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Cal W Swim/Dive‏ @CalWSwim:



By the looks of things, we'd say we're pretty excited for our Egyptian princess @FaridaOsman and her NCAA title in the [U]100 fly[/U]. #GoBears

[INDENT][COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO[/SIZE][/COLOR]-> https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/842881181125410816[/INDENT]


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It's pretty cool to be poolside watching a Golden Bear win an NCAA title. Watch @KathleenBaker2 and her race to the finish in the [U]100 back[/U].

[INDENT][COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO[/SIZE][/COLOR]-> https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/842885836840423424[/INDENT]


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To win an NCAA relay title takes total teamwork. Watch @KathleenBaker2 @AbbeyWeitzeil @noemie_thomas @FaridaOsman win the [U]200 medley relay[/U].

[INDENT][COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]VIDEO[/SIZE][/COLOR]-> https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/842900052544798720[/INDENT]


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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=3]Cal Women's Swimming & Diving: NCAA Championships - Day 3 Highlights [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[video=youtube;Ft6ynQnhGlQ][/video]


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[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]A TRIFECTA FOR THE BEARS IN THE POOL[/SIZE]

[COLOR="#808080"] [SIZE=3]3/17/2017 6:16 PM | By: CalBears.com[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/COLOR]



[COLOR="#696969"]Kathleen Baker gives the thumbs-up sign after winning the NCAA 100 back title (Tim Binning photo).[/COLOR]


INDIANAPOLIS Entering Friday finals at the NCAA Championships, Cal had won 10 all-time national titles in both the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. And after the night's racing, the two events still stood together atop the Golden Bears' all-time list, except now the number has grown by one to 11 each.

First, senior Farida Osman captured the 100 fly crown in a lifetime-best 50.05. Then a short time later, sophomore Kathleen Baker earned her second individual title, claiming the 100 back in 49.84 one night after winning the 200 individual medley.

Cal wasn't done yet, however, as the Bears came through in the final event to set an NCAA and U.S. Open record in winning the 200 medley relay in 1:34.10.

Osman had made the 100 fly final each of her first three seasons with the Bears, placing as high as third last year. This time, she came from behind on the final 25 yards with a huge surge down the stretch to capture her first individual national title after being a part of four (and soon-to-be five) relay championships.

Osman's time of 50.05 makes her the No. 3 performer in history and second all-time at Cal behind only Natalie Coughlin's 50.01. Osman became the first Bear to earn victory in the 100 fly since Sara Isakovic five years ago.

"I'm thinking it's my last one, so I wanted to finish it strong and focus on my own race and not on the lanes next to me just getting after it from the get-go," Osman said.

In addition to Osman, junior Noemie Thomas came through in fifth place in 50.65, while freshman Maddie Murphy set her own PR, taking second in the consolation final in 51.15 to make her the sixth-fastest performer ever at Cal.

Baker, who set a school record in her 200 IM victory Friday, essentially led from the start in the 100 back, then held off Georgia's Olivia Smoliga, who came in 0.20 seconds behind at the wall. A Cal swimmer has won the event six times in the last seven years Rachel Bootsma in 2013, 2015 and 2016, and Cindy Tran in 2011 and 2012.

In addition, Amy Bilquist won the 100 back B final in 50.86 seconds.

Finally, the foursome of Baker, Abbey Weitzeil, Thomas and Osman closed out the night with a victory in the 200 medley relay. The Bears were in third entering the freestyle leg, but Osman charged through in 21.11 seconds over her 50 yards and helped Cal prevail by well over half a second over runner-up Texas A&M.

"She has been a great leader in and out of the pool this year," head coach Teri McKeever said of Osman. "I'm really happy for her. Kathleen's obviously doing a phenomenal job. Then for No No (Thomas) to get her title with Abbey, and Amy (Bilquist) and Valerie (Hull) helping us qualify relay is really important. They're national champions, as well."

Sophomore Katie McLaughlin added to Cal's point total in the 200 free, out-dueling Stanford's Lia Neal for a win in the consolation race to take ninth overall. Her time of 1:43.17 was a personal best and a mere 0.02 ahead of Neal.

As a team, Cal remains in second place with 255 points, trailing Stanford, which has 374.5 points, and ahead of Texas A&M's 209 points. The NCAA Championships conclude Saturday.


[INDENT][COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=3]RESULTS:[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.calbears.com/documents/2017/3/17//Friday_Final_Results.pdf[/INDENT]


http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/3/17/womens-swimming-diving-a-trifecta-for-the-bears-in-the-pool.aspx


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[video=youtube;2HM6NnLMRGU][/video]


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Cal captured three more swimming events tonight out of six. Unfortunately, the Bears were shutout in the other three events. Day four events (6) appear to be favorable for Cal except for the 200 breast and the final event, the mile swim. Finish strong and grab second place (silver ain't bad). GO BEARS!

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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 WOMEN'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 4 PRELIMS LIVE RECAP[/SIZE][/COLOR]




https://swimswam.com/2017-womens-ncaa-championships-day-4-prelims-live-recap/


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[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=482&type=Live


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Schroeder71;842821705 said:

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Cal captured three more swimming events tonight out of six. Unfortunately, the Bears were shutout in the other three events. Day four events appear to be favorable for Cal except for the final event, the mile swim. Finish strong and grab the second place (silver ain't bad). GO BEARS!

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In the midst of some awesome swims, I wonder if anyone had any insight into what happened to Celina Li. Bummer to see the local kid not have her best meet at the end of her career.

Cal coming on strong first 2 events!!

WOMEN’S 200 BACK

1Alexia Zevnik (NC State)- 1:49.71
2Danielle Galyer (Kentucky)- 1:49.73
3Kathleen Baker (Cal)- 1:49.96
4Ali Galyer (Kentucky)- 1:50.53
5 Kennedy Goss (Indiana)- 1:50.62
6Tasija Karosas (Texas)- 1:50.85
7(T-7) Asia Seidt (Kentucky)- 1:50.86
8(T-7) Clara Smiddy (Michigan)- 1:50.8

9 Janet Hu 1:51.19
10 Amy Bilquist 1:51.45

Ally Howe only #23 , 41 Keaton Blovad

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

1Simone Manuel (Stanford)- 46.30
2Olivia Smoliga (Georgia)- 46.87
3Mallory Comerford (Louisville)- 46.89
4Farida Osman (Cal)- 47.18
5Lia Neal (Stanford)- 47.22
6Abbey Weitzeil (Cal)- 47.28
7Beryl Gastaldello (Texas A&M)- 47.34
8Chantal Van Landeghem (Georgia)- 47.37


14 Kristen Vredeveld 47.95 KV makes the final with a terrific swim for this senior!
19 Maddie Murphy FR California 48.22
34 Valerie Hull JR California 48.74
10 Siobhan Bernade SO Michigan 47.55


200 Breast
1Kierra Smith (Minnesota)- 2:05.50
2Sydney Pickrem (Texas A&M)- 2:05.69
3Emily Escobedo (UMBC)- 2:05.72
4Lilly King (Indiana)- 2:05.90
5Kayla Brumbaum (NC State)- 2:06.23
6Madisyn Cox (Texas)- 2:06.45
7Ashley McGregor (Texas A&M)- 2:06.86
8Andee Cottrell (Louisville)- 2:07.45


13 Marina Garcia U SR California 2:09.01 Great swim for another Senior to qualify for the B finals
14 Kim Williams SO Stanford 2:09.07

Note: Have to leave for the morning. Best of luck to the rest of the Cal swimmers!

Back:

200 Fly


1Ella Eastin (Stanford)- 1:52.58
2Kaitlyn Jones (Virginia)- 1:52.93
3Sarah Gibson (Texas A&M)- 1:53.32
4Lauren Case (Texas)- 1:53.44
5Katie McLaughlin (Cal)- 1:53.92
6Jen Marrkand (Virginia)- 1:54.12
7Remedy Rule (Texas)- 1:54.34
8Maddie Wright (USC)- 1:54.41

13 Noemie Thomas JR California 1:54.84 B Qualifier
46 Celina Li SR California 1:59.84 Wonder if she is under the weather.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY
NCAA record: Stanford (2017)- 3:08.51

Georgia- 3:10.54
Stanford- 3:10.83
USC- 3:11.28
NC State- 3:11.56
Cal- 3:11.75
Texas A&M- 3:12.43
Louisville- 3:12.61
Wisconsin- 3:12.91

5 California 3:10.15 3:11.75 q567
1) Maddie Murphy FR 2) r:0.38 Katie McLaughlin SO
3) r:0.52 Kristen Vredeveld SR 4) r:0.37 Abbey Weitzeil FR
r:+0.66 22.93 48.41 (48.41)
1:11.38 (22.97) 1:36.25 (47.84)
1:58.75 (22.50) 2:23.70 (47.45)
2:46.12 (22.42) 3:11.75 (48.05)

Blistering 3 leg by Kristen and good to see Katie swim a leg. It will be interesting to see who will swim the finals for the Bears. Got to think Osman & Amy for sure but will Kathleen swim a leg too because she is a hot swimmer! Roll on you Bears!!!

Checking in for a quickie results fix haha - cheers for the update & comments, OBear!

V. impressed by the 2 lifetime best times that KV & Maddie had busted out in the [U]100 Free[/U]. KV makes the B final with her 47.95, dipping below the 48 sec barrier (prev best was 48.14 from Pac-12s). Madds just misses out finals in the 19th spot, but her 48.22 is a PB by almost a whopping half sec! (prev = 48.62 from May 2016)

To put both of these achievements in some perspective, KV's prelims time here would have qualified for the 2016 NCAA 'A' final, and Maddie's would have been good for 3rd in the B final! This event like some others have just gotten ridiculously fast - Chantal VL's 8th/last qualifying time of 47.37 from this morning would have been just shy of 3rd place in the championship final last year (by 0.02 sec)!!!

Tho Amy didn't get into the A final (she's been off a bit at NCAAs, more in individuals during the morning sessions than in her relay contribution - not sure if it's health-related), Hu suffered the same fate and Howe didn't even make finals. Marina made the 200 Breast B final, as did the trees' Williams.

Reckon we are doing relatively well v. the furdettes in scoring seed spots overall thus far in what traditionally has been one of LSJU & UGA's strongest days, plus they don't have a platform diving qualifier to sneak in some extra points...but the Card will be looking to regain their momentum by piling on a host of points in the mile which will be the first event of the evening, with the team title already (almost) assured for them at any rate.

Everyone will be swimming really fatigued emotionally as well as physically, but let's give it a good go tonight and try to upset that pesky furdette juggernaut in a few events, including the concluding showcase [U]400 Free Relay[/U]! Swim on you Bears!!

...Will be back later on to check on updates, thanks all

She was 4th in the 500 final and in the 200 she tied for 1st with Ledecky where she closed in on her. BTW Olympian Champ, Simone Manuel was 3rd in that event. She has qualified 3rd in 100 fr with a sub 47 sec today. What an improvement! As a 2015 recruit, she was only ranked on collegeswimming #44 (Jennifer Campbell #43) Of course, that was the year the dream team was recruited ..so I'm happy but I was just fantasying.

[COLOR="#006699"]
[U]1650 Free[/U]: Chenoa is presently sitting in the 12th spot after having put up a lifetime best of 16:04.34 in her heat (old PB was 16:08.16 from Pac-12s). Not likely to make it into scoring position after the last heat of this timed final is raced in a few minutes time, but a great effort nonetheless. Furdettes could put up some points here as they already have Leah Stevens sitting on top @ 15:52.36 (broke her 15:57.87 PB, also from Pac-12s), with Ledecky & Byrnes yet to swim.

[U]400 Free Relay[/U]: Contrary to some SwimSwam comments, I'm predicting Teri to throw Thleen & Amy into the lineup to join Abbey & Farida, taking the prelims spots of Katie McL & KV...there's also a valid argument for placing faith in KV after her pair of great [U]100 Free[/U] times this morning, and this being her last NCAAs...sentimentality aside, I'd personally still give Amy/Thleen the go-ahead, based on the former's relay contributions the past few nights and on the latter's momentum at this meet...

Last one fast one :gobears:
[/COLOR]
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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 W. NCAA UP/DOWNS: TEXAS, GEORGIA BATTLE CLOSELY FOR 4TH ON DAY 4[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Following day 4 prelims at the 2017 Women's NCAA Championships, the Cardinal is set to reach a sizeable lead, securing their 2017 NCAA Championship title. After putting 8 swimmers into finals, Cal looks safe to hold off Texas A&M for the runner-up spot.

The battle for 4th, however, will be a close one between Texas and Georgia. As of now, the Bulldogs are projected to take 4th by just 13 points over the Longhorns.

**NOTE: UP/DOWNS DO NOT INCLUDE PLATFORM DIVING OR TIMED FINALS OF THE 1650 FREE, AS THE EVENTS HAVE NOT CONCLUDED. The 1650, however, has been factored into the predicted scores based on seeds**

[U]PROJECTED FINAL PLACE | TEAM | UPS | DOWNS | TOTAL SWIMS | PROJECTED FINAL SCORE[/U]
1 | Stanford | 3 | 2 | 5 | 513.5
2 | [COLOR="#DAA520"]Cal[/COLOR] | 4 | 4 | 8 | 359
3 | Texas A&M | 4 | 2 | 6 | 304
4 | Georgia | 2 | 3 | 5 | 258
5 | Texas | 4 | 2 | 6 | 245
6 | Louisville | 2 | 0 | 2 | 192.5
7 | NC State | 2 | 1 | 3 | 188
8 | USC | 1 | 2 | 3 | 181
9 | Michigan | 1 | 2 | 3 | 177
10 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 2 | 175
11 | Indiana | 2 | 1 | 3 | 157
12 | Virginia | 2 | 1 | 3 | 150
13 | Missouri | 0 | 3 | 3 | 128
14 | Kentucky | 3 | 1 | 4 | 109
15 | Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 103
16 | Arizona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87.5
17 | UNC | 0 | 2 | 2 | 73
18 | Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58
19 | Auburn | 0 | 1 | 1 | 57
20 | UCLA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 39

https://swimswam.com/2017-w-ncaa-updowns-texas-georgia-battle-closely-4th-day-4/


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[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=5]2017 WOMEN'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 4 FINALS LIVE RECAP[/SIZE][/COLOR]


https://swimswam.com/2017-womens-ncaa-championships-day-4-finals-live-recap/


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[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/3007798/


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[U]Mile[/U]:

Ledecky 1st, Byrnes 3rd, Stevens 4th, Drabot 26th.

Chenoa 19th overall, great job!

[U]200 Back[/U]

Kathleen!!!! :cheer

".@KathleenBaker2 becomes the third 3-time NCAA champion in Cal history, joining @NatalieCoughlin ('01, '02, '03) and @missyfranklin ('15)"

Amy battling w/health problems?? Perhaps our [U]400 Free Relay[/U] will be Abbey, KV, Thleen & Farida after all...



Event 16 Women 200 Yard Backstroke

=== A - Final ===

1 Kathleen Baker SO California 1:49.96 1:48.44 20
r:+0.62 25.59 53.22 (27.63)
1:20.87 (27.65) 1:48.44 (27.57)

2 Alexia Zevnik SR NC STATE 1:49.71 1:49.09 17
r:+0.57 25.78 53.48 (27.70)
1:21.52 (28.04) 1:49.09 (27.57)

3 Asia Seidt FR Kentucky 1:50.86 1:49.63 16
r:+0.59 26.09 53.78 (27.69)
1:21.56 (27.78) 1:49.63 (28.07)

4 Tasija Karosas SR Texas 1:50.85 1:49.91 15
r:+0.63 26.20 53.87 (27.67)
1:21.70 (27.83) 1:49.91 (28.21)

5 Danielle Galyer SR Kentucky 1:49.73 1:50.49 14
r:+0.54 26.08 53.93 (27.85)
1:22.35 (28.42) 1:50.49 (28.14)

6 Clara Smiddy JR Michigan 1:50.86 1:50.71 13
r:+0.61 26.22 54.10 (27.88)
1:22.33 (28.23) 1:50.71 (28.38)

7 Kennedy Goss JR Indiana 1:50.62 1:50.94 12
r:+0.72 26.49 54.53 (28.04)
1:22.70 (28.17) 1:50.94 (28.24)

8 Ali Galyer FR Kentucky 1:50.53 1:51.05 11
r:+0.66 26.17 54.23 (28.06)
1:22.77 (28.54) 1:51.05 (28.28)

=== B - Final ===

9 Nadine Laemmler SR Missouri 1:52.52 1:50.79 9
r:+0.55 26.13 54.07 (27.94)
1:22.23 (28.16) 1:50.79 (28.56)

10 Claire Adams FR Texas 1:52.09 1:51.50 7
r:+0.64 26.55 55.00 (28.45)
1:23.62 (28.62) 1:51.50 (27.88)

11 Hannah Stevens JR Missouri 1:51.59 1:51.65 6
r:+0.65 27.08 55.52 (28.44)
1:24.24 (28.72) 1:51.65 (27.41)

12 Kylie Stewart JR Georgia 1:51.88 1:51.71 5
r:+0.70 26.38 54.52 (28.14)
1:23.07 (28.55) 1:51.71 (28.64)

13 Bridgette Alexa JR Kentucky 1:51.61 1:52.00 4
r:+0.63 26.91 54.93 (28.02)
1:23.31 (28.38) 1:52.00 (28.69)

14 Amy Bilquist SO California 1:51.45 1:52.03 3
r:+0.65 26.22 54.49 (28.27)
1:23.59 (29.10) 1:52.03 (28.44)

15 Janet Hu JR Stanford 1:51.19 1:52.13 2
r:+0.54 26.64 55.38 (28.74)
1:24.00 (28.62) 1:52.13 (28.13)

16 Lisa Bratton JR TAMU 1:51.92 1:52.66 1
r:+0.61 26.88 55.55 (28.67)
1:24.35 (28.80) 1:52.66 (28.31)



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[video=youtube;PUp3JWKKobw][/video]


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[U]100 Free[/U]

Crikey, what an incredible AR & NCAA record from Manuel - 45.56!!! Time for her & Ledecky to go pro... :p

Farida busts out a PR of 47.07 which was "only" good for 5th - that's how bleeding swift this race was!!!


Event 17 Women 100 Yard Freestyle

=== A - Final ===

1 Simone Manuel SO Stanford 46.30 45.56N 199 20
r:+0.65 21.90 45.56 (23.66)

2 Olivia Smoliga SR Georgia 46.87 46.30P 191 17
r:+0.70 22.24 46.30 (24.06)

3 Mallory Comerfo SO Louisville 46.89 46.35P 190 16
r:+0.63 22.41 46.35 (23.94)

4 Lia Neal SR Stanford 47.22 46.76P 186 15
r:+0.66 22.56 46.76 (24.20)

5 Farida Osman SR California 47.18 47.07P 182 14
r:+0.67 22.56 47.07 (24.51)

6 Chantal Van Lan SR Georgia 47.37 47.54 177 12.5
r:+0.73 22.85 47.54 (24.69)

6 Beryl Gastaldel JR TAMU 47.34 47.54 177 12.5
r:+0.63 22.94 47.54 (24.60)

8 Abbey Weitzeil FR California 47.28 47.79 174 11
r:+0.62 22.54 47.79 (25.25)


=== B - Final ===

9 Louise Hansson FR Southern Cali 47.48 47.30 180 9
r:+0.73 22.76 47.30 (24.54)

10 Siobhan Bernade SO Michigan 47.55 47.39 179 7
r:+0.66 22.68 47.39 (24.71)

11 Rebecca Millard JR Texas 47.84 47.56 177 6
r:+0.69 22.84 47.56 (24.72)

12 Caroline Baldwi JR UNC 47.70 47.72 175 5
r:+0.70 22.58 47.72 (25.14)

13 Courtney Caldwe SO NC STATE 47.75 47.80 174 4
r:+0.70 22.85 47.80 (24.95)

14 Linnea Mack SR UCLA 48.10 47.89 173 3
r:+0.72 23.01 47.89 (24.88)

15 Kristen Vredeve SR California 47.95 48.02 172 2
r:+0.66 22.80 48.02 (25.22)

16 Julie Meynen FR Auburn 48.04 48.21 170 1
r:+0.63 23.11 48.21 (25.10)

[U]200 Breast[/U]

Another new American & NCAA record by quite a margin, this time by Lilly in 2:03.18!!!

Marina 12th in the B final, her 2:08.80 beating furdette Williams by 0.04 instead of duking it out to a draw like at the duals lol

[U]200 Fly[/U]



A Final: Katie takes 2nd in 1:52.37 and a new PB by a lot (old best was 1:53.29, from Pac-12s) - now the 2nd fastest time in Cal's history, shared with Dana :acclaim: Really amazin' job considering all that McL had to go thru to come back from her serious neck injury last year!!!! Eastin with the win as expected.

B Final: Noemie 1:54:54 to take 2nd in the consolation heat (10th overall, was seeded 13th)! Good job!!!



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[video=youtube;-nfIq-oWHvQ][/video]


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Katie McLaughlin's best performance as a Cal Golden Bear: 2nd place in the butterfly with a PR! Congrats!

Aaargh, just pipped by the Dawgs (3:08.97) for 2nd place. Still, 3:09.08 is a school record for our valiant Bears!!! Amy's 47.55 is a new PB (prev best = 48.02)

Our :bear:'s runner-up NCAA Championship finish is the 9th straight year among top 3 - the longest current streak in the country.
6 national titles this year: [U]100 back[/U], [U]200 back[/U], [U]100 fly[/U], [U]200 IM[/U], [U]200 free relay[/U], [U]200 medley relay[/U] :bravo

Furdettes get the NCAA & American record in this relay, win it all.


Event 21 Women 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

=== A - Final ===

1 Stanford 3:10.83 3:07.61N 600 40
1) Simone Manuel SO 2) r:0.35 Katie Ledecky FR
3) r:0.27 Janet Hu JR 4) r:0.31 Lia Neal SR
r:+0.69 22.18 46.02 (46.02)
1:08.89 (22.87) 1:33.61 (47.59)
1:56.21 (22.60) 2:21.24 (47.63)
2:43.44 (22.20) 3:07.61 (46.37)

2 Georgia 3:10.54 3:08.97P 588 34
1) Olivia Smoliga SR 2) r:0.19 Veronica Burchill FR
3) r:0.29 Meaghan Raab JR 4) r:0.26 Chantal Van Langhem SR
r:+0.72 22.22 46.70 (46.70)
1:09.06 (22.36) 1:34.12 (47.42)
1:57.14 (23.02) 2:22.24 (48.12)
2:44.54 (22.30) 3:08.97 (46.73)

3 California 3:11.75 3:09.08P 588 32
1) Amy Bilquist SO 2) r:0.48 Kathleen Baker SO
3) r:0.25 Abbey Weitzeil FR 4) r:0.27 Farida Osman SR
r:+0.72 22.72 47.55 (47.55)
1:10.33 (22.78) 1:35.27 (47.72)
1:57.45 (22.18) 2:22.20 (46.93)
2:44.38 (22.18) 3:09.08 (46.88)

4 Southern Cali 3:11.28 3:10.07 579 30
1) Louise Hansson FR 2) r:0.23 Kirsten Vose SO
3) r:0.11 Stanzi Moseley FR 4) r:0.17 Anika Apostalon SR
r:+0.73 22.65 47.07 (47.07)
1:09.65 (22.58) 1:34.79 (47.72)
1:57.30 (22.51) 2:22.90 (48.11)
2:44.95 (22.05) 3:10.07 (47.17)

5 NC STATE 3:11.56 3:10.31 579 28
1) Alexia Zevnik SR 2) r:0.21 Ky-lee Perry FR
3) r:0.18 Lotta Nevalainen SR 4) r:0.29 Courtney Caldwell SO
r:+0.71 23.28 47.79 (47.79)
1:09.91 (22.12) 1:35.25 (47.46)
1:57.89 (22.64) 2:23.17 (47.92)
2:45.65 (22.48) 3:10.31 (47.14)

6 Louisville 3:12.61 3:11.97 564 26
1) Lainey Visscher FR 2) r:0.30 Mallory Comerford SO
3) r:0.26 Casey Fanz FR 4) r:0.31 Nastja Govejsek FR
r:+0.62 23.07 48.24 (48.24)
1:10.38 (22.14) 1:34.62 (46.38)
1:57.68 (23.06) 2:23.13 (48.51)
2:46.16 (23.03) 3:11.97 (48.84)

7 Wisconsin 3:12.91 3:12.94 555 24
1) Chase Kinney SR 2) r:0.03 Emmy Sehmann SO
3) r:0.32 Marissa Berg JR 4) r:0.19 Cierra Runge SO
r:+0.71 23.00 48.48 (48.48)
1:10.85 (22.37) 1:36.20 (47.72)
1:59.59 (23.39) 2:24.96 (48.76)
2:48.08 (23.12) 3:12.94 (47.98)

8 TAMU 3:12.43 3:13.32 552 22
1) Beryl Gastaldello JR 2) r:0.37 Kristin Malone JR
3) r:0.44 Claire Rasmus SO 4) r:0.31 Sarah Gibson SR
r:+0.64 22.99 47.83 (47.83)
1:10.87 (23.04) 1:36.26 (48.43)
2:00.08 (23.82) 2:25.44 (49.18)
2:48.35 (22.91) 3:13.32 (47.88)




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[video=youtube;3S1yn6ntAus][/video]


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YAAAASSSSS!!! A whole lot of SwimSwammers were assuming Ledecky would get this award, but...

@KathleenBaker2 is the [U]2017 NCAA Swimmer of the Year[/U]! :acclaim:

Good but not great season for the Bears. Farida, Marina, KV, and Celina were a solid senior class.

Meehan's built a juggernaut. 450 points is a near lock for a title, 525 is an absurd score. Ledecky, Manuel, Eastin, Neal, Hu, and Howe are all studs. Lose Neal after this season and Hu and Howe after next season. Ledecky & Manuel TBD. Probably crest in 2018.

Even without the DQ, 406 points doesn't win most seasons and still would have been a butt kicking this season. Teri's still missing a few pieces (distance, 400 IMer, sprint breast, diving) to have a realistic shot at winning in 2018. As tempting as situational transfers might be now, probably better to concentrate on the deep 2018 recruiting class and a potential 2919 title. Would be a shame to not get a title with the Dream Team.

As expected, several crappy recruiting classes finally caught up to Georgia (a distant fourth). Losing Smoliga and CVL doesn't help. A&M and Texas are on the rise. 'SC has young talent, but underachieved. UVa's window has closed and they never got over the hump. Inexplicably Florida didn't score. Yikes!

It might not have been a great season in terms of winning a team title, but the Bears won 4 individual titles and 2 relay titles (with a potential 3rd if not for the DQ). That would be fine in most years if many more swimmers had scored. Still, I think many hit personal bests at this meet. (Maybe UAC can update the previous list....)

SwimSwam comments had really hurt Cal over the past few years, as we've discussed. But, I believe that for the first time in a while, the comments were generally positive during this meet. Even Bobo Gigi, the prolific commenter who had posted some critical comments in the past, was very complimentary of the team and especially Coach McKeever for getting the swimmers to perform their best at NCs, not Pac-12s. That carries a lot of weight among the swimmers, parents, and potential recruits. Farida Osman winning a national title was very inspirational. Having Kathleen Baker win swimmer of the meet (or is it year?) was hugely important for Cal PR and even more important for her to build up her brand (athletically and personally).

Someone posted in another board (maybe the Men's BB one) that improved facilities may not help recruiting, and specifically cited women's swimming as an example. I would not necessarily agree that the facilities are unhelpful; rather, I am hopeful that the positive buzz from this meet (even though they didn't "win") plus the facilities will swing recruits back our way in the next cycle. Onto Summer Nationals and World Championships this summer.

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[COLOR="#000066"][SIZE=5]KATHLEEN BAKER CAPTURES THIRD NCAA TITLE[/SIZE]

[COLOR="#808080"] [SIZE=3]3/18/2017 6:37 PM | By: Cal Athletics[/SIZE][/COLOR] [/COLOR]



[COLOR="#696969"]Cal finished as the 2017 NCAA runner-up, the ninth straight year the Bears have been in the top 3 (Tim Binning photo).[/COLOR]


INDIANAPOLIS – Kathleen Baker put herself in rare territory on the final night of the NCAA Championships Saturday night. Namely, the sophomore captured the national title in the 200-yard backstroke and, as a result, became a three-time winner at the meet after earlier earning NCAA crowns in the 200 individual medley and 100 back.

Those results combined to lift her to one more honor: 2017 NCAA Swimmer of the Year.

Baker becomes the third Golden Bear to win three individual championships at one meet, joining Natalie Coughlin, who performed the feat three times from 2001-03, and Missy Franklin from 2015. She is also the sixth Cal swimmer to earn Swimmer of the Year honors and fourth in the last six year.

"She definitely put herself in a special category with three national titles at the same meet," head coach Teri McKeever said. "Coming off what she did last year with making the Olympic team and medaling and really leading the team in her own way, it's a credit to her. She's a gamer and someone you can count on. It's going to be exciting to have her for two more years."

As a team, Cal finished second behind Stanford, marking the ninth consecutive year the Bears have placed among the top three at the NCAA meet – the longest current streak in the country.

Overall, Cal captured six event crowns. In addition to Baker's trio, senior Farida Osman won the 100 fly, and the Bears won the 200 free relay and 200 medley relay both in NCAA-record times. Cal has won more than six titles just twice before with seven in both 2012 and 2015.

"We had a lot of different people step up and had kind of an emotion ride like any meet like this," McKeever said. "I'm really proud of the way they stuck together. We stayed focused on what we can control and supported each other. It was very rewarding."

In the 200 back race, Baker jumped out to her typical fast start and led throughout. Her winning time of 1:48.44 was just a tenth of a second off her personal best, but more than half a second ahead of runner-up Alexia Zevnic of North Carolina State.

In the B final, sophomore Amy Bilquist placed sixth in 1:52.03.

The Bears placed two swimmers in the A final of the 100 free and were led by Osman. The senior posted a PR 47.07 – the No. 3 time in school history – and placed fifth in the event, with freshman Abbey Weitzeil eighth in 47.79. In addition, senior Kristen Vredeveld finished seventh in the B final in 48.02 after posting a lifetime-best 47.95 in morning qualifying.

Sophomore Katie McLaughlin improved her finish in each successive event during the meet and concluded with a runner-up showing in the 200 fly. Her time of 1:52.37 ties her with Dana Vollmer for the second-fastest ever at Cal. In addition, junior Noemie Thomas was 10th in 1:54.54.

Senior Marina Garcia, in her final race as a Golden Bear, came through with the highest finish of her career by taking 12th in the 200 breast in 2:08.80.

In the 1650 free, freshman Chenoa Devine lowered her personal best by four seconds and finished 19th in 16:04.34, which keeps her as the No. 3 performer in school history.

In the final event of the championships, the quartet of Bilquist, Baker, Weitzeil and Osman set a school record, touching the wall in 3:09.08, to capture third place.


[INDENT][COLOR="#000080"][SIZE=3]RESULTS:[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.calbears.com/documents/2017/3/18//Saturday_Final_Results.pdf

[COLOR="#DAA520"][SIZE=3]TEAM SCORES:[/SIZE][/COLOR] http://www.calbears.com/documents/2017/3/18//Final_Team_Scores.pdf[/INDENT]


http://www.calbears.com/news/2017/3/17/womens-swimming-diving-a-trifecta-for-the-bears-in-the-pool.aspx


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[video=youtube;fEBdzyiD6aM][/video]


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beaverbear;842822013 said:

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It might not have been a great season in terms of winning a team title, but the Bears won 4 individual titles and 2 relay titles (with a potential 3rd if not for the DQ). That would be fine in most years if many more swimmers had scored. Still, I think many hit personal bests at this meet. (Maybe UAC can update the previous list....)

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[COLOR="#006699"]Hear hear. Thought overall results were quite positive with several standouts considering the situation and all the ups & downs we all went thru haha. Number of things can as always be improved upon, and that's something to discuss and ponder over for the next season.

Meanwhile, need to take a bit of a breather, catch up on my regular life lol, and also get ready for yet another week of tension/excitement with the Men's competition looming this coming week...but yeah, will take a look at some point re updating that ad hoc PB list [/COLOR]

beaverbear;842822013 said:

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Onto Summer Nationals and World Championships this summer.

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[COLOR="#006699"]That too, can't wait! Recall thinking aloud during the [U]200 Fly[/U] A final race that Ella wouldn't have been able to do that to Katie McL in the long course version...whilst Eastin's underwaters & walls were so much superior to Katie's, our Golden Bear was clearly the better stroke swimmer on top of the water...

Swim on you Bears! :cheer (oh, and a great result with regards to the WBB team btw)[/COLOR]

Hello All, I've been away from my computer all day, so only now catching up. I'm with beaverbear and UAC on this being relatively positive and successful year. We are not going to win a Championship every year, but this team was really fun to watch and support. First of all, more kudos need to be given to Teri for helping this team perform optimally at the right time of year. I think that there was a lot of doom and gloom after Pac 12s, but coach once again, proved that she knows what she is doing. Secondly, I want to give more praise for Thleen and Farida for their outstanding performances this meet. Even with her lofty credentials, Thleen exceeded my expectations of her. And what else can you say about Farida, she will be sorely missed for her contributions both in the pool and for her leadership. There is a great video with Farida's family that maybe UAC or someone else with better posting skills than me and can put up on this thread. Also really happy for Katie who finally got to show her abilities and her perseverance after a very difficult freshman year. Like UAC said, she would have easily taken down Eastin in long course. As an aside, I don't think that the 500 Free is a good first day event for Katie. I think she would be better in the 50 Free or 200IM. Interesting to hear both Thleen and Katie both say that they are better at long course, which is probably also true for Abbey and Amy. If Amy had Thleen's underwaters and turns, I think she would be the one of the premier backstrokers in the world. We are talking Katina Hosszu good! Amy also got PBs in both her 50 and 100 frees. UAC, can you confirm this? Abbey needs to work on her stamina. Her drop off from her 50 and 100, to her 200 is huge. She needs to steal a page from her nemesis Manuel, and be able to be successful at all three of the distances. Since this is her first NCAA experience, I'm sure there were some jitters (see early start on relay), but I expect her to be hugely improved next year. In the unsung hero department, Nono doesn't get the credit she deserves. She is a scorer in both individual Fly events, and does Fly in both our medleys. The biggest surprise for me of the meet was Maddie, an A scorer in the 50 Free and B scorer in the 100 Fly. I didn't see this performance coming at all. Hopefully, she can improve her 100 Free, so she can have three scoring events for the future. Another frosh that I am hopeful for the future is Chenoa. With continued improvement, I think we could have a future scorer in the 500 Free and mile.

For the future, it will be difficult to replace Farida. We all hope that Robin is that woman, but I think that is a little too much pressure for our future Dutch freshman. In general, I think next year will be a tiny step down. The gap between us and the Furd will be even bigger. They lose Lia Neal, but they have a much better recruiting class than we do. Which leads me to our crucial recruiting for 2018. We all know our holes on the team, and we all know the recruits that would fill them perfectly (sprint breast = Zoe Bartel, IM = Mary Sophie Harvey, sprint Fly, sprint free, and backstroke = Eva Merrell, and mid free and backstroke = Taylor Ruck, sprint free = Amalie Fackenthal). Let's all hope we get a repeat of Dream Team, so we can enjoy success for years to come.

individual point breakdown for the meet
Thleen = 60
Farida = 49
Katie = 26
Abbey = 25
Nono = 21
Maddie = 20
Amy = 12
Marina = 5
KV = 2

tedbear;842822111 said:

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There is a great video with Farida's family that maybe UAC or someone else with better posting skills than me and can put up on this thread.

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[video=youtube;9b0JyWDvJXM][/video]

tedbear;842822111 said:

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Amy also got PBs in both her 50 and 100 frees. UAC, can you confirm this?

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[COLOR="#006699"]You're correct on both counts re Amy having hit PBs in her frees at these NCAAs [/COLOR]

[INDENT]50 Free: [U]21.94[/U] -> swimoff (prev PB = [U]22.00[/U] @ 2017 NCAA prelims, also [U]22.04[/U] @ 2017 Pac-12s)

100 Free: [U]47.55[/U] -> relay leadoff (prev PB = [U]48.02[/U] -> relay leadoff @ 2016 Pac-12s)[/INDENT]

w/o the DQ, the score would have been Furd 516, Cal 406.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842821985 said:

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Anyone know the identity of the women with Kathleen? Person who handed out the award or Mom?

OBear073akaSMFan;842822140 said:

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Anyone know the identity of the women with Kathleen? Person who handed out the award or Mom?

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[COLOR="#006699"]Thleen w/her mum & dad here (i.e. not mummy):[/COLOR]

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[COLOR="#006699"][SIZE=5]Kathleen Baker Fulfills Big Expectations to Become Three-Time NCAA Champ[/SIZE][/COLOR]





http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/kathleen-baker-fulfilling-big-expectations-to-become-3-time-ncaa-champion/


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beaverbear;842822013 said:

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SwimSwam comments had really hurt Cal over the past few years, as we've discussed. But, I believe that for the first time in a while, the comments were generally positive during this meet. Even Bobo Gigi, the prolific commenter who had posted some critical comments in the past, was very complimentary of the team and especially Coach McKeever for getting the swimmers to perform their best at NCs, not Pac-12s. That carries a lot of weight among the swimmers, parents, and potential recruits. Farida Osman winning a national title was very inspirational. Having Kathleen Baker win swimmer of the meet (or is it year?) was hugely important for Cal PR and even more important for her to build up her brand (athletically and personally).

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[COLOR="#006699"]Yes really heartening to come across so many positive & supportive comments on SwimSwam with regards to Teri & our Bears during these NCAAs, instead of the usual attacks by a small but vocal group of jealous hater trolls harbouring an anti-Cal agenda.

Mind you, a few did try to sneak in an unwarranted negative comment or two re Abbey, Amy, Thleen or even Missy - for example, see the post by [U]PAT[/U] in response to OBear's supportive statement here: https://swimswam.com/kathleen-baker-earns-cscaa-swimmer-year-2017-w-ncaas/

But even those who aren't too enamoured of the UC Berkeley brand had this to say at least - [/COLOR] [U]Tom[/U]: [COLOR="#696969"]"Not a Cal fan but happy for BakerShe totally deserves it IMHO. Performing at this level having Crohn disease is a marvelous achievement She comes across as a very nice person."[/COLOR]

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CollegeSwimming.com‏: "In 2015 people gave us grief for saying @KathleenBaker2 deserved to be our #1 recruit with @katieledecky"



"We think they are both great"

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[COLOR="#006699"]btw got a mite annoyed when the diving & swimming commentary on the broadcast kept announcing "California" or "The University of California" whenever UCLA came up...

On a more of a fun note, check out this vid interview w/Thleen & Katie:
[/COLOR]
[video=youtube;S8Zl50-0j8Q][/video]

Anyone know the identity of the women with Kathleen? Person who handed out the award or Mom?

It is Susan Teeter, president of the Coaches Assoc. and retiring long time Princeton Coach.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842822214 said:

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Mind you, a few did try to sneak in an unwarranted/inappropriate negative comment or two re Abbey, Amy, Thleen and even Missy - see the post by [U]PAT[/U] in response to OBear's supportive statement here: https://swimswam.com/kathleen-baker-earns-cscaa-swimmer-year-2017-w-ncaas/

I can neither deny or confirm it was me!

UrsusArctosCalifornicus;842822214 said:

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On a more of a fun note, check out this vid interview w/Thleen & Katie:
[/COLOR]
[video=youtube;9SbZK5lmndk][/video]

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Great interview with KB & McL. Solid shout out to Ian. Diving coaching has also improved.

As I posted on SWIMSWAM today, I believe Cal and Stanford won 14 out of the 17 swimming events not including diving, of course. Shows the 3 California teams (including USC) are at the pinnacle of Women's college swimming. And I expect Arizona and ASU to move up, too, and add to the strength of our conference.

longseeker;842822381 said:

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As I posted on SWIMSWAM today, I believe Cal and Stanford won 14 out of the 17 swimming events not including diving, of course. Shows the 3 California teams (including USC) are at the pinnacle of Women's college swimming. And I expect Arizona and ASU to move up, too, and add to the strength of our conference.

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Actually, Cal and Stanford won all but 2 swimming events (and a 3rd was a tie).
- 800 free relay: Stanford (Cal 2nd)
- 200 free relay: Cal (Stanford 2nd)
- 500 free: Stanford
- 200 IM: Cal (Stanford 2nd)
- 50 free: Stanford
- 400 medley relay: Stanford (Cal DQed)
- 400 IM: Stanford
- 100 fly: Cal
- 200 free: Stanford + Louisville tie
- 100 breast: Indiana
- 100 back: Cal
- 200 medley relay: Cal
- 1650 free: Stanford
- 200 back: Cal
- 100 free: Stanford
- 200 breast: Indiana
- 200 fly: Stanford (Cal 2nd)
- 400 free relay: Stanford

However, several other schools were represented among the 2nd place finishers, such as UNC, UVA, UGA, TAMU, UMN, NCST. So there is some diversity just below the top. The depth showed in TAMU's 3rd place and UGA's 4th place showings. Many Pac-12 teams peaked at conference (just compare their seed to finals times).

longseeker;842822381 said:

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As I posted on SWIMSWAM today, I believe Cal and Stanford won 14 out of the 17 swimming events not including diving, of course. Shows the 3 California teams (including USC) are at the pinnacle of Women's college swimming. And I expect Arizona and ASU to move up, too, and add to the strength of our conference.

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[COLOR="#006699"]Yeah, if it wasn't for Lilly in the breasts (and Comerford in the 200 free) playing the spoiler...at any rate, 10.5 of the 13 individuals + all 5 relay titles were claimed by the 2 Bay Area schools...[/COLOR]



[COLOR="#006699"][Edit] - Just saw beaverbear's more comprehensive reply on this topic... [/COLOR]

Cal & Stanford both are weak in the breaststroke. Indiana won the two breast stroke events.