We’re Going Streaking! How Cal Has Put In combination a Impressive Run at NCAA Championships
Within the first of a sequence that may focal point on streaks within the game of swimming, Swimming International takes a have a look at the run by means of the Cal males on the NCAA Championships. Since 2010, the Golden Bears have both received or completed as runnerup on the greatest meet of the varsity season.
For the 1st 12 seasons {that a} crew name used to be awarded in NCAA Department I swimming and diving, the College of Michigan positioned first or moment. For the reason that conclusion of that streak in 1948, no different crew used to be in a position to document that many consecutive top-two finishes, at the same time as Ohio State, Yale, Indiana, Stanford and Texas all had their very own stretches of dominance. USC got here the nearest, completing first or moment in 16 of 18 meets held between 1960 and 1977.
Cal head trainer Dave Durden — Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The crew to after all surpass Michigan’s streak could be California, which has earned the first-place or second-place trophy at 14 consecutive NCAA Championships, and the quantity unquestionably would were 15 if now not for the cancellation of the 2020 nationwide meet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head trainer Dave Durden took over this system upfront of the 2007-2008 season, and in 12 months 3, he had his crew completing moment within the nation, simply 30.5 issues at the back of Texas. The following 12 months, Cal received the 1st of its six nationwide titles underneath Durden’s management.
The Golden Bears have sustained their dominance over the past decade-and-a-half by means of discovering luck throughout just about each and every tournament in the future or every other whilst generating one of the most perfect swimmers in the US. All over that inaugural runnerup season in 2010, Cal captured 3 person titles, all in 100-meter occasions: freshman Tom Shields in butterfly, Damir Dugonjic in breaststroke and Nathan Adrian in freestyle. Previous to that meet, Cal had now not received a relay nationwide name in a decade, nevertheless it received all 4 dash relays on that instance. Cal has all the time gained key contributions from world swimmers, and the 2010 crew set that pattern with Man Barnea, Martii Aljand and Martin Liivamagi all recording top-three finishes.
The following 12 months, the Bears would pass directly to earn their first nationwide name because the Nineteen Seventies as Adrian concluded his sensational collegiate run whilst Shields, who started his faculty occupation perfect recognized for his skills within the 200 loose earlier than his freshman butterfly luck, added a marvel nationwide name within the 100 backstroke. Shields would end his occupation with six person NCAA wins. In 2012, Marcin Tarczynski (200 IM) and Will Hamilton (200 fly) turned into marvel nationwide winners as Cal repeated atop the nationwide standings.
Cal backstroke nice Ryan Murphy — Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Indisputably essentially the most a success person swimmer right through this run has been Ryan Murphy, who received 4 consecutive nationwide titles in each backstroke occasions whilst additionally spearheading 3 medley relay nationwide wins right through his time in Berkeley. Murphy, in fact, would grow to be probably the most global’s elite backstrokers for the simpler a part of a decade, however Cal’s standing as “backstroke U” advanced because of the run of Golden Endure swimmers who joined him in excelling each nationally and across the world.
In Murphy’s 3 Olympic appearances, his fellow U.S. consultant within the 200-meter again has been a Cal coaching spouse each and every time: Jacob Pebley in 2016, Bryce Mefford in 2021 and Keaton Jones in 2024. Daniel Carr additionally received Pac-12 titles in backstroke, and maximum just lately, Destin Lasco turned into a three-time nationwide champion within the 200 again, breaking Murphy’s American and NCAA information within the tournament in 2024. Lasco has additionally accompanied Murphy to world waters within the 200-meter again, doing so on the 2023 International Championships.
All over Josh Prenot’s Cal occupation, he received Pac-12 titles within the 400 IM and one nationwide name, however his biggest luck got here within the 200-meter breaststroke, when he broke the American document in a win on the 2016 Olympic Trials earlier than taking Olympic silver in Rio. Andrew Seliskar wracked up second-place finishes on the nationwide degree earlier than a swimmer-of-the-meet efficiency in 2019, when he received titles within the 200 IM, 200 loose and 200 breast. Ryan Hoffer is the one swimmer since Adrian to win dash nationwide titles, taking 3 other occasions in 2021.
All over Durden’s tenure as head trainer, Cal has captured nationwide titles in each and every swimming tournament with the exception of the five hundred and 1650 freestyle. The 400 IM used to be the latest person tournament to get a Cal winner when Hugo Gonzalez swam the quickest time ever for the win in 2022 (in a race that will be the handiest person defeat for Leon Marchand on the collegiate degree). Cal may just now not stay tempo with Arizona State on the 2024 NCAA Championships, however the Golden Bears did win the 800 loose relay for handiest the 3rd time ever and primary since 1986, with Gabriel Jett, Lasco, Jack Alexy and Robin Hanson combining for the quickest time in historical past.
Cal fifth-year swimmer Destin Lasco — Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Cal’s 3 person titles final season got here from Lasco within the 200 IM and 200 again plus Liam Bell within the 100 breast. Whilst Bell is long past, the Bears have an enormous contingent of senior and fifth-year swimmers returning to check out to reclaim the nationwide crown from the Solar Devils. That workforce is led by means of Lasco and Alexy, who led off the U.S. males’s gold-medal-winning 400 loose relay in Paris and has captured a couple of International Championship medals within the dash occasions. Dare Rose has additionally captured world degree medals in butterfly, and nationwide top-three finishers Jett and Bjorn Seeliger also are of their final 12 months.
Moreover, this 12 months’s Cal crew has an underclass roster together with Jones, who completed 5th in an Olympic ultimate previous to his sophomore season, and freshman breaststroker Yamato Okadome. Lucas Henveaux and Mewen Tomac joined the crew at midseason to offer further scoring punch for the run at top-two end No. 15 and doubtlessly name No. 7. Cal has already made a commentary by means of taking pictures an ACC name in its first 12 months within the convention.
Believe the time that has handed right through Cal’s run. Assistant coaches Greg Meehan, Yuri Sugiyama, Chase Kreitler and Matt Bowe have all contributed to title-winning groups earlier than departing to grow to be a success head coaches somewhere else. The days that Cal swimmers posted to complete 3rd within the country 15 years in the past would not earn invitation to the nationwide meet: Liivamagi 1:43.05 within the 200 IM, Aljand 52.32 within the 100 breaststroke, Barnea 46.23 within the 100 backstroke.
What has stayed the similar is Durden and the observe document of unveiling as much as carry out on the NCAA Championships. Later this month, be expecting every other top-two outcome, with a countrywide name smartly throughout the Bears’ clutch.
