The University of California Golden Bears have won their first NCAA Championship title since 2012, taking down both Georgia and Stanford to win with 513 points.
Cal was absolutely dominant throughout the competition grabbing a total of four individual NCAA titles and taking gold in the 4×200 free and 200 medley relays. Missy Franklin was a huge part of the effort, taking home three individual NCAA titles as well as an American record in the 200 free where she became the first woman ever to break 1:40. Franklin was also just shy of the American record in the 200 IM and the 200 back.
Rachel Bootsma took home a title in the 100 back clocking in at 50.03 for the third fastest 100 back of all time. That swim re-established herself as one of the best backstrokers in the nation.
Cal, led by head coach Teri McKeever, is one of the top teams in the country and boasts both stars and overall depth. Cal showed absolute perseverance in their determination to establish themselves as the top team in the NCAA, and every swimmer on their roster helped to make the dream come true. Here is the full roster as it appears on the Cal athletic site:
| Swimmer | Class |
| Rachael Acker | Jr |
| Kaylin Bing | Sr |
| Rachel Bootsma | Jr |
| Sara-Lina Boushakra | Jr |
| Catherine Breed | Sr |
| Camille Cheng | Sr |
| Missy Franklin | So |
| Marina Garcia | So |
| Eva Greene | Sr |
| Alicia Grima | Jr |
| Anne Kastler | Jr |
| Melanie Klaren | Sr |
| Yvette Kong | Sr |
| Catherine Ladd | Fr |
| Celina Li | So |
| Jasmine Mau | Fr |
| Taylor Nanfria | Sr |
| Kelly Naze | Jr |
| Farida Osman | So |
| Elizabeth Pelton | Jr |
| Caroline Piehl | Sr |
| Maija Roses | Fr |
| Cierra Runge | Fr |
| Eleanor Smart | So |
| Hayden Tavoda | So |
| Noemie Thomas | Fr |
| Kristen Vredeveld | So |
WOW. Great way to send Missy Franklin off..
Congrats to Cal!
So happy for Missy and the Cal team!
What a meet!
I am so glad that Missy won NCAA as part of CAL Bears after sacrificing millions of dollars in the past two years. Timing was perfect for Missy to take two years of amateur swimming before turning pro.
Now she can focus on swimming LCM, winning worlds and olympics medals and turning that million watts smile into millions dollars cash (in addition to completing her college degree, in case anyone starts to make some side argument).
WHAT A MEET! Congrats to the Cal Golden Bears. I’m such a proud and happy fan. I love this team and wish the graduating seniors + Missy the best of luck! GO BEARS!!!!!
Congratulations to the Cal Bears!
Great win for the Bears. Terrific to see Missy win a National Championship! Go Bears!
The formatting didn’t turn out like I wanted, but the information is still there, even if it’s hard to read.
I did some comparisons of the 2014 winners and winning times versus the 2015 winners and winning times. In 7 of the 13 individual events, the 2014 champion has graduated. Of the 6 events where a returning champ swam the event, only Missy Franklin in the 200 free repeated as the winner. In 9 of the 13 individual events, the 2015 winning time is faster than the 2014 winning time. In 3 of the 4 events where the 2015 time is slower than the 2014 time, breaststroke was involved (100 breast, 200 breast, 400 IM). This is interesting data and shows how quickly the sport is advancing.
Comparison of 2014 and 2015 Winners and Winning Times
Event 2014 Champ… Read more »
Great summary!