the squad on to bounce back and just give it their best for the rest of the meet, that's all we can ask of them!

:cheer

On a brighter note from the relay, here's what SwimSwam posted "*NOTE: Despite Cal’s disqualification, Baker’s split will not be nullified per the NCAA rulebook, meaning she is still the 2nd fastest performer of all time after breaking Natalie Coughlin’s 15-year-old school record on the leadoff split.*"

BearDevil;842821018 said:

---

Really rough on the Bears. Had to thread the needle to take down the 'furdettes and were looking solid up until then. Likely don't break 400 points now, but still...

---

(From one of the furd boards)

"If all swimmers place according to their current rankings by times and all relay teams do the same over the next two days.....
506 Stanford
367 Cal"

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842821026 said:

---

Really feeling for our :bear: but they did everything almost right tonight to give us all renewed hope (if somewhat dashed after the DQ :p) that the furdette juggernaut wasn't quite as invincible as advertised, and I for one will be cheering the squad on to bounce back and just give it their best for the rest of the meet, that's all we can ask of them!

:cheer

On a brighter note from the relay, here's what SwimSwam posted "*NOTE: Despite Cal's disqualification, Baker's split will not be nullified per the NCAA rulebook, meaning she is still the 2nd fastest performer of all time after breaking Natalie Coughlin's 15-year-old school record on the leadoff split.*"

---

Did I jinx the Bears? Kept hoping for a DQ for the bad guys!:headbang

Ruey Yen‏: "Hearing @KathleenBaker2 saying that the @CalWSwim team is over the DQ makes ME feel better. #GoBears Let's win some more NCAA titles!"


------


[video=youtube;p80Lh2WsCr0][/video]


------

------


[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]A RECORD-SETTING NIGHT OF SWIMMING[/SIZE]

[COLOR="#808080"] [SIZE=3]3/16/2017 5:52 PM | By: Cal Athletics[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/COLOR]



[COLOR="#696969"]The Bears react to winning the 200 free relay in a U.S. Open-record time of 1:25.59 (Tim Binning photo).[/COLOR]


INDIANAPOLIS The Golden Bears figured that this year's NCAA Championships were going to be fast. All it took was their first two finals to see by how much.

Cal's foursome of Abbey Weitzeil, Maddie Murphy, Amy Bilquist and Farida Osman kicked off the night by capturing their third consecutive title in the 200-yard free relay in an NCAA and U.S. Open-record time of 1:25.59. Then in the Bears' next race, sophomore Kathleen Baker broke the school record in winning the 200 individual medley in 1:51.69.

In the team standings, Cal is in second place with 136 points. Stanford leads with 213 points and Texas is third with 119.

In the relay, Cal trailed Stanford by just over half a second midway through the event when Bilquist, a sophomore swimming the third leg, posted a 21.26 split to bring the Bears within striking distance. Osman then brought home the title with a closing 20.91 anchor leg, surging to the lead on the final lap to out-touch the Cardinal by 0.32 seconds.

"We have like seven girls we can put on that relay," Bilquist said. "Honestly, I was lucky to be on the relay. We had a lot of energy, a lot of nerves, and I think we harnessed that in the best way possible."

Baker, the two-time Olympic medalist who was runner-up in the 200 IM as a freshman last season, took the lead during her backstroke leg and held off Stanford's Ella Easton through the breaststroke and freestyle for the victory. Her time is the second-fastest in history and broke Caitlin Leverenz's previous school mark of 1:51.77 from 2012.

"I'm having a lot more fun," Baker said. "I think that's sort of the vibe of our team right now. I was just enjoying the moment and having fun along the way. I think that's what makes a huge difference and taking my success this summer and incorporating it into short course and having it all come together this year."

Cal piled up 42 points in the 50 free with three swimmers in the A final. Osman led the trio in fourth place with a time of 21.38, which was just off her school record of 21.32. Weitzeil took fifth in 21.58, while freshman Maddie Murphy claimed sixth in a personal-best 21.76.

In 1-meter diving, sophomore Phoebe LaMay just missed scoring, finishing 18th with 269.95 points, an improvement from her 22nd-place showing last year.

The night ended on a sour note in the 400 medley relay. After an apparent victory, the Bears were disqualified when one swimmer left the blocks too early on an exchange. Still, Cal came away with a school record as Kathleen Baker led off with a time of 49.80 in the 100 back, breaking Natalie Coughlin's 15-year-old mark of 49.97.

"We got a little too aggressive," head coach Teri McKeever said. "We're going to have to shake it off and see what happens individually and collectively."

The NCAA meet continues through Saturday with prelims starting at 7 a.m. PT and finals at 3 p.m. PT.


http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/3/16/womens-swimming-diving-a-record-setting-night-of-swimming.aspx


------


[video=youtube;CJ2XqTV5Db8][/video]


------

------


[COLOR="#0099cc"][SIZE=5]Carmel's Bilquist feels at home at IU Natatorium[/SIZE][/COLOR]


http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2017/03/16/carmels-bilquist-feels-home-iu-natatorium/99205904/


------

Cal exceeded my expectations tonight but the DQ in the final event was a heartbreaker. The score would be 203-176 with two more days to go...Cal would have won four events (now three) over the Furd which is exceptional. The Bears are swimming the relays like they did in the past when they won. They opened with the 800 free relay victory, then set a record in the 200 free relay & finished first in the 400 medley relay BEFORE DQ! To defeat Stanford in three consecutive relays is way better than the team fared in Pac 12 Championships. McKeever has her swimmers performing at their best. Impressive. I know that the Cardinal is impressed. GO BEARS!

fyi...Cal didn't win the 800 relay.

------
[COLOR="#006699"]
Going to miss quite a bit of today's prelims session, but will check in later for updates and post stuff if needed...
[/COLOR]
------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 Women's NCAA Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap[/SIZE][/COLOR]


https://swimswam.com/2017-womens-ncaa-championships-day-3-prelims-live-recap/


------


[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=3]LIVE RESULTS ->[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.sidearmstats.com/ncaa/swimming/index.htm

[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]LIVE STREAM ->[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://iupuijags.com/watch/?Live=481&type=Live


------

WOMEN’S 400 IM

1Ella Eastin (Stanford)- 4:03.47
2Sydney Pickrem (Texas A&M)- 4:03.63
3Madisyn Cox (Texas)- 4:04.03
4Bethany Galat (Texas A&M)- 4:04.65
5Bailey Andison (Denver)- 4:04.84
6Lindsey Clary (Ohio State)-
7Reka Gyorgy (Virginia Tech)- 4:05.87
8Sharli Brady (Missouri)- 4:06.00

No Bears in top 16. Furd's Allie Szekely #15 into B finals. Chenoa Devine #37, Celina (gulp) #43


WOMEN’S 100 FLY

1Noemie Thomas (Cal)- 50.71
2Louise Hansson (USC)- 50.74
3(T-3) Hellen Moffitt (UNC)- 50.77
3(T-3) Farida Osman (Cal)- 50.77
5Janet Hu (Stanford)- 51.09
6Sarah Gibson (Texas A&M)- 51.09
7Gia Dalesandro (Indiana)- 51.27
8Liz Li (Ohio State) 51.45
11 Maddie Murphy 51.74

WOMEN’S 200 FREE

1Simone Manuel (Stanford)- 1:41.81
2Katie Ledecky (Stanford)- 1:42.02
3Leah Smith (Virginia)- 1:42.86
4Mallory Comerford (Louisville)- 1:42.99
5Siobhan Haughey (Michigan)- 1:43.03
6Jackie Keire (Cincinatti)- 1:43.27
7Gabby DeLoof (Michigan)- 1:43.50
8Claire Rasmus (Texas A&M)- 1:43.73

9 Katie McLaughlin 1:43.75 Looks like she just started off too fast and didn't have enough in the tank at the end.
18 Abbey Weitzeil 1:45.03
22 Kristen Vred. 1:45.24
24 Cierra Runge 1:45.36

furds 2up/3downs in 200 wow!!!!

100 Breast

1 Lilly King SO Indiana 57.38
2 Lindsey Horejsi FR Minnesota 58.23
3 Natalie Pierce JR Florida St 58.38
4 Kayla Brumbaum SR NC STATE 58.54
5 Laura Simon SR Virginia 58.58
6 Andrea Cottrell SR Louisville 58.65
7 Katharine Ross SR Missouri 59.00
8 Emma Sougstad SR Iowa 59.06
9 Kierra Smith FR Minnesota 59.09
23 Marina Garcia 1:00.24

No Bears or Trees in the breast finals. Minn has 2 freshmen #2 & #9 both have gone under 59 sec :cry:

WOMEN’S 100 BACK

1Olivia Smoliga (Georgia)- 50.31
2Hannah Stevens (Missouri)- 50.61
3Kathleen Baker (Cal)- 50.63
4Janet Hu (Stanford)- 50.75
5Ally Howe (Stanford)- 50.81
6Hellen Moffitt (North Carolina)- 50.94
7Nadine Laemmler (Missouri)- 50.96
8Claire Adams (Texas)- 51.10

9 Amy Bilquist 51.35
36 Keaton Blovad 53.10

WOMEN’S 200 MEDLEY RELAY

Texas A&M- 1:35.59
NC State- 1:35.77
Cal- 1:35.93
Arizona- 1:36.02
Indiana- 1:36.06
Missouri- 1:36.17
USC- 1:36.18
Stanford- 1:36.24

Wow Stanford just beat out 9th place Texas 1:36.29!

3 California 1:34.42 1:35.93 q567
1) Amy Bilquist SO 2) r:0.07 Abbey Weitzeil FR
3) r:0.20 Noemie Thomas JR 4) r:0.35 Valerie Hull JR

Final look for Farida replacing Hull and most possibly Baker replacing Amy. Abbey r:.07 on her leg..careful there!

Diving and 200MR tonight. Don't know how many Texan's Divers but hopefully we can maintain 2nd place.

per GREG MEEHAN from last night: “THAT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST MOMENT IN OUR SPORT” :nono:PLEASE BEAT THEM IN THE 200MR tonight

OBear073akaSMFan;842821223 said:

---

WOMEN'S 400 IM

1Ella Eastin (Stanford)- 4:03.47
2Sydney Pickrem (Texas A&M)- 4:03.63
3Madisyn Cox (Texas)- 4:04.03
4Bethany Galat (Texas A&M)- 4:04.65
5Bailey Andison (Denver)- 4:04.84
6Lindsey Clary (Ohio State)-
7Reka Gyorgy (Virginia Tech)- 4:05.87
8Sharli Brady (Missouri)- 4:06.00

No Bears in top 16. Furd's Allie Szekely #15 into B finals. Chenoa Devine #37, Celina (gulp) #43


WOMEN'S 100 FLY

1Noemie Thomas (Cal)- 50.71
2Louise Hansson (USC)- 50.74
3(T-3) Hellen Moffitt (UNC)- 50.77
3(T-3) Farida Osman (Cal)- 50.77
5Janet Hu (Stanford)- 51.09
6Sarah Gibson (Texas A&M)- 51.09
7Gia Dalesandro (Indiana)- 51.27
8Liz Li (Ohio State) 51.45
11 Maddie Murphy 51.74

WOMEN'S 200 FREE

1Simone Manuel (Stanford)- 1:41.81
2Katie Ledecky (Stanford)- 1:42.02
3Leah Smith (Virginia)- 1:42.86
4Mallory Comerford (Louisville)- 1:42.99
5Siobhan Haughey (Michigan)- 1:43.03
6Jackie Keire (Cincinatti)- 1:43.27
7Gabby DeLoof (Michigan)- 1:43.50
8Claire Rasmus (Texas A&M)- 1:43.73

9 Katie McLaughlin 1:43.75 Looks like she just started off too fast and didn't have enough in the tank at the end.
18 Abbey Weitzeil 1:45.03
22 Kristen Vred. 1:45.24
24 Cierra Runge 1:45.36

furds 2up/3downs in 200 wow!!!!

100 Breast

1 Lilly King SO Indiana 57.38
2 Lindsey Horejsi FR Minnesota 58.23
3 Natalie Pierce JR Florida St 58.38
4 Kayla Brumbaum SR NC STATE 58.54
5 Laura Simon SR Virginia 58.58
6 Andrea Cottrell SR Louisville 58.65
7 Katharine Ross SR Missouri 59.00
8 Emma Sougstad SR Iowa 59.06

23 Marina Garcia 1:00.24

WOMEN'S 100 BACK

1Olivia Smoliga (Georgia)- 50.31
2Hannah Stevens (Missouri)- 50.61
3Kathleen Baker (Cal)- 50.63
4Janet Hu (Stanford)- 50.75
5Ally Howe (Stanford)- 50.81
6Hellen Moffitt (North Carolina)- 50.94
7Nadine Laemmler (Missouri)- 50.96
8Claire Adams (Texas)- 51.10

9 Amy Bilquist 51.35
36 Keaton Blovad 53.10

Diving and 200MR tonight. Don't know how many Texan's Divers but hopefully we can maintain 2nd place.

per GREG MEEHAN from last night: "THAT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST MOMENT IN OUR SPORT" :nono:PLEASE BEAT THEM IN THE 200MR tonight

---

Good job on waking up early and watching all the prelims OBear!

-We really need an IMer. Outside of Kathleen in the 200, the cupboard is really bare. This is why Teri wanted Megan Small from last year, and why the recruitment of Mary Sophie Harvey for next year is so crucial.

-Noemie and Farida are a very solid combo in the 100 Fly. I hope one of them takes the crown tonight. Maddie also continues to surprise! Farida will be missed greatly, but hopefully Eva is coming in the next recruiting class.

-A little disappointed that Katie didn't make the A final, but good to build on for the future. Cierra's performance so far at this meet has been shocking. I wonder if she has any regrets leaving. As another obscure side note, I wonder why Hannah Cox swam the 400IM over the 200 Free. The 200 is suppose to be her main event. This is the void that Robin Neumann will hopefully fill, and also for next year's recruiting Taylor Ruck.

-That time has to be close to a personal best for Marina, but more than any other event, times have dropped dramatically over the past four years, that she can't even come close to a B final. Calling Zoe Bartel, you are our only hope!

-Really bummed that Amy didn't make the A final. I was really hoping this was going to be her breakout meet. Amy, win the B final, perform well in the 200 Back, and go kick more ass on the relays. #myfav

Second place finish but still swam to their potential. Friday looks like an entirely different day, however, with Cal shutout in three event finals out of six. Stanford appears to be performing at a higher level today-I think Cal gave them a wake-up call last night. Oh well.

tedbear;842821246 said:

---

-We really need an IMer. Outside of Kathleen in the 200, the cupboard is really bare.

---

The last 2 recruiting year (I'm including 2017) has only been so & so. I'm not an expert on this but only basing this on other people postings. There of course some exceptions Maddie Murphy & hopefully Robin will be but overall recruiting has been disappointing. If we really want to stay on top, 2018 will be a key year for us. We can't afford a 3rd year of furds restocking & us getting another sub par recruiting year (imo). I'm still hoping though,that Katie and Simone going pro after these NCAA Championships. What else do they have to prove?

[COLOR="#006699"]
Appreciate all your posts & updates, makes it so much easier to catch up!

In fairness to Katie McL, she had equalled her lifetime best in the [U]200 Free[/U] and that done in a prelims session. This event has gotten so fast this year, Katie would have easily been into the A final in 2016 in the 5th spot with that 1:43.75. Being shut out of the A final by the 2nd tiniest of margins (0.02 sec) must have felt really frustrating tho!

A mite worrisome is Abbey missing out even tho this is her weakest event. Perhaps she hasn't recovered fully from her health incident @ Pac-12s or doesn't have quite the stamina for the longer distances at this stage. Hope Abbey will make up for it by busting out a wicked breast split in the [U]200 Medley Relay[/U] tonight to help the team to a relay title (without getting too aggro on her starts mind you :p). btw frequently an early jump can be attributed partly to the incoming swimmer if they take too long a stroke or have a poor, inconsistent finish - esp if one hasn't practised adequately with that relay lineup combo and gotten familiar with one's teammates swim patterns...

Amy hasn't quite performed to her potential in her individuals, but has more than compensated for that by her key relay swims that made all the difference in the outcome. Hang on, reckon I'm being a mite too critical here haha, as Bilquist did hit a PB by quite a bit in both her [U]50 Free[/U] prelims and swimoff...

Not sure what happened with Celina but she was massively slower yesterday & today than what she's normally capable of. Hope that she's healthy and will put in a good swim in the [U]200 Fly[/U] tomorrow, her last NCAA champs race in the blue & gold.

Keaton & Chenoa might be experiencing a bit of frosh shock as the intense atmosphere of NCAAs will do that to too many freshman, both physically & mentally - let's see how they fare on Saturday, at least they will have this experience under their belts for next year.

Anyway, will be rooting on Farida & Noemie to take the [U]100 Fly[/U] tonight...failing that, for both to be faster than furdette Janet Hu & Sarah Gibson of A&M...heck wouldn't even cry too much if Hansson wins it as long as the aforementioned scenario holds Maddie FTW in the B final, of course

I've been madly championing Madds ever since she was recruited but flying under everyone's radar (including mine initially lol), and couldn't be more pleased for her studly performances at these championships. Her 51.74 is her 2nd fastest [U]100 Fly[/U] ever (lifetime = 51.62 from Pac-12s), and that time would have almost been good enough to qualify for A finals in the 2016 NCAA edition of this event.

Nicole Stafford's story is a really inspirational & amazing one (at least on a par with Little Bean's battle with Crohn's)...but sorry, since the furdette's repping the wrong school, hope that she stays in her 16th seeded spot at finals in the [U]200 Free[/U] whilst Katie takes the B final...no politically correct mercy or empathy needs to be shown here :p

@ Superstar Thleen - you are a champ and a fighter, so we know you have it in you to take the NCAA & American record from Ally Howe back to where it belongs (Natalie will love you for it!). Or claim the [U]100 Back[/U] title in a star-studded and very tightly-contested field which would work as well haha. At the very least, please, please don't let Howe or Hu nip you at the very end...your underwaters have improved so much under Teri (as confirmed also by Head Coach Marsh @ Rio) and are almost as great as the furdette pair's now. But your on top of the water swimming is significantly superior to theirs, so go all out for it! And if you can't quite win this one, I'm hoping that Olivia will take it ahead of the trees duo...
Lastly, let's get that [U]200 Medley Relay[/U] title!!! :gobears:
[/COLOR]

------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 W. NCAA UP/DOWNS: BATTLE BREWING FOR 2ND BETWEEN BEARS & AGGIES[/SIZE][/COLOR]


https://swimswam.com/2017-w-ncaa-updowns-battle-brewing-2nd-bears-aggies/


------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 NCAA DAY 3 FINALS PREVIEW: BAKER/HOWE & LEDECKY/MANUEL SHOWDOWNS[/SIZE][/COLOR]


https://swimswam.com/2017-ncaa-day-3-finals-preview-bakerhowe-ledeckymanuel-showdowns/


------

------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 WOMEN'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 3 FINALS LIVE RECAP[/SIZE][/COLOR]



https://swimswam.com/2017-womens-ncaa-championships-day-3-finals-live-recap/


------


[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=3]LIVE RESULTS ->[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.sidearmstats.com/ncaa/swimming/index.htm

[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]LIVE STREAM ->[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.espn.com/watchespn/player/_/id/3007740/


------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842821442 said:

---

------


[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 W. NCAA UP/DOWNS: BATTLE BREWING FOR 2ND BETWEEN BEARS & AGGIES[/SIZE][/COLOR]

------

---

Yikes! Didn't notice those other cow ladies creeping up on us.

OBear073akaSMFan;842821488 said:

---

Yikes! Didn't notice those other cow ladies creeping up on us.

---

Well it's A&M and not UT, but mooooo anyway....

Furdette Ella Eastin (once recruited by Teri and had visited Cal) breaks Ledecky's AR in the [U]400 IM[/U].

[U]Combined Team Scores - Through Event 8[/U]

1. Stanford 239
2. Texas A&M 142
3. California 136
4. Texas 135
5. Georgia 119
6. Louisville 93
7. Michigan 74
8. NC State 71
9. Southern Cali 68
10. Indiana 61

OBear073akaSMFan;842821262 said:

---

The last 2 recruiting year (I'm including 2017) has only been so & so. I'm not an expert on this but only basing this on other people postings. There of course some exceptions Maddie Murphy & hopefully Robin will be but overall recruiting has been disappointing. If we really want to stay on top, 2018 will be a key year for us. We can't afford a 3rd year of furds restocking & us getting another sub par recruiting year (imo). I'm still hoping though,that Katie and Simone going pro after these NCAA Championships. What else do they have to prove?

---

Completely agree OBear, 2018 recruiting is absolutely critical if we want to stay near the top of the heap. Next year, the gap between us and the Furd might even be worse, but with a great recruiting class in 2018, I think our next big opportunity to win a title will be in 2019, when Thleen, Katie, and Amy will be seniors.

Maddie you stud muffin...out-touched for 1st place in the B final of the [U]100 Fly[/U], but a great swim and a new PB of 51.15 that is good for Cal's 6th best time!

Farida my hero!!!!!