https://instagr.am/p/B1rxX61A2B6

Newly released:

2019-20 Men's Swimming & Diving Schedule

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

Newly released:

2019-20 Men's Swimming & Diving Schedule

---

MINNESOTA'S MID-SEASON INVITE TO FEATURE CAL, TEXAS, MICHIGAN, ARIZONA



Minnesota's winter invite will feature men's and women's programs from Cal, Texas, Michigan and Arizona among others.

Here's the full list of attending teams, per the University of Minnesota. All programs will be bringing their men's and women's teams:

• California
• Texas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Arizona
• Harvard
• Iowa

That's a stacked lineup, including four women's and three men's programs from last year's top 10 at the NCAA Championships. It's also a massive change from last year, when Minnesota's invite featured mostly local programs along with Utah and San Jose State.

The Minnesota Invite is set to take place from December 4th (a Wednesday) through December 7th (a Sunday), and the Golden Gopher schedule also shows an extra day on Sunday, December 8 in long course meters. That should allow athletes to stick around one extra day to swim for Olympic Trials cuts.

Either way, based on the invite participants we've confirmed elsewhere in the country so far, it looks like Minnesota should have the premier fall invite in the nation, with the top two men's programs in the nation (last year's champs Cal and runners-up Texas) and three of last year's top five women's programs (2nd-place Cal, 3rd-place Michigan, 5th-place Texas).

The men's roster listed MARCOS RICO PENG who hasn't been mentioned here.

solobear said:

---

The men's roster listed MARCOS RICO PENG who hasn't been mentioned here.

---

Couldn't find much about Marcos except he has performed at the junior national level for Spain in the sprint free and breast. Apparently he did not swim for Spain at the recently concluded World Juniors. Also looks like breaststroker James Daugherty is no longer with the team, although I understand he is still in school.
Freestyle prospect Addie Laurencelle also is not listed.

Cal appeared to be the favorite to repeat in March 2020 as at NCAAs despite losing superstar Seli, as well as big time talents in Norman and Thomas due to the returning Junior class of Hoffer, Grieshop, Carr, Mefford and Julian. But Texas has added a rejuvenated Max Rooney who swam lights-out at US Nationals and VTech transfer Hugo Gonzalez had a very poor summer in international competion.

I will be looking for signs that Hugo can get back to his 2017 form, if the "super sophs" can continue to build as "super juniors" and if we can get any of the true freshman class to qualify/score at NCAAs. My personal pick is Swiss breaststroker Lauffer in the 200 event.

Quote:

---

Just got accepted to UC Berkeley!! A dream come true! Couldn't be happier!


Go Bears!

#EECS'23

---

Smart guy. Accepted into the Engineering school.

2019-20 Men's Swimming & Diving Roster

swan said:

---

Also looks like breaststroker James Daugherty is no longer with the team, although I understand he is still in school

---

Looks like my premature speculation back in May re Daugherty's potential transfer was unwarranted, apologies are in order there... :p

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

If the 3rd transfer's indeed one of the Bear Bros, wondering if it may possibly be sophomore James Daugherty??

Wild guess here that isn't based on any facts or even rumours lol...but noticed that Daugherty was absent from 2019 Pac-12s, in fact apparently didn't participate during the 2018-2019 season.

JD's still on the Men's roster as of today...

Perhaps in keeping with the trend of transfers to an Ivy (i.e. AS to Yale), possibly to a fine institution such as the University of Pennsylvania? Now just wait for all of this to be shot down as fake news when the real details of these transfers emerge

---

On the women's side, Chenoa Devine seems to be similarly working hard towards her degree at Cal, but hasn't been listed on the official swim roster since last season.

solobear said:

---

The men's roster listed MARCOS RICO PENG who hasn't been mentioned here.

---

Hugo's listed as a freshman on the roster. He swam for Auburn at SECs and NCAAs, so no way that's accurate.

BearDevil said:

---

solobear said:

---

The men's roster listed MARCOS RICO PENG who hasn't been mentioned here.

---

Hugo's listed as a freshman on the roster. He swam for Auburn at SECs and NCAAs, so no way that's accurate.

---

Hugo is definitely not a freshman, but because of the delay in getting his eligibility cleared in time for the 2019 NCAAs (where we didn't need his points...Yay) Hugo does have 3 years of eligibilty left.

Bears Open Season With King Of The Pool Meet

Unique Five-Race Competition Marks Start Of Cal's 2019-20 Campaign

-------



Quah Crowned King In Bears' Season Opener

Senior Swims Away With Victory As Bears Collectively Excel

• Results
• Standings

-------

CAL'S ZHENG QUAH CROWNED 2019 KING OF THE POOL, WINS 4 OF 5 EVENTS



-------

Dropping SS previews of men's top-12 teams (pre-season in-depth preview, akin to later power rankings) since this same post is up on the women's side:

#12 - Texas A&M
#11 - Virginia
#10 - Arizona
#9 - Stanford
#8 - OSU
#7 - Florida
#6 - Louisville
#5 - Michigan
#4 - NC State
#3 - Indiana

Of all teams ranked so far, 7 total have both teams ranked in their respective top-12:
Louisville (#12 women's, #6 men's),
Michigan (#9 women's, #5 men's),
Virginia (#3 women's, #11 men's),
Texas (#6 women's ... assumed #2 men's),
NC State (#4 women's and men's),
Stanford (assumed #1 women's, #9 men's),
and Cal (assumed #2 women's, assumed #1 men's).

Have this preview pick as well:
SWIMSWAM'S 2019-2020 NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S PRESEASON PICKS

Featuring a few picks of Cal for the winner of the 200 FR, 50 fr (Hoffer), 400 MR, 400 IM (Grieshop), 200 MR, and 200 fly (Quah tying with Louisville's Albiero).

Fun to see the overlap with the women's side picks as well: 200 FR, 50 fr, 400 MR.

Go Bears!

HBear said:

---

Dropping SS previews of men's top-12 teams (pre-season in-depth preview, akin to later power rankings) since this same post is up on the women's side:

#12 - Texas A&M
#11 - Virginia
#10 - Arizona
#9 - Stanford
#8 - OSU
#7 - Florida
#6 - Louisville
#5 - Michigan
#4 - NC State
#3 - Indiana

---

#2: Texas, COLLEGE SWIMMING PREVIEWS: UNDERCLASSMEN AND TRANSFERS BUOY #2 TEXAS MEN

Have yet to read, but Horns bringing in yet another loaded class with four of the SS top 10 recruits (#2, 4, 9, and 10, led by J. Foster) and Rooney transferring in from Florida. Bringing myself a little bit back down to reality with how serious the competition is/will continue to be, but ... suppose my spirits will rise up promptly with tomorrow's men's #1 preview!

Generally like SwimSwam articles, but hate the comments section. However most telling and interesting comments are from SS Publisher (Braden Keith), who adamantly says that the top two in both men's (Cal and Texas) and women (LSJU and Cal) are light years ahead of the chasing 3/4/5 pack.

BearDevil said:

---

Generally like SwimSwam articles, but hate the comments section. However most telling and interesting comments are from SS Publisher (Braden Keith), who adamantly says that the top two in both men's (Cal and Texas) and women (LSJU and Cal) are light years ahead of the chasing 3/4/5 pack.

---

but with the last of the fantastic four graduating from Cal this year & UVA's unbelievable recruiting this year and next year, there will be a good chance the women of Virginia could/should crack the top 2 next year.

HBear said:

---

HBear said:

---

Dropping SS previews of men's top-12 teams (pre-season in-depth preview, akin to later power rankings) since this same post is up on the women's side:

#12 - Texas A&M
#11 - Virginia
#10 - Arizona
#9 - Stanford
#8 - OSU
#7 - Florida
#6 - Louisville
#5 - Michigan
#4 - NC State
#3 - Indiana

---

#2: Texas, COLLEGE SWIMMING PREVIEWS: UNDERCLASSMEN AND TRANSFERS BUOY #2 TEXAS MEN

Have yet to read, but Horns bringing in yet another loaded class with four of the SS top 10 recruits (#2, 4, 9, and 10, led by J. Foster) and Rooney transferring in from Florida. Bringing myself a little bit back down to reality with how serious the competition is/will continue to be, but ... suppose my spirits will rise up promptly with tomorrow's men's #1 preview!

---

COLLEGE SWIMMING PREVIEWS: UNLIKELY SPRINTS/400 IM COMBO LEAD #1 CAL MEN




2019-2020 OUTLOOK

Much like the Stanford women, the Cal men have absolutely dominated recruiting for a few cycles, and the insane talent they've accumulated makes them very tough for the rest of the nation to run down. Their junior class, in particular, is a legion of doom, and only getting better each year.



No doubt Seliskar and Thomas provided major leadership in Cal's title run last year. That will be a key piece for Cal: who steps up to set the tone for the team.

The sprint group is so good for Cal. They're primed to absolutely crush the 50 and 100 free along with the 200 free relay and both medleys, thanks to that punishing Hoffer/Sendyk combination. When your only real question mark is the 4th swimmer on any of your relays, you know you've got a strong lineup.

Cal is also very well-rounded. Every one of their swimming disciplines got 4 or 5 stars in our projected points. IM and fly appear to be the biggest strengths, but the back and free groups are excellent. Diving remains the lone weakness, but getting ~10 dive points this season would be awfully helpful in the slugfest with Texas, who are projected to earn an insane 106 diving points.

The NCAA team title this year may come down to the Olympic factor: how many top athletes will go full rest for NCAAs, and how many will split focus between long course and short course even through college season? Both Cal and Texas have a number of Olympic hopefuls, which should add some intrigue to this battle. But at this early stage, Cal remains the team to beat, based on a strong edge in returning points (279 to Texas's 176; 373-288 when factoring out seniors) and very good performances at the past two NCAA Championships, compared to shaky ones by Texas. If Cal shows up for the first two days of NCAAs the way they did last year, there aren't many rosters who can battle back.


--------

(will fill in some of the details from the SS article when I get back later on, or if someone would like to comment or offer their take on this, please feel more than beary welcome to do so, cheers!)

-------

Cal Celebrates National Championship Week

Bears Captured 12 Titles In 2018-19

BERKELEY - From the pool to the lake to track & field, Golden Bear student-athletes rose to the top of the podium 12 times in 2018-19, adding an impressive number of national championships to Cal's historical total. The accomplishments will be recognized during the school's annual National Championship Week, culminating with an introduction on the field during Cal's football game vs. Arizona State on Friday, Sept. 27.

Men's swimming & diving earned the team crown at the NCAA meet in late March, capturing the sixth title in school history. Individually, Andrew Seliskar won three different races, while Ryan Hoffer added one himself and the Bears claimed victory in the 200-yard free relay.

Cal's first NCAA championships of 2018-19 came in the pool, starting with women's swimming & diving during national meet in Austin, Texas.

A week later, the men took their turn in the same pool. Seliskar captured three races the 200 individual medley, the 200 free and the 200 breaststroke and was named the CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year for his efforts. In addition, Hoffer led the field to the wall to win the 50 free, and the foursome of Pawel Sendyk, Hoffer, Michael Jensen and Seliskar won the 200 free relay.

As a team, the Cal men set school records for most points (560) and largest margin of victory (85 points) on their way to the championship, leading the standings after each of the four nights of the meet.

-------

-------

2019-2020 NCAA MEN'S POWER RANKINGS: FIRST EDITION

#5: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (2019 NCAA FINISH: 9TH)
I love the way Ohio State looks heading into this season. They lost their fastest backstroker and flyer. Also, Ruslan Gaziev, who was the fastest 50 free on the team last year, is redshirting. However, this team has an unreal amount of depth, particularly in the sprint frees. OSU had 10 swimmers under 20 seconds in the 50 last year. 6 of those swimmers are on the roster this year, and Cameron Craig brings in another sub-20. Craig also brings a 1:31.7 flat-start 200 free to an 800 free relay that already had flat-starts of 1:32.0 (Paul Delakis) and 1:32.5 (Andrew Loy). -SP

Could be a historic year for Ohio State. The question mark is how much we should project from Cameron Craig. Is he still the star 200 guy he was in Tempe? He might be trying to go shorter as he leaves the high-volume ASU program, and he's just not the same type of impact as a 50/100 guy. -JA

For years, OSU was a team that peaked at Big Tens. Last year they showed they can shift the focus to NCAAs. Can do they it again? And, what can we expect from Cameron Craig after a year out of completion? -RG
I think many of us underestimate this program. But, reminiscent of the Texas A&M women (and maybe to a higher degree), the Buckeye men develop talent very well out of recruits without huge names. Cameron Craig is a massive gain. -KO

#4: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (2019 NCAA FINISH: 13TH)
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they seemed to peak at Big Tens last season. The good news is their losses from last year to this year are minimal, and they have a promising freshmen class. Cam Peel could provide another elite sprint free leg that would go a long way to pull the free relays into point scoring territory. -SP

It doesn't feel like Michigan should be this high, but it's really murky after the top two or three. -RG

Freshmen Cam Peel and River Wright are already making waves, and the sprint power combined is a big up for Michigan. Charlie Swanson has high expectations to live up to. -KO

#3: NC STATE WOLFPACK (2019 NCAA FINISH: 4TH)
Everybody beyond the top two lost a ton of points and have major question marks. It kind of feels like no matter who we rank 3rd, they're going to feel too high. NC State is the only one who feels defensible as a 3rd-place pick for now, based on their track record, their incredible incoming class and the presence of Coleman Stewart. -JA

As their fans are fond of pointing out, NC State has done a great job of turning "diamonds in the rough" into top-notch NCAA scorers over the past five or six years. Now we finally get to see what Holloway & Co can do with a stellar recruiting class. -RG

#2: TEXAS LONGHORNS (2019 NCAA FINISH: 2ND)
Almost 30 swimmers and divers have realistic shots at making NCAAs, making this by far the deepest team (ever?) in college swimming. The question is can enough qualifiers score to regain the title from Cal? -RG

The top two are clearly the top two. Texas has a ton of talent coming in. Excited to see Drew Kibler and Daniel Krueger step up. The concern is that Texas really hasn't swum very well at NCAAs since maybe 2017. -JA

#1: CAL GOLDEN BEARS (2019 NCAA FINISH: 1ST)

It's always been my power ranking philosophy that the champs are the champs until we get strong evidence otherwise. The Texas transfer machine looks strong, but Cal returns so many scorers and so much sprint prowess. Hugo Gonzalez is a slight concern. He's projected to make a huge impact, but he didn't have a great gap year and might be more focused on long course. -JA

I almost feel like Andrew Seliskar's final NCAA perfomance got a little overlooked. So, let's take a moment and remember that he became the 4th-fastest ever in the 200 free (1:30.14), 2nd fastest ever in the 200 IM (1:38.14), 3rd-fastest ever in the 200 breast (1:48.70), and he split 44.32 on the 4MR fly leg and anchored Cal's free relays in 18.40/41.10. That's got to be one of the greatest NCAAs performances ever, and yet, so great is Cal's depth that they may not even miss a beat without him. -RG

--------

A Look at the Returning Scorers in the NCAA Division I Men's Swimming Landscape



--------

--------

No official report yet, but Bears won 187-74 v. University of the Pacific out east in Stockton this afternoon:

RESULTS (pdf)

--------

• UPDATES ->

Victory In Stockton

Bears Best Pacific, 187-74, In First Dual Meet

--------

ZHENG QUAH CLOCKS 1:34.9 200 FREE AS CAL SWEEPS PACIFIC



--------

DEFENDING CHAMPS STANFORD, CAL TOP PRESEASON CSCAA POLLS



MEN'S RANKINGS

RANK | TEAM | POINTS
1 | California | 323
2 | Texas | 314
3 | NC State | 299
4 | Virginia | 280
5 | Ohio State | 271
6 | Indiana | 254
7 | Florida | 246
8 | Michigan | 241
9 | Louisville | 216
10 | Stanford | 208
11 | Texas A&M | 193
12 | Notre Dame | 183
13 | Missouri | 158
14 | Arizona State | 149
15 | Georgia | 138
16 | Tennessee | 129
17 | Florida State | 116
18 | Arizona | 103
19 | Iowa | 83
20 | Alabama | 75
21 | Wisconsin | 64
22 | Virginia Tech | 58
23 | Southern California | 51
24 | Pittsburgh | 22
25 | Auburn | 13

Also Receiving Votes: Navy 11, Kentucky 8, Georgia Tech 6, Minnesota 5, Utah 3, Harvard 2, Purdue 2,William & Mary 1

Ranking the Best Men's NCAA Division I Swimmers From 1-25



Bears with 8 in top 25, Horns with 3 (Kibler, Katz, Rooney, and Harty an HM).

16. Reece Whitley, Sophomore, Cal
15. Zheng Quah, Senior, Cal
10. Trent Julian, Junior, Cal
9. Pawel Sendyk, Senior, Cal
7. Sean Grieshop, Junior, Cal
6. Daniel Carr, Junior, Cal
3. Ryan Hoffer, Junior, Cal
2. Hugo Gonzalez, Sophomore, Cal

Go Bears!

Anyone going to this one? Go Bears! (Beat Stanfurd!)

---------



Diving Back In

Cal Geared Up For Annual Triple Distance Meet, Trojan Diving Invitational

BERKELEY - California will compete for the first time in over a month when it welcomes rival Stanford to Spieker Aquatics Complex for the annual Triple Distance Meet on Friday afternoon.

Competition will start at 2 p.m. (PT). The Triple Distance Meet provides the unique opportunity to swim three distances of one stroke, with individuals racing at 50, 100 and 200 yards in each event. Distance freestylers will race the 200, 500 and 1,000 while IM specialists swim the 100, 200 and 400 IM. Both teams will also compete in a pair of relay events.

Meanwhile, freshman Nick Hart will represent the Bears' divers at the Trojan Diving Invitational on Friday through Sunday in Los Angeles. The three-day event marks Cal's first diving competition of the 2019-20 campaign.

----------

-------



Gaining Momentum

RESULTS -> https://calbears.com/documents/2019/11/8//2019_11_08_Triple_Distance_Meet_Results.pdf

-------

• UPDATES =>

WHITLEY GOES 52.9/1:53.4 AS CAL NEARLY SWEEPS TRIPLE DISTANCE MEET



-------

Reece Whitley Posts 1:53 200 Breast in Cal v. Stanford Triple Distance Duel



-------

swan said:

---

The meet was probably a 10 year low in terms of Stanford competitiveness; I believe the Cards won a single event during the entire meet with multiple 1-3 sweeps by the Bears.

---

Great stuff swan, cheers for the detailed report & insightful analysis!

Yes, LSJU touched first in just a single event out of 20, courtesy of the talented Shoults. Notably that dual-oriented event (1000 Free) is not raced @ the Pac-12 or NCAA Championships level...

swan said:

---

The Ugly.
The audio system was crap.

---

Has it ever been good?

Ditto thanks for the fantastic report.

2019-2020 NCAA MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING POWER RANKINGS: NOVEMBER EDITION

#20 NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (PREVIOUS RANK: N/A)
#19 ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (PREVIOUS RANK: #14)
#18 USC TROJANS (PREVIOUS RANK: #19)
#17 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (PREVIOUS RANK: #15)
#16 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #17)
#15 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (PREVIOUS RANK: N/A)
#14 GEORGIA BULLDOGS (PREVIOUS RANK: #13)
#13 MISSOURI TIGERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #18)
#12 ARIZONA WILDCATS (PREVIOUS RANK: #10)
#11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (PREVIOUS RANK: #12)

#10 STANFORD CARDINAL (PREVIOUS RANK: #7)
Jack Levant swam fly at the triple distance meet and struggled, including a 1:58 in the 200 fly. But, it's a long season, and he's still got time to get back on track and will need to for Stanford to move up the rankings. -BK

True Sweetser is redshirting that's new since our last round of ranks. Luckily, he doesn't impact their relays, but he was about as reliable a double-digit NCAA point-scorer as you could find, with top 12 mile finishes in every collegiate season. Jack LeVant hasn't looked like himself, and he's essential for a top 10 finish. -JA

#9 VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #11)

#8 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (PREVIOUS RANK: #6)

#7 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (PREVIOUS RANK: #5)

#6 FLORIDA GATORS (PREVIOUS RANK: #9)

#5 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (PREVIOUS RANK: #4)
The Wolverines are looking like they're going to have one of their best NCAAs in awhile. Freshman Cam Peel is ahead of my pre-season expectations. -KO
Was it only 7 years ago this team finished in the top three in all three free relays at NCAAs? The Wolverines are well-situated in breaststroke, IM, and distance, and that'll carry them far. But it'd be great if they could find a 4th sprint freestyler to complement Gus Borges, Cam Peel, and Miles Smachlo. James Jones is no longer on the roster, and it would've been neat to see him finally have a break-out season to end his NCAA career.

#4 INDIANA HOOSIERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #8)
There are probably four or five teams with legit shots at nabbing 3rd at NCAAs, and of those teams, I like what I've seen from the Hoosiers the best. They've got one of the more balanced teams, and Brendan Burns holding the 3rd-fastest time in the 200 fly so far this season looks promising. -RG
Senior Mohamed Samy is stepping up in a big way, with three swims already ranked in the top 3 nationally. #1 overall recruit Brendan Burns looks as good as advertised, and I'm much more confident about IU than I was in our last round of ranks. -JA

#3 NC STATE WOLFPACK (PREVIOUS RANK: #3)
Swimulator ranks don't really tell the full story, as quite a few of NC State's top dogs went to the Greensboro Pro Swim Series and put their focus on long course rather than college dual meets. Early on, I'm very impressed with Hunter Tapp, who is already in striking distance of his personal bests in the relay-distance freestyles. He's been 20.4/44.2/1:37.6 this season, and dropping from his 19.9/43.1/1:36.1 at mid-season would mean the world to some heavily rebuilding Wolfpack relays. -JA
I see the rest of the staff has put NC State 3rd, and in the immortal words of Michael Bluth, "I have no problem with that." But, NC State's success this looks to be heavily dependent on how well their highly-touted freshman class develops, especially the sprinters they'll need to reload the relays, and we'll see if they can pop a few big swims at the mid-season invite. -RG

#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS (PREVIOUS RANK: #2)
Honestly, it feels a little weird to see Texas swimming this fast this early in the season. In fact, our Swimulator database goes back to the 2011 season, and only twice were they ranked in the top three at this point in November. For now, we'll assume this bodes well for the Longhorns. -RG
Texas looks really deep in the free relays. Their lead in the current Swimulator (392.5 points to second-place Mizzou's 315.5) includes 17 different projected scoring swimmers. At least one of those guys is probably not going to NCAAs to make room for Texas's three returning NCAA scoring divers, but that's still a net points gain for the Longhorns. -JA

#1 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (PREVIOUS RANK: #1)
Zheng Quah is scary fast right now. Their sprinters have been on, Hugo Gonzalez bolsters their already impressive IM group, and Reece Whitley looks very dangerous. -KO
Cal, yet again, has all their bases covered (diving notwithstanding). Hugo Gonzalez looks poised to deliver for his new team after sitting out a full season. -SP
I've been moderately concerned about Hugo Gonzalez in the 400 IM. A 3:48 over the weekend at Triple Distance is pretty reassuring it ranks #2 among NCAA swimmers this season. A low-key name to watch: sophomore Chris Jhong. He was four tenths out of an NCAA invite in the 400 IM last year, and has already been three seconds faster (3:50.0 compared to 3:53.0) than he was last fall. -JA
It's been a quiet season thus far for Cal, but the results at the Triple Distance meet this past weekend were nearly enough to keep them at #1. I certainly am not going to argue if you prefer Cal ahead of Texas at this point. -RG

Fall Finale In Twin Cities

Bears To Face Top Competition At Minnesota Invitational

BERKELEY - California will conclude its 2019 fall competition slate against some of the nation's top swimming and diving programs at the Minnesota Invitational at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn. on Dec. 4-7.

Action begins at 4 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday with the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay races. On Thursday through Saturday, preliminaries will start at 8 a.m. (PT) while diving events are scheduled for 10 a.m. (PT). Event finals will start at 4 p.m. (PT) each day.

The many premier programs joining Cal in the Twin Cities include Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Harvard, Iowa and host Minnesota, among others. The Bears will remain in Minneapolis for a long-course time trial on Sunday morning following the four-day invitational.

MEET OUTLOOK

• Dates/Times: Dec. 4-7 | All Day
• Location: Minneapolis, Minn. | Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
• Live Results: CalBears.com
• Event Schedule: GopherSports.com
• Tickets: GopherSports.com

• Live Scoring
• Event Schedule

-------



-------

5 STORYLINES TO WATCH AT THE 2019 MINNESOTA INVITE



2019 MINNESOTA INVITATIONAL

• Wed. Dec. 4 Sun. Dec. 8, 2019
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center / University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN
• Wed. Timed finals 6 PM
• Thu.-Sat. Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM / Diving 12 Noon
• Short course yards (SCY) format Wed.-Sat. (LCM format Sunday)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream (days 2-4)
• Live results (page should update when meet begins)

It's the premier NCAA mid-season invite this week in Minneapolis, with the #1 Cal men and #2 Texas men highlighting a stellar Minnesota Invite.


#1 VS #2


On the men's side, the meet will feature the #1 team from last year's NCAA Championships, Cal, versus the #2 team, Texas. In fact, if we include Michigan, it will include the schools responsible for every NCAA men's team title this decade. Cal and Texas are the presumed favorites to fight for this year's title, so while neither the athletes, coaches, or loyal fans of both teams will acknowledge that a 'mid-season meet means anything,' there will undoubtedly be a heightened level of intensity in the races.

Look for the highlights to be the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle. Texas has a clear advantage in the 200 (where Drew Kibler and Florida transfer Maxime Rooney are among the nation's best), Cal has a clear advantage in the 50 (where Ryan Hoffer and Pawel Sendyk went 1-2 at NCAAs last year), but where they meet in the middle there should be fireworks. At NCAAs, Cal scored 24 points in that 100 free and Texas scored 25.

Also watch to see what Cal freshman diver Nick Hart does against the deep and traditional power of Texas diving, which has been an ace for them at the NCAA Championships for years. Hart dove at the World Junior Championships in 2016, and brings a new dimension to the Cal men's team.


SOPHOMORE BREASTSTROKE BATTLE: MAX MCHUGH VS REECE WHITLEY

Two of the best rookie breaststrokers in recent memory will go head-to-head this week as well. Minnesota's Max McHugh was 3rd at NCAAs in the 100 breast (50.30 in prelims) and Cal's Reece Whitley 4th (51.11), with the top two graduating. In the 200, McHugh was 2nd (1:49.41) and Whitley 5th (1:50.84), and they return as the 1st and 3rd swimmers into this season. McHugh has had a lighter fall after dealing with a gunshot wound over the summer, but both 19-year-olds were inside the top 3 nationally in both breaststrokes before mid-season invites began.


MILES SMACHLO'S BIG BREAKTHROUGH

After years of Michael Phelps' dominance in this event, there is now a big opportunity in the men's 200 fly heading toward the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. Zach Harting (6th at Worlds) and Justin Wright (18th at Worlds) were the United States' top 2 for the World Championships last summer, but neither was fast enough to really feel confident about a place in Tokyo. In an event that lacks the mega-star names among Americans of almost every other race, this is a spot where someone from outside the 'inner circle' could sneak up and steal a spot in Tokyo. Smachlo, a senior at Michigan, could very well be that guy after a long course 1:55.94 at US Nationals. But first-things-first, last year his best time in yards was a mid-season 1:41.84, which is a good swim but doesn't quite rise to the level of his long course times. He was also 3 seconds slower to place 35th at NCAAs. He'll be racing this year's NCAA favorite Zheng Quah of Cal, among others. Look for a short course statement swim.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

5 STORYLINES TO WATCH AT THE 2019 MINNESOTA INVITE

---

Texas, Cal to Clash in Minnesota Invite in Biggest Invitational of the Year: Nine Races You Will Not Want to Miss

Men's 500 Free
Key Players: Felix Aubck, Michigan (4:15.91); Ricardo Vargas, Michigan (4:15.90); Brooks Fail, Arizona (4:25.25); Sean Grieshop, Cal
Nation-Leading Time: 4:12.19, Mark Theall, Texas A&M

The 500 can be one of the most exciting races in any meet if it comes down to the finish. Race and strategy play a big part and this weekend's meet in Minnesota should be no different. The second, third, and fourth place finishers at NCAAs last year will be present at the Minnesota Invite, and none of those three are the early favorite to win this year. That distinction belongs to Michigan senior Felix Aubck, who had a disastrous 500 at NCAAs, falling out of the top 16 after coming in as the top seed.
Cal's Sean Grieshop (2nd), Arizona's Brooks Fail (3rd), and Michigan's Ricardo Vargas (4th) were all finalists at NCAAs last year and are the fastest returners coming into this year with the graduation of three-time champ Townley Haas. Aubck was a 4:09 at Big Ten's last year and was third at NCAAs in 2017 and second in 2018. He and Vargas have the top two times out of these schools this season with both of them putting up 4:15's at Michigan's intrasquad meet in October. It is safe to say that whoever comes out of this weekend's meet in this event will be the favorite for the NCAA title come March, and a nation-leading time is possible as well.

Men's 50 Free
Key Players: Ryan Hoffer, Cal (19.57); Daniel Krueger, Texas (19.72); Pawel Sendyk, Cal (19.75); Gus Borges, Michigan (19.77)
Nation-Leading Time: 19.10, Blaise Vera, Pittsburgh

Last year's defending NCAA champion Ryan Hoffer is one of just two defending champions that is returning this season to defend his title (the other being Michigan's Felix Aubck in the 1650). But Hoffer will have his hands full this weekend; not only with last year's runner-up and Cal teammate Pawel Sendyk, but Texas sophomore Daniel Krueger. Krueger has been on fire this fall for the Longhorns as he is experiencing a nice sophomore burst this season, something Hoffer had last season when he broke out to win his first title.
It is very possible that four guys will break 19 seconds this weekend, at the Minnesota Invite something no one has done this season. And it is very possible that Hoffer might not touch first. Of course, what happens this weekend will not necessarily mean much in terms of the big picture of this season (Hoffer was tied for 14th after mid-season last year), but like a football game, this will be Krueger's first test to see if he is for real in terms of vying for a national title.

Men's 400 IM
Key Players: Charlie Swanson, Michigan (3:45.77); Hugo Gonzalez, Cal (3:48.90); Jake Foster, Texas (3:49.31); Sean Grieshop, Cal (3:54.39)
Nation-Leading Time: 3:42.14, Clayton Forde, Georgia

The men's 400 IM is one of the wide open events this season with two-time defending champion Abrahm DeVine graduating. Cal's Sean Grieshop was second last season at NCAAs but has been a little off this season, only registering a 3:54 at Cal's triple distance meet. That doesn't necessarily mean Grieshop is out of shape per-se but he will be in a stacked race with this summer's breakout star Charlie Swanson of Michigan.
At the Pan American Games in August, Swanson won the 400 IM with a 4:11, which would have won him a medal at the World Championships and put him fourth in the world. And yet, nobody seems to be talking about him. Swanson has quietly become a favorite to make it to Tokyo next summer and we will see what he has for an encore in short course this weekend when he lines up alongside Cal's Hugo Gonzalez and Texas super freshman Jake Foster.
Gonzalez is in his first season at Cal after taking last year off and transferring from Auburn where he was a 3:35 in 2018. If he is anywhere close to his 2018 status, then he will be tough to beat. We just have not seen that from Gonzalez yet this season. Foster has been a 3:49 this year and a 4:15 this summer. He may be a year away in terms of a contender in the NCAA title race, but he will definitely be a factor this weekend against some of the nation's best.

Men's 200 Back
Key Players: Austin Katz, Texas (1:43.27); Ryan Harty, Texas (1:43.48); Bryce Mefford, Cal (1:44.68); Daniel Carr, Cal (1:45.73)
Nation-Leading Time: 1:38.21, Shaine Casas, Texas A&M

Three of last year's NCAA A-Finalists return to the Minnesota Invite this weekend, led by Texas junior Austin Katz, who was two seconds faster than Cal's Bryce Mefford and Daniel Carr in last year's A-Final. Katz looks to be the heavy favorite this weekend after he won the World University Games and was fifth in this summer's World University Games. However, he will match up with Pan American Games gold medalist Daniel Carr of Cal. Although he was a 1:58 in Lima compared to Katz's 1:55 in Naples, the two juniors will certainly be a race to watch this weekend.
Texas A&M's Shaine Casas put up a 1:38 at the Art Adamson Invite and that will be in the back of these guy's minds as they race against each other this weekend. Not to be counted out is Texas senior Ryan Harty, who has also been a 1:43 in a dual meet this season along with Katz. Harty was the B-Final champ at NCAAs last season with a 1:39 and will definitely be a big piece for Texas this season in chasing a national title.

Men's 200 Breast
Key Players: Reece Whitley, Cal (1:53.49); Tommy Cope, Michigan (1:54.82); Max McHugh, Minnesota (1:56.41); Charlie Swanson, Michigan (1:57.05); Caspar Corbeau, Texas (1:57.65)
Nation-Leading Time: 1:52.48, Andres Puente Bustamante, Texas A&M

Cal sophomore Reece Whitley has been on fire this season. After winning his first national title over the summer, Whitley swum a 1:53.49 in the 200 breast at the Cal triple distance meet with Stanford. To put that into perspective into how fast it was, he currently sits fourth in Division I behind three swims from November invites and Whitley wasn't even suited! He was a 1:50.8 at NCAAs for fifth last year but was a 1:55 at the same triple distance meet last season and was a 1:52 at the Georgia Invite. Whitley is already well ahead of where he was last season and the rest of the nation will certainly be taking notice when he lines up behind the blocks in Minnesota.
But Whitley might not be all by himself in the 200 like we keep hyping up. Minnesota sophomore Max McHugh was the NCAA runner-up last season with a 1:49.4 and will be swimming in his home pool this weekend. McHugh and Whitley are the two best high school breaststrokers all-time based on times, and will be matching up this weekend. McHugh might be better at the 100, but has an equally impressive 200 as he beat Whitley last March in Austin. And McHugh is ahead of where he was last season as well with his 1:58 in-season best from last fall and 1:56 this year. It should be a quick race and who knows a sub-1:50 might even be possible?
Not to be counted out is Texas freshman Caspar Corbeau. The 6'6 freshman has been hyped up by Eddie Reese as the "best breaststroker in the world" who just does not have the build to compete with the best in the globe. He has been a 1:57 in a duel this season and will have a chance to showcase his talent against two of the best guys in the nation in Whitley and McHugh.

--------



Strong Start In Minneapolis

Cal Kicks Off Minnesota Invitational With 200 Medley Relay Win

Day 1 Results (PDF)

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - California got off to a successful start in its trip to the North Star State by winning the 200-yard medley relay on the opening night of the Minnesota Invitational at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on Wednesday.

The quartet of Daniel Carr, Reece Whitley, Pawel Sendyk and Ryan Hoffer captured the 200 medley relay in 1:23.12, edging rival Texas by 0.41 seconds for the 40-point victory. The time of 1:23.12 cleared the NCAA "A" qualifying standard and was good for a tie of the ninth-fastest 200 medley relay in school history.

Bryce Mefford, Jacques Laeuffer, Michael Jensen and Nate Biondi combined to be Cal's second-fastest group in the 200 medley relay, taking seventh place with a time of 1:26.47.

Cal later took fourth and 30 points in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 6:18.51. The Bears led by Trenton Julian, Jensen, Mefford and Carr placed behind a pair of Texas squads (first, third) and a Michigan quartet that took runner-up. Two other Cal groups swam the 800 free relay, highlighted by Sean Grieshop, Colby Mefford, Chris Jhong and Whitley finishing sixth (6:21.96).

Through two events, Cal sits in second place with 132 points, trailing only Texas (172). Full relay results can be found here.

--------

Cal, Texas Swim to Fastest 200 Medley Relay Times in NCAA at Minnesota Invitational



Men's 200 Medley Relay


Three teams finished within about a half second apart in the men's 200 medley relay.

Cal touched first in 1:23.12, followed closely by Texas (1:23.53) and Texas "B" relay in 1:23.69 as Michigan took fourth in 1:24.24. The top three times are the top three times in the NCAA this year so far.

Cal started with Daniel Carr on the backstroke leg (21.53) before Reece Whitley dove in for the breaststroke leg in 23.29. Pawel Sendyk went a 19.95 in the butterfly leg and Ryan Hoffer anchored in 18.35.

The Longhorns were just behind with Chris Staka (21.14), Charlie Scheinfeld (23.59), Alvin Jiang (20.23) and Daniel Krueger (18.57) taking second and the second Longhorns relay of Ryan Harty (21.30), Caspar Corbeau (23.23), Maxime Rooney (19.86) and Luke Bowman (19.30) finishing third.

The Wolverines had Eric Storms (21.91), Will Chan (23.62), Miles Smachlo (20.30) and Gus Borges (18.41).

--------

A notable absence is that of Hugo Gonzalez, as he's not listed on the entries list for the 2019 Minnesota Invite and Euro SC Champs...

Meanwhile, out east in the Philippines, Quah tearing up a couple of SEA Games + National records on Day 1, qualifying for Tokyo in the process.

--------

Four SEA Games records for Quah siblings, four golds for Singapore on day one of competition

Jing Wen's older brother Quah Zheng Wen also cracked the SEA Games record when he posted a blistering 53.79 for the 100m backstroke, qualifying for next year's Olympics in the process.

It was also a national record for Zheng Wen.

"It's definitely been a long road, the 100m back is just a testament to how hard I've been working," he said.
"It's nice to get it out of the way knowing that I've qualified but there's still definitely a lot more of the meet left and I'm just looking forward to building on that momentum and gaining confidence."



Zheng Wen, Joseph Schooling, Jonathan Tan and Darren Chua rounded off an excellent night for Singapore as they led from start to finish to win gold in the 4x200 freestyle relay.

The timing of 7:17.88 was a new Games record.



--------

FAIL AND WEITZEIL BLAST NATION-LEADING TIMES IN MINNESOTA INVITE DAY 2 PRELIMS

The men's side was a bit faster, as all 8 men who qualified for tonight's A-final finished under the 4:16.04 it took to get an invite last season. Arizona's Brooks Fail led the way with a 4:12.17 that narrowly passes Mark Theall's 4:12.19 as the top time so far this season.
Texas sophomore Drew Kibler qualified 2nd after blasting a 4:13.43 that's a new lifetime best almost exactly a second. That time would've qualified for the A-final at last year's NCAA championships, but it's questionable whether or not Kibler swim it, as he was on the verge of making the NCAA A-final in the 50 free last season, and is also an integral part of the Longhorns' 200 free relay. Kibler will be one of four Longhorns in the A-final. That group includes Sam Pomajevich, whose time of 4:15.67 may have punched his NCAA ticket. He was a surprise NCAA A-finalist in this event as a freshman, but barely qualified for the meet last season, and a return to point-scoring form could be big for 'Horns.
Patrick Callan (4:14.71), Alex Zettle (4:14.76), Felix Auboeck (4:15.04), Trenton Julian (4:15.78), and JohnThomas Larson (4:15.94) all were under last year's qualifying time as well.

-
The Longhorn men swept the top three spots in the 200 IM, with veteran Ryan Harty leading the way with a 1:43.05, not too far off his lifetime best of 1:42.87. Freshman Jake Foster qualified 2nd, setting a new personal best by nearly half a second with a time of 1:43.51. A third Longhorn, Matthew Willenbring, was also under last year's NCAA qualifying time of 1:43.82.

-
A Golden Bear qualified first in the 50 free on the men's side as well, as Ryan Hoffer put up a 19.13. That's just off the 19.10 done by Pitt's Blaise Vera last month, a mark tied by JuCo Iowa Centra's Billy Cruz as well. Michigan's Gus Borges (19.31) and Texas's Maxime Rooney (19.38) almost perfectly bracketed last year's NCAA invite time of 19.35. That's a lifetime best of 0.05s for Rooney, and teammate and fellow recent transfer Alvin Jiang knocked almost half a second off his lifetime best to qualify 4th in 19.48.

--------
Strong prelims performances on the women's side. A little worried about the men this morning, to be honest, but it is early in the meet. Guess we'll see what happens.

4:11 from Kibler to win the 500. Jeez.