2018 Men's NCAA Swimming and Diving

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bearz012
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It's a few days before the Men's NCAA Championships, so UAC suggested that I create the topic, so here we are. Our last title was won in 2014, and the Horns have three peat'd from 2015-17. With the graduation of the Horns' 2017 class and the incoming of our freshmen class, this is our best shot for a Natty Champ.

Wednesday, March 21 Saturday, March 24

Below are SwimSwam's previews, which I'll update as they get published:


GO BEARS!
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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: FROSH AIM FOR PODIUM IN SENIOR-HEAVY 400 IM FIELD

Last year, Cal junior Andrew Seliskar went 3:39.53 at Pac-12s before going 3:36.18 at NCAAs. This year, he's already been 3:38.65, pointing to good things to come at NCAAs. He, Szaranek, and Gonzalez are the top contenders for the podium, we can't count out South Carolina freshman Brandonn Almeida, who went 3:39.08 at SECs.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEED | BEST TIME
1 | Mark Szaranek | Florida | 3:37.50 (#2) | 3:36.54
2 | Andrew Seliskar | Cal | 3:38.65 (#3) | 3:36.18
3 | Abrahm Devine | Stanford | 3:44.41 (#30) | 3:37.73
4 | Brandonn Almeida | South Carolina | 3:39.09 (#4) | 3:39.09
5 | Hugo Gonzalez | Auburn | 3:35.76 (#1) | 3:35.76
6 | Jay Litherland | Georgia | 3:39.96 (#7) | 3:38.19
7 | Jonathan Roberts | Texas | 3:43.27 | (#27) | 3:38.18
8 | Anton Ipsen | NC State | 3:40.48 (#9) | 3:40.48


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2018 M. NCAA PREVIEWS: FINAL SCHOOLING-DRESSEL SHOWDOWN IN 100 FLY

While Dressel and Schooling are the favorites for the top 2 spots, we could see several men dip into the 44-range. This race could also play a big role in the team battle as the Cal Bears try to snap Texas' winning streak. Cal has a strong group in this event that includes Matt Josa, Justin Lynch, and Zheng Quah. Last season, Josa qualified for the final, but was disqualified in the championship heat. His lifetime best 44.89 from the 2015 Division 2 NCAA Championships makes him a strong contender for a spot in the top 5. He hasn't broken 45 since then, but his performances this season bode well. His 45.27 from midseason is his 2nd fastest ever. Quah returns after placing 5th last season, while Lynch was the B final winner in 2017. Both have come very close to breaking 45 seconds with their best times.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | LIFETIME BEST
1 | Caeleb Dressel | Florida | 46.89 | 43.58
2 | Joseph Schooling | Texas | 44.78 | 43.75
3 | Ryan Held | NC State | 44.96 | 44.79
4 | Jan Switkowski | Florida | 45.26 | 45.26
5 | Matt Josa | Cal | 45.27 | 44.89
6 | Vini Lanza | Indiana | 44.79 | 44.79
7 | Justin Lynch | Cal | 45.14 | 45.14
8 | Zheng Quah | Cal | 45.60 | 45.06


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: SINGAPOREAN STANDOFF IN 200 FLY

Perhaps Schooling's biggest obstacle back to the title is his Singaporean countryman Zheng Quah, who was the runner-up last year in his freshman season in a very impressive 1:38.83. Already 1:40 twice this season, he's setting up to be right around where he was last year. The question is, can Schooling go better than that? We'll find out.

Behind the 1:40s, there's a whopping 14 men who have been 1:41 this season (plus Vazaios, though he's entered with his 1:40.77 from NCAAs last year). That mix includes last year's B-finalists Michael Thomas (Cal), Jan Switkowski (Florida), Zach Harting (Louisville), Fynn Minuth (South Carolina) and Jack Saunderson (Towson). Freshman Nicolas Albiero (Louisville), Christian Ferraro (Georgia Tech), Trenton Julian (Cal) and Camden Murphy (Georgia) are exciting young prospects, and Cal's Matt Josa and Texas A&M's Brock Bonetti are well known speedsters who will have to shore up their back half in order to have a shot at a second swim.

Of note: this could be a big swing event if the team scoring winds up being as tight as we think it will be. Texas has the #4 and #6 seeds coming in, while Cal has the #2, #10, #14, and #21 seeds. This will be a crucial event, and if Cal can somehow sneak into a 2-up, 2-down here, in an event that comes very late in the meet, it could leave them within striking distance when the 400 free relays take to the pool.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | BEST TIME
1 | Joseph Schooling | Texas | 1:40.72 | 1:37.97
2 | Zheng Quah | Cal | 1:40.24 | 1:38.83
3 | Vini Lanza | Indiana | 1:39.95 | 1:39.95
4 | Sam Pomajevich | Texas | 1:40.82 | 1:40.82
5 | Justin Wright | Arizona | 1:40.57 | 1:40.57
6 | Jan Switkowski | Florida | 1:41.60 | 1:40.94
7 | Andreas Vazaios | NC State | 1:41.07 | 1:40.77
8 | Nicolas Albiero | Louisville | 1:41.08 | 1:41.08

Darkhorse: Jack Saunderson of Townsend qualified for NCAAs last year with a 1:43.05 in this event, and then dropped more than a second to qualify for the B-Final with a 1:41.84. While he added that time all back in finals, he enters this year with a lifetime-best as his seed in 1:41.69. If Towson has hit his taper right again, and he drops another second, he would be crashing the A-Final as one of only 2 mid-major invitees in this event.

bearz012
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus
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CAL HEADS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS



MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Only one meet remains for the 2017-18 Cal men's swimming and diving team as the Golden Bears head to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota for the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Swimming begins on Wednesday with the 800 free relay and continues through Saturday. Live results and a schedule of events are available through Minnesota's Championship Central website. Live updates throughout the meet can be found by following Cal Men's Swimming and Diving on Twitter (@CalMenSwim) and Facebook (Cal Men's Swimming) and fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at the Bears' experience at the meet by following Cal Men's Swimming and Diving on Instagram (CalMenSwim).

The Bears head to Minnesota in search of continued success after capturing the program's fifth Pac-12 team title in Federal Way, Wash. Cal won seven individual titles and four relays, Andrew Seliskar received Swimmer of the Meet honors for the second time in his career and the Bears won the team race by over 200 points.

Now, the focus turns to the NCAA Championships. Head coach David Durden's squad will look to extend a streak of eight-straight top two finishes with its sights set squarely on a move upwards from a second-place finish each of the last three seasons.

WHO'S WHO
With 17 swimmers and two divers, Cal will carry the maximum 18 (divers count for half a spot) roster spots into the NCAA Championships. Seniors Matthew Josa, Matt Whittle, Connor Hoppe, Justin Lynch and Kyle Coan will compete in their final NCAA meet and will be joined by juniors Nick Norman, Andrew Seliskar, Mike Thomas and Carson Sand, sophomores Zheng Wen Quah, Pawel Sendyk and Michael Jensen and freshmen Sean Grieshop, Ryan Hoffer, Trenton Julian, Bryce Mefford and Daniel Carr. On the diving side, sophomore Connor Callahan and freshman Johnny Robinson will be in action on the boards.


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: ALL DRESSEL, DRESSEL, DRESSEL IN THE 50 FREE

California's also had a strong 50 free group over the past few years, and they're bolstered this year by adding one of the fastest age groupers ever, Ryan Hoffer. The freshman's season best time of 19.13 ranks him "only" 15th on the psych sheet, but he went 18.71 back in high school, and anything close to that should make the A-final. Justin Lynch ranks 7th on the psych sheet with a personal best time of 19.00 from Pac 12s. Sophomore Pawel Sendyk made the A-final last year thanks to a 18.96 prelims swim, and comes in this year with a 19.09 seed time that's virtually identical to last year's 19.10 seed time. Just for good measure, sophomore Michael Jensen ranks 17th with a seed time of 19.19.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | BEST TIME
1 | Caeleb Dressel | Florida | 18.66 | 18.20
2 | Ryan Held | NC State | 18.75 | 18.58
3 | Joseph Schooling | Texas | 19.33 | 18.76
4 | Ryan Hoffer | Cal | 19.13 | 18.71
5 | Pawel Sendyk | Cal | 19.09 | 18.92
6 | Zach Apple | Auburn | 18.91 | 18.91
7 | Brett Ringgold | Texas | 19.07 | 18.96
8 | Paul Powers | Michigan | 19.04 | 18.80

Darkhorse: Jacob Molacek of NC State is seeded 36th with a season-best time of 19.55, but his lifetime best is a 19.08, which he did last spring while he was in between college teams.


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2018 M. NCAA PREVIEWS: DRESSEL EYEING 39 IN 100 FREE

We could see some new faces in the final this year. Texas' Tate Jackson had a very strong Big 12s. He took down the conference record and dropped a full second and became the 9th fastest performer ever in the event. Teammate Townley Haas, the reigning 200 free champ, will look to make it in after winning the B final last season. He's seemed to develop more speed over his career, and the 100 might be more central to his event focus now than it has been in years past. Cal has a strong sprint group and should get someone in between Justin Lynch, Ryan Hoffer, and Michael Jensen.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | BEST TIME
1 | Caeleb Dressel | Florida | 40.87 | 40.00
2 | Ryan Held | NC State | 41.41 | 41.21
3 | Tate Jackson | Texas | 41.27 | 41.27
4 | Zach Apple | Auburn | 41.64 | 41.64
5 | Blake Pieroni | Indiana | 41.43 | 41.43
6 | Brett Ringgold | Texas | 41.89 | 41.61
7 | Ryan Hoffer | Cal | 42.28 | 41.23
8 | Bowen Becker | Minnesota | 41.61 | 41.61


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: 200 BREAST WIDE OPEN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2012

Seliskar and Szaranek will swim this event for the first time at the NCAA Championships. Seliskar, who was 1:52.2 in high school, has opted for the 200 fly in years prior, but after putting up an impressive 1:53.05 at the Georgia Invite, dropped a 1:51.30 at Pac-12s to solidify his spot as a threat in this race. In both his freshman and sophomore seasons he consistently dropped time from Pac-12s to NCAAs, putting him in the conversation to go 1:50.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | BEST TIME
1 | Mauro Castillo Luna | Texas A&M | 1:52.15 | 1:52.01
2 | Andrew Seliskar | Cal | 1:51.30 | 1:51.30
3 | Mark Szaranek | Florida | 1:51.86 | 1:51.86
4 | Ian Finnerty | Indiana | 1:50.78 | 1:50.78
5 | Conner McHugh | Minnesota | 1:51.41 | 1:51.41
6 | Carlos Claverie | Louisville | 1:53.10 | 1:52.81
7 | Jacob Montague | Michigan | 1:53.23 | 1:53.23
8 | Nils Wich-Glasen | South Carolina | 1:53.53 | 1:52.41

Darkhorse: Though Alex Evdokimov did drop a personal best of 1:52.28 at the Ivy League Championships, he added a bit of time at NCAAs last year. He'll be right on the cut line for the A-final.


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: FOR 1ST TIME IN YEARS, NO CLEAR FAVORITE IN 200 IM

After coming out of high school as one of the most versatile age group swimmers ever, California's Andrew Seliskar is six-for-six in in making the top eight at NCAAs in his individual swims, though he has yet to win his first NCAA event. Last year, as a sophomore, his name stood at the top of the psych sheet, with a lifetime best of 1:41.24. He wasn't quite able to match that at NCAAs, finishing 6th in a tough field.

Matt Josa's lifetime best of 1:41.94 comes from way back in 2015 when he was swimming for Queen's at the Division II championships. Last year at NCAA's, in his first championship as a Cal Bear, he appeared to again break 1:42 and qualify for the A-final before being disqualified, so assuming that's not an issue again, he should again challenge for a spot in the championship final.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | SWIMMER | TEAM | SEASON BEST | BEST TIME
1 | Mark Szaranek | Florida | 1:41.00 | 1:40.67
2 | Hugo Gonzalez | Auburn | 1:40.67 | 1:40.67
3 | Andreas Vazaios | NC State | 1:42.43 | 1:40.77
4 | Andrew Seliskar | Cal | 1:41.85 | 1:41.26
5 | Gunnar Bentz | Georgia | 1:43.83 | 1:40.90
6 | Abrahm Devine | Stanford | 1:41.17 | 1:41.17
7 | Jan Switkowski | Florida | 1:41.83 | 1:41.17
8 | Matt Josa | Cal | 1:42.08 | 1:41.94

Darkhorse: Longhorn Ryan Harty is seeded 34th with a time of 1:44.21, but he placed 10th as a freshman in 2016 with a time of 1:42.87. He sat out last year due to injury, but he's looked strong in the backstrokes so far this season, so he could be in a position to finish right about where he did two years ago, at least, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him challenge for a spot in the A-final.

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Pointing Up? How Psych Sheets Project Men's NCAA Swimming Champs

Prior to the women's NCAA swimming championships last week, the psych sheet clearly spelled out that Stanford, Cal, Texas A&M and Michigan were likely to be the top four teams at the meet. Fast forward to the end of the women's meet, and that's exactly what happened.

For the men's NCAA championships, the pre-meet numbers are much less clear.




In particular, Texas and Cal, widely considered the two biggest national title favorites, have a lot of room to move up.

Texas is known for big time drops come championship time, and so are the Golden Bears. Want some perspective? Last year, Texas scored 190 more swimming points than projections called for. Cal was plus-38. On the other hand, Florida (minus-7.5), NC State (-66.5) and Indiana (minus-123.5) all were way under.

Remember: These are just projections. When the meet starts, none of this means anything to the swimmers in the pool. Momentum comes from good swims, not from psych sheet numbers. But what we do know is that for the first time since the women's championships in 2016, there might actually be a competitive battle for the top few spots and even the championship.


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: 75 SECONDS OF MADNESS IN 200 FREE RELAY

The Cal Golden Bears are the other team sub-1:16 this season, having gone 1:15.73 at the Georgia Invite. They add freshman phenom Ryan Hoffer, who has a personal best of 18.71, to the team that placed 3rd last year. Pawe Sendyk was an A-finalist in the individual event last year and has a best of 18.96, and Justin Lynch and Michael Jensen were both 18.7 in the relay final last year, with Lynch going a new flat start best at Pac-12s (19.00) and Jensen hitting 18.69 on the relay. This may just be the team to beat, especially if Hoffer is on.

TOP 8 PICKS:

PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | California | 1:15.73 | 3rd (1:15.29)
2 | NC State | 1:15.34 | 4th (1:15.82)
3 | Texas | 1:16.13 | 1st (1:14.59)
4 | Auburn | 1:17.92 | 6th (1:16.62)
5 | Florida | 1:16.59 | 2nd (1:14.88)
6 | Alabama | 1:16.38 | 5th (1:16.52)
7 | USC | 1:16.55 | DQ
8 | Florida State | 1:16.30 | t-13th (1:17.23)

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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: DRESSEL ANCHORS FOR 1ST RELAY TITLE IN 200 MEDLEY

Cal was the consensus pick in our pre-season predictions, and that could very well hold true as they come in 3rd ranked at 1:23.14. Freshman Daniel Carr led-off at Pac 12s in an impressive 21.16, and then they have seniors Connor Hoppe and Justin Lynch on breast and fly, both looking capable of sub-23 and sub-20 legs after coming very close at Pac-12s. The anchor leg could change depending on who performs in the 200 free relay, but whoever it is they're getting an 18-mid split. Ryan Hofferswam it at Pac-12s in 18.86, but can definitely be at least a few tenths better. If they have to switch it up, they also have Pawe Sendyk or Michael Jensen capable of stepping in and delivering.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | Florida | 1:22.94 | 5th (1:23.08)
2 | Texas | 1:24.28 | 1st (1:21.54)
3 | California | 1:23.14 | 3rd (1:22.28)
4 | Tennessee | 1:23.02 | 9th (1:23.64)
5 | Alabama | 1:23.58 | 2nd (1:21.89)
6 | Indiana | 1:23.95 | 13th (1:24.60)
7 | NC State | 1:23.53 | 6th (1:23.18)
8 | Louisville | 1:23.41 | 8th (1:24.06)

Darkhorse: Grand Canyon is flying under the radar big time in this event, but they went 1:24.33 at the WAC Championships to put them 12th in the country. With a sub-21 lead-off from Mark Nikolaev, if their three others guys can each drop a little in the morning they could easily find themselves in the A-final. At conference their splits were: Youssef El-Kamash (23.68), Daniil Antipov (20.45), and Bogdan Plavin (19.34).
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'18 NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships Preview: Can Cal overtake Texas?

The tremendous depth of this year's squad may just be enough to win the team championships

By Ruey Yen@YRueyYen Mar 21, 2018, 7:30am PDT


Winning the Pac-12 title is not enough for the Cal Golden Bears in 2018 who have their eyes on the NCAA title as well. | Cal Men's Swimming Twitter


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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: RIVALS RARING TO CUT IN ON CAL-TEXAS TANGO IN 400 MEDLEY RELAY

In 2014, Cal won with a 3:02.66, with no other team in faster than 3:04.77. In 2015 and 2016, only Cal and Texas were under 3:04. Last year, five different teams were under 3:04, with four teams at 3:02 or better. Like we said; this event has gotten fast.

The next-fastest time this season belongs to the Cal Bears, who swam 3:03.01 at Pac 12s. As we mentioned, they also loss a substantial piece in Ryan Murphy. Once a strength, the backstroke leg now becomes the Bears' weakest leg, with freshman Daniel Carr's best time of 45.93 about two seconds slower than Murphy's time over the past few years. Another freshman, Ryan Hoffer, went 45.58 over two years ago as a high schooler, but we haven't seen him swim backstroke much at Cal this year. Relay options abound for Dave Durden: either Connor Hoppe or Andrew Seliskar should go sub-51 on breaststroke, with Seliskar swimming the leg at Pac 12s, but Hoppe handling it the past two year at NCAAs. Matthew Josa has split 44 multiple times on butterfly, although Justin Lynch is available as well. Michael Jensen anchored last year, but the aforementioned Lynch or Hoffer should also be able to give Cal a 41-low leg. Any of those arrangements should easily put the Bears into the 3:02-low range, with, a sub-3:02 swim certainly possible, and maybe even likely.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | California | 3:03.91 | 2nd (3:01.51)
2 | Texas | 3:05.71 | 1st (2:59.22)
3 | Indiana | 3:01.30 | 6th (3:03.96)
4 | USC | 3:04.95 | 4th (3:02.20)
5 | Florida | 3:04.55 | 8th (3:04.90)
6 | NC State | 3:04.24 | 12th (3:05.64)
7 | Stanford | 3:06.01 | 7th (3:04.46)
8 | Texas A&M | 3:05.13 | 18th (3:07.16)

Darkhorse: You can't count out any team that has a breaststroker who can go 50-mid, as does Tennessee in Peter John Stevens. If he and the rest of the legs can match their best times, the Volunteers could find themselves right on the bubble of the championship final, or at the top of the consolation final.

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2018 M. NCAA PREVIEWS: GATORS A MAJOR TITLE THREAT IN 800 FREE RELAY

Cal has a good lineup this season. They have 2 returning relay members in Michael Jensen and Andrew Seliskar. At Pac-12s, Seliskar put up a lifetime best 1:32.12 on the leadoff. Zheng Quah split a 1:32.2, which is promising, but they need to have another swimmer split under 1:33 to be up with the top teams.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | Florida | 6:12.06 | 6:09.30 (3rd)
2 | NC State | 6:12.92 | 6:06.53 (1st)
3 | Texas | 6:14.62 | 6:08.61 (2nd)
4 | Indiana | 6:11.50 | 6:13.45 (9th)
5 | Cal | 6:13.30 | 6:09.56 (4th)
6 | Stanford | 6:17.98 | 6:12.66 (7th)
7 | USC | 6:18.97 | 6:10.97 (5th)
8 | ASU | 6:16.59 | 6:17.57 (15th)

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2018 M. NCAA PICKS: TEXAS & NC STATE TO SQUARE OFF IN 400 FREE RELAY

The Cal Bears have the 4th-fastest time this season, a 2:48.42 from back in December. That squad featured three of the four men who swam this relay at NCAAs last year: Justin Lynch, Michael Jensen, and Andrew Seliskar. The Bears lost Ryan Murphy, who was a reliable sub-42 split, but they brought in freshman Ryan Hoffer, who went 41.23 as a highschooler. Cal finished 4th at NCAAs last year, and that looks to be about where they should be again this year, given the strength of the first three schools.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | Texas | 2:48.35 | 1st (2:45.39)
2 | NC State | 2:45.69 | 7th (2:49.09)
3 | Florida | 2:47.06 | 2nd (2:46.21)
4 | USC | 2:50.18 | 3rd (2:47.33)
5 | Cal | 2:48.42 | 4th (2:48.49)
6 | Indiana | 2:48.81 | 8th (2:49.53)
7 | Auburn | 2:48.58 | 11th (2:50.14)
8 | Stanford | 2:50.82 | 5th (2:48.80)

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2018 M. NCAA PREVIEWS: FINNERTY THE FAVORITE IN 100 BREAST

The top 2 returners from last season's final are USC's Carsten Vissering and Cal's Connor Hoppe. This season, Hoppe has been slightly faster, but their best times are just a hundredth apart. Vissering, despite missing the first semester of competition as he trained and studied abroad, has had some strong showings this season.

TOP 8 PICKS:
PLACE | TEAM | SEASON BEST | 2017 NCAA FINISH
1 | Ian Finnerty | Indiana | 50.72 | 50.72
2 | Connor Hopper | Cal | 51.91 | 51.41
3 | Carsten Vissering | USC | 52.00 | 51.40
4 | Peter Stevens | Tennessee | 52.29 | 51.51
5 | Levi Brock | Indiana | 51.45 | 51.45
6 | Conner McHugh | Minnesota | 51.68 | 51.68
7 | Mauro Castillo | Texas A&M | 52.11 | 52.11
8 | Blair Bish | Missouri State | 51.93 | 51.93

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Cal - 6:13.38

NC state breaks all the records, Pieroni breaks 200 free record with 1:29.63 leadoff.

NC State, Indiana, Texas, Florida, UGA (who was in the 1st heat with around a 6:12)
bearz012
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Splits:

Seliskar - 21.15, 44.28, 1:07.56, 1:31.28
Quah - 20.98, 44.87, 1:08.89, 1:33.86
Josa - 20.98, 44.75, 1:08.99, 1:33.80
Jensen - 20.99, 44.38, 1:09.01, 1:34.44

Jensen faded a lot, but Seliskar looked great - and broke Long's school record.

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BEARS KICK OFF 2018 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. The Cal men's swimming and diving team is off and swimming at the 2018 NCAA Championships as the Bears got four days of racing at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center underway with a sixth-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

With only one race to swim on the first day of competition, the Bears sent the foursome of Andrew Seliskar, Zheng Wen Quah, Matthew Josa and Michael Jensen to the blocks to get the meet started. Seliskar took the leadoff leg and climbed out of the pool in third but along the way he made a little history as he swam to a school-record 200 free time of 1:31.28, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:32.74 set by Long Gutierrez in 2016.

Quah came next and swam the next 200 in 1:33.86, leaving the Bears fifth in the final heat of the evening. Josa dove in and kept the Bears steady with a 200 time of 1:33.80 and Jensen came home in 1:34.44 as Cal's anchor leg. The Bears took fifth in the A final but Georgia snuck in from the B final to take fifth in the standings.

The Bears return to the pool on Thursday morning for the first full day of the 2018 NCAA Championships. Events include the 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and 400 medley relay and Connor Callahan will get his week rolling on the 1-meter springboard. Prelims begin at 8 a.m. (PT) and finals start at 4 p.m.

"This relay for us, out of our five relays, is probably our most challenging relay and to start out with a sixth-place finish is really a good start for us," head coach David Durden said. "Now we get into the flow of the meet. First one out of the gates is the 200 free relay, that's been really good for us. 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, those are going to be good events for us and we'll carry that into the 400 medley relay. We've got to come back and start attacking the bulk of the meet over the next three days."
HBear
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1:15.36 for Bears this morning, taking the first seed going into tonight's finals. Nice!
BearDevil
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Very good morning for the Bears, not so much for the 'Whorns. UT relays are off. Surprising that LSJU is poised to be ahead of Texas (albeit in fifth) after tonight.
PalyBear
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Nice surprise to see Texas NOT make the A Finals in 400Medley relay. Go Bears!
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200 FREESTYLE RELAY PRELIMS


Top 8 qualifiers:
[ol]
  • California 1:15.36
  • NC State 1:15.43
  • Florida 1:15.64
  • Texas 1:15.87
  • USC 1:16.05
  • Florida State 1:16.13
  • Stanford 1:16.44
  • Michigan 1:16.46
  • [/ol]
    Quote:

    California rolled away with the top spot, getting a 19.07 leadoff from Justin Lynch and a trio of 18s from Pawel Sendyk (18.74), Ryan Hoffer (18.82) and Michael Jensen (18.73). Cal's 1:15.36 was only a tenth off the American record, though they wouldn't be eligible with the Polish-born Sendyk on the roster.


    500 FREESTYLE PRELIMS


    Top 8 qualifiers:

    [ol]
  • Felix Auboeck, Michigan 4:10.83
  • Anton Ipsen, NC State 4:11.02
  • Townley Haas, Texas 4:11.97
  • Liam Egan, Stanford 4:12.02
  • Grant Shoults, Stanford 4:12.12
  • Sam Pomajevich, Texas 4:12.46
  • Akaram Mahmoud, South Carolina 4:12.52
  • Ricardo Vargas, Michigan 4:12.87
  • [/ol]
    Quote:

    Cal freshman Sean Grieshop just missed the A heat with a 9th-place 4:12.94. That's a bit of a blow to Cal's scoring hopes, but not a huge one as Grieshop was seeded 12th coming in. That also constitutes a lifetime-best by more than a second for Grieshop, who had somewhat plateaued before joining Cal as a blue-chip recruit.

    In terms of team points, Texas is in shape to load up with 2 A finalists. Cal has one B finalist. NC State has one A finalist and Florida ultimately finished with no scorers despite five entrants.
    200 IM PRELIMS


    Top 8 qualifiers:
    [ol]
  • Andrew Seliskar, Cal 1:40.40
  • Abrahm Devine, Stanford 1:40.78
  • Andreas Vazaios, NC State 1:40.93
  • Jan Switkowski, Florida 1:41.23
  • Mark Szaranek, Florida 1:41.62
  • Vini Lanza, Indiana 1:42.05
  • Ian Finnerty, Indiana 1:42.08
  • Gunnar Bentz, Georgia 1:42.13
  • [/ol]
    10 Matthew Josa SR California 1:42.08 1:42.43 q182
    r:+0.66 21.65 47.70 (26.05)
    1:16.69 (28.99) 1:42.43 (25.74)
    11 Mike Thomas JR California 1:42.83 1:42.51 q182
    r:+0.66 21.90 47.19 (25.29)
    1:17.84 (30.65) 1:42.51 (24.67)
    16 Zheng Quah SO California 1:44.13 1:42.97 q180
    r:+0.60 21.88 47.19 (25.31)
    1:17.86 (30.67) 1:42.97 (25.11)


    Quote:

    Seliskar was 1:40.40, blowing by Devine on the breaststroke leg and roaring home with the 9th fastest performance in history. Devine was 1:40.78, just outside the top 10 all-time.
    NC State's Andreas Vazaios put up a big swim in the final heat, going 1:40.93 for third overall. Florida and Indiana both qualified a pair of swimmers, Florida's duo in the penultimate heat and IU's in the final heat. And Georgia's Gunnar Bentz made the A final here coming off a collarbone injury that cost him much of this regular season.
    Top-seeded Hugo Gonzalez struggled to a 1:42.78, adding two seconds and falling to 15th. While Cal got burned with the 9th-place spot in the 500, Texas returned the favor in the IM, with last year's championship finalist Jonathan Roberts finishing 9th in 1:42.23.. He'll be Texas's only scorer in the event (Ryan Harty was 17th in a tough set of breaks for Texas) while Cal has 1 in the A and 3 in the B.

    50 FREE PRELIMS


    Top 8 qualifiers:
    [ol]
  • Caeleb Dressel, Florida 18.11
  • Ryan Held, NC State 18.69
  • Bowe Becker, Minnesota 18.88
  • Blake Pieroni, Indiana 18.93
  • Pawel Sendyk, Cal 18.95
  • Zach Apple, Auburn 18.97
  • Robert Howard, Alabama 19.00
  • Ryan Hoffer, Cal 19.04
  • [/ol]12 Justin Lynch SR California 19.00 19.11 q181

    Wow Schooling 15th

    Quote:

    6 of the top 8 broke the 19 second barrier, with Cal's Pawel Sendyk (18.95) and Auburn's Zach Apple (18.97) joining that group. Alabama's Robert Howard was 19 flat, with Cal freshman Ryan Hoffer making his team the only one with two A finalists in the splash-and-dash.

    400 MEDLEY RELAY PRELIMS


    Top 8 qualifiers:
    [ol]
  • Indiana 3:01.87
  • NC State 3:02.70
  • Cal 3:02.77
  • USC 3:03.02
  • Louisville 3:03.68
  • Georgia 3:03.70
  • Stanford 3:03.84
  • Florida 3:04.05
  • [/ol]
    Quote:

    Cal sits third in 3:02.77. Connor Hoppe had the field's best breaststroke split at 50.45, and Daniel Carr (45.43), Zheng Quah (45.06 fly) and Justin Lynch (41.83) combined to put themselves in the title hunt for tonight.

    Maye the biggest news was defending NCAA champs Texas missing the A final despite swimming arguably their best lineup. Backstroker John Shebat was only 45.6, about a second slower than he was last year, and the team used a surprise breaststroker Sam Stewart who was only 52.64. Flyer Joseph Schooling faded over the back half to split just 44.7 and Brett Ringgold's 41.5 anchor wasn't enough to keep Texas in the top 8. They took 9th in 3:04.56, two tenths off their season-best.

    UrsusArctosCalifornicus
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    BearDevil said:

    Very good morning for the Bears, not so much for the 'Whorns. UT relays are off. Surprising that LSJU is poised to be ahead of Texas (albeit in fifth) after tonight.
    PalyBear said:

    Nice surprise to see Texas NOT make the A Finals in 400Medley relay. Go Bears!

    Yeah after Pomajevich's blazing drop in the 500 Free to join Haas in the A final, I was muttering to myself, "Blooming heck, 'ere we go again, the famed Eddie Reese taper kicking into gear when it really matters" ... only to be very (pleasantly lol) surprised when Roberts got bumped down into the B final of the 200 IM, and Harty got shut out @ 17th.

    Followed by Schooling looking decidedly dodgy in the 50 Free, ended up relegated to the B final, along with fellow Horns RInggold...not to mention Jackson falling to 18th, from his seeded 18.95!

    Capping it all was Shebat looking massively shaky leading the Horns medley relay off (nothing like last year when he tried to challenge Murph), losing a bunch of potential relay points from their 9th seed for finals...

    Alright, so Seany Boy also qualified with a 9th seed in the 500 Free, but the difference being that he was never originally projected to be in the A final anyway, relay points are double that of the individuals, and Grieshop's 4:12.94 is a significant personal best for our froski!

    Would prob. take Bears' 5 ups/5 downs (incl. 2 relay ups) over UT's 3 ups/4 downs (1/1 for their relays) any day, I'd reckon lol
    UrsusArctosCalifornicus
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    UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

    Would prob. take Bears' 5 ups/5 downs (incl. 2 relay ups) over UT's 3 ups/4 downs (1/1 for their relays) any day, I'd reckon lol

    Ooops had forgot about the diving - well Texas no doubt will claw back with some big points there...still, liking this promising start to today's sessions after a bit of a challenging result in the 800 FR last night (prob. our weakest relay?) ... the early momentum will be crucial in what looks like to be an intriguingly close team race, which may come down to a bit of a nailbiter at the very end! Go Bears!
    UrsusArctosCalifornicus
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    https://instagr.am/p/BgoR1MEgnC2

    --------


    2018 M. NCAAS: SELISKAR SWIMS TO #7 ALL-TIME WITH 1:40.4 200 IM



    ALL-TIME TOP PERFORMERS: MEN'S 200 YARD IM


    PLACE | SWIMMER | TIME
    1 | Caeleb Dressel | 1:38.13
    2 | David Nolan | 1:39.38
    3 | Will Licon | 1:40.04
    4 | Ryan Lochte | 1:40.08
    5 | Josh Prenot | 1:40.14
    6 | Ryan Murphy | 1:40.27
    7 | Andrew Seliskar | 1:40.40
    8 | Bradley Ally | 1:40.49
    9 | Michael Phelps | 1:40.58 (T-9)
    10 | Marcin Cieslak | 1:40.58 (T-9)


    --------






    https://instagr.am/p/BgozXLogE8d

    --------


    2018 MEN'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 2 RELAY SPECULATION




    400 MEDLEY RELAY

    #3 CALIFORNIA


    Cal may have used its best lineup this morning, but still has some solid options at all four spots.

    • Daniel Carr was 45.43 on back: solidly middle-of-the-pack. Freshman Ryan Hoffer has been 45.5 as a high schooler, but hasn't swum much back this year and is probably more valuable elsewhere.
    • Connor Hoppe had the field's best breaststroke split at 50.45, so he probably keeps his spot unless the team feels Andrew Seliskar has 49-second potential.
    • Zheng Quah swam fly this morning, going 45.06. Justin Lynch is probably a better option after going 45.1 individually at Pac-12s.
    • Lynch swam free this morning in 41.8, but Cal has plenty of options to spell him there, including Hoffer (41.2 individually as a high schooler) and Michael Jensen (41.6 last year).


    --------
    PalyBear
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    4x50 FR Relay

    Cal 3rd. FL 1st, NCS 2nd, TX 4th.

    3 California 1:15.36 1:14.56P 591 32
    1) Justin Lynch SR 2) r:0.26 Pawel Sendyk SO
    3) r:0.16 Ryan Hoffer FR 4) r:0.22 Michael Jensen SO
    r:+0.62 9.36 19.05 (19.05)
    27.78 (8.73) 37.61 (18.56)
    46.26 (8.65) 55.97 (18.36)
    1:04.76 (8.79) 1:14.56 (18.59)


    PalyBear
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    Caeleb Dressel led off FL with a blistering 17.81!!
    PalyBear
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    Sean Grieshop comes in 5th in 500 B final with 4:15.73
    PalyBear
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    Grrr. TX 1st and 6th in 500FR A Final. Was 3rd and 6th coming into the final.
    PalyBear
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    200IM B-Final

    Cal 1st, 4th, 8th.

    Came in seeded 2nd, 3rd, 8th.

    Tx's Jonathan came in seeded 1st in the B-Final but came in 5th.
    bearz012
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    200 IM - A final

    Seliskar - 5th (1:40.69)
    Jan Switkowski (1:39.54), Andreas Vazaios (1:39.97), Mark Szaranek (1:40.27)

    Cal in 4th after 200 IM
    PalyBear
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    200IM A-Final

    Ouch. Seliskar drops to 5th place with 1:40.69

    Mixed results so far in the PM vs AM's amazing results for Cal.
    bearz012
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    2018 MEN'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 2 FINALS LIVE RECAP

    The headliner, as always, is Caeleb Dressel's continuing assault on the concept of impossibility. The Florida Gator went 18.11 for the fastest 50 free in history this morning, and will look to finish his NCAA Championships career undefeated in this event. He's got Olympian Ryan Held and breakout Minnesota star Bowe Becker in his rearview mirror heading into the final.

    It was a fast 200 IM prelims, with Andrew Seliskar moving to #7 all-time while taking the top spot in 1:40.40. He'll look to hold off last year's co-champ Mark Szaranek along with a whole host of top competitors Stanford's Abrahm Devine and NC State's Andreas Vazaios were both sub-1:41 this morning.

    In the 500 free, Felix Auboeck of Michigan is the top qualifier, with NC State's Anton Ipsen and 2016 NCAA champ and U.S. Olympian Townley Haas lurking behind him.

    The relays might be the most interesting. Cal leads the 200 free relay, but only by a tenth over NC State, with Florida (and 17-second man Dressel) only two more tenths back. The 400 medley won't see three-time defending champs Texas in the A final (they were 9th this morning), but Indiana is the early leader, followed by a pair of teams who could make significant lineup adjustments going into tonight: NC State and Cal.

    200 FREESTYLE RELAY FINALS

    [ol]
  • Florida 1:14.39
  • NC State 1:14.50
  • Cal 1:14.56
  • [/ol]Cal wound up third, getting an 18.36 from fab freshman Ryan Hoffer and a pair of 18.5s out of Pawel Sendyk and Michael Jensen. Justin Lynch led off in 19.05 as Cal went 1:14.56.

    -----

    500 FREESTYLE FINALS

    [ol]
  • Townley Haas, Texas 4:08.60
  • Felix Auboeck, Michigan 4:09.03
  • Anton Ipsen, NC State 4:09.13
  • [/ol] 13. Sean Grieshop, Cal - 4:15.73

    -----

    200 IM FINALS
    PalyBear
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    Kudos to Cal contingency at the meet. Your cheers are coming through loud and clear on the video.
    PalyBear
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    50FR

    Caeleb Dressel 17.63!!!!!! Wow. These splash and dash swims are usually too close to call with the naked eye but he beat the field by a full body length. Amazing power and speed off the turn. Crazy.

    A-Final
    Cal 4th and 5th vs coming in 5th and 8th. Great swims!

    4 Pawel Sendyk SO California 18.95 18.94 185 15
    5 Ryan Hoffer FR California 19.04 18.97 184 13.5

    B-Final
    Justin Lynch came in 6th vs coming in seeded 4th.
    TX seeded 6th & 7th comes in 3rd & 5th
    __________

    Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 5

    1. NC State 131 2. Florida 126
    3. California 122.5 4. Texas 109
    5. Stanford 90 6. Indiana 87
    7. Michigan 70 8. Southern California 47
    9. Georgia 42 10. Louisville 38


    PalyBear
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    Grrrr. TX earns 32 points in 1M diving.

    400MR remaining today.

    Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 6

    1. Texas 141 2. NC State 131
    3. Indiana 129 4. Florida 126
    5. California 122.5 6. Stanford 90
    7. Michigan 70 8. Southern California 47
    9. Georgia 42 10. Louisville 38


    PalyBear
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    400MR

    A-Final
    Cal 4th with 3:02.83, was seeded 3rd. USC flipped with us coming in 3rd from the 4th seed.

    B-Final
    TX wins as seeded. Their 3:03.5t6 would have placed them 6th if they were in the A-Final
    PalyBear
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    Results after the first full day.

    Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 7

    1. Indiana 169 2. NC State 165
    3. Texas 159 4. Florida 154
    5. California 152.5 6. Stanford 116
    7. Southern California 79 8. Michigan 70
    9. Georgia 64 10. Louisville 62


    PalyBear
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    To put our Day Two Finals performance into perspective, the Psych Sheet had us winning 120.5 point on Day 2. Based on today's Prelim times (i.e. if we kept our seeding) we would have won 145 points today. Actual results was winning 126.5 points. So better than the Psych Sheet but not as good as prelim seeding. This is just for Day2 and doesn't include yesterday's points.

    Swim on you Bears!
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