2022 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 23 – Saturday, March 26, 2022
- McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Pre-Selection Psych Sheets
Cal redshirt-senior Hugo Gonzalez has elected to stay with his Pac-12 event lineup for NCAAs later this month. The 23-year-old will be competing in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 breast in Atlanta, and is suddenly a title threat in all 3.
Gonzalez is the #12 seed in the 200 IM (1:42.04), #3 in the 400 IM (3:36.54), and #5 in the 200 breast (1:50.57). It’s the same lineup the Spanish Olympian swam at last year’s NCAAs. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, Gonzalez took 2nd in the 200 IM (1:39.99) and 3rd in the 200 breast (1:51.20). He also swam a 3:36.73 to win the B final of the 400 IM, a time which would have been fast enough to win the NCAA title, had he swum fast enough in prelims to qualify for the A final.
Is Hugo Gonzalez really a title contender in all three events? Well, yes. He sort of flies under the radar at times, but make no mistake, Gonzalez is one of the premier swimmers currently in the NCAA. He’s a historically fast NCAA swimmer, who has also been very consistent throughout his collegiate career.
Of course, it goes without saying that Gonzalez will have his hands full in the IMs with ASU’s Leon Marchand and Texas’ Carson Foster also in the mix. The 200 breast is also a very tough field this year, featuring Cal teammate Reece Whitley, Minnesota’s Max McHugh, Penn’s Matthew Fallon, and Leon Marchand, all of whom are top 10 swimmers all-time in the event.
Here are Gonzalez’s personal bests in his NCAA events:
- 200 IM – 1:39.99 (#9 performer all-time)
- 400 IM – 3:35.76 (#5 performer all-time)
- 200 breast – 1:50.57 (#12 performer all-time)
It’s interesting that Gonzalez has been excelling most in backstroke, particularly the 100 back, in his LCM swimming, but the 200 breast seems to be where he’s improving the most in SCY racing. Competing for his home country of Spain this past summer, Gonzalez took 6th in the 100 back at the Tokyo Olympics, swimming a new personal best of 52.76.
“He’s a historically fast NCAA swimmer, who has also been very consistent throughout his collegiate career.”
Historically fast except for his freshmen NCAAs at auburn.
Hugo can do it all! In addition to his well documented success in IM, back, and breast, he has also put up great splits on free relays and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him used as the fly leg on the 400 medley relay this year.