This past weekend saw many of the fastest times EVER swum outside of a championship meet (and a couple times that were just the fastest ever, period). Between the Stanford/ASU and Cal/ASU duals on the men’s side and the UVA/NC State/UNC Triple Dual on the women’s side, they made for an insanely fast January weekend.
So here’s some food for thought:
- Who will have the better NCAAs: Leon Marchand or Gretchen Walsh?
- Are the ASU men still the favorite to win the NCAA Championships?
- Should NCAA swim meets be allowed to end in a tie?
Blaming a loss (or a tie) on the diving in a swimming and diving meet can seem to be severly missing the point, even whiny, in a team event. But as the point of these meets it to move forward in preparation for Conference and NCAA Championships, it is relevant to discuss in a forward-looking sense.
Cal crushed ASU in the Dive events: 1,2,3 and 1,2,4 in the 3M and 1M, respectively, which scores out to a 31-7, or 24 point Cal advantage, meaning that to reach the tie, in the swim events ASU outscored Cal by 24.
If we were talking about ASU against some other program where the divers contribute a similar relative amount per event at… Read more »
Have the coaches come together and pick an evemt. Probably a relay. Then the other team would pick the swimmers for their oponents. This may give some of the lower scoring individuals some exposure and recognition
Needing an outright winner for every sporting competition is an American thing. The majority of the sporting world is perfectly OK with ties. I think ties are pretty cool – when you see swimmers tie for first there’s always some kind of extra good reaction from the crowd. The total meet score tie is more rare but no less cool. There’s always the post season to settle the score. Besides, we all know dual meet won/loss record means nothing in swimming, so ties are perfectly acceptable.
The better question is whether a tie for first place team at NCAAs should be allowed…Don’t think it has happened yet but it’s just a matter of time. In track and field it’s allowed,… Read more »
Agree with Coleman on the Cal/ASU tie, it builds the story for NCAAs. To want a winner isn’t very zen, particularly for a dual meet.
Well I mean… I know I’ve said before that a tie was the perfect ending for this dual meet (and I stand by that), but it was only a tie because of diving. And Cal won’t get many diving points at NCAA’s.
They can score on 3M but that’s kinda it. And that’s 10 points tops
They literally had a freshman score on platform last year lol
my fault i don’t really follow diving. I do remember a Cal diver scored and Cal fans were ecstatic because I guess getting 6 1.00 power index guys every year isn’t enough.
I could see Gretchen get four NCAA records at the championships: 50,100 frees, 100 fly and 100 back leadoff. That would be a story.
I think Coughlin broke 4 NCAA records during 1 NCAA meet. Both backs, 1 fly, and lead off 4 FRR. I wonder if anyone else has broken more than 4 individual NCAA records in 1 meet.
The only way is to use a relay lead off but you can’t swim that event individually. That means you just have incredible versatility.
she technically broke 5 individual records – in addition to those 4, her 50.57 leadoff on the 4×100 medley was also an NCAA/US Open record since it came before her individual swim where she went 49.97.
Caeleb Dressel most likely could’ve done it between the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM/100 breast (or maybe even both)
Nothing would surprise us if Caeleb could’ve been under 1:30 in the 2free. Out in 42.00 and back in 47.00 seems possible for a 39.9/1:38 1free/2IM guy. Assuming this is at his final NCAAs, he would’ve done this before Haas was the first under 1:30. Haas did it in the final two days later.
Hass was not the first under 1:30 Blake Peroni was under 1:30 as the lead off on the 800 free relay.
that would’ve been cool – 50/100/200 free from the relays, 100 fly/200 IM/100 breast from individual would really have been the undisputed #1 NCAA performance ever
Kelly Kremer broke 6 at D3s.
Whooppee. Really nice for Kelly in the small pool, but does that really mean squat in a discussion of elite athlete performances? (“Fastest Weekend Ever”)
So those were the best weekend of dual meets for women ever?!? I don’t think so!
Half the meets included Arizona and they are pretty sad/slow! Click bait?
Your knowledge of dual meets only goes back so far admittedly and only during the era of streaming and social media. There were some very exciting and FAST meets across the country many, many times in the last 50 years. You mention no other meets but Cal and ASU men!? Does that mean no other good meets were held this weekend?
IU/Michigan men during the 60-70-80s! Auburn/Georgia women during the 2000s had some barn burners! Michigan/Stanford men had some classics too in 1990s! Cal/Stanford men and women is usually very… Read more »
would be interested to hear/read about some of that history as it was before i started following the sport
Cal/Stanford/ASU Men clocked many of the fastest times ever gone in Dual meets. Gretchen clocked some of the fastest times ever in any meet. That’s what the headline refers to and that’s what we discuss.
Didn’t say the best or most exciting. Just said the fastest.
Well stated, Coleman. I participated in 5 of those IU/Michigan meets Diehard references from the 60s/70s/80s. The ones I swam in were all blow-outs and no where near as fast (under any definition) or as exciting of the meets this last weekend.
They were nothing compared to the ASU/Cal/and even Stanford meets this past weekend. They may have occasionally been more exciting, down to the last relay sorts of meets, but definitely NOT faster. The differential between those older dual meet swims and their NCAA marks those same years was substantially wider than these recent meets.
ASU (Suit up!) has helped create more interest during the season, even while continuing to workout hard, and they will continue to get… Read more »