swan said:

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solobear said:

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After comparing the Bears and UT, I like the Bears' chances even though it seems so concerning at the first glance. It will come down to who pays more attention to little details and peaks at the right time.

-- The depth of UT team is scary. However, comparing to last year A & B qualifying time, not all of them will score.

---

Texas will have home field advantage, but that was also true in 2014 when the Bear's upset the Horn's. I believe we will outswim Texas, but I think it will be difficult to overcome the 70 returning diving points from Windle, Cornish and Campbell.

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CAL MEN LEAD SWIMULATOR RANKINGS




The Swimulator takes everyone's top times so far this season and scores out a national meet respecting individual event limits and reasonable event choices (swimmers can't do two events in a row). No diving is included.

For the men, this puts Cal on top over Texas by a score of 517.5 to 442.5.

Despite the advantage to Cal, this is actually a good result for Texas. At this point last year, Cal had a 112.5 point advantage over Texas. Cal went on to outscore Texas at nationals by 69.5 points in the swimming events at nationals, but Texas won the meet on the back of their 81 diving points. None of Texas's divers graduated. This year Cal are ahead by only 75 points. Both teams have significantly more points in the Swimulator rankings than they did at this point last year.

Cal project to 188 relay points, they have a top 2 ranking in every relay and the top ranking in 3 relays. Texas project to 154 relay points. They have a top 3 time in 4 of the 5 relays including a #1 ranking in the 800 free relay. Their main failing is the 200 medley relay where they currently rank 10th.

Cal have 13 individual swimmers projected to score, including 6 swimmers with 25 or more points. Texas have 16 swimmers ranked in scoring range with 5 projected to score 25 or more.

Texas and Cal's improved totals may be a bad sign for Indiana and NC State, last year's 3rd and 4th place teams. Indiana are only 34.5 points ahead of where they were at this point last year (this year: 189, last year: 154.5) when they went on to score 324 swimming points at nationals. Cal are 45 points ahead of last year, Texas are 82.5 points better.

One final thought: this type of ranking isn't intended as an exact prediction of what will happen at the end of the season. It's intended as a starting point when thinking about what will happen at the end of the year. This is a baseline. If your expectation is that a team will do better or worse, look at their swimmers current rankings and think about which swimmers are likely to move up or down between now and the end of the season.

SWIMULATOR PROJECTED POINTS

Swimulator projections do not include diving

TEAM | SWIMULATOR POINTS | SWIMULATOR POINTS AT THIS POINT LAST SEASON | SWIMMING POINTS AT NATIONALS LAST YEAR | DIVING POINTS AT NATIONALS LAST YEAR

1 | California | 517.5 | 472.5 | 437.5 | 0
2 | Texas | 442.5 | 360 | 368 | 81
3 | NC State | 265 | 304 | 385 | 0
4 | Michigan | 242 | 220 | 168.5 | 0
5 | Stanford | 190 | 223.5 | 205 | 0
6 | Indiana | 189 | 154.5 | 324 | 98
7 | Missouri | 185 | 104 | 29 | 0
8 | Texas A&M | 144 | 113 | 34 | 41
9 | Tennessee | 138 | 131.5 | 67 | 56
10 | Arizona | 136 | 96 | 64 | 0
11 | Southern Cali | 135.5 | 154 | 240 | 13
12 | Alabama | 135 | 190.5 | 95 | 0
13 | Florida | 128.5 | 177 | 347 | 0
14 | Georgia Tech | 113 | 21 | 0 | 0
15 | Georgia | 79 | 65 | 129 | 0
16 | Arizona St | 72 | 150 | 45 | 0
17 | Florida St | 67 | 52 | 42 | 0
18 | Notre Dame | 61 | 25 | 26 | 3
19 | Grand Canyon | 57 | 73 | 7 | 0
20 | Utah | 54 | 28 | 10 | 0
21 | Louisville | 50 | 61.5 | 156 | 0
22 | Harvard | 32 | 15 | 58 | 0
23 | Virginia | 23 | 9 | 19 | 0
24 | Minnesota | 21 | 18.5 | 53 | 14
25 | Brigham Young | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0
26 | Missouri St. (M) | 14 | 17.5 | 0 | 0
26 | UCSB | 14 | 21 | 0 | 0
26 | Denver | 14 | 78 | 31 | 0
29 | Pittsburgh | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0
30 | Kentucky | 8 | 22 | 0 | 0
31 | Duke | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9
31 | East Carolina | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0
33 | Hawaii | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0
34 | West Virginia | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | 0
34 | Wisconsin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0

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CAL MEN, TEXAS WOMEN RETAIN #1 CSCAA RANKINGS; LONGHORN MEN MOVE TO #2

For the third-straight poll this season, the University of California-Berkeley men and the University of Texas women rank #1 in the CSCAA rankings.

Besides the pre-season polls, which had the Texas men and the Stanford women at #1, the Cal men and Texas women have held strong throughout the entirety of the first season, even considering a bunch of suited mid-season invite meets that have taken place over the last few weekends.

Cal's men recently tabulated a #1 result on the Swimulator rankings that SwimSwam put out earlier today, and had a very impressive showing at the 2018 UGA Invite. Even taking aside a heroic and omnipotent weekend from Andrew Seliskar, who stamped his spot as perhaps the best all-around swimmer in the country right now with eye-popping times in every discipline but backstroke (including an astounding range from the 50 free to the 500 free), Cal was a force in essentially every event.

Perhaps the bigger story, though, is the Texas men coming around with a phenomenal weekend of their own. They've moved up from #6 to #2, taking them back into the expected dogfight range that we've expected between Cal, Texas, and Indiana (the Hoosiers are down to #3 thanks to the Longhorns' jump). Spurred by the absurd improvements from UT freshman Charlie Scheinfeld in the breaststrokes, who dropped from 53.60 to 51.61 in the 100 and 1:55.94 to 1:52.78 in the 200, and backed by the regular standouts and the expected strength out of another freshman, Drew Kibler, the Longhorns are proving, yet again, not to doubt their dual meet performances.

--------

I've already booked my flight and hotel for Austin. Should be a great meet.

Seli!!!

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CAL'S SELISKAR, USC'S FUSARO NAMED PAC-12 SWIMMER, DIVER OF THE MONTH



Courtesy: Pac-12 Conference

SAN FRANCISCO The Conference office announced today that Andrew Seliskar of CALIFORNIA was named Pac-12 Men's Swimmer of the Month and USC's Henry Fusaro was voted Pac-12 Men's Diver of the Month for November.

Seliskar (McLean, Va.) dominated at the Georgia Fall Invitational in November, helping Cal defend its title at the competition in Athens, Ga. The senior won the 200 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke, in addition to winning three relays while achieving six NCAA "A" qualifying times. His 200 free time of 1:30.86 as the leadoff leg of Cal's 800 free relay set a program record and is the third-fastest mark in NCAA history. Seliskar, along with teammates Michael Jensen, Ryan Hoffer, and Pawel Sendyk, finished the meet by winning the 400 free relay and setting the top time (2:48.44) in the nation this year. This is Seliskar's second-career monthly honor and the 15th all-time monthly swimming accolade for the Bears, the most of any Pac-12 program.

ALSO NOMINATED:

Swimmer: Brooks Fail, ARIZ; Zach Poti, ASU; Jack LeVant, STAN; Patrick Mulcare, USC; Daniel McArthur.

Diver: Casey Ponton, ARIZ; David Hoffer, ASU; Connor Callahan, CAL; Noah Vigran, STAN; Daniel Theriault, UTAH.

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Seliskar Named Pac-12 Swimmer Of The Month

Senior Helps Cal Defend Team Title At Georgia Fall Invitational

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https://instagr.am/p/BrDpk_dFpFv
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swan said:

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Just noticed this entry on College Swimming on a late 2018 international addition to the squad (breaststroker looks like - coming in next semester?), and was wondering if anyone has any further info?

Jacques Lauffer (SUI) => Cal

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Not much on young Mr Lauffer from a quick internet search. Using the available time converters (always tricky as I have learned from the Marina Garcia experience where the Spanish Olympian's converted long course times proved a poor forecast for her results in college yards) Jacques' long course results from last
April convert to a high end breaststroke recruit. His best converted times still place him well behind Reece Whitley but rather in the same category as Jian Mao, Brennan Pastorek or Paul Delakis from the 2017 class of outstanding breaststroke recruits. He is listed as a class of 2018 recruit so he may be able to swim for Cal starting second semester.

Edit 12/5. I took another look at Lauffer's 200 L breast curve and his improvement from 2:20.17 in March 2017 to his PB of 2:13.04 in April 2018 is startling. That April 2018 time would have placed him 3rd at the recently concluded Winter Nationals, ahead of former Bear great Chuck Katis, who swam an US Olympic qualifying time of 2:13.95. If Jacques can adjust to college and yards quickly, he projects as a potential NCAA scorer in the 200 breast. I would enjoy learning more about his journey to Cal. Interestingly, Swimswam has yet to comment on the commitment, but I believe that is somewhat normal for international recruits.

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Welcome to Bear Territory, Jacques - you're going to love it here!

https://instagr.am/p/Bq-jDBch7QH
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(Er, please ignore the massively trollish snark from "JAMBO SANA" in the comments section...)


SWISS NATIONAL TEAMER JACQUES LAUFFER COMMITS TO CAL

Jacques Lauffer from Zurich, Switzerland has verbally committed to the University of California, Berkeley for 2019-20. He'll suit up for the Golden Bears with class of 2023 commits Addie Laurencelle, Calvin David, Colby Mefford, Jason Louser, Michael Petrides, Preston Niayesh, and Will Pelton.

"Very excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and swimming career at the University of California Berkeley! I am really thankful for my family, teammates and many coaches who have supported me along the way! Go Bears!"

Lauffer swims for Limmat Sharks Zurich and represents Switzerland on the international stage. He specializes in breast, IM, and freestyle. At the 2018 Swiss Short Course Nationals last month, he placed 3rd in the 100 breast, missing the podium by .02 with a PB of 1:00.16. He was also 4th in the 50 breast (27.89), 6th in the 100 IM (56.75), and he qualified 4th out of prelims in the 200 IM (2:04.00) although didn't swim in finals.

Last summer Lauffer competed for Switzerland at the LEN European Aquatics Championships 2018 in Glasgow. There he swam the 100 breast (1:02.29) and 200 breast (2:12.44), earning PBs in both and making the semi-finals in the latter.

Best SCM times (converted):

• 50 breast 27.78 (25.02)
• 100 breast 1:00.16 (54.19)
• 200 breast 2:07.34 (1:54.72)
• 200 IM 1:59.62 (1:47.76)
• 400 IM 4:14.54 (3:49.31)

Best LCM times (converted):

• 50 breast 28.96 (25.18)
• 100 breast 1:02.29 (54.31)
• 200 breast 2:12.44 (1:55.71)
• 200 IM 2:04.91 (1:49.64)
• 400 IM 4:26.59 (3:54.40)

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Did any of you read SWIMSWAM this morning that Hugo Gonzalez wants to transfer again and is applying at both Cal and Florida? He is an Olympian and dropped out of Auburn after a very short time there. Even if he did enroll in January, would he be eligible or have to sit out a year?

Person in the article claims he favors Cal over Florida, but I feel he would have a harder time becoming a Bear than a Gator. Any comment(s)?

longseeker said:

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Did any of you read SWIMSWAM this morning that Hugo Gonzalez wants to transfer again and is applying at both Cal and Florida? He is an Olympian and dropped out of Auburn after a very short time there. Even if he did enroll in January, would he be eligible or have to sit out a year?

Person in the article claims he favors Cal over Florida, but I feel he would have a harder time becoming a Bear than a Gator. Any comment(s)?

---

Just finished the SS article. Hard not to get excited about the possibility of adding Gonzalez to the Bear's stacked roster. I do not have a any inside information on the academic hurdles that face Hugo, but I am guessing his transfer to VT went without hitch so I would assume grades/units won't be a major issue. Fit will likely be an issue that Durden has to address. The Cal men seem to be a close, focused, disciplined group. The less academically inclined tend to gravitate towards Gainesville, Athens and Austin. If it's true Hugo personally favors Cal, it may mean he cares about life after swimming or he may have a connection with the staff or team members. Both the Bears and Gators have had numerous international students on their swimming rosters. I am somewhat surprised he is not sticking with Sergio Lopez.

If Gonzalez successfully transfers to Cal starting second semester, and he is ruled immediately eligible by the NCAA (appears to turn on whether he trained or attended classes at VT before heading back to Spain) he could potentially be enough to overcome the Texas diving point advantage, depending on his training and taper.

If he must wait until Jan 2020 to start his Cal eligibility, he would be the jewel of the 2020 recruiting class and help replace Andrew Seliskar.

This reminds me a bit about hearing about Zheng Quah's desire to swim at Cal two years ago. It looked like a long shot especially after it was announced on SS that Quah was not eligible for 2017 NCAAs (as he was not listed on Pac 12 Championships psych sheets 0) but he qualified in a "last chance" meet and swam and scored at NCAAs.

Edit. After reading the translation of the article in El Pais referred to in the SS article, it appears that Hugo is serious about his "computer engineering" courses. If true, I can better understand his desire to transfer to Cal. I hope he can clear the hurdles as he looks like an interesting individual as well as a talented swimmer. I wonder if he has had the opportunity to speak with Marina Garcia about her Berkeley experience?

longseeker said:

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Did any of you read SWIMSWAM this morning that Hugo Gonzalez wants to transfer again and is applying at both Cal and Florida?

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Here's the link to the SS article in case anyone had missed it:

HUGO GONZALEZ INTENDS TO RESURFACE IN NCAA AFTER LEAVING VT FOR SPAIN

swan said:

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I wonder if he has had the opportunity to speak with Marina Garcia about her Berkeley experience?

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Reckon Hugo did get the opportunity lol...and if Marina's comment here is anything to go by, then it certainly is looking rather brill for our Bears

https://instagr.am/p/BrU3ZgMFpbS

Very interesting catch UA. My guess is we will know more after the Bears return from their usual post-Xmas trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.

Now if only we could pull a stud diver from China...

2018-2019 MEN'S NCAA POWER RANKINGS: DECEMBER EDITION


#7: USC TROJANS (PREVIOUS RANK: 8TH)


#6: STANFORD CARDINAL (PREVIOUS RANK: 5TH)


#5: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (PREVIOUS RANK: 6TH)


#4: NC STATE WOLFPACK (PREVIOUS RANK: 4TH)


#3: INDIANA HOOSIERS (PREVIOUS RANK: 3RD)
They've been relatively quiet so far, but this is essentially the team that pushed Cal and Texas at NCAAs. -RG


#2: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (PREVIOUS RANK: 1ST)

Andrew Seliskar has been on an absolute tear this season, but that was somewhat expected. The more important reason this Cal team is looking so good is that swimmers like Trenton Julian, Michael Jensen, and Carson Sand are swimming so well. All swimming faster than this point last season, and thus increasing Cal's already impressive depth. The looming potential of Hugo Gonzalez joining Cal for the 2nd semester would provide a huge boost for a team that already is, in my opinion, the best, most well-rounded swim team in the NCAA. If not for diving, I would consider heavily consider Cal the favorite for NCAAs. -SP

Still looks to be shaping up the same as last year. Cal probably has a 40-50 point edge on the swimming side of things, but Texas should easily be able to top that on the boards. -RG

Andrew Seliskar is a revelation, really, and Reece Whitley is definitely the real deal that we thought he'd be. Cal has a potential NCAA A-finalist (or several candidates, in some cases) in every single swimming event. -KO

If Hugo is cleared to race this season, then another to-the-wire men's NCAA title battle becomes even better. -BK

Obviously, the swimming couldn't have gone a whole lot better. Low-key the most important piece: Michael Jensen is almost a second faster than a year ago in his 100 free. His up-and-down performances at NCAAs last year really took a toll on the relays. (Side note: I'm not factoring in Hugo Gonzalez quite yet. Still very unclear whether he'll join Cal this season or at all) -JA


#1: TEXAS LONGHORNS (PREVIOUS RANK: 2ND)

PAC 12 MID-SEASON ANALYSIS: NO SURPRISES AT THE TOP



Last year the Stanford women took a comfortable 1776.5-1487 win over Cal. Cal won the men's meet easily 971-769 over Stanford. This year a repeat performance seems likely for both teams. A win this year would be the second in a row for the Cal men, and a third straight for the Stanford women

The men's meet appear's on track to look similar to the women's meet, but with a team swap at the top. Cal project to 799.5 swimming points, 150 more than Stanford's 649.5. Cal also return 82 diving points. All of Stanford's scoring divers graduated last year though freshman Connor Casey has looked pretty good. Cal picked up over 100 points at this meet last year vs projection while Stanford gained only 52, so history favors the Bears as well. Cal have the top seed in 13 of the the 18 swimming events including all 5 relays.

There is some room for Stanford to make up ground. Abrahm Devine is seeded to score only 34 points. While he only scored 40 at this meet last year, he did score 46 at nationals, so the potential exists. Grant Shoults was out most of the fall and projects to 0 points. He scored 42 here last year.

Cal are a consensus top 2 team in the country. Them being big favorites in their conference is unsurprising. If Stanford have a great weekend and Cal are off, maybe this will be close, but it's hard to see Stanford actually pulling out a win. Stanford are too much of a distance focused team. Their top 4 events by projected points are the 1650, the 500, the 200 breast, and the 400 IM. This isn't a team with tons of great sprinters waiting to upset Cal's relays.

PAC-12 TEAM | CURRENT SWIMULATOR | SWIMULATOR LAST SEASON DEC 15 | SWIMMING POINTS 2018 PAC 12 MEET | DIVING POINTS LAST YEAR | RETURNING DIVING POINTS

California | 799.5 | 788.5 | 889 | 82 | 82
Stanford | 649.5 | 623 | 675 | 94 | 0
Arizona | 461.5 | 459 | 359 | 28 | 15
Southern Cali | 392.5 | 444.5 | 436 | 115 | 40
Arizona St | 348.5 | 404 | 319 | 72 | 51
Utah | 288.5 | 246 | 224 | 71 | 39

swan said:

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Very interesting catch UA. My guess is we will know more after the Bears return from their usual post-Xmas trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.

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REPORT: HUGO GONZALEZ TO TRANSFER TO CAL NEXT SEMESTER

Hugo Gonzalez, one of the biggest breakout stars in the NCAA last season, is set to join the University of California as a student this coming January, according to the news site Nataccion. You can read their original reporting on Gonzalez here. This comes following a recent report that Gonzalez was looking at transferring to either Cal of Florida for next semester. SwimSwam has reached out to learn whether Gonzalez will be immediately eligible to compete for Cal in the 2nd semester of this year, but we haven't yet received a response.

Gonzalez originally came to the U.S. to compete with Auburn University last season. Following Sergio Lopez' announcement that he would be taking over as head coach at Virginia Tech, Gonzalez also announced he would be transferring to VT to stay with Lopez. However, Gonzalez then announced in September that he would be returning to Spain to train instead of attending VT.

Gonzalez is a Spanish Record-holder, World Junior Record-holder, 2016 Olympic semifinalist, and 2018 European Championships finalist. In his freshmen season with Auburn, Gonzalez was the SEC champion in the 400 IM (3:35.76), runner-up in the 200 IM (1:40.67), and 3rd place finisher in the 200 back (1:40.82). He was slightly off those performances at NCAAs last year, only scoring in the 200 IM, where he came in 10th.


If Gonzalez is cleared to compete next semester, it will be a pretty big shake-up to what already looks to be a fierce battle for the NCAA title. Cal would be picking up the 3rd fastest SCY 400 IM'er in history, and the 7th fastest 200 IM'er in the NCAA last year (4th fastest returner from last year). Gonzalez also has scoring potential in the 200 back. On top of that, Hugo has a 200 free best time of 1:34.79, which should provide a boost to the Cal 800 free relay, which is likely their worst of the five relays, at least at this point in the season.

As starkey would say "what a bonanza "!

If one had followed the clues since the initial Swimswam article, the recent conformation that Mr. Gonzalez intends to transfer to Cal shouldn't be a major surprise. He is a serious computer engineering student and a world class swimmer, i.e. a natural for Durden's Cal Bears.

I remember last year marvelling at the wicked times Hugo laid down at the 2017 Georgia Invite. I thought he was a shoo-in for "freshman of the year", if they had such an award. I was a bit surprised when he only scored in the 200 IM at NCAAs after posting top 8 times in both the 200 and 400 IM.

While I understand that Hugo may train with the Bears during their upcoming sessions at the Olympic Training Center after Xmas, I am very curious if he will be able to swim at this year's NCAAs (assuming he can record a qualifying time). If he is able to swim (which would mean the NCAA rules that he did not train or attend classes at VT), and if he can return to top form with his taper sharpened, his impact on the championship could be "humongous" (pun intended).

Will Hugo maybe follow how Quah got eligible 2 years ago by qualifying in a post regular season (after PAC12 Championships) last chance meet? Also, will he be an academic qualifier?

longseeker said:

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Will Hugo maybe follow how Quah got eligible 2 years ago by qualifying in a post regular season (after PAC12 Championships) last chance meet? Also, will he be an academic qualifier?

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I am guessing that Hugo has been accepted as a student as he qualified without incident into V-Tech and his backstory highlights include his interest as a serious "computer engineering" student in Spain. My experience with college students from Europe (and Asia for that matter) is that that they are more academically advanced compared to the average US college student.

I also think the NCAA had a more difficult time trying to decide if Quah was a "professional" swimmer due to various relationships he had with Singapore companies, including beingan "ambassador" for a local insurance company. I believe a late season final decision was responsible for his "last chance" meet qualification. IMHO, Hugo's situation is more clear cut. Did he attend classes at V-Tech or train with the team. If he did (and it may be because went to a couple of classes before leaving for Spain as his swimming coach indicates that ne did not train with the V-Tech team), then he must wait until Jan 2020 to swim for Cal.

If he is eligible for this semester, I would think Coach Durden will balance getting him an NCAA invite time (top 25 or so) in at least one event plus B times in 2 additional events amongst the 200 and 400 IMs and the 200 back, with getting him properly tapered to peak at NCAAs.

Thanks Swan.....Wonder if someone can find out if he is indeed enrolled in the upcoming weeks.

Gonzalez was in the school directory weeks ago.
https://www.berkeley.edu/directory/results?search-type=cn&search-term=Oliveira,%20Hugo&uid=1644476

Thanks!

https://instagr.am/p/BsE0TqzgzVM

According to
https://www.marca.com/natacion/2019/01/04/5c2e4d06e5fdea1e468b4599.html

Gonzalez "is waiting for a student visa that allows him to to continue his studies in computer engineering at the University of California at Berkeley"

solobear said:

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According to
https://www.marca.com/natacion/2019/01/04/5c2e4d06e5fdea1e468b4599.html

Gonzalez "is waiting for a student visa that allows him to to continue his studies in computer engineering at the University of California at Berkeley"

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Hopefully it will be granted soon if he is to join the team in Colorado Springs.

swan said:

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solobear said:

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According to
https://www.marca.com/natacion/2019/01/04/5c2e4d06e5fdea1e468b4599.html

Gonzalez "is waiting for a student visa that allows him to to continue his studies in computer engineering at the University of California at Berkeley"

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Hopefully it will be granted soon if he is to join the team in Colorado Springs.

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Hugo's snapshot from 10 mins ago (see below) might suggest that his visa has been granted... :p

Very good swims from Daniel Carr.

==================================================================
USA Swimming-National Meets 1/10/2019 - 6:48 PM
2019 TYR Pro Swim Series #1 - Knoxville - 1/9/2019 to 1/12/2019

Event 8 Men 50 LC Meter Backstroke
==================================================================
2 Ryan Murphy 23 California Aquat 25.71 24.95
r:+0.49
3 Daniel Carr 20 Unattached 25.30 25.18
r:+0.50
4 Bryce Mefford 20 Unattached 26.61 26.04
r:+0.54

MID-SEASON CHECK IN: HOW ARE THE NCAA FRESHMEN MEN FARING SO FAR?



So, here's a look at the top 10 in every NCAA event. Freshmen men only. Here is a link to our women's ranks.

Of course there will be many names all over these lists that we're very familiar with, such as Drew Kibler, Jack Levant, Reece Whitley, Patrick Callan, Alexei Sancov, Matthew Willenbring, etc. but there have also been several breakout swimmers in the freshmen class in the first half of this season.

• Texas is unsurprisingly leading the way with their killer freshmen class, having a total of 19 swims make the top 10 rankings. Sprint star Daniel Krueger als0 didn't get a mid-season invite due to illness, and it can be reasonably stated that he would have cracked the top 10 in class, which would have boosted Texas' numbers into the 20s.

100 Breast
=====
| RANK | SWIMMER | TIME | TEAM
| #2 | Whitley, Reece | 51.49 | California


200 Breast
=====
| RANK | SWIMMER | TIME | TEAM
| #1 | Whitley, Reece | 1:52.47 | California


200 IM
=====
| RANK | SWIMMER | TIME | TEAM
| #4 | Whitley, Reece | 1:44.80 | California


400 IM
=====
| RANK | SWIMMER | TIME | TEAM
| #7 | Jhong, Chris | 3:47.99 | California

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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CAL SPORTS QUARTERLY: 2018-2019 Winter

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P.S. Don't forget to check out the subsequent "RAGE & FURY" article on Katie's former clubmate, senior Nick Norman

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Rage & Fury

After Being Slowed By A Condition Beyond His Control, Nick Norman Returns With A Vengeance



INSIDETHELAIR 1/15/2019 11:26 AM | By: Ben Enos '06

This feature originally appeared in the Winter edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427

Texas Women, Cal Men Still Lead New CSCAA Division I Poll

Men's Top 25

[ol]

California (1)

Texas (2)

Indiana (3)

Michigan (4)

NC State (6)

Florida (5)

Stanford (7)

Louisville (8)

Tennessee (11)

tTexas A&M (10)

tSouthern Cal (9)

Georgia (12)

Ohio State (14)

Virginia (16)

Arizona (13)

Missouri (17)

Arizona State (15)

Alabama (18)

Georgia Tech (20)

Utah (21)

Virginia Tech (NR)

Florida State (19)

Notre Dame (23)

Purdue (22)

tAuburn (NR)

tHarvard (NR)

[/ol]

Bears Return To Action With Split Squad Week

Cal Heads To ASU, Arizona, UC San Diego

BERKELEY - The 2019 schedule kicks off in earnest this weekend for the Cal men's swimming and diving team as the Bears will turn to a split squad approach for competitions in two different states. One group of swimmers as well as the Cal diving team will head to the desert for dual meets at Arizona State and Arizona while another group of swimmers will head for Southern California and two days of racing at the UC San Diego Invitational.

Competition begins in Arizona with a Jan. 25 dual meet against the Sun Devils in Tempe. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (PT) and will be streamed live by Arizona State. The next day, Cal makes the trek to Tucson for an 11 a.m. dual meet against the Wildcats. Racing in San Diego is scheduled to begin at noon on both Friday and Saturday.

• Live Stream (ASU)
  

Full 1-2 sweep in the 1000 free (Julian, Norman) and 200 free (Seliskar, Quah) so far. Go Bears!

47.25 and 47.29 from Carr and Mefford to eke out 1-2 finish in 100 back (only two Bears so far in the 1000, 200fr, and 100bk).

Another 1-2 from Whitley (53.11) and Sand (53.87) in the 100 breast.

Another 1-2 from Thomas (1:44.93) and Grieshop (edging out ASU on the final 25) in the 200 fly.

19.62 from Sendyk to win the 50 free, followed by Hoffer for second (I believe 19.64).

43.52 from Hoffer to win the 100 free, with Seli 2nd.

200 backstroke: Watching Carr, Mefford, Thomas swim and thinking about how Thomas has been underrated (IMO) in the wealth of talented Bears!

In light of Destin's commitment to Cal, I was thinking about the string of NAGs that have been passed along from Murphy to Thomas to Destin (then to Urlando) in the 15-16 100 yd back. What a legacy! 1:43.89 from Bryce to win, followed by Carr and then Thomas (1-2-3).

200 breaststroke: 1:55 from Whitley, 2:00 from Sand for a 1-2 finish.

500 freestyle: Julian really looking strong today; 4:21.17, 4:23.09, 4:26.23, for Julian, Norman, Grieshop in another 1-2-3 sweep of the race.

100 fly: Quah in 47.56, then Sendyk in 47.92 for 1-2.

200 IM: Thomas 1st, Carr 3rd, Whitley 4th.

200 free relay: B team (1:19.7) 1st, A team 2nd (0.14 back), ASU's A team 3rd. Dominant afternoon for the Bears!

Sophomore Trenton Julian won a pair of races for the Bears on Friday.

Bears' Split Squad Dominates Waters

Cal Blasts ASU, Leads At UCSD Invitational

• ASU Results
• UCSD Results

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Cal men's swimming and diving team returned to the dual meet portion of its 2018-19 schedule Friday and notched a resounding 178-118 split squad victory at Arizona State.

While a chunk of the Golden Bears were dominating the water in Tempe, another group traveled south to take part in the UC San Diego Invitational, where Cal holds a 100-48 lead over the Tritons after the first day of the event.

In the desert, sophomore Trenton Julian and freshman Reece Whitley were each double-winners, with Julian taking the 500 freestyle (4:21.17) and 1000 freestyle (8:59.06) and Whitley capturing the 100 breaststroke (53.11) and 200 breaststroke (1:55.29). Senior Andrew Seliskar, sophomore Daniel Carr, junior Pawel Sendyk, sophomore Ryan Hoffer, sophomore Bryce Mefford and junior Zheng Wen Quah each had a first and second-place finish.

The Bears (3-0) took the top three spots in both the 200 backstroke and 500 freestyle. Cal won every individual event except one.

In San Diego, the Bears dominated as well, taking the top four spots in the 100 back and the top two in three other events. Freshman Chris Jhong won the 1000 freestyle (9:15.26) and placed second in the 200 butterfly (1:48.88) while sophomore Nate Biondi (50 free - 20.73), junior Jack Xie (200 butterfly - 1:47.32), junior Andy Song (100 backstroke - 48.63) and senior Ken Takahashi (100 backstroke - 48.63) also all won individual events.

Both split squads will be back in the pool Saturday as the Bears will visit Arizona and the UCSD Invitational wraps up.