Cal Earns NCAA Title With Convincing Victory In The Pool
AUSTIN, Texas – Building momentum through each day of the NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships, California completed a stirring victory Saturday night and captured the 2019 national title for the sixth time in school history. Senior Andrew Seliskar led the Golden Bears to the top by earning his third individual crown of the meet with a school-record performance in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Cal accumulated 560 points and posted an 85-point margin over runner-up Texas to claim the fourth championship for head coach David Durden and first since 2014. The Bears had finished second to the Longhorns each of the last four years.
This time, Cal took a lead in the team standings Thursday night and didn't let go, increasing its advantage each succeeding day. The Bears' point total and margin of victory were both the most in their history.
On Saturday, Cal showcased its depth by placing two Golden Bears among the top eight in every swimming event – 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 fly. The Bears also finished third in the closing 400 free relay.
Seliskar, who had to wait until this week to win his first individual NCAA title, is coming home with three from the weekend – becoming the first Golden Bear with three victories in one NCAA meet since Matt Biondi in 1987 (50, 100, 200 free). As a result, he was named the CSCAA Swimmer of the Year. Durden, for his part, was named the CSCAA Coach of the Year.
Seliskar claimed the 200 individual medley Thursday and the 200 free Friday before his impressive showing in the 200 breast Saturday. He surged ahead over the final 100 yards and came home in 1:48.70, breaking Josh Prenot's Cal mark of 1:49.38 from the 2016 season.
In addition to Seliskar, freshman Reece Whitley was fifth in the 200 breast in 1:50.84, while Carson Sand, after a two-second PR in the morning qualifying, took 16th in 1:53.90.
The 1650 free started the evening session, and the Bears added big points toward their team total. Nick Norman repeated his third-place showing from a year ago, finishing in 14:32.12, while Sean Grieshop posted a seven-second personal best and touched fourth in 14:35.82.
In the 200 back, Cal earned two of the top five results. Bryce Mefford moved up in his final 25 yards and captured third in 1:38.65, and Daniel Carr took fifth in 1:39.33
Ryan Hoffer and Pawel Sendyk swam matching 41.76 100 freestyles in the morning, both personal bests. In the final Hoffer was sixth in 41.82 and Sendyk eighth in 42.06.
The 200 fly saw three Bears finish among the top 10. Zheng Wen Quah came through in third place in 1:39.68, with Trenton Julian sixth in 1:40.94 and Mike Thomas 10th overall in 1:41.15.
Appropriately, Cal closed out the meet with a school record in the 400 free relay, as Michael Jensen, Sendyk, Hoffer and Seliskar reached the wall in 2:26.41.
Cal completed the championships with five NCAA event titles. In addition to the three by Seliskar, Hoffer captured the 50 free and the Bears won the 200 free relay featuring Sendyk, Hoffer, Michael Jensen and Seliskar.
As a team, Cal's six national titles have come in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019 under Durden and in 1979 and 1980 under head coach Nort Thornton. The Bears have placed among the top 2 at the NCAA meet each of the past 10 years.