Platform finals is now underway, but results from the prelims are all that we need to know.

Brianna (#19) was 1 slot shy of making finals.
Alexa (#26) & Kathleen (#28).

Platform has always been Cal Diving's weakest event in recent years, so not a biggie.

Phoebe will join our 11 swimmers on the plane to Columbus next week, will get her chance to help with the team scoring in the 1 metre springboard event, yay!

Relatively good news for us is that LSJU will also have just 1 diver on their NCAA travel roster. Farnsworth (#20) & Paulsen (#32) didn't advance to finals today, and they are already out of the 2 springboard qualifications.

Not so great news being Cook (an Olympian in the 3m)'s likelihood of scoring more than a few points for the trees in the 3m & 1m. Not that the Furdette Juggernaut will really depend on her points to overwhelm the competition in Columbus lol.

Meehan will have a slight dilemma in deciding who of his 18 qualified swimmers to boot off the Furd's NCAA squad to meet the team quota (prob. a freshman sapling - Glavanovich? Green? Greg will imo keep Zhao as his breast backup for his medley relays, altho Eastin can play that role quite well)

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Not so great news being Cook (an Olympian in the 3m)'s likelihood of scoring more than a few points for the trees in the 3m & 1m. Not that the Furdette Juggernaut will really depend on her points to overwhelm the competition in Columbus lol.

Meehan will have a slight dilemma in deciding who of his 18 qualified swimmers to boot off the Furd's NCAA squad to meet the team quota (prob. a freshman sapling - Glavanovich? Green? Greg will imo keep Zhao as his breast backup for his medley relays, altho Eastin can play that role quite well)

---

Probably Glavinovich - it took around a 4:07 to make a final in the 400 IM last year, and she goes a 4:09.26, which would have placed her 26th. This year's probably faster based on how fast the 200 IM this year looks. Plus, she only qualified in one event compared to Green's two (100/200 fly). Green's 100 fly would tie 26th last year, and her 200 fly would make her the 1st alt.

Sophomore Erin Voss only made one event as well, but her 1:51.94 would have gotten her into the B final last year, so she's probably going.

Zhao's 200 breast this season is a 2:09.88, which would've made her the 1st alternate, but her PB would've landed her into the B final, and the 1:00.04 100 breast would have been 19th.

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I know this is just a friendly visit - but wouldn't it be ever soo luvly if Elizabeth Beisel was to stay on @ Backstroke U. to help coach our backstrokers & IMers...wouldn't hurt our recruiting either hehe

https://instagr.am/p/BgCVvSMD0TX

https://instagr.am/p/BgClu6PA1ps

https://instagr.am/p/BgDSkqNhL6X

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• UPDATES ->

Beisel's a very likeable person, talented in & out of the pool (musician etc) ... was such a great mentor of Liz Pelton back when Lizzie made her Worlds debut @ Rome 2009 ... has a wonderful sense of humour, got on very well with all the Bears team when they had all hung out during the Florida Invite trip in 2014: https://bearinsider.com/forums/5/topics/21379/2

https://instagr.am/p/t0KD7wCZOb

https://instagr.am/p/twBpzLCZAO

One of tedbear's dreams: what may have been if Beisel had been a Bear instead of a Gator - a Caitlin-Elizabeth led Cal squad that may well have denied the Dawgs a title or two during UGA's dominant era!

Or can you imagine daily practice sessions @ Spieker with Missy, Lizzie, Bootsie & Beisel all in the same pool - heck, fans would flock here to queue up & pay just for the privilege of watching the quartet train together lol


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STANFORD RULE D1 WOMEN'S PSYCH SHEET SCORED BY COLLEGIATE BEST TIMES

BY ANDREW MERING


Last week, I scored out the D1 women's pre selection psych sheet. This exercise gives us some idea of how teams stand heading into the meet, but there are some major flaws. Swimmer's entry times are based on their best time this season. Many top swimmers haven't fully rested yet, or have rested some, but not in every event they entered. It's relatively easy to predict that these swimmers will be faster at the big meet. So I decided to try a projection that factors that in.

I grabbed the top collegiate time for every swimmer* that qualified for the meet individually and re scored. I left relays with their current seed times. Still no diving. This resulted in the biggest point jump for California (392 points) who added 25.5 points vs the scored psych sheet. This put their projected swimming point lead over Texas A&M (324 points) for 2nd to 58, up from 28.5 on the regular psych sheet. Stanford remained solidly in 1st place with 539.

One flaw with this methodology is that freshmen's pre collegiate best times aren't included, but this isn't as big a problem as for the men. Nearly all of SwimSwam's top ranked recruit's pre collegiate top times are either ranked outside the top 16, or they've already bettered them this season. This means the missing times don't have a large impact on the standings.

Unsurprisingly, Stanford dominate the top of the individual rankings here with the top 3 individual point scorers. Katie Ledecky leads with 60 followed by Simone Manuel and Ella Eastin with 57. Next is Kathleen Baker of Cal with 53, Erika Brown of Tennessee with 50, Mallory Comerford of Louisville with 49, and Sydney Pickrem of Texas A&M with 49.


TEAM | BEST TIME POINTS | PSYCH POINTS | DIFF
Stanford | 539 | 527.5 | 11.5
California | 392 | 366.5 | 25.5
Texas A&M | 324 | 338 | -14
Michigan | 298.5 | 289.5 | 9
Tennessee | 211.5 | 195.5 | 16
Southern Cali | 208 | 185 | 23
Louisville | 162 | 173.5 | -11.5
Indiana | 157.5 | 137.5 | 20
Texas | 153 | 153 | 0
Virginia | 147.5 | 160 | -12.5

• <snipped>

NAME | TEAM | BEST TIME POINTS
Baker, Kathleen | California | 53
McLaughlin, Katie | California | 34
Weitzeil, Abbey | California | 31
Bilquist, Amy | California | 26
Thomas, Noemie | California | 19.5
Darcel, Sarah | California | 18
Murphy, Maddie | California | 11.5
Neumann, Robin | California | 11

• <Bears only - for complete charts & writeup, read original article>

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Bear In Mind Episode 22

Todd talks with mbb head coach Wyking Jones, wbb center CJ West and women's swimming head coach Teri McKeever.



(Audio podcast - section w/Teri starts at around 19:41...)

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2017 W. NCAA PICKS: MANUEL CLOSING IN ON 100 FREE TRIFECTA



(more previews can be browsed @ the 2018 NCAAs topic...)


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2018 W. NCAA PICKS: 200 FLY ONLY RACE WHERE ELLA EASTIN IS UNTOUCHABLE

Now, Eastin is a clear favorite for the 200 fly crown later this month. The same can't be said for the IM specialist's two other events the 200 and 400 IM. Funnily enough, the events she's known for are going to be her toughest to win; in the 200 IM, she's up against defending NCAA champion and Bay Area rival Kathleen Baker as well as international IM competitor Sydney Pickrem. In the 400 IM, she must face Katie Ledecky, of all people. So, for Eastin, the conqueror of all four strokes, it may be the 200 butterfly where she'll have the fewest obstacles on her path to an NCAA title.

USC junior Maddie Wright (1:53.38), Texas sophomore Lauren Case (1:55.18) and junior Remedy Rule (1:55.25), Cal junior Katie McLaughlin (1:54.97), and UVA senior Jen Marrkand (1:53.55) return from last year's A final. Case and Rule made the final last year for the Longhorns, only to have Rule disqualified in the final for allegedly going too far underwater off of the start. That DQ caused controversy at the conclusion of the meet, as UGA finished 4th in the team standings ahead of Texas by just a half point.

Cal's McLaughlin, who will push for the A final along with teammate Noemie Thomas (1:53.77), is still looking to throw down the big times that her 2:06 LCM swim from 2015 suggest she's capable of. Meanwhile, Virginia's Marrkand could come forward with some intriguing time drops under the new direction of head coach Todd DeSorbo in her final NCAA Championships.

TOP-8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | ALL-TIME BEST
1 | Ella Eastin | Stanford | 1:49.51 | 1:49.51
2 | Katie Drabot | Stanford | 1:51.74 | 1:51.74
3 | Louise Hansson | USC | 1:51.13 | 1:51.13
4 | Megan Kingsley | Georgia | 1:52.61 | 1:52.61
5 | Jen Marrkand | UVA | 1:53.55 | 1:53.15
6 | Katie McLaughlin | Cal | 1:54.97 | 1:52.37
7 | Jing Quah | Texas A&M | 1:53.05 | 1:53.05
8 | Maddie Wright | USC | 1:53.38 | 1:52.67

Dark horse: UGA's Chelsie Britt. The senior was 1:54.44 to take 9th in prelims last year, three hundredths off of qualifying for the A final. This year, she's seeded 14th in the nation with a 1:54.34.

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2018 W. NCAA PICKS: BAKER TO CHALLENGE PELTON'S 200 BACK RECORDS

Liz Pelton's 1:47.84 is the oldest D1 swimming record in the books now that Ella Eastin has scrubbed off Elaine Breeden's 200 fly mark from 2009. Right now, there's only one woman who has been very close to that record, and that's defending champion Kathleen Baker.

Baker, a junior at Cal, swam a 1:48.44 to win the title last year. This year, heading into the meet with the top seed, she's already been faster 1:48.27. The 2017 World Championships bronze medalist holds the fastest time in the country by over 1.2 seconds, and she's the favorite to win it later this month. She looks more than capable of breaking 1:48 Missy Franklin did that, though, and still came up short in 2013. Can Baker take the record even lower, and keep it in the Cal family?

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEED | ALL-TIME BEST
1 | Kathleen Baker | Cal | 1:48.27 | 1:48.27
2 | Asia Seidt | Kentucky | 1:49.65 | 1:49.63
3 | Janet Hu | Stanford | 1:49.49 | 1:49.36
4 | Lisa Bratton | Texas A&M | 1:49.83 | 1:49.83
5 | Beata Nelson | Wisconsin | 1:49.59 | 1:49.59
6 | Ali Galyer | Kentucky | 1:50.63 | 1:50.53
7 | Clara Smiddy | Michigan | 1:50.63 | 1:50.59
8 | Kennedy Goss | Indiana | 1:51.66 | 1:50.37

Dark horse: UVA's Paige Madden. There's only one freshman in the entire top 16 can you guess who it is? Madden has experienced big drops in her freshman season. Coming into college with a 1:55.07, she's shredded over three seconds off of that, and her 1:51.81 ranks her 13th in the country right now.

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FYI had created a topic dedicated to 2018 NCAAs here:


2018 Women's NCAA Championships (Swimming & Diving)

https://bearinsider.com/forums/5/topics/78946


(spoiler alert below...sorry lol)


With its runner-up finish, Cal has placed among the top 3 at the NCAA meet 10 years in a row.

http://calbears.com/news/2018/3/17/womens-swimming-diving-an-american-record-for-kathleen-baker.aspx


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https://instagr.am/p/BgegkV8DrLo

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OBear073akaSMFan said:

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To the seniors, thanks for the memories, Majia, Jasmine, and Valerie whose swimming career all looks to be over. You guys will be gone but not forgotten. Go Bears!!

---

Hey, don't forget Noemie too... lol

https://instagr.am/p/BgdLHsegKri

Very powerful & touching words from Val here, at the conclusion of 2018 NCAAs:

https://instagr.am/p/BgcZPveDt0v

"The window box card @coach_mckeever gave me to start my Cal career said "There is a blessing in the air." This week, it said, "Maybe it's not about the happy ending, maybe it's about the story." I'm really thankful for a journey that gave me none of the answers I expected-but every single thing I needed and more (and one heck of a story). A big, awkward hug and a million thank you's to the women (and coaches) who put up with my croggling self these past 12 years and taught me a lot about what it means to show up for your home team. Excited to join the @calwswim cheering squad, indefinitely! Happy I'll always be that little girl that swam because she was legitimately terrible at everything else #athlete#hasbeen #didthat #swammer #gotit#gobears #proudalum"

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

OBear073akaSMFan said:

---

To the seniors, thanks for the memories, Majia, Jasmine, and Valerie whose swimming career all looks to be over. You guys will be gone but not forgotten. Go Bears!!

---

Hey, don't forget Noemie too... lol

---

I only mentioned the 3 caused thought they had swum their last races. Of course, this was before Valerie was added to the team.
Now I can can thank Noemie too. To all of the seniors...thanks for the memories!!

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16 BEARS EARN PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC RECOGNITION


Amy Bilquist has earned first-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors for the second year in a row.


BERKELEY -- Fresh off a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, Cal earned more recognition on Monday, this time for its work in the classroom with 16 Golden Bears selected to the Pac-12 All-Academic team.

Amy Bilquist leads the group with first-team status for the second consecutive year. The media studies major has a 3.77 GPA in her junior year at Cal.

Senior Maija Roses, with a 3.65 GPA in media studies, and junior Jenna Campbell, with a 3.70 GPA in neurobiology, are repeat members of the all-academic second team, where they are joined by senior Noemie Thomas (3.63 GPA in psychology) and junior Alexa Cacao (3.67 GPA in American studies).

A total of 11 Bears were chosen honorable mention: Kathleen Baker, Keaton Blovad, Alexa Buckley, Chenoa Devine, Maggie Gallagher, Valerie Hull, Phoebe LaMay, Jasmine Mau, Katie McLaughlin, Maddie Murphy and Courtney Mykkanen.

The conference academic announcement follows Cal's selection as a CSCAA Scholar All-American team for posting a combined 3.51 GPA during the fall semester. The Bears have been honored 16 consecutive semesters by the coaches' association every time the award has been presented.

In the pool, Cal earned its 10th straight top 3 result at the NCAA Championships, which concluded this past Saturday. The Bears set five school records and Baker repeated as champion in the 200-yard backstroke when she set an American record with a time of 1:47.30.

To be eligible for selection to the Pac-12 All-Academic team, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and participate in at least half of their team's scheduled regular season events.


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https://instagr.am/p/Bgg-BstgQm2











Alexa Cacao



PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC - WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

First Team | Yr. | GPA | Major
Amy Bilquist, CAL | JR | 3.77 | Media studies


Second Team | Yr. | GPA | Major
Alexa Cacao, CAL | JR | 3.67 | American studies
Jenna Campbell, CAL | JR | 3.70 | Neurobiology
Maija Roses, CAL | SR | 3.65 | Media studies
Noemie Thomas, CAL | SR | 3.63 | Psychology


Honorable Mention
Kathleen Baker, JR, CAL
Keaton Blovad, SO, CAL
Alexa Buckley, SO, CAL
Chenoa Devine, SO, CAL
Maggie Gallagher, SO, CAL
Valerie Hull, SR, CAL
Phoebe LaMay, JR, CAL
Jasmine Mau, SR, CAL
Katie McLaughlin, JR, CAL
Maddie Murphy, SO, CAL
Courtney Mykkanen, SO, CAL


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Pac-12 Conference Names Women's Swimming & Diving All-Academic Teams




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School record books have now been updated to reflect the massive haul of records broken @ 2018 Pac-12s and at the recently-concluded 2018 NCAAs.

Note: for some reason, 2018 Pac-12 relay times which should have placed in the Top 10 are missing from these stats, so I took the liberty of inserting them in here, which does bump any times slower one rank down.

One thing I noticed was how Thleen had achieved such an incredible 200 IM performance - 2nd fastest in history (under the old American record, and eclipsing Caitlin's school record) - which unfortunately didn't get the attention that it truly deserved, since Ella managed to go faster on the day...

Such appeared to be the story with a bunch of our Bears' relay heroics @ these Championships, where they had smashed NCAA, American or school records...but ultimately the Furdette Machine got their hands to the wall first, "stealing" all the limelight & fame... ~sob~


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California All-Time Top 10 List (final)

http://calbears.com/documents/2018/3/19/WSD_all_time_top_10_list_03_17_18_FINAL.pdf


50-Yard Freestyle
4. Amy Bilquist ............................................21.74..............2018

100-Yard Freestyle
1. Abbey Weitzeil ......................................46.63..............2018
7. Amy Bilquist ............................................47.45..............2018

200-Yard Freestyle
10. Robin Neumann .................................1:43.38..............2018

500-Yard Freestyle
10. Chenoa Devine ...................................4:40.62..............2018

200-Yard Backstroke
1. Kathleen Baker ...................................1:47.30..............2018
10. Keaton Blovad ....................................1:53.31..............2018

100-Yard Breaststroke
3. Ali Harrison ............................................59.52..............2018
8. Maija Roses.........................................1:00.42..............2018

200-Yard Breaststroke
4. Ali Harrison .........................................2:10.21..............2018
6. Maija Roses.........................................2:10.86..............2018

100-Yard Butterfly
7. Katie McLaughlin....................................51.17..............2018

200-Yard Individual Medley
1. Kathleen Baker ..................................1:51.25..............2018
6. Sarah Darcel .......................................1:54.50..............2018
8. Keaton Blovad .....................................1:55.72..............2018

400-Yard Individual Medley
2. Sarah Darcel ........................................4:03.00..............2018

200-Yard Free Relay
1. Maddie Murphy (21.94), Amy Bilquist (21.08), Katie McLaughlin (21.47), Abbey Weitzeil (21.01) ........................................................1:25.50 ......2018
3. Maddie Murphy (21.96), Amy Bilquist (21.24), Katie McLaughlin (21.67), Abbey Weitzeil (21.00) ........................................................1:25.87 ......2018
10. Abbey Wetizeil (21.54), Maddie Murphy (21.78), Valerie Hull (21.94), Katie McLaughlin (21.67) ........................................................1:26.93.......2018
11. Maddie Murphy (22.35), Amy Bilquist (21.67), Valerie Hull (21.78), Abbey Weitzeil (21.30) ........................................................1:27.10 ......2018

400-Yard Free Relay
1. Amy Bilquist (47.59), Abbey Weitzeil (46.37), Kathleen Baker (47.21), Katie McLaughlin (46.88) ........................................................3:08.05 ......2018
2. Amy Bilquist (47.79), Katie McLaughlin (47.43), Kathleen Baker (47.47), Abbey Weitzeil (46.35) ........................................................3:09.04 ......2018
7. Amy Bilquist (47.94), Katie McLaughlin (47.91), Valerie Hull (48.47), Abbey Weitzeil (46.63) ........................................................3:10.95 ......2018

800-Yard Free Relay
2. Robin Neumann (1:43.78), Kathleen Baker (1:42.78), Katie McLaughlin (1:41.64), Amy Bilquist (1:42.63) ..........................................6:50.83 ......2018
5. Robin Neumann (1:43.38), Kathleen Baker (1:43.29), Katie McLaughlin (1:43.29), Amy Bilquist (1:42.66) ..........................................6:52.62 ......2018

200-Yard Medley Relay
1. Kathleen Baker (23.56), Abbey Weitzeil (26.68), Noemie Thomas (22.66), Amy Bilquist (20.95) ..........................................................1:33.85 ......2018
3. Kathleen Baker (23.59), Abbey Weitzeil (26.58), Noemie Thomas (22.74), Amy Bilquist (21.22) ..........................................................1:34.13 ......2018
6. Amy Bilquist (24.14), Abbey Weitzeil (26.62), Noemie Thomas (22.45), Katie McLaughlin (21.63) ..........................................................1:35.04 ......2018

400-Yard Medley Relay
1. Kathleen Baker (50.21), Ali Harrison (59.06), Noemie Thomas (50.20), Abbey Weitzeil (46.00) ...........................................................3:25.50 ......2018
2. Kathleen Baker (50.66), Ali Harrison (58.89), Noemie Thomas (50.25), Abbey Weitzeil (47.06) ...........................................................3:26.86 ......2018


1-Meter Diving
3. Briana Thai ...........................................296.33..............2018
9. Jackie Im ..............................................276.53..............2018
10. Alexa Cacao .......................................274.95..............2018

3-Meter Diving
5. Briana Thai ...........................................312.50..............2018

Platform Diving
3. Briana Thai ...........................................256.60..............2018
7. Kathleen Navas ....................................239.60..............2018


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2017-18 California Season-Best List (final)

http://calbears.com/documents/2018/3/19/17_18_WSD_best_times_list_03_17_18_w_PRs_FINAL.pdf


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• UPDATE => Just throwing this random image of Thleen Bean & Charlie in here...cos, er, no reason really, well, other than it's beary cute lol

https://instagr.am/p/BghS0WcjIZd

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IMPROVEMENTS ENHANCE SPIEKER EXPERIENCE


Recent improvements to Spieker Aquatics Complex have enhanced the experience for student-athletes and fans.




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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Note: So in spite of all the partly-justified panic & understandable anguished hand-wringing over the frosh class of 2017 (not to mention the 2016 class before them), a core group of our froskis ended up contributing more NCAA points than that runaway #1 recruiting class of 2017 down on the Farm!

Here's a comparison (individual pts):

• ROBIN - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #33 by CollegeSwimming) -> 16 pts (+ 800 FR final & 400 FR prelims)
• SARAH - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #12 by CollegeSwimming) -> 12 pts
• ALI - UNRANKED by Swimswam (Ranked #75 by CollegeSwimming) -> 0 pts (but massive contribution to the two medley relays in prelims & finals!)

---

Okay, to be fair, Robin & Sarah would've totally been ranked if not for her internationals rule, but meanwhile Ali swam a faster 100 breast time this season than both Grace Zhao, Nikol Popov, and Maggie Aroesty, and a faster 200 time than Popov. Based on Ali's steady progressions, I'm confident that Ema will also have a similar improvement curve ">

The SwimSwam rankings are far superior to College Swimming's rankings, but their chronic overrating of breaststrokers is a problem.

Top three breaststrokers swim for IU, Michigan, and Minnesota. All good teams, but not credible title teams. Don't have enough scorers in other events to contend consistently. A&M is the only breast power that has sufficient stroke depth. 'SC's fallen off a cliff.

Bears, LSJU, and Georgia have all won multiple titles without all world breaststrokers. Specific to Cal, Teri's always going to have back, fly, and sprint depth, so she doesn't need to overpay for a stud breaststroker, especially if they're only a two event swimmer. Ali's a great get and a better fit for Cal's needs than any of the high end out of state recruits. Popov looked good on paper, but didn't turn out as well as Ali. Zoie Hartman would be a great get too, but not a must get with Ali on board.

Maybe Coach Dunleavy had something to do with Ali Harrison's improvement? Her profile mentioned she used to coach breaststrokers.

There are quite a few assistants standing around Coach McKeever during meets, but their names aren't listed. Not sure who they are, and what they're coaching.

Ann Caslin's an Athletic Trainer who has worked with the team for quite some years now (also helps out with the WWP squad). Also strength/conditioning coaches & massage therapists in the mix as the support staff, I'm sure.

Actually LSJU's support group was almost double the size of our Bears' @ NCAAs - furdettes were pampered by 7 or 8 staff members (including a Team USA therapist who used to work with Bears), and that's not even counting Greg & Tracy!

Furdette Juggernauts may have got the upper hand last week, but in all our hearts & minds (i.e. Krusty Krab v. Chum Bucket rivalry meme)...hehe:

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Then there's always the possibility (pretty slim unfortunately, IMHO) of Ledecky going pro early

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swimmer19 said:

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Hm...
https://t.co/rEpKfEdizF

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OBear073akaSMFan said:

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I'm disappointed in her decision. NOT!!!

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tedbear said:

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Wow, I was hoping for this, but didn't expect it to happen. The door is wide open for us next year.

---

Yazzz, such a smart decision upon Katie Ledecky's part that I can't applaud enough haha -this should really help Team USA in the latter part of the quad as they ramp up via Pan Pacs & Worlds on the road to Tokyo 2020! Also good on Ledecky staying on @ LSJU to finish her degree, i.e. it's not all about the money, academics is still a priority for her.

Also sooo fricken giddy that I was completely wrong about Ledecky planning to use up all 4 years of her eligibility swimming down on the Farm (er, should have paid more attention to BD's pearls of wisdom on this lol).

Will still be quite a massive challenge with that monster of a freshman class sprouting up for the Furdettes later in the year led by phenom Taylor Ruck, also not to overlook that the trees' sophomores piling on a whole slew of points for the Furd after a very lacklustre debut last season... but no longer quite the seemingly impossible task that it had originally looked...

The Dream Team will finally have more than a fighting chance to attain the National Championship team title that they so richly deserve...and we couldn't be happier for that scenario to potentially unfold as we all cheer the whole team on this coming season!

In the back of my mind, quietly but wishing with all my fervent hopes that Teri & Sarah will help that along with perhaps a surprise last-minute international stud addition to our 2018 Baby Bears (MSH perhaps, tedbear?! )


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Five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky will turn pro


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KATIE LEDECKY ANNOUNCES SHE'S FORGOING FINAL 2 YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY TO TURN PRO


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UPDATE => Just for reference, some random thoughts on scoring potential for several Top 5 contenders @ 2019 NCAAs - this was posted at the conclusion of 2018 NCAAs, before Ledecky's decision to turn pro was made public...

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

our froskis scored more individual points than any other schools, including the much-talked-about saplings where Brooke Forde did much of the heavy-lifting for them (28 v. 27 pts advantage to Bears).

However, LSJU's sophomores actually out-scored our Jr class (aka the DT) 130 to 119, thanks in large part to Ledecky, + Drabot's breakout swims! Though that doesn't take into account how critical the Furd seniors (esp Manuel, Hu & Howe) were to their relay successes, which will take a toll (hopefully lol) on their scoring potential next year, in spite of a heavyweight incoming class to the Farm.

1) Aggies could take a bit of a hit next year as A&M's scoring is very upperclassmen-skewed - Sr=112, Jr=61, Fr=5 ! Their incoming freshies will be led by #7 distance specialist Gabrielle Kopenski & fly/back Jr National Teamer Emma Carlton.

2) TAMU's arch rival Horns may take advantage of this, as UT will only lose 5 Sr pts, whilst bringing in a top-rated backstroke-focussed group for their 2018 freshie class (#10 Julia Cook, #17 Grace Ariola, Kendall Shields, Holly Jansen)...

3) "DeSorbo Effect" could be severely tested next season - Hoos will graduate 47 pts (out of their 161 total tally - which may include diving pts, haven't checked)! Think the Cavaliers had signed just 3 swimmers for their next class - backstroker Julia Menkhaus, Sophie Skinner & breaststroker Kaki Christensen.

OTOH, UVa could get back on track the following year when #2 Kate Douglass & their cadre of much-hyped "game over" commits come in...their Juniors didn't get on the scoreboard this week, so their graduations the following year won't likely have a significant negative impact.

3) Dawgs will need all the help that #1 Eva, #11 Dakota, #12 Olivia, Madison, Callie & co. can bring to the table (which is admittedly a lot!), as they graduate 42 pts, with UGA having already plummeted to #11 with 135 pts @ this NCAAs! This after having won 7 NCAA national championships since 1999, and finishing in the Top 2 a staggering 15 times in that same period...

4) Michigan will lose a significant amount too (Sr 53, Jr 53, including Siobhan) the next couple of years. Former Cal fly prospect & #15 2017 recruit Alexis Margett didn't qualify for 2018 NCAAs. Their freshman class next year will be headed by former breast prodigy Alexis Wenger.

5) Louisville looks in good shape with 0 pts gone, but similar to our situation w/the DT, the Cardinals will take quite a hit @ 2020 NCAAs when their superstud Comerford is gone. They will have a fairly large class coming in this autumn, led by Jr Nat Teamer Diana Dunn.

6) Indiana too with WR holder Lilly (their Jr class = 74 pts), esp when it comes to IU's medley relays (tho they will have a 58 sec breaststroker coming to their rescue when King's gone, in the guise of Jr Nat Teamer Emily Weiss). Very large 2018 class (Im'er Christin Rockway, freestyler Julia Wolf etc).

7) Tenn should improve on their standing with a trivial 8 pts deficit next year (well as long as Erika doesn't regress, oh and also remembers to swim free not fly on the anchor of a medley relay haha). Hannah Foster (of the Foster bros fame), Carmel's Trude Rothrock & some others...

8) 'SC - whatever's going on with those once proud Trojanettes and their crew of big name stars???? #8 Erica Sullivan will be coming in...but then their distance specialists hadn't performed to expectations this year - Becca Mann, Isabella Rongione (didn't make NCAAs?).

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Then there's always the possibility (pretty slim unfortunately, IMHO) of Ledecky going pro early

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swimmer19 said:

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Hm...
https://t.co/rEpKfEdizF

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OBear073akaSMFan said:

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I'm disappointed in her decision. NOT!!!

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tedbear said:

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Wow, I was hoping for this, but didn't expect it to happen. The door is wide open for us next year.

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Yazzz, such a smart decision upon Katie Ledecky's part that I can't applaud enough haha -this should really help Team USA in the latter part of the quad as they ramp up via Pan Pacs & Worlds on the road to Tokyo 2020! Also good on Ledecky staying on @ LSJU to finish her degree, i.e. it's not all about the money, academics is still a priority for her.

Also sooo fricken giddy that I was completely wrong about Ledecky planning to use up all 4 years of her eligibility swimming down on the Farm (er, should have paid more attention to BD's pearls of wisdom on this lol).

Will still be quite a massive challenge with that monster of a freshman class sprouting up for the Furdettes later in the year led by phenom Taylor Ruck, also not to overlook that the trees' sophomores piling on a whole slew of points for the Furd after a very lacklustre debut last season... but no longer quite the seemingly impossible task that it had originally looked...

The Dream Team will finally have more than a fighting chance to attain the National Championship team title that they so richly deserve...and we couldn't be happier for that scenario to potentially unfold as we all cheer the whole team on this coming season!

In the back of my mind, quietly but wishing with all my fervent hopes that Teri & Sarah will help that along with perhaps a surprise last-minute international stud addition to our 2018 Baby Bears (MSH perhaps, tedbear?! )


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Wondering of the impact on recruiting with the loss of Katie and Manuel (and others). The furds were recruiting like mad & seem to getting more recruits that they could afford. Sure, they will still be getting recruits because of the school's reputation but hoping this would impact where other schools would be considered too! You do see it somewhat with Virginia & Texas who seem to be doing quite well.

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Pleasant surprise, but not wholly unexpected.

Furdette relays implode without Manuel, Hu, Howe, and Ledecky. The only relay legs which may be upgraded are the medley breast legs (Bartel or Zhao over Williams). Way too dependent on their incoming freshmen. Nordmann and AF are stil on the rise in sprint free, but Tankersley's and Ruck's best free times are more than a few
years old.

Bears only lose Noemie off their relays, but she can be replaced by McL, Maddie, Cassidy, or Elise. 2019 Bears may not sweep all five relays, but will be favored over LSJU in all five relays.

Bears returns 185 points and LSJU return 177 points. Bears have across the board relay advantages, advantages in sprint free, back, and fly, and more overall experience. LSJU will have the advantage in breast, middle distance, distance, and diving. NCAAs likely decided in IMs.

Eastin, Forde, Drabot, Lucie, Ruck, and Bartel will be formidable, but the 2019 team as a whole resembles the 2018 LSJU men (too much distance, not enough stroke depth, and limited in sprints) more than recent Furdette teams.

Bears probably still need an impact international recruit or transfer to put then over the top in 2019. A distant oriented IMer (MSH) would be ideal to break up LSJU points.

OBear073akaSMFan said:

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Wondering of the impact on recruiting with the loss of Katie and Manuel (and others). The furds were recruiting like mad & seem to getting more recruits that they could afford. Sure, they will still be getting recruits because of the school's reputation but hoping this would impact where other schools would be considered too! You do see it somewhat with Virginia & Texas who seem to be doing quite well.

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I recall originally attributing much of Greg's recent recruiting success (esp re his juggernaut of a 2018 class) to a potent combination of LSJU's reputation, massive endowments, Ledecky + Manuel's names, as well as the lure of a Championship ring or two being almost a sure bet.

With the benefit of hindsight here lol,it would appear that the loss of Ledecky, Manuel, Hu, Howe, Engel, Cook etc. did free up a host of schollys for Meehan to go hard after such an impressive haul of elite 2018 recruits (in qty as well as quality).

Keep in mind that both Furdette superstars will still be training alongside the team, so recruits may continue to be attracted to the Farm in terms of still getting an opportunity to train with Simone & KL.

Another sobering thought - even if the Furd machine may no longer be tapped to casually decimate the competition by 200+ points, they still have amazing top-end scoring depth across the board with an incredibly talented batch of saplings coming in - def will still be the favourites to retain their team title in 2019 (and in many people's minds, still the overwhelming favourites - just read all those SwimSwam comments, ugh).

What will be welcome (to Bears at any rate hehe) is that I reckon we won't be getting a frustrating repeat of our relays breaking all sorts of records only to be out-touched by the furdettes, in the next round of things! Scary as LSJU may be in terms of depth, Meehan & Tracy's team will be somewhat unbalanced...overloaded in distance, breast, longer IMs & diving, but perhaps relatively dodgy in sprint frees & sprint flys.

Yes, they have a super class coming in, but even internationally experienced stars like Ruck, Nordmann & Bartel will have to prove that they can deliver in the pressure cooker environment that will be their first ever NCAAs.

Ruck esp can be a difference maker for them, as the Canadian National Teamer has made staggering strides in long course since her recent move back to training in Canada (after having hit a limit prior to that). Taylor's A finals worthy backstroke & free + her versatility should take up much of the slack after Hu, Howe & Manuel's departures, but 1 person alone no matter how great she swims won't be sufficient.

Now Lucie can also help them out on back & free, her times have dropped quite a bit as of late. Still lacking a sprint fly stud for their medleys tho. Anya has a fantastic PB in the 50 Free LCM, have to see if she can translate that convincingly in the little pool. Jury's still out on Amalie, promising as her upside is. Waiting for Morgan T. & Allie Raab to prove themselves (or not lol), as they had been bumping up against a bit of a plateau in the last year or so.

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2018 Baby Bear Cassidy Bayer hanging out with Madds, Keeks & Riley Scott @ Spring Break:

https://instagr.am/p/Bgzz2qElOeK

Amy: "All bears at heart"

https://instagr.am/p/Bgz3KuggEIy

https://instagr.am/p/BhAJZhBAv_-

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UPDATE => Cass training @ Chula Vista with the National Team (Senior) the week before Easter, before going onto Junior Team camp in Colorado... had hung out w/Thleen at one point.

https://instagr.am/p/Bg6ptJXBcu4

As can be seen below:
- Maija & Val are also down in SoCal for Spring recess, with Charlie in tow
- Katie & Abbey are enjoying a bit of winter sports, with McL shredding it @ Mammoth Lakes alongside some Furd swimmers & divers, thus proving that Bears can get along with trees haha (btw, not to worry, McL's neck is apparently still in 1 piece )
- Weitzeil & Coco @ Jackson Hole Mountain Resort w/several of the Bear Bros (Hoff, Jensen, Sendyk, Forker)
- Billy (thankfully didn't fall either lol) + Phoebs are having a blast down under for their Spring Break...

https://instagr.am/p/Bg379GSHL1D

https://instagr.am/p/Bg32dEunz4z

https://instagr.am/p/Bg4ak2hhNTn

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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UPDATE => Just for reference, some random thoughts on scoring potential for several Top 5 contenders @ 2019 NCAAs - this was posted at the conclusion of 2018 NCAAs, before Ledecky's decision to turn pro was made public...

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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our froskis scored more individual points than any other schools, including the much-talked-about saplings where Brooke Forde did much of the heavy-lifting for them (28 v. 27 pts advantage to Bears).

However, LSJU's sophomores actually out-scored our Jr class (aka the DT) 130 to 119, thanks in large part to Ledecky, + Drabot's breakout swims! Though that doesn't take into account how critical the Furd seniors (esp Manuel, Hu & Howe) were to their relay successes, which will take a toll (hopefully lol) on their scoring potential next year, in spite of a heavyweight incoming class to the Farm.

1) Aggies could take a bit of a hit next year as A&M's scoring is very upperclassmen-skewed - Sr=112, Jr=61, Fr=5 ! Their incoming freshies will be led by #7 distance specialist Gabrielle Kopenski & fly/back Jr National Teamer Emma Carlton.

2) TAMU's arch rival Horns may take advantage of this, as UT will only lose 5 Sr pts, whilst bringing in a top-rated backstroke-focussed group for their 2018 freshie class (#10 Julia Cook, #17 Grace Ariola, Kendall Shields, Holly Jansen)...

3) "DeSorbo Effect" could be severely tested next season - Hoos will graduate 47 pts (out of their 161 total tally - which may include diving pts, haven't checked)! Think the Cavaliers had signed just 3 swimmers for their next class - backstroker Julia Menkhaus, Sophie Skinner & breaststroker Kaki Christensen.

OTOH, UVa could get back on track the following year when #2 Kate Douglass & their cadre of much-hyped "game over" commits come in...their Juniors didn't get on the scoreboard this week, so their graduations the following year won't likely have a significant negative impact.

3) Dawgs will need all the help that #1 Eva, #11 Dakota, #12 Olivia, Madison, Callie & co. can bring to the table (which is admittedly a lot!), as they graduate 42 pts, with UGA having already plummeted to #11 with 135 pts @ this NCAAs! This after having won 7 NCAA national championships since 1999, and finishing in the Top 2 a staggering 15 times in that same period...

4) Michigan will lose a significant amount too (Sr 53, Jr 53, including Siobhan) the next couple of years. Former Cal fly prospect & #15 2017 recruit Alexis Margett didn't qualify for 2018 NCAAs. Their freshman class next year will be headed by former breast prodigy Alexis Wenger.

5) Louisville looks in good shape with 0 pts gone, but similar to our situation w/the DT, the Cardinals will take quite a hit @ 2020 NCAAs when their superstud Comerford is gone. They will have a fairly large class coming in this autumn, led by Jr Nat Teamer Diana Dunn.

6) Indiana too with WR holder Lilly (their Jr class = 74 pts), esp when it comes to IU's medley relays (tho they will have a 58 sec breaststroker coming to their rescue when King's gone, in the guise of Jr Nat Teamer Emily Weiss). Very large 2018 class (Im'er Christin Rockway, freestyler Julia Wolf etc).

7) Tenn should improve on their standing with a trivial 8 pts deficit next year (well as long as Erika doesn't regress, oh and also remembers to swim free not fly on the anchor of a medley relay haha). Hannah Foster (of the Foster bros fame), Carmel's Trude Rothrock & some others...

8) 'SC - whatever's going on with those once proud Trojanettes and their crew of big name stars???? #8 Erica Sullivan will be coming in...but then their distance specialists hadn't performed to expectations this year - Becca Mann, Isabella Rongione (didn't make NCAAs?).

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UVA signed 4 I believe... they also signed sprinter Jessica Nava (FL), who was a 'SC target due to connections with Marta Ciesla.

I really don't believe UVA will be at their hottest next year (due to losses of Jen Marrkand and co), but I guess we will have to see what the 2019-ers have in store.

'SC has also been on a decline... Riley Scott/Maggie Aroesty were seeded pretty high but fell in prelims, and the only boost was from Louise Hansson's swims. If I were a distance swimmer (which I'm not) I would be highly reconsidering their program if Erica Sullivan doesn't progress/regresses significantly.

Don't know how I feel about Michigan or the Dawgs... Michigan also has Canadian Nat'l Jr. Teamer Victoria Kwan (I think?) and backstroker Katie Minnich coming in, the latter of whom has trained with Austin Swim Club (Dakota Luther/Diana Dunn/Kendall Shields aforementioned). UGA is going to really push it with their top-end underclassmen in order to prove that they can be up top.

Do have to note that after Junior Worlds, Grace Ariola can be looked at as massively underrated, although I don't think she has made similar progress in the yards conversion. If she does, though, we may want to watch out.

Looking at it now, I believe that our class of five and hopefully more by the name of MSH/Sarah Grinalds (latter may be unlikely, has anyone heard anything re her recruitment?) can do great things alongside our Dream Team!

The double edged sword of combined teams is there is rarely results parity between the two teams. Papa Marsh pulled it off spectactularly at Auburn (with help from Durden), but still very rare.

Michigan, A&M, Tennessee, IU, and Lville all do pretty well with both teams, but Georgia and 'SC are in decline. UVa and Florida both have one solid team and one seriously crappy team. Our pal DeSorbo crows loudly in hopes that nobody will notice that the boy 'Hoos heroically nudged out Plymouth State and Towson State for 29th. Not his fault, but UVa would have been a power with in state studs Seliskar, Haas, and Shebat (like CA and TX need to poach talent from VA). Florida women got beat by Miami (the one in Ohio) for 34th, but at least they beat down swim rich Nebraska.

Would not be surprised if Jack Bauerle retires from Georgia and Florida and/or 'SC have coaching changes in the near term.

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WHO RETURNS THE MOST POINTS FOR WOMEN'S 2019 NCAA'S?




In the original post meet article, Stanford was listed with the most returning individual points with 234; however, we have since learned that Ledecky won't be back, so their actual individual returning points total is 177, trailing Cal's 185. In the re scored-without-seniors format Stanford (247 points) have a slight advantage over their Cal rivals (240). Texas jump from 94.5 real returning points to 159.5 no-senior returning points, 3rd most of any team. Complete data is in the tables below.

With Cal and Stanford returning such similar point totals, it's worth asking who the favorite is next year. It's far too early to make any sort of definitive prediction about next year's meet, but without Ledecky in the mix, there's a chance we see at least a competitive meet between Stanford and Cal and possibly even a Cal victory. A pretty strong contrast to Stanford's historic dominance this season.

• Favoring Stanford: recruiting. Cal has a solid incoming class with one top 10 recruit, but Stanford's class is massive with 3 of the top 10 recruits. However, top recruits are no guarantee of success; scoring as a freshman at NCAA's is hard. Plenty of top recruits don't end up scoring huge NCAA points their freshmen years.
  
  Favoring Cal: relays. Cal look like a potential relay powerhouse next year. They were top 3 in every relay this year and are only losing 2 of their 20 relay legs to graduation. They have three of the top 5 returning swimmers in the 50 free, Abbey Weitzeil (#2 returner), Amy Bilquist (#4), and Maddie Murphy (#5). Cal also have balance with the #2 returner in the 100 back, Kathleen Baker and the #3 returner in the 100 fly, Katie McLaughlin.
  
  Stanford have some pretty big relay question marks next year. 12 of their 20 relay legs from this year are gone, and 3 of the 8 returning are from the 800 free relay.
• Stanford return 12 swimmers that participated in nationals this year, but 7 of them swam the 500. Most relays require sprinters. Only one returning swimmer, Lauren Green, swam the 50, and she was 47th.
• Stanford's top returner in a 100 of stroke is Grace Zhao, the #10 returning 100 breast. This year breast was considered the weak leg on Stanford's relays. Their top returner in the 100 free is probably IM and fly specialist Ella Eastin (47.1 relay split) over #22 returning 100 freestyler Lauren Pitzer.
• Their top ranked returning 100 fly is #27 Lauren Green (Eastin or Katie Drabot may also be helpful here).
• They aren't returning anyone who swam the 100 back, though incoming freshman Taylor Ruck might help.
• With all those miss matched pieces, it's hard to pick them over Cal in any sprint relay. It turns out having the Olympic champion in the 100 free on your team is helpful.
• Even in Stanford's strongest relay, the 800 free, they don't look like a lock to win. They only have to replace one leg, but it's Katie Ledecky's. Replacing her 1:39.8 split with a 1:42 brings Cal's relay (which returns all 4 legs of a 6:50.8) within a second and a half.

SWIMMER | YEAR | POINTS | NO SR POINTS | EVENT | PLACE | TIME | NO SR PLACE | EVENT | PLACE | TIME | NO SR PLACE | EVENT | PLACE | TIME | NO SR PLACE
Kathleen Baker | JR | 53 | 54 | 200 IM | 2 | 1:51.25 | 2 | 100 Back | 3 | 50.18 | 2 | 200 Back | 1 | 1:47.30 | 1 |
Katie McLaughlin | JR | 39 | 43 | 100 Fly | 6 | 51.2 | 3 | 200 Free | 8 | 1:44.32 | 7 | 200 Fly | 4 | 1:52.64 | 4 |
Abbey Weitzeil | SO | 31 | 34 | 50 Free | 4 | 21.67 | 2 | 100 Free | 3 | 46.74 | 2 |
Amy Bilquist | JR | 27 | 41 | 50 Free | 9 | 21.88 | 4 | 100 Back | 10 | 51.51 | 6 | 100 Free | 8 | 47.82 | 6 |
Robin Neumann | FR | 16 | 22 | 500 Free | 24 | 4:40.98 | 19 | 200 Free | 5 | 1:43.54 | 4 | 100 Free | 15 | 48.4 | 10 |
Sarah Darcel | FR | 12 | 20 | 200 IM | 16 | 1:56.15 | 12 | 400 IM | 8 | 4:04.44 | 4 | 200 Fly | 29 | 1:56.89 | 17 |
Maddie Murphy | SO | 7.0 | 21.0 | 50 Free | 10 | 22.07 | 5 | 100 Fly | 20 | 52.31 | 10 | 100 Free | 31 | 48.79 | 22 |
Ali Harrison | FR | 0 | 0 | 100 Breast | 24 | 1:00.22 | 17 | 200 Breast | 26 | 2:10.21 | 20 |
Keaton Blovad | SO | 0 | 5 | 200 IM | 35 | 1:58.04 | 25 | 100 Back | 19 | 52.36 | 12 | 200 Back | 31 | 1:54.42 | 20 |
Phoebe Lamay | JR | 0 | 0 | 1 mtr Diving | 42 | 251.1 | 32 |


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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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- Billy (thankfully didn't fall either lol) + Phoebs are having a blast down under for their Spring Break...

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Just an FYI that a topic has been created for post-NCAAs competitions where past, present & future Bears will be involved (mostly in long course format during the summer):

2018 Swimming (post-NCAAs) - Commies, Pro Series, US Nationals, Pan Pacs, SC Worlds


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In other news...congrats (again) Val, Maija, Nono & Jaz! You will be missed... *sob*

Val: never smiled this much at Spieker in my life #imacrier (love you, @calwswim)
: the one, the only, @matt_haaa






https://instagr.am/p/BhTbnKgH2xN

https://instagr.am/p/BhTY3OgjFzM

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STANFORD WOMEN LEAD 2018 D1 ALL-AMERICANS LIST WITH 16 ATHLETES



The CSCAA released its All-Americans list this past Thursday, April 5th, with the Stanford women leading the way in Division 1 with 16 athletes achieving All-American status.

Meanwhile, the Cal women only produced 9 All-Americans, but were still able to claim 2nd in the team race. Their scorers were mostly big scorers for example, Kathleen Baker dominated with seven First Team recognitions and Abbey Weitzeil did so with six First Team recognitions.

"Individuals were selected on the basis of their finish at the 2018 NCAA Division I, II and III Championships and membership with the CSCAA. The top eight individuals and relays in each event earned First-Team recognition while individuals and relays finishing 9-16th are named Honorable Mention (or 2nd Team) All-American."

California

• Baker, Kathleen / 200 Back, 200 IM, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 100 Back
• Bilquist, Amy / 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 100 Free, 50 Free (HM), 100 Back (HM)
• Darcel, Sarah / 400 IM, 200 IM (HM)
• Harrison, Ali / 400 Medley Relay
• McLaughlin, Katie / 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 200 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Free
• Murphy, Maddie / 200 Free Relay, 50 Free (HM)
• Neumann, Robin / 800 Free Relay, 200 Free, 100 Free (HM)
• Thomas, Noemie / 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 100 Fly, 200 Fly (HM)
• Weitzeil, Abbey / 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 100 Free, 50 Free

Full List: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5530076fe4b07b27d6286647/t/5ac68e0888251bfbef2d2e52/1522961930168/2018-All-Americans.pdf


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bearz012 said:

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Happy birthday, Val!

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https://instagr.am/p/BhrkCmxh35e

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KATHLEEN BAKER REPEATS AS TEAM MVP


Kathleen Baker is all smiles after winning the 200 back at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She was named team MVP Sunday - Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com


4/22/2018 1:31 PM | By: Cal Athletics


BERKELEY Junior Kathleen Baker, who set an American record while defending her NCAA title in the 200-yard backstroke last month, was named Cal's MVP for the second year in a row at the women's swimming & diving team's annual banquet Sunday afternoon.

Baker captured the national championship in the 200 back in 1:47.30, breaking the mark of 1:47.84 set by former Golden Bear Elizabeth Pelton in 2013. In addition, Baker was the NCAA runner-up in the 200 individual medley (with a school-record time) and third in the 100 back. She also helped four relays place among the top three at the national meet 400 free relay (2nd), 800 free relay (3rd), 200 medley relay (2nd) and 400 medley relay (3rd). At the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, Baker won both the 200 IM and 200 back.

Other awards at the banquet went to:

• Warren Hellman Scholastic Award - Amy Bilquist
• Kathie Wickstrand Leadership Award - Amy Bilquist
• Most Improved Swimmer - Aislinn Light
• Golden Bear Award - Katie McLaughlin and Natalie Tuck
• Coaches Award (Diving) - Phoebe LaMay
• Karen Moe Humphreys Coaches Award (Swimming) - Sarah Darcel and Robin Neumann

Bilquist, with a 3.77 GPA as a media studies major, earned first-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors this past season. In the pool, the junior won the B final of the 50 free, placed 10th in the 100 back and took eighth in the 100 free in addition to handling legs on four top-3 relays at NCAA's. She was also part of four winning relays at the Pac-12 meet.

Light, a sophomore, set personal bests in four events during the year and won the B final of the 100 back at the Pac-12 Championships.

McLaughlin reached the championship final in three different events at the NCAA meet 100 butterfly (6th), 200 freestyle (8th) and 200 fly (4th) - and the junior was a part of four relays.

Tuck, a freshman, showed great improvement and enthusiasm as the season progressed, setting personal bests in the 100 breast and 200 IM at the Pac-12 meet.

LaMay advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third year in a row on the 1-meter board, while the junior placed sixth on 1-meter at the Pac-12 meet.

Freshmen Darcel and Neumann both provided big points for the Bears at the NCAA Championships. Darcel was eighth in the 400 IM and 16th in the 200 IM. Her best time of the year in the 400 IM (4:03.00) put her No. 2 in school history in the event. Neumann was fifth in the 200 free (top freshman in the country) and 15th in the 100 free in addition to help on a pair of relays at NCAA's.

As a team, the Bears finished second in the country at the 2018 NCAA Championships - the 10th year in a row they have placed among the top three.

Eleven members of the team earned All-American honors for scoring individually or on a relay or helping a relay quality for finals.

Baker, McLaughlin and Bilquist each earned All-America recognition in seven events - three individual and four relay - the most possible.


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Late birthday wishes to rising soph Natalie Tuck!

https://instagr.am/p/Bh7p3quBmlI
https://instagr.am/p/Bh7w2c2H6Fc

Very impressive - well done, team!

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