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Japanese breaststroker Yamato Okadome has announced his intention to swim and study at the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in the 2024-25 school year. He wrote on social media:
“I’m very excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at UC Berkeley!! I’m so thankful for this opportunity and for my parents, coaches, friends and mentors who have helped me along the way. Go bears 🐻🐻”
Okadome represented Japan at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Honolulu, where he won two silver medals and three bronze medals. In individual competition, he was runner-up in the 100 breast (1:01.35) and 200 breast (2:12.19), edging future Cal classmate Nick Mahabir of Singapore in both events. Okadome also participated in three relays, swimming legs on the boys’ 4×100 free (49.80) and 4×100 medley (1:01.31 breast) and the mixed 4×100 medley (59.99 breast).
The 2023 NCAA-champion Golden Bears are putting together a stellar class of 2028, with verbal commitment so far from South Africa’s Pieter Coetze, #5 Lucca Battaglini, #7 Carter Lancaster, August Vetsch, Nick Mahabir, Thackston McMullan, Edward Huang, Freddy Klein, and Matthew Elliott.
Best LCM times:
- 100 breast – 1:00.70 (52.88)
- 200 breast – 2:12.19 (1:55.48)
Often thought of as a backstroke mecca, Cal went 1-2-3-6-7 in the 100 breast with Reece Whitley, Matthew Jensen, Liam Bell, Luke Rodarte, and Jacob Soderlund at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships. Whitney, Jason Louser, and Soderlund were also A finalists in the 200 breast.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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His short course meters breaststroke is insanely fast as well, 58 low and 2:05 high im pretty sure…
1:00.7 is a little better than 58 low but not shocking considering the general build of Japanese breaststrokers. For comparison Reece was 57.0 in the fall and the last 2 times he swam LC before they were 1:01.9 and 1:00.5 in summer of 2021.
That’s a dope commitment pic!
おめでとう!
So, are Coetze and Masiuk both deferring until after the 2024 Games?
I hate the way classes are never defined consistently, but a 2024 commit is a Fall of 2024 start, which is after the olympics.
Looks like his freestyle is good too, splitting 49 at those Junior Pan Pacs.
Does anyone know if Liam Bell (& Louser for that matter) is going to take a 5th?
They probably don’t want to but knowing cal and their system, they’ll come crying back for both to ring chase
Hard to decline a 100% womens soccer scholarship😰
When was the last Japanese native competing in the NCAA? Seems uncommon given that Japan has a scene for college swimming.
Saori Hariguchi?
SOKA has Saki Naito, just based from roster Alex Hotta (Virginia) at least has lived there…. College of San Mateo has one etc…..
UVA had a freshman this past year from Japan, Alex Hotta: https://virginiasports.com/sports/swimming/roster/season/2022-23/player/narutaka-hotta/
Josh Brown, senior at Princeton
There were a few who swam for Michigan about a decade ago. Think they went to an international school in Japan, Ryutaro Kamiya, Miguel Ortiz, and his brother.. Think Ortiz represented Spain internationally, though.
Brown, Kamiya, Ortiz Brothers, Shane Brett (Columbia), Mokhtar and Hotta all went to the same international school in Tokyo.
Christian Brown Stanford class of 2016 also trained at the same intl school I believe
Shogo Moridaira of UCSB
Roll on you Bears.
5 straight NCAA champions?
Fraud rings
texas fan or just a cal hater?
Andrew hates most programs that aren’t his own. I won’t tell you which program is his, but it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out if you looked back through his comments.
how can you not say they are fraud rings?
2022 trenton Julian was the difference who was on the safesport database for the WHOLE season. Also, lord knows how they got Liam Bell to transfer
this year, they had to beg Hugo to come back for the last 2 months of the season and have Marsh commit some auburn-esque recruiting violations to grab Henveaux with 2 MONTHS LEFT IN THE SEASON
Cal gets away with way too much
I think he’s an Indiana fan who doesn’t hate Texas as much as he does most other NCAA teams
I’m not sure, heres a comment from the two egyptians suspended article.
“This is what swimming for Indiana does to you. Especially during the tumultuous era of coaching turnovers with Cory, Coley, and Jonty”
nevermind, just saw his comment under the Ksawery article…
That’s just a Guerra comment I have saved. By no means am I a fan of Indiana diving and swimming
By NO means.
goodness, this is potentially going to be an all-time great class. absolutely stacked.