As we await the event schedule, live results & streaming links to be published, here's a nostalgic look-back at last year's edition of Pac-12s:

• 2018 Pac-12 Swimming & Diving Champs (Women's)

And here's what was posted earlier on the 2018-2019 Season: Women's Swimming
thread re this topic:

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Amy's entered in 4 events on the 2019 Pac-12s psych sheet. Probably won't be attempting the tough double on the last day as she'll also be an essential component of the 400 FR at the end of the session, so likely to drop either the 200 Back or 100 Free...

Here are several others who are presently listed on more than 3 events, along with their seeding:

Billy
Day 2: 50 Free (#7)
Day 3: 100 Back (#4)
Day 4: 200 Back (#7), 100 Free (#12)

Katie
Day 3: 100 Fly (#2), 200 Free (#5)
Day 4: 100 Free (#3), 200 Fly (#4)

Sarah
Day 2: 200 IM (#5)
Day 3: 400 IM (#4)
Day 4: 200 Breast (#21), 200 Fly (#13)

Izzy
Day 2: 200 IM (#37)
Day 3: 100 Fly (#10), 200 Free (#9), 100 Back (#8)
Day 4: 100 Free (#14)

Cass
Day 2: 500 Free(#25)
Day 3: 100 Fly (#30), 200 Free (#41)
Day 4: 200 Fly (#11)

Elise
Day 2: 50 Free (#30)
Day 3: 100 Fly (#15)
Day 4: 100 Free (#22), 200 Fly (#30)

Can't really see Izzy tackling that close-to-impossible treble on Day 3 (though she did @ Jr Winter Nats lol - so, you never know!).

Izz hasn't really contested the 200 IM either in the blue & gold, hence her "lowly" 37th seeding there.

Our talented frosh is in a bit of a difficult spot when it comes to NCAA invites, since she hasn't had the opportunity to race in rested, shaved or suited mode as a Bear, so won't have the luxury of a rested qualifying time from an earlier mid-szn invite, i.e. can't really confidently swim thru conference with no rest... unlike studs such as Abbey, McL etc. who can afford to do so, thus saving their best for NCAAs.

Will take a bit of juggling with a new recruit adapting to the system with whom there are undoubtedly a number of unknowns re her taper cycle & more - I'm thinking Teri will give Ivey a bit of rest as her natural talent will perhaps be enough here to shoot for close to an 'A' cut somewhere, and at the very least secure relatively favourable seeding times for her likely event schedule.

Definitely no real taper of any sort for our latest Baby Bear this week, in order not sabotage her potential for some significant time drops when March rolls around.

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Finally, here are SwimSwam's placing & scoring projections for 2019 Pac-12s:

SWIMULATOR PROJECTIONS

Stanford - 1396
California - 1145
Southern Cali - 1111
Arizona - 940.5
Arizona St - 654.5
UCLA - 622
Utah - 518.5
Washington St. - 311.5
Oregon St - 237


SWIMSWAM PREDICTIONS

Stanford
California
USC
Arizona
UCLA
ASU
Utah
Washington State
Oregon State

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coach_dunleavy: "Some of our PAC 12 squad ready to go!! BEARS on route to Federal Way"



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https://instagr.am/p/BuXDgkyghAN
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coach_mckeever: "Golden Bears sporting their new Championship sweatshirts!! These are a gift from @valerie.hull who donated $1000 from her first paycheck after graduation. What a powerful way to model giving back - THANK YOU Valerie. Next stop Federal Way, WA. #gobears#grateful #readytoroll"

https://instagr.am/p/BuWuH-QFbtx
- valerie.hull - "Dang those are some good looking bears!!! Can't wait to watch you guys kill it"
- nataliecoughlin - "Go Bears!"
- sara3ice - "Go Bears!!!"

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Two action-packed weekends of 2019 Pac-12 Women's and Men's Swimming and Diving Championships begin this Friday on Pac-12 Networks

Friday, Mar. 1 6:30 p.m. PT

• Pac-12 Women's Swimming & Men's and Women's Diving Finals
  
  • Play-by-play: Rich Burk, Analysts: Amy Van Dyken and Cynthia Potter
  • Pac-12 Now, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Washington, and Pac-12.com

Saturday, Mar. 2 6:30 p.m. PT

• Pac-12 Women's Swimming & Men's and Women's Diving Championships
• Play-by-play: Rich Burk, Analyst: Amy Van Dyken
• Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Now, Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Mountain, Pac-12 Oregon, Pac-12 Washington, and Pac-12.com

From my (possibly incorrect?) understanding of this press release, only Day 3 finals (Fri) & Day 4 finals (Sat) will be broadcast on the telly...

Thankfully does look like all prelims sessions + Day 1 (Wed) & Day 2 finals (Thurs) will be streamed live on Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app.

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EVENT SCHEDULE

LIVE RESULTS (will be updated to the correct meet closer to start of competition)

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Bears Head To Pac-12 Championships

Cal Set To Compete For Conference Titles, NCAA Berths

Cal moves into the next phase of its season this week when the Bears travel to Federal Way, Wash., for the Pac-12 Championships set for Wednesday through Saturday. Prelims begin at 10:30 a.m. with finals starting at 6 p.m. each day, except for Wednesday when only finals will be contested.

Finals sessions Friday and Saturday will air live on the Pac-12 Networks, on Pac-12.com and through the Pac-12 Now app with Rich Burk, Amy Van Dyken and Cynthia Potter calling the action. Visit pac-12.com/swimdivechamps for the complete coverage details.

The Bears have captured the Pac-12 team title four times - 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015 - and they were the runner-up the past two years. Cal is the defending champion in four relays - the 200, 400 and 800 free relays and the 200 medley relay. The Bears set school records in the 200 free relay (1:25.87, since broken), the 400 free relay (3:09.04, since broken) and the 400 medley relay (3:25.50) at the 2018 meet.

WEITZEIL, NEUMANN. RELAYS LEAD PAC-12 ENTRIES
A look at the psych sheet for the Pac-12 Championships shows junior Abbey Weitzeil atop the conference in both the 50 free (21.46) and 100 free (school-record 46.49), sophomore Robin Neumann is the No. 1 seed in the 200 free (1:43.38), and four of the Golden Bears' five relays rank first among the league schools. In addition, three individuals are seeded second - senior Katie McLaughlin in the 100 fly (52.01), freshman Alicia Wilson in the 200 IM (1:55.77) and Weitzeil in the 200 free (1:43.85). Cal also paces the Pac-12 in the 200 free relay (1:26.94), the 400 free relay (3:11.14), the 200 medley relay (1:35.65) and the 400 medley relay (3:29.87). The Bears are second to USC in the 800 free relay with a best time of 6:59.25.

2018 PAC-12 MEET RECAP
Cal finished second at the 2018 Pac-12 Championships and earned six event titles along the way. Kathleen Baker captured the 200 back and 200 IM, while the Bears won four of the five relays - 200, 400 and 800 free relay and 200 medley relay. In addition, Cal swimmers were runners up five more times - Abbey Weitzeil in the 50 and 100 free, Kathleen Baker in the 100 back, and Sarah Darcel in the 200 IM and the 400 medley relay.

NCAA AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
Heading into this week's action, junior Abbey Weitzeil and all five relays have automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in March. Weitzeil has earned her berths in the 50 free with a best time of 21.46 and in the 100 free with a school-record 46.49, both from the Georgia Fall Invitational. In addition, the Bears qualified the 200, 400 and 800 free relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays in Georgia. Three other Cal swims rank among the nation's top 16 with NCAA "B" qualifying marks - Robin Neumann (9th, 200 free, 1:43.88), Weitzeil (12th, 200 free, 1:43.85), Katie McLaughlin (11th, 200 fly, 1:54.63)

TOP 10 CHANGES
So far this season, performances by the Bears have created 10 new entries on the school's all-time top-10 list, including school records from Abbey Weitzeil in the 100 free (46.49) and Briana Thai on the 1-meter springboard (319.58). Two freshmen have also made their marks, with Ema Rajic 10th in the 100 breast (1:00.96) and ninth in the 200 breast (2:11.72), and Alicia Wilson 10th in the 200 IM (1:55.77).

Cal welcomed two mid-year enrollees to the roster in January - Isabel Ivey and Chloe Clark. While Clark is redshirting this season, Ivey has posted four NCAA "B" times - 100 free (49.48), 200 free (1:45.70), 100 back (53.07) and 100 fly (53.32).

I studied the psych sheet and Cal has a better shot against Stanford than I thought. The Bears captured all of the relays and several first place finishes. The weaknesses of the team have been chronic over the years in distance free events, breastroke events & diving...Stanford is super strong in the 400IM having four of the five fastest times. Cal slipped in for fourth place. The Bears should definitely finish 2nd and could make it interesting...Stanford is ranked #1 in the nation-where is Cal ranked? GO BEARS!

Schroeder71 said:

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Stanford is ranked #1 in the nation-where is Cal ranked? GO BEARS!

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Depends on who you ask... :p

According to the recognised swimming authorities:

1) Swimswam: 2018-2019 WOMEN'S NCAA POWER RANKINGS: FEBRUARY EDITION

RANKING
1 - Stanford
2 - Michigan
3 - Cal
4 - Texas
5 - Tennessee
6 - Louisville
7 - Indiana
8 - USC
9 - Texas A&M
10 - NC State
11 - Minnesota
12 - Virginia
13 - Kentucky
14 - Wisconsin
15 - Georgia
16 - Florida
17 - Auburn
18 - Missouri
19 - Arizona
20 - Arkansas


2) CSCAA - STANFORD WOMEN JUMP TO #1 IN FINAL 2019 CSCAA DUAL MEET POLL

CSCAA 2019 Final Poll (Dual)

RANK | PREV | TEAM | POINTS
1 | 3 | Stanford | 325
2 | 1 | Texas | 312
3 | 2 | Michigan | 298
4 | 6 | NC State | 281
5 | 5 | Virginia | 264
6 | 4 | California | 258
7 | 7 | Auburn | 243
8 | 8 | Florida | 242
9 | 13 | Tennessee | 209
10 | NR | Arizona | 202
11 | 9 | Texas A&M | 188
12 | 21 | Duke | 170
13 | 12 | Georgia | 169
14 | 10 | Kentucky | 157
15 | 14 | Southern California | 141
16 | 19 | Notre Dame | 135
17 | 11 | Indiana | 113
18 | NR | Arizona State | 99
19 | 16 | Louisville | 87
20 | 21 | Missouri | 86


3) College Swimming - Team Rankings (Championship)

Rank - Team - Points
1 - Texas A&M - 831.46
2 - NC State - 830.07
3 - Virginia - 821.57
4 - Florida - 820.42
5 - Stanford - 819.40
6 - Michigan - 817.30
7 - Georgia - 811.53
8 - Indiana - 811.10
9 - Louisville - 810.49
10 - Tennessee - 810.46
11 - Texas - 800.84
12 - Kentucky - 798.44
13 - Ohio State - 796.18
14 - Notre Dame - 789.88
15 - California - 788.22
16 - Wisconsin - 782.04
17 - Missouri - 781.82
18 - Southern California - 777.20
19 - Auburn - 771.14
20 - Minnesota - 768.70

Swimswam's ranking is, imo, the most accurate one of the three, and not only cos Bears enjoy the highest placing there (#3) lol

The CSCAA coaches' poll leans heavily towards Dual meet results, and College Swimming's latest standings is somewhat skewed to our disadvantage, since Pac-12s & Big 12s haven't taken place yet, unlike the Conference Champs for most of the other SEC/ACC/B1G teams (hence the rather lowly rankings for Cal & Texas, although it's a testimony to LSJU's strength & depth that they still managed to place 5th here!).


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• Also, from this Swimswam article:

SWIMSWAM PULSE: 70% PICK STANFORD AS WOMEN'S #1

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which team should be #1 in our pre-conference championships Power Ranks:

RESULTS

Question: Who should be ranked #1 right now in the women's NCAA?

• Stanford - 70.2%
• Michigan - 11.6%
• Texas - 10.8%
• Cal - 7.4%

The votes lined up pretty well with our actual Power Rankings, which came out this morning. Stanford was our unanimous #1, getting the top votes from all five rankers. Michigan was our #2, and the Wolverines also finished second in this poll, garnering 11.6% of the votes.

Interestingly, fans were higher on Texas than we were, with the Longhorns finishing just five votes behind Michigan in our poll. That could suggest fans are more bullish about Texas's postseason chances, but also could reflect a belief that Michigan is more likely to finish higher (hence the #2 in our rankings), but that Texas has more upside to finish 1st overall. The Longhorn relays have a chance to be special this year, and that's certainly a key piece in powering a national title run.

We had Cal third in our rankings, with the Golden Bears getting two second-place ranks and three third-place picks. But only 7.4% of voters picked Cal as the current #1 team. Cal did just add key freshman Isabel Ivey to the roster at midseason, but star Amy Bilquist hasn't swum her best yet this year.


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Schroeder71 said:

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I studied the psych sheet and Cal has a better shot against Stanford than I thought. The Bears captured all of the relays and several first place finishes. The weaknesses of the team have been chronic over the years in distance free events, breastroke events & diving...Stanford is super strong in the 400IM having four of the five fastest times. Cal slipped in for fourth place. The Bears should definitely finish 2nd and could make it interesting...

---

The psych sheet is an invaluable tool replete with all sorts of interesting data, but I would advise a spot of caution against taking it at face value...some context needs to be considered & factored in, including over-entered competitors and those who has improved considerably since their mid-season invites (or those who never got to participate, i.e. Izzy).

Definitely wouldn't underestimate overwhelming favourite Stanford who are poised and fired up for a three-peat sweep of the conference team title. After all, Swimswam's projection does put the Cardinal at a sizeable 251 points ahead of Cal!

Solid bet that LSJU's times & relative standings aren't a true indication of their potential, since they had a rather lacklustre start to the season that wasn't exactly helped by a rather mediocre showing at their mid-season invite (which may have stemmed from a number of factors such as being in heavy training with NCAAs as rightfully the primary goal, less than optimal relay lineups, illnesses etc).

Well, the furdettes have as a team since more than made up for it since, as evidenced by their impressive surge after the new year, culminating in a 192-107 domination over our Bears @ Spieker in spite of Cal having won almost half of the swimming events on top of a number of heroics...

1) The top to bottom depth of the LSJU squad is pretty intimidating - here's a sampling of the psych sheet *scoring* seedings (Pac-12s has a scoring C final unlike NCAAs) - and that's not taking into account their diving superiority over us (luckily, UCLA, Utah and the 2 Arizona programmes won't make it easy for the Furd here):

500 Free - 8 Furdettes (seeded #4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16 & 18!) v. 2 Bears (#3 Robin & #23 Jenna)
400 IM - 7 Furdettes (seeded #1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 & 12!) v. 2 Bears (#4 Sarah & #14 Dannie)
1650 Free - 3 Furdettes v. 0 Bears!
200 Breast - 6 Furdettes (seeded #2, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 14!) v. 4 Bears (#11 Ema, #16 Alexa B, #21 Sarah, #24 Dannie)
200 Fly - 3 Furdette (seeded #3, 8, 9) v. 6 Bears (#4 Katie, #11 Cass, #13 Sarah, #20 Jenna, #23 Elizabeth)

Well, hopefully for us lol, Zona & ASU will help limit the Trees' points somewhat in the distance races, as should 'SC when it comes to the breast events...

2) Despite a bit of wobbliness in their sprint free & sprint fly, Stanford could well extend their lead in events where Cal traditionally has more than a modicum of success in:
200 IM - 6 Furdettes (seeded #4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15) v. 3 Bears (#2 Alicia, #3 Sarah, #17 Ema)
50 Free - 5 Furdettes (seeded #4, 6, 8, 12, 23) v. 3 Bears (#1 Abbey, #7 Billy, #14 Madds)
200 Back - 6 Furdettes (seeded #1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 24!) v. 6 Bears (#5 Keeks, #7 Billy, #8 Coco, #14 Alicia, #16 Aisy, #23 Sophie)

3) Top heavy Bears will strive to respond in events such as the 100 Fly (where the Trojanettes will be a greater threat to our scoring) and 100 Back (albeit Furd does have 3 entrants seeded in the Top 8 there), as well as put up a decent fight in the 100 Free and:
200 Free - 6 Furdettes (seeded #6, 7, 12, 13, 16 & 24) v. 5 Bears (#1 Robin, #2 Abbey, #5 Katie, #9 Izzy, #19 Jenna)

It will definitely be interesting to see who's on and who's not so much, beginning this evening!

I'm personally more invested in rooting for additional invites + some significant upgrades in NCAA seed positions for our Bears, as well as cheering on some exciting swims (in particular the relays which are always a point of pride for this programme), and perhaps be dazzled by a breakout performance or two from one of our less-heralded squad members!

Thankyou for your in-depth analysis. I can now see why Swimswam pulse is 70%+ that Furd is #1. The battle for second and third in the NCAAs should be fun to observe w/ Cal, Texas & Michigan close in fan's opinions.

One other point to make is that the reason the Cal men are #1 is that they don't having the gaping holes in specific swimming events like the women do in the breastroke & distance free. Diving is a weakness for both.
GO BEARS!

Early ruminations & idle speculation about potential relay lineups for Bears' A team tonight.

Keep in mind that there's some breathing room for a bit of experimentation by Teri & Sarah, so may not closely match what will end up being Cal's optimized lineups at the Big Dance in March...

Oh, do feel bear-y welcome to correct or add to these quick thoughts


==========


* 200 Medley Relay *

- Billy (back), Ema (breast), Katie (fly), Abbey (free) ?
- Izzy / Keeks (bk), Abbey (br), Katie (fl), Billy (fr) ?
- Billy (bk), Ema (br), Izzy / Madds (fl), Abbey (fr) ? ...{if saving Katie for the other 4 relays}


LSJU could respond strongly with some permutation of the following potent legs, depending who would be more valuable to them here than on the other relays:

- Eastin / Ruck / Nordmann (back)
- Bartel / Raab / Zhao / Williams (breast)
- Fackenthal (fly)
- Ruck / Goeders / Fackenthal / Pitzer (free)


==========


* 800 Free Relay *

- Abbey, Robin, Katie, Billy
- Izzy {to shoot for a high NCAA cut, esp if she doesn't race the 200 Free individual}, Abbey, Billy, Katie
- Izzy, Robin, Katie, Billy ...{if saving Abbey for the other 4 relays}
- Izzy, Robin, Abbey, Katie ...{if saving Billy for the other 4 relays}


LSJU - some combo of Ruck, Eastin, Drabot, Forde, Pitzer, Nordmann, Voss (or even Tankersley/Byrnes) - Meehan & Slusser can exercise flexibility there due to the furdette's famed depth here (and everywhere).


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leggo Bears! #EarnIt

https://instagr.am/p/BuZAJlJllez

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Schroeder71 said:

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I can now see why Swimswam pulse is 70%+ that Furd is #1. The battle for second and third in the NCAAs should be fun to observe w/ Cal, Texas & Michigan close in fan's opinions.

One other point to make is that the reason the Cal men are #1 is that they don't having the gaping holes in specific swimming events like the women do in the breastroke & distance free. Diving is a weakness for both.

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Our Bear Bros are such studs as is Coach Durden haha!

Teri's emphasis has always traditionally leant to the sprint free & strokes (minus breast lol), which along with the team focus on relays has in the past been more than enough to guarantee a consistent run of Top 3 nationally for the past consecutive decade (longest streak in the history books) - gaping vulnerabilities in the distance, breast & diving areas notwithstanding.

Times are a-changing tho, and our 2019 Baby bears will bring in a fresh haul of froskis who are specialists in those patently unloved events like distance free, longer IM & 200 butterfly.

Ironically, what appears to be missing from our 2019 equation will be sprint free, back & fly instead, which will be sorely needed after the graduations of McL & Amy (followed by Abbey, Maddie, Keaton etc. the following year). There's an answer to that in the 2020 & 2021 class however - in the form of Gretchen & Alex Walsh, Isabelle Stadden & Regan Smith...but that's a topic of discussion for a different board thread

My more immediate hope is for more than a few of our Bears who aren't yet safely in to NCAAs to make the invite cut, pretty please?

- Ali (been struggling this season but she does taper well, and if she can regain her mojo from her breakout freshie season...watch out world!)
- the ever-likeable Jenna,in her final opportunity which she fully deserves!
- Sophie who was the 2nd alternate for 2018 NCAAs (but she has been plagued with injuries, seen in a boot @ several meets)
- our famous legacy Courtney (budding writer for Swimming World)
- popular frosh Cassidy (still on her road to recovery from her meniscus tear) & Elise

On a sobering & realistic note, Bears are loosely projected to qualify 9 to 12 swimmers for NCAAs at the conclusion of Pac-12s, compared to LSJU most likely exceeding the maximum quota of 18 once again (Meehan will have to leave behind a number of swimmers, as would reckon the Card will easily have a pair of divers with scoring chances - divers count as 0.5 towards the limit).

But I'm ready for our women to prove that all the conventional wisdom above is merely a load of tosh hehe - Bears will as usual do the programme and school proud by giving their hearts & all regardless of the outcome - modest & gracious in both victory & defeat! Roll on you Bears!

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Oh, here are some (lengthy lol) thoughts from back in late Nov to early Dec 2018 (during the mid-season UGA Invite):

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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-> Day 2 Prelims (UGA Fall Invite)

Will leave the detailed analysis to the experts lol - quick take meanwhile:

Shoutout to some of the relatively less heralded team members for their unassuming but continuing swim improvements as Bears (Natalie Tuck, Elizabeth Bailey etc etc), headed by Alexa Buckley's 1.75 sec drop in the 100 Breast to secure her NCAA 'B' cut + a new lifetime best (prev PR = 1:02.02 @ 2018 Pac-12s), well done there!

Courtney also was solid with her almost 9 sec drop in the 400 IM compared to last year, will help Cal with her scoring from the B final tonight.

Really like what I'm seeing with Robin & Abbey's 200 Free time drops over their 2017 outing, coming to within half a sec of their PBs.

Jenna's prelims time also represents the fastest that she has ever been as a Golden Bear (relative to her 1:47.72 mark from 2018 Pac-12s) - her personal best is a 1:46.35 from 2013!

Keeks' backstroke looking promising. Cassidy may still not be fully back from her knee issues... Billy not in her usual top form, but I'm just happy that she's back repping Bears and trying her best under the circumstances.

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1) Not mentioned in the above articles, Coco's 53.61 in the 100 Back 'A' final represents a new lifetime best for Mykkanen. Her prev. PB = 53.90 in 2015, from HS.

2) 800 Free Relay - Cal's 6:59.25 falls behind the Trojanette's nation leading 6:56.33 & the Horns' 6:58.61, but does squeak ahead of the Furdettes' 6:59.66...which I'll take

Well Bears could be quite a bit faster in this relay come March - if all the stars align for us lol.

Alright we've lost Thleen who's worth a 1:42 from a flat start but Bug did throw down a 1:41 split @ 2018 NCAAs (compare that to her 1:43.79 anchor tonight) ... Robin's capable of a full sec faster than her 1:43.96 split from a flying start (based upon her 1:43.38 in the individual this evening) swap out Abbey (1:44.61 leadoff) who's needed more on the other 4 relays for Billy, if she's healthy & on form by then (1:42.08 split @ 2017 NCAAs) rest Sarah (1:46.89 split tonight) by giving Izzy an opportunity to shine (1:43.64 flat start).

Lots of ifs in the above scenario haha. Bears had put down a similar time in this relay @ the 2017 edition of this invite {Katie (1:44.92) + Amy (1:43.97) + Abbey (1:45.32) + Robin (1:45.17) -> 6:59.48}. But then went on to drop almost 10 seconds, down to a 6:50.03 (Thleen having come in for Abbey), to take 3rd @ 2018 NCAAs.

Some very encouraging showings and glimpses of more to come...but on a massively sobering note, def a lot of work still to be done, injuries & health issues to overcome, and ambitious goals to strive for in the next few months leading to Pac-12s and then hopefully onto NCAAs!

The Furdette Machine's always a looming spectre come March, even if the trees may have now been downgraded from Juggernaut status lol, thanks to the departures of Ledecky, Manuel, Howe, Hu & Engel...but nothing can be taken for granted with regards to their impressive high end depth in almost all areas, bolstered by an extremely highly rated class of freshies led by superstar Taylor Ruck - reckon Meehan as usual wasn't fully showing his hand at their mid-season invite what with the furdettes' apparent under-performance, but we should know by now that peaking only when it really counts (i.e. at the National Championship) is at the heart of their training philosophy.

Neither can we overlook the fast rising threats of the Wolverines & Horns, who can take advantage of high end depth & breadth compared to Bears, on top of their cadre of elite difference makers - both teams also lost very few points to graduation after 2018 NCAAs.

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tedbear said:

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Without Amy in top form, we are not Backstroke U. Keeks is solid, but not what we are accustomed to.

We haven't had a lights out Breaststroker since Caitlyn which is over six years ago. Ema has potential, but what happened to Ali. Really thought Ali would make the move to be our breast anchor, but with her regression, Ema has solidly taken over. Ali progressed well over the season last year, so let's hope that happens again this year. 200 breast results, Ema 9th, Alexa 12th, Dannie 14th, and Ali 16th.

Our sprint free core seems very solid. Abbey is Abbey, Katie looks good, Robin is steady. Kinda surprised Keeks doubled after the 200 back. Maddie has slipped a little this year. It would be interesting to see her progression over the past three years. This is another area where a healthy Amy would make a huge difference for our relays.

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tOBear073akaSMFan said:

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We will definitely need a healthy Billie, a raising Ema, and a return to her freshmen year performances by Maddie for us to do well in NC. I know Ema & Wilson are progressing well as frosh but our 2 other super frosh Elsie & Cassidy seem to be struggling. I believe one might be injured but any chance any of these 2 might make the cuts..knowing that we still have the spring swims meets to continue to improve.

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Before heading out for the evening, just wanted to note that contrary to my earlier expectations, looks as if there's a chance that Day 1 (tonight) & Day 2 (Thurs) sessions won't be available for viewing as a live stream online??! Tell me it isn't so!

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Ironically, what appears to be missing from our 2019 equation will be sprint free, back & fly instead, which will be sorely needed after the graduations of McL & Amy (followed by Abbey, Maddie, Keaton etc. the following year). There's an answer to that in the 2020 & 2021 class however - in the form of Gretchen & Alex Walsh, Isabelle Stadden & Regan Smith...but that's a topic of discussion for a different board thread

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Forgot to add to my above post that multi-sports incoming 2019 Bears Emma Davidson & Eloise RIley both have massive upside in the sprint frees, so there's def. a ray of hope there...

Versatile Izzy, Ayla Spitz & Chloe Clark also have some talent in some of those areas too :p


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Bears go toe-to-toe with familiar foes at Pac-12 Championships


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Where can we watch today's livestream?

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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coach_dunleavy: "Some of our PAC 12 squad ready to go!! BEARS on route to Federal Way"



-------

https://instagr.am/p/BuXDgkyghAN
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coach_mckeever: "Golden Bears sporting their new Championship sweatshirts!! These are a gift from @valerie.hull who donated $1000 from her first paycheck after graduation. What a powerful way to model giving back - THANK YOU Valerie. Next stop Federal Way, WA. #gobears#grateful #readytoroll"

https://instagr.am/p/BuWuH-QFbtx
- valerie.hull - "Dang those are some good looking bears!!! Can't wait to watch you guys kill it"
- nataliecoughlin - "Go Bears!"
- sara3ice - "Go Bears!!!"

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Happy to see a "Go Bears" from Natalie!

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zeldazcat said:

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Where can we watch today's livestream?

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There is no livestream for today or tomorrow, unfortunately. You can follow the live results here: http://results.teamunify.com/pnws2/

Bears win 2MR!

1:35.21
Izzy- 25.05
Ema- 26.88
Maddie- 22.71
Abbey- 20.57

swimmer19 said:

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Bears win 2MR!

1:35.21
Izzy- 25.05
Ema- 26.88
Maddie- 22.71
Abbey- 20.57

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Great splits from all around. Great to see Ema under 27 by a good amount and a 22 mid split from Maddie! Abbey's 20.5 is insane, the only faster is Simone Manuel's 20.45 at NCAA's last year.

Keeks split 24.13 on the back leg of the B relay, the only faster split was LSJU's Eastin's 24.04.

Why is Izzy leading off in the back when Keeks out split her by almost a full second? And where is Amy?

tedbear said:

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Why is Izzy leading off in the back when Keeks out split her by almost a full second? And where is Amy?

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I'm assuming Amy's swimming all four other relays...
800 FR lineup's probably Izzy, Robin, Katie, Amy

Back leg for 200 Medley Relay 10 days ago against furd.
- Bilquist, Amy 24.81
- Ivey, Izzy 24.58
- Blovad, Keaton 25.83

Ivey seems to be the most logical choice for the back leg even though Blovad always has big taper.
It could be just nerves on a big race.

bearz012 said:

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tedbear said:

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Why is Izzy leading off in the back when Keeks out split her by almost a full second? And where is Amy?

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I'm assuming Amy's swimming all four other relays...
800 FR lineup's probably Izzy, Robin, Katie, Amy

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Just got back - that was my thought too re Amy taking on the other 4 relays.

Reckon Teri was just giving Izzy a chance to get her feet wet and to prove herself here, her 24.29 PB from Dec 2018 not being that far off Keeks' former lifetime best of 24.16 from 2018 UGA Invite, plus Ivey did go faster than Billy in this event @ the recent dual v. LSJU.

Note that Thleen (mid-23) & Billy (upper-23) have contributed sub-24 splits on leadoff back in the past,



Hey may not have worked out exactly according to plan, but rather it went down this way @ Pac-12s than @ NCAAs, and does give Izzy much needed experience racing with her new teammates.

Anyway, Abbey saved the day as usual - what a bloody cracking anchor, and bodes extremely well for our sprint ace come March!

ABBEY WEITZEIL RUNS DOWN THE FIELD WITH #2 SPLIT ALL-TIME IN 20.57

Great evening to be a Golden Bear! Bears take the 8FR!

6:50.63
Izzy- 1:44.75
Robin- 1:43.04
Katie- 1:41.25
Amy- 1:41.59

Back to 2MR, "Ivey's backstroke starting mechanism didn't hold. The strap came out of the top lock."

Popping in to say that I refreshed the live results and a Cal victory in the 800 FR relay. Two events, two Bear wins. Yes!!

swimmer19 said:

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Great evening to be a Golden Bear! Bears take the 8FR!

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Yaaaz, life's good. And what beautiful mid & low 1:41 splits from our Dream Team (Bug & Billy)!!!!

Izzy did alright leading off w/that 1:44.75, she should be faster come NCAAs with more rest & experience under her belt. Robin had a great 1:43.04 split too.

We'll need all these relay points, cos tomorrow will be the Furdettes' scoring onslaught in the 500 Free and possibly 200 IM... :p

Great splits by Katie & Amy, both faster than what they were last year (1:43.29 and 1:42.66, respectively). Robin was a 1:43.38 leading off last year

Those are insane splits by Amy and Katie!

It appears Ivey should get a ncaa invitation with that leading time 1:44.75

Great relay victories to kick-off the meet by Cal! I was surprised that Izzy Ivey was in both relays and some other mainstays were not. I certainly can't quibble with successful results, however.
https://calbears.com/news/2019/2/27/womens-swimming-diving-back-to-back.aspx

GO BEARS!

swimmer19 said:

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Back to 2MR, "Ivey's backstroke starting mechanism didn't hold. The strap came out of the top lock."

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Well I guess that means all is forgiven lol - not that there's anything to forgive in the first place...

And from Swimming World:
- Weitzeil says, "It was a pretty solid and fun relay. We still have a few kinks to work out, but we're going to work on the details of the relay, particularly starts and turns, for an even faster race at NCAA's."

solobear said:

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It appears Ivey should get a ncaa invitation with that leading time 1:44.75

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Those relay wins do def mean something - for school pride, beating the much talked about & "dominant" Furdettes, and continuing the tradition of this programme of excelling in relays (6:50.63 = Top time in the nation! Next fastest time = the Trees' 6:51.69, followed by TAMU's 6:54.47, Trojanettes' 6:54.56 & Michigan's 6:54.58)

But in the wider scheme of things, our Baby Bear earning a probable NCAA invite (presently ranked at approx. the #28 spot with that time) is actually of greater significance - Izzy also did it in style by laying down the 3rd fastest leadoff leg of the entire field (albeit considerably behind LSJU's Ruck & the Trojans' Hansson), beating out former Bear & Olympian Cierra Runge who's now with ASU...


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2019 PAC-12 WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 1 FINALS LIVE RECAP




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https://instagr.am/p/Bualnu_gTxI

https://instagr.am/p/Bual-YhhAFP

https://instagr.am/p/BubtzfpFOOf

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Schroeder71 said:

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Great relay victories to kick-off the meet by Cal!
.
https://calbears.com/news/2019/2/27/womens-swimming-diving-back-to-back.aspx

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Thanks for the link! Here's the associated photo & results from the CalBears official writeup:


Amy Bilquist, Katie McLaughlin, Robin Neumann and Isabel Ivey swam the fastest 800 free relay in the country this year.

RESULTS


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2019 Pac-12 Women's Championships Day 1 Finals: Live Recap


Photo Courtesy: MCKENNA EHRMANTRAUT

Cal dominates for the second time of the night in the 800 free relay with Ivey, Robin Neumann, Katie McLaughlin and Amy Bilquist going a 6:50.63.

While Cal went into tonight believing that this wasn't their strongest relay, the girls raced their hearts out and claimed not only the gold but the second ever best time for Cal's 800 free relay.


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• UPDATES =>

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Thanks for posting the official results UAC. Liveresults sucks! While we all are focused on Isabel's suboptimal back leadoff, Ema is not getting enough credit for her great performance. Ema (26.88) out split a lot of swimmers who were bigger names on the recruiting trail. Grace Zhao (27.29), Riley Scott (27.26), Maggie Aroesty (27.52), and Allie Raab (27.21) were all more highly ranked recruits. Don't know how much Ema or the other swimmers are being tapered, but this bodes well for the future. Now we just need to get some individual scoring points out of her.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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swimmer19 said:

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Great evening to be a Golden Bear! Bears take the 8FR!

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Yaaaz, life's good. And what beautiful mid & low 1:41 splits from our Dream Team (Bug & Billy)!!!!

Izzy did alright leading off w/that 1:44.75, she should be faster come NCAAs with more rest & experience under her belt. Robin had a great 1:43.04 split too.

We'll need all these relay points, cos tomorrow will be the Furdettes' scoring onslaught in the 500 Free and possibly 200 IM... :p

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Holy F*! Totally unexpected. Go Bears!

tedbear said:

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While we all are focused on Isabel's suboptimal back leadoff, Ema is not getting enough credit for her great performance. Ema (26.88) out split a lot of swimmers who were bigger names on the recruiting trail. Grace Zhao (27.29), Riley Scott (27.26), Maggie Aroesty (27.52), and Allie Raab (27.21) were all more highly ranked recruits. Don't know how much Ema or the other swimmers are being tapered, but this bodes well for the future. Now we just need to get some individual scoring points out of her.

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+1 on all the Ema Rajic accolades!!!!

Just as Ali came to our rescue in her frosh year, seems like history's repeating itself in a fab way here Having a competitive breast leg makes all the difference in Bears' chances of a top finish at NCAAs in this event (and the 400 MR).

Also takes considerable pressure off having to "waste" Abbey on the breast leg, freeing our sprint ace to do what she does better than anyone else in the NCAA right now - anchor to fearlessly make up for any deficit even when going up against fellow Olympians!

Super stoked for Abbey, McL, Billy, and Robin. They last raced against the 'Furdettes in the 400 Free Relay in Berkeley. All were physically and emotionally spent at the end of the race. Abbey stayed in the pool for awhile and slightly struggled getting out. Awesome to see her blow away the field on her 200 Medley anchor leg.

Just wanted to get Izzy, Ema, and Maddie qualified for NCAAs this week. Looks like Izzy is now in, which is a huge relief. Teri hates to bring relay only swimmers, but may need to with Maddie and Ema if they don't get individual invites.

Top seed in the 800 Free Relay is not too shabby.