Impressive Ivey 47.75 from standing start vs Robin's start in the 100 47.99. Assuming the Abbey will swim the relay too, would Ivey sub out Robin's leg? Remember Ivey will be fresh too.
I think we came out ahead with an extra A finalist, with Bugs moving to the A and Cassidy subbing her B slot. Furds loss and A finalist in Gracie Zhou in the Br and picked up an extra B in the 100fr. Still with us having no 1650 & diving participants & furds with 3 in each still too much to make up.
I think we came out ahead with an extra A finalist, with Bugs moving to the A and Cassidy subbing her B slot. Furds loss and A finalist in Gracie Zhou in the Br and picked up an extra B in the 100fr. Still with us having no 1650 & diving participants & furds with 3 in each still too much to make up.
Regardless of the outcome, so bloody proud of our valiant Bears giving it their all (and more) for the team in the face of so much adversity, whilst having a fun time overperforming and exceeding expectations by a massive margin! NCAA, American, US Open, Pool, School records galore these past few days, wow. Such great ambassadors for the school and for the sport too, swimming with their hearts out, taking humble pride in every little contribution to the team effort. The Bear will not quit!
Regardless of the outcome, so bloody proud of our valiant Bears giving it their all (and more) for the team in the face of so much adversity, whilst having a fun time overperforming and exceeding expectations by a massive margin! NCAA, American, US Open, Pool, School records galore these past few days, wow. Such great ambassadors for the school and for the sport too, swimming with their hearts out, taking humble pride in every little contribution to the team effort. The Bear will not quit!
Keeping all our fingers crossed for Abbey's health - from all accounts, looked pretty serious at the time...
Abbey's health & well-being is infinitely more important than helping with the team scoring, but I feel massively humbled by her brave dedication here - photos & race video from this morning's prelims session:
100 Free - Abbey's in Lane 4, taped up elbow & all:
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...also, from Swimming World's writeup which also features Katie McL:
"The double is always a challenge," Ivey said. "The amount of time was better than it was at Pac-12s in the 200 free and 100 fly (same as McLaughlin). I have been really able to push myself with the training we do at Cal. I couldn't have asked for better swims - I went two best times. Katie and I talked at Pac-12s. We were there for each other and it was really good."
But Weitzeil, McLaughlin and Bilquist were known factors beforehand. The X-factors in this Cal surge have been a pair of freshman, Izzy Ivey and EmaRajic.
The breakout achievements of our 2018 froskis should make for great recruiting material for Cal's programme too!
- Ema took her prev best of 1:00.65 all the way down to 58.97, making NCAA 'A' finals and carving out a new school record. Dropped almost 4 seconds in her 200 breast, close to 2 sec in her 200 IM, and achieved a new PR in her 100 Free since starting @ Berkeley. Was a key member of a national title relay and a runner-up one to boot.
- Cass already approaching her lifetime best in the 200 Fly from 2015, after having to overcome all her knee issues the past 3 or 4 years. What's more, she made a Consols final @ NCAAs in her frosh year!
- Alicia adjusting quickly to the little pool, smashing her PBs in the 100 Back & 200 Back, and was within a hair's breadth of making finals in her 200 IM..
- Izzy (with only 2 months of training w/Teri & Sarah under her belt) stormed into 2 individual NCAA A finals + won an individual B final whilst lowering her bests in the 100 Back, 100 Fly & 200 IM by a whopping 1.5 to 2 seconds in each of her 3 events, led off an NCAA & School record relay, contributed to TWO runner-up relays, plus earned new PBs in the 100 Free & 50 Back.
Keeks moving up from her 8th seed in the B-final to 6th -- led for most of the race but might have run out of gas at the end. Nevertheless, 1:52.99 to drop 0.08 from this morning
Dang, Furd 2-4-5 in the 200 back, really hitting me where it hurts when considering how Thleen won this event and capped off her victory with the then-NCAA, US Open, and ARs last season... but let's see how this 100 goes. Heck yeah, Amy and Abbey (and Robin in the B-final)!
So much grit for Abbey. Watching her come out with only one arm in her parka hurts -- such mental toughness on her part. The Bears really proving strong through so many ups and downs over the years. Swim on!
So much grit for Abbey. Watching her come out with only one arm in her parka hurts -- such mental toughness on her part. The Bears really proving strong through so many ups and downs over the years. Swim on!
Fourth in 46.97, Amy sixth in 47.42.
And Stanfurd leads 365.5 - 362 with Furd having three scorers to come in the 200 Breaststroke.
Ugh, the 200 breast -- Furd goes 1-3-7, Raab winning the B heat (Bartel third, Zhao seventh). Yowch.
Edit: Raab's time (2:06.85) would've taken fourth in the A final tonight.
Lilly wins the 200 BR, 0.3 off her records in a 2:02.90, though I'm really impressed by TAMU's Pickrem (2:03.65) closing so quickly on the final 25 of the race.
A little bummed by the closeness of this overall meet, as in I feel like the title chance is so close yet so far away -- but far exceeding my expectations with such incredible swims, records (personal and American ), and wins this meet. A few events left to cheer on our Dream Team and Bears as a whole; go team!
Katie takes 4th in the 200 fly -- kept up great with Hansson through the first 150, ends up in 1:51.09 behind Hansson, Eastin, and Oglesby. Great last individual race for Katie!
I think we're officially out of commission for the team title, but absolutely stunning race for the Bears these few days. Extending this streak of top-3 finishes to another year. Very, very proud of all of the team's hard work, dedication, focus, and exemplary swims.
Note: Katie breaks another Cal record of Natalie's -- besting the 2002 mark of 1:51.91 by a full 0.8s. Go Bug! I can't believe this is the swimmer who battled her neck injury freshman year and has now completed her individual swims at Cal in a phenomenal full circle, besting the 100 and 200 fly records of Nat in her last collegiate season. The challenges that the team has truly overcome through injuries, setbacks, adjustments, et al..... GO BEARS!
That was an incredibly fast swim by Katie amongst an impressively swift field, which McL paid for at the end after that punishing front half.
New school record by tons for Bug - her 1:51.09 supercedes Natalie's 1:51.91 school record, just as she had done in the 100 Fly yesterday!!! McL's prev best was a 1:52.37 from 2017 NCAAs...
I think we're officially out of commission for the team title, but absolutely stunning race for the Bears these few days. Extending this streak of top-3 finishes to another year. Very, very proud of all of the team's hard work, dedication, focus, and exemplary swims.
We're only 41.5 points down! (with platform diving and the relay to go). (so, yes. I think, it's officially over)
Unfortunately, as per SwimSwam, Abbey's bandages are against rules (NCAA violation? Not sure), so the time isn't an American record (*insert eye roll emoji*)... but should not take away an iota from the swims and how much the Bears have stepped up these few days, especially given Abbey's health!
Official record or not, that wrap is memorable. Swimming fans will remember one of the world's best sprinters broke record with an injured arm while competing for the bears.
As a whole, signing off from all of the incredible insanity with some thoughts...
- HUGE kudos to Teri, Sarah, the entire team + staff for a well-deserved, hugely well-fought 2nd place. Given the Furd's heavy favorite position to win a third title, the fact that Cal brought the team title down to its final day speaks volumes about the execution, training, dedication, and commitment of these Bears.
- Highlights (in no particular order): Amy's 50.50 bronze medal in the 100 back, Abbey's best time/all of the records with her 20.02 50 free and battle through her sub-46 swim tonight, Katie's records with 49.97 100 fly and 1:51.09 200 fly, Izzy's phenomenal first championships, especially going from far down the seeds to shooting up to top finishes (50-flat 100 fly/100 back, 1:53 200 IM), as well as the impressive swims put on by Maddie, Keaton, Cass, Robin, Ema throughout A- and B-finals. Cheers to every member who qualified/swam at NCAAs (shoutout to Sophie for kicking that alternate status to the curb!).
- Seeing all three Bears in Robin, Katie, and Abbey swim alongside each other in the prelims heat of the 200 free was great.
- Relays! Relays! Relays! So wowed still by the sweep at Pac-12s, but the 200 FR win, 400 FR tonight (particularly given Abbey's injury and courageous fight back), 400 medley stand out as greats. So impressed to see Ema's 58s in the medley split and her individual swim.
Go Bears! An incredible fight for first place and proving any naysayers or doubters out there of their second place domination throughout the season and D1 country. Very proud of Teri/Sarah/et al for leading another incredible team. Though sad to say goodbye to Amy and Katie (plus Jenna) for their leadership, perseverance, and truly unbelievable comebacks/accomplishments/experiences as Bears, can't wait to see how they represent Cal and Team USA in the future.
AUSTIN, Texas - California closed out the 2019 NCAA Championships in record fashion, as the Golden Bears smashed the NCAA mark in the 400-yard free relay en route to a runner-up national team finish.
The result was even more significant because anchor Abbey Weitzeil was swimming with an injured arm after finishing awkwardly at the end of the 200 medley relay Friday night. The foursome of Isabel Ivey, Katie McLaughlin, Amy Bilquist and Weitzeil finished in 3:06.96.
With its second-place showing, Cal has now placed among the top 3 at the NCAA Championships 11 years in a row to extend the longest current streak in the country. The Bears won national titles in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 and have been the runner-up the past three seasons.
The Bears finished with 419 points, the fifth time they have surpassed 400 and their highest total since amassing 513 points during the 2015 championship season. Stanford won the meet with 456.5 points, while Michigan was third with 314.
Cal head coach Teri McKeever was honored after the meet as the CSCAA Coach of the Year.
Despite having her right arm tightly wrapped, Weitzeil started her Saturday night by swimming a sub-47-second 100 free, finishing fourth in 46.97. Bilquist placed sixth in 47.42, while sophomore Robin Neumann was 14th in 48.24.
For the second time in as many days, McLaughlin broke a 17-year-old Natalie Coughlin school record. This time, she went 1:51.09 in the 200 fly, which was good for fourth place and ahead of Coughlin's mark of 1:51.91 from 2002. On Friday, McLaughlin established a new Cal record in the 100 fly, when she touched the wall in 49.97. Freshman Cassidy Bayer added to the Bears' point total in the 200 fly, taking 15th in 1:55.77.
Keaton Blovad started the night off for the Bears by scoring in her second event of the meet, taking 14th in the 200 backstroke in 1:52.99. On Friday night, Blovad won the B final in the 100 back.
In the 400 free relay, Cal trailed Michigan by half a second when Weitzeil entered the water on her final leg. The Bears, though, were up by half a second after Weitzeil's first 50 yards and extended their lead at the end.
Overall, three Golden Bears reached three individual A finals during the championships. Weitzeil won the 50 free and took fourth in the 100 and 200 free events; Bilquist was the national runner-up in the 100 back and sixth in the 50 and 100 free; and McLaughlin was third in the 100 fly, seventh in the 200 free and fourth in the 200 fly.
Cal claimed four event titles, with three on Thursday night - the 200 free relay, the 400 medley relay and Weitzeil's 50 free - plus the 400 free relay. The Bears also set eight school records - 50 free, 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.
This is McKeever's 5th award, but first won when her team didn't take home the title. Archive photo via Jack Spitser/Spitser Photography
While the Cal Golden Bears came up short in their upset bid of arch-rivals Stanford, their efforts were enough to earn head coach Teri McKeever the CSCAA Women's Division I Swimming Coach of the Year.
This is McKeever's 5th award, having previously won in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. On each of those prior occasions, Cal came away with the team title. This year, they were runners-up, finishing 37.5 points behind the two-time defending champions from Stanford.
The Cal Golden Bears won 4 events and put up a fight for the team title in spite of losing World Record holder Kathleen Baker from last year's team, who turned pro with 1 year of eligibility remaining. This is Cal's 3rd-straight runner-up finish.
Mckeever is one of two women to ever win this award. Dorsey Tierney-Walker shared the award with David Marsh in 2007 when the two were co-head coaches.
Cal was under Stanford's American record, but Abbey Weitzeil was swimming with her armed wrapped, so the record is not official under USA Swimming rules. Current photo via Jack Spitser/Spitser Photography
Great interview on that video! Amy and Katie will be missed greatly!
Warning - when you watch that interview (and it's a must watch!), you may find yourself tearfully mumbling "I'm not crying, you're crying"... *sniffles*
In other beary good news, according to this SwimSwam comment:
BRADEN KEITH said:
USA Swimming says that "the rules allow for tape if the referee allows it," indicating that the (American) record would count. We'll provide an update when it's officially ratified, but that's the word for now.
Teri's Bears had been cruising until LSJU poached Meehan from Cal. His first super class (Manuel, Howe, Hu) bracketed by Neal and Ledecky knocked the Bears back, but Teri responded with the Dream Team (Thleen, Abbey, Billy, McL). Their window was 2019 after Manuel and Ledecky turned pro early.
Thleen setting a world record and unexpectably turning pro early was a huge hiccup. Bears got smoked by Texas in a home dual with Billy in a boot and the decade long top three streak was in serious jeopardy.
McL, Billy, and Abbey all battled injuries, but their unbreakable bond with Jenna and each other kept the resilient Bears afloat in troubled waters.
Teri and Sarah adjusted by bringing in Izzy early. Was risky since she didn't have the luxury of a mid-season taper and had to qualify via minor taper at PACs to leave something left in the tank for NCAAs. She came up huge on two relays and the tough 100 Back/100 Fly double at NCAAs. She has an extremely bright feature.
Abbey, Billy, and McL (dabbing her eyes) were devastated at the end of the 400 Free Relay vs LSJU in Spieker. I mistakingly thought it was losing to the rivals and swimming together in Berkeley for the last time. While some of that was true, they knew they were better than the 'Furdettes in that event and proved it at both PACs and NCAAs (with a banged up Abbey). Team Resiliance also avenged their UT dual loss, more than doubling up the 'Whorns in their home pool when it mattered most.
McL, Billy, and Jenna will be sorely missed. Three exemplary Bear Captains who left it all in the pool and embraced their Cal experience to the fullest. Same for Phoebe. Their leadership kept the team together after losing Thleen, Darcel's NCAA absence, and Abbey's untimely injury. Sincerely hope that McL and Billy train in Berkeley for another year to chase their Olympic dreams. A young team could benefit from another year around them.
Abbey is a warrior. An incredible teammate who leads by example. She's a bit of a kamikaze-has had to be pulled from the pool at NCAAs twice after relays (800 Free and 200 Medley). Will surely join McL and Billy as Cal Hall of Fame swimmers.
Next year's team will belong to Abbey, Izzy, Ema, Maddie, Keeks, and Robin. Hopefully Darcel will bounce back and Cassidy and Alicia can build on early success. Need at least one of the Froski sprinters to contribute early.
Teri richly deserved the Coach of the Year award. Lots of moving pieces this year and she and Sarah held it together. Sustained excellence is very difficult. Just ask Georgia, who finished behind UCLA and just ahead of ASU.
Stellar year for a proud, resilient, mentally and physically tough team of truly Golden Bears.
UAC, if you want a tear jerker, you should read Amy's IG post and all the following comments. Such a beloved Golden Bear!
You mean this one, right?
Amy Bilquist said:
Damn, did we have a good time this week. ~here comes the sappy post~
Thank you to a program that challenged me every day to become a better version of myself. Thank you to each and every one of my teammates throughout these four years for showing me what strength, beauty, and teamwork is really all about. Thank you to my coaches Teri and Sarah for expecting greatness and creating a culture where we can chase our dreams without being fearful of failure. Thank you Ann for helping me keep doing the sport I love. You're so much more than a trainer. From bandaids, to broken bones, and everything in between you put things in a positive light and give us hope, and that's such a special gift. Thank you to all the parents, family, friends and alumni who made Cal's cheering section so electric. Thank you to my class, I couldn't have gone through it with another group of women. Katie and Jenna... your support and love everyday has been more than I could ever ask for. You two are my best friends and two of the most beautiful people on this earth and I am so lucky to have gone through this journey with you both. To Phoebe... as freshman year roomies we never would've guessed we'd be here, but look at us now! We did it!! I love you so so much. Thank you to my parents and my family. It meant the world to me that you all came. Brian and Berit, you are the best siblings a girl could ask for. So so fun, loving and supportive. Mom and Dad, I get to do what I love because of you both and I could never say thank you enough for that. I love you both so so much. My time competing as a Golden Bear may be over, but I'm forever a Golden Bear. Cal, I love you. Thank you for giving me the best four years. And to this team, I couldn't ask for anything more to cap off my last meet of my Cal career. Every single woman on this team is more amazing than I could ever put into words, and you all made this year magical, but most importantly you all made it so fun. Behind every Golden Bear are all who came before them and all who will follow, and to me, that's the best group I could ever imagine. Forever and always... ROLL ON YOU BEARS.
Team Resiliance also avenged their UT dual loss, more than doubling up the 'Whorns in their home pool when it mattered most.
Without those 60.5 diving pts, Horns would have placed #14 instead of #5, below their arch-rival Aggies! Sorry but not sorry to admit to a sense of satisfaction after the CSCAA's #1 ranking + Texas' "unbeaten dual record" hype making the rounds throughout most of the regular season... :p
BearDevil said:
Stellar year for a proud, resilient, mentally and physically tough team of truly Golden Bears.
Think I'd echo Billy's comment that "To me I feel like we won", oh on so many levels - not just in our (proudly biased lol) eyes, but also judging from the hard stats below... ROll on you Bears!
=====
*Bears*
Team Score: 419 pts (2019) v. 373 pts (2018) & 366 pts (2017) = 2nd highest ever by Cal (513 pts in 2015 by Missy/Boots/Liz-led team)
Relay: 3 titles (2 NCAA records) + 2 runner-ups
Individual: 1 title (Abbey 50 Free) -> NCAA & American record
UAC, if you want a tear jerker, you should read Amy's IG post and all the following comments. Such a beloved Golden Bear!
You mean this one, right?
Amy Bilquist said:
Damn, did we have a good time this week. ~here comes the sappy post~
Thank you to a program that challenged me every day to become a better version of myself. Thank you to each and every one of my teammates throughout these four years for showing me what strength, beauty, and teamwork is really all about. Thank you to my coaches Teri and Sarah for expecting greatness and creating a culture where we can chase our dreams without being fearful of failure. Thank you Ann for helping me keep doing the sport I love. You're so much more than a trainer. From bandaids, to broken bones, and everything in between you put things in a positive light and give us hope, and that's such a special gift. Thank you to all the parents, family, friends and alumni who made Cal's cheering section so electric. Thank you to my class, I couldn't have gone through it with another group of women. Katie and Jenna... your support and love everyday has been more than I could ever ask for. You two are my best friends and two of the most beautiful people on this earth and I am so lucky to have gone through this journey with you both. To Phoebe... as freshman year roomies we never would've guessed we'd be here, but look at us now! We did it!! I love you so so much. Thank you to my parents and my family. It meant the world to me that you all came. Brian and Berit, you are the best siblings a girl could ask for. So so fun, loving and supportive. Mom and Dad, I get to do what I love because of you both and I could never say thank you enough for that. I love you both so so much. My time competing as a Golden Bear may be over, but I'm forever a Golden Bear. Cal, I love you. Thank you for giving me the best four years. And to this team, I couldn't ask for anything more to cap off my last meet of my Cal career. Every single woman on this team is more amazing than I could ever put into words, and you all made this year magical, but most importantly you all made it so fun. Behind every Golden Bear are all who came before them and all who will follow, and to me, that's the best group I could ever imagine. Forever and always... ROLL ON YOU BEARS.
Team Resiliance also avenged their UT dual loss, more than doubling up the 'Whorns in their home pool when it mattered most.
Without those 60.5 diving pts, Horns would have placed #14 instead of #5, below their arch-rival Aggies! Sorry but not sorry to admit to a sense of satisfaction after the CSCAA's #1 ranking + Texas' "unbeaten dual record" hype making the rounds throughout most of the regular season... :p
BearDevil said:
Stellar year for a proud, resilient, mentally and physically tough team of truly Golden Bears.
Think I'd echo Billy's comment that "To me I feel like we won", oh on so many levels - not just in our (proudly biased lol) eyes, but also judging from the hard stats below... ROll on you Bears!
=====
*Bears*
Team Score: 419 pts (2019) v. 373 pts (2018) & 366 pts (2017) = 2nd highest ever by Cal (513 pts in 2015 by Missy/Boots/Liz-led team)
Relay: 3 titles (2 NCAA records) + 2 runner-ups
Individual: 1 title (Abbey 50 Free) -> NCAA & American record
After spending hours at the hospital the night before, Abbey Weitzeil arrived at the pool early on Saturday, knowing no matter what happened, it would be a difficult and painful day.
The Cal junior was determined to push through the pain.
Weitzeil did more than push through the pain of her elbow injury, she turned in one of the most impressive performances in NCAA history.
With her right arm heavily wrapped, in addition to the pain of the injury and limited mobility of her arm - suffered on Friday night when she jammed it finishing the 200 medley relay - she had some extra drag with the wrap in the water.
Weitzeil overcame all of that to finish fourth in the 100 free, before turning in an amazing performance to close the meet, anchoring Cal's title in the 400 free relay - in an NCAA record time of 3:06.96, along with Izzy Ivey, Katie McLaughlin and Amy Bilquist.
Not a bad anchor leg for someone who had their arm in a sling most of the day.
"Honestly, I was just going out there before the relay (looking at my teammates) going, you got me, I got you. We were all going to put it all out there," Weitzeil said. "Even in the race I wasn't even thinking about it - I was trying not to think about it. We got our hand to the wall, that is all that matters."
It is that type of fierceness and determination that has transformed Weitzeil into one of the world's best sprinters. She has Olympic gold, an NCAA title and an American record individually.
But her fierceness, coupled with the drive for her team that has made her one of the best relay swimmers in NCAA history.
Fighting through an injury just adds to that distinction.
"It just speaks to her character," Bilquist said. "She is a fighter. She is a warrior."
It wasn't easy of course.
Weitzeil went straight to the hospital after Friday night's session, fearing the worst. Her arm could have been broken or any number of things that could have kept her from competing.
"I just finished really terribly (in the 200 medley relay)," Weitzeil said. "I finished with my palm and hyperextended my elbow. We don't know the extent of the injury, but it is not broken."
Her teammates were equally concerned about the extent of the injury as well as the emotional factor of possibly having a teammate that couldn't compete.
Those worries were quickly subsided by Weitzeil.
"We were getting texts from the hospital last night and she was clowning around. That is really what helped us come into the final day. Even with her hurting, she elevated this team. That is a lot to ask, but she did awesome," Bilquist said. "This situation could have been so blown up and dramatic, but she put it in the most positive light possible. I am just so proud to be her teammate and be on that relay on her."
Leading up to the relay, there were added emotions for Bilquist and McLaughlin, the two seniors.
"It was my last race for Cal," McLaughlin said. "Our team had the most fun we ever had at a meet. We wanted to have fun and enjoy it."
Weitzeil made sure of that.
"We always got the relays. We always get fired up for relays. We have each other's back. You just trust each other, and that is the fun part," she said. "Well, since my arms aren't great, I was like, 'Legs you're up.' I just kicked as hard as I could the entire time. I wanted to make sure we win this."
Michigan held the lead the first three legs before Weitzeil surged ahead on the final turn.
"I remember when Abbey hit the 75 mark, she flipped ahead of Michigan and we knew we had it," Ivey said.
After an emotional meet that saw Cal in the hunt to overtake defending champion Stanford, and incredible performances by Bilquist, McLaughlin, Ivey and the rest of the Bears, it was a fitting finish.
Quote:
"We believe that we deserved that win. We knew everyone put everything out there at this meet, and we wanted to finish strong for each other. We wanted to show everyone what we could do all meet," Weitzeil said.
"I couldn't have done it without them. I knew I had to be last because I couldn't get out of the pool. I knew that they had that. I knew they were going to get me a lead. They did the work."
And they did it for each other.
"Relays speak to what our team is about, and how we feel about each other. It is just selfless swimming on relays, and that is one of my favorite feelings of the world being on a relay - especially with these women because we win sometimes," Bilquist said with a smile.
It was the meet that the Bears had been striving for - especially Weitzeil, McLaughlin and Bilquist, who all committed to Cal the same year. They all had their best performances at the NCAA championships after years of ups and downs.
Then they capped it off with one perhaps the most impressive relay finish in NCAA history. A comeback, led by an anchor with an major injury that turned into the fastest time in history.
How do you put that meet into perspective?
Quote:
"I feel like we won, to be honest," Bilquist said. "That is a really cool feeling. This is the NCAAs I have been waiting for. I am just so proud of this team.
"I have had the most fun at this meet that I have had in a long time. Every single person laid it on the line. To me, I feel like we won, and that this is a really good way to finish out my Cal career."
), and wins this meet. A few events left to cheer on our Dream Team and Bears as a whole; go team! 
