By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

CALIFORNIA VS. UTAH

• Results
• Hosted by Utah
• Saturday, October 14th
• 25 Yards
• Dual Meet Format

FINAL TEAM SCORES

• CAL: 188.5
• UTAH: 111.5

After half the team stayed back to earn a dual meet victory against Pacific on Friday, the California men finished off a winning weekend with a dual meet victory over Utah. The Bears were dominant, picking up 188.5 points to Utah’s 111.5.

Much of the pre-season conversation about Cal’s Andrew Seliskar has been whether he will keep the 200 fly on his NCAA schedule or swap it out for the 200 breast. He swam and won both of those races Saturday against the Utes. Seliskar was the only man to break 1:50 in the 200 fly, breaking ahead of the field to win in 1:49.21. In the 200 breast, he once again finished over 2 seconds ahead of the field, touching in 2:03.26.

All-American Justin Lynch brought home both sprint free victories for Cal. In the 50 free, he out-touched Utah freshman Rodolfo Moreira to win it, 20.83 to 20.91. Fellow All-American Pawel Sendyk (20.91) and freshman standout Ryan Hoffer (21.29) followed. Lynch returned for the 100 free, coming from behind to win in 45.07 ahead of Utah freshman Felix Chiun (45.38).

One of the main things swimming fans have looked forward to is seeing the impact Hoffer will have for the Bears in his freshman season. In his first Pac-12 dual meet, he picked up a pair of 4th place finishes individually, and was a member of the 3rd place 200 medley relay and winning 400 free relay. In addition to taking 4th in the 50 free, he tied for 4th in the 100 fly (51.54).

Winning the 100 fly was teammate Matt Josa. In a close race with Utah’s Paul Ungur (48.57), he got his hands to the wall to win it in 48.40. Ungur had already won the 100 back earlier in the session, finishing with a 47.83 ahead of Cal freshman Daniel Carr (48.75). Ungur wasn’t the only Ute to win individually, as Brandon Shreeve dominated the 500 free with his 4:34.88.

PRESS RELEASE – CAL:

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Wins in 12 of 14 swimming events brought a successful close to a busy week for the Cal men’s swimming team as the Bears earned a 188.5-111.5 dual meet win over Pac-12 foe Utah in Salt Lake City.

One day after earning a dual meet win at Pacific with half the team, the other half dove back into action in another time zone as the Bears squared off with the Utes. And, Cal wasted no time getting to the wall first as the quartet of Matthew Josa, Connor Hoppe, Justin Lynch and Pawel Sendyk swam to a time of 1:28.95 to win the 200-yard medley relay.

Nick Norman found his way to the winner’s circle next, clocking a time of 9:32.15 to win the 1,000 freestyle. Michael Jensen added a win in the 200 free with a time of 1:40.15 and Connor Hoppe earned his own first-place finish with a time of 54.94 in the 100 breast.

Andrew Seliskar and Justin Lynch each picked up a pair of individual wins as Seliskar touched first in the 200 butterfly (1:49.21) as well as the 200 breaststroke (2:03.26). Lynch did his work in the sprint free events, taking the 50 in 20.83 and the 100 in 45.07.

Freshman Bryce Mefford brought a win home in his first Pac-12 dual meet, stopping the clock in 1:48.18 to win the 200 back. Matthew Josa took the 100 fly in a time of 48.40 and Mike Thomas wrapped up Cal’s individual wins with a time of 1:52.70 in the 200 IM.

The Bears put the cap on a good day in the pool with a win in the 400 free relay as the team of Ryan Hoffer, Jensen, Seliskar and Lynch swam to a time of 3:00.22 to earn the victory. Cal and Utah also did battle in diving with sophomore Connor Callahan placing second in both the 1 and 3-meter while freshmen Jackson Gabler and Johnny Robinson also made their Cal debuts.

Several Cal swimmers return to action on Oct. 21 and 22 as a group of Bears will travel to Los Angeles to compete for Team Pac-12 against a Team USA squad that will include a quartet of Cal post-grads in the USA College Challenge. Cal’s full squad will next be in action on Nov. 10 when the Bears host Stanford in the annual Triple Distance Meet.

PRESS RELEASE – UTAH:

SALT LAKE CITY – Senior Nathan Makarewicz was able to give the Utes a strong individual performance on the boards, but Utah fell short in a meet against No. 1 Cal, 188.5-111.5.
 
“Today could have gone better,” head coach Joe Dykstra said. “We had some standout individual performances but I’m a little disappointed we were not better as a team. We have big aspirations for this year, but obviously, Cal is ranked number one for a reason.
 
We showed that we could race with them, we just did not show that we could beat them consistently. That’s the next step for our program. We cannot be happy with being close. We need to get wins. We got four of them today and next year when we go to Berkley hopefully we can get six or seven.”
 
Makarewicz was able to take first in two separate events, finishing with a final score of 336.83 in the 1-meter dive, and a score of 329.03 in the 3-meter dive.
 
In the pool, Paul Ungur got things started for Utah, winning the 100 back with a time of 47.83.

Freshman Felix Chiun also placed second in a competitive 100 free, clocking in at 45.38. Daniel McArthurwas also able to complete a second-place finish in the 200 IM, finishing in 1:53.56.
 
The final win of the day came for the Utes came in the 500 free, as Brandon Shreeve clocked in with a final time of 4:34.88. 
 
The University of Utah swimming and diving team will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 20^th, against No. 3 Stanford. The meet will be held at the Utah Natatorium and is set to start at 2 p.m.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Seliskar Wins 200 Fly, 200 Breast in Dual with Utes

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Julia Cullen, who is a senior at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, has announced her intent to swim for the University of Alabama in 2018-19. She joins fellow class of 2022 verbal commits Cathryn Salladin, Emily Graham, Kalia Antoniou, Kensey McMahon, Morgan Liberto, and Rhyan White.

“I am SO excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim for The University of Alabama!!! I want to thank all of coaches, friends, and most importantly my family for their endless love and support along the way! I am extremely honored to represent the Crimson Tide, and I cannot wait to compete in the SEC! ROLL TIDE!!!! ❤️

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

ARIZONA VS. WASHINGTON STATE

• Results
• Hosted by Washington State
• Saturday, October 14th
• 25 Yards
• Dual Meet Format

FINAL TEAM SCORES

• ARIZONA: 161
• WASHINGTON STATE: 101

The Arizona Wildcats opened their season with a Pac-12 victory on the road on Saturday. They traveled to Washington State for a dual meet, giving Augie Busch his first win as Arizona’s head coach. The Wildcats tallied 161 points to Washington State’s 101.

Hannah Cox was the leading performer, winning an individual triple. She kicked things off in the 1000 free, winning by nearly 20 seconds as she touched the wall in 9:58.52. She then completed the distance free sweep in the 500 free (4:52.53), where she was the only swimmer to break 5 minutes. Cox closed the session with a 3-second victory in the 400 IM, leading from start to finish in 4:23.06.

Senior Cameron McHugh also picked up multiple wins for the wildcats. In the 200 free, McHugh made a late charge to swim past teammate Kirsten Jacobsen, winning 1:51.13 to 1:52.05. She then had a dominant performance in the 200 back, winning by over 3 seconds. She was the only woman to break 2:00, touching the wall in 1:57.68.

Finishing in a tie for 2nd behind McHugh in the 200 back were Washington State freshmen Emily Cook (2:01.15) and Taylor McCoy (2:01.15). In the first home dual meet of her career, Cook picked up an individual victory for the Cougars in the 100 back. There, she took on ace sprinter Katrina Konopka, winning 54.89 to 55.20.

Hannah Bruggman, who has established herself as one of the major players for WSU early on this season, also had a highlight swim for the Cougars. Bruggman took on ace sprinter Konopka in the 50 free, winning with a 23.48 to Konopka’s 23.57. She picked up a 2nd place finish in the 100 free, touching in 51.93 behind Arizona’s Jamie Stone (51.58).

PRESS RELEASE – ARIZONA:

PULLMAN, Wash. – Arizona women’s swimming and diving opened the 2017-18 season with a convincing victory on the road at Washington State. The Wildcats defeated the Cougars 161-101 in the season-opening dual meet.

Sophomore Hannah Cox led the Wildcats with three victories in the 500 free (4:52.53), 1,000 free (9:58.52), and 400 IM (4:23.06). Senior Cameron McHugh also dominated with two wins in the 200 free (1:51.13) and 200 back with 1:57.68 (NCAA B cut).

Arizona swept the 200, 500, and 1,000 frees. McHugh (1:31.13), followed by Kirsten Jacobsen (1:52.05) and Jamie Stone (1:52.74) for the 200. Cox led, with Claire Lockridge (5:03.10) and Jacobsen (5:03.91) to follow in the 500. Cox also won the 1,000 free, and Lockridge (10:17.06) and Emma McCarthy (10:27.31) completed the sweep.

Sophomore Mallory Korenwinder won the 200 breast with 1:05.08, and Junior Katrina Konopka had a pair of runner-ups in the 100 back with 55.20 and 50 free with 23.57. Junior Mackenzie Rumrill finished first in the 100 fly with 55.52. Junior Mik Ranslem placed second in the 100 and 200 fly with 57.05 and 2:03.73, respectively. Junior Daniela Georges finished second in the 400 IM with 4:26.31 and third in the 200 fly with 2:05.72.

Konopka, Kayla Filipek, Paige Kremer, and Stone, won the 400 free relay with a time of 3:25.88. Team B placed second for the Cats with 3:26.06 (Zohar Shikler, Morgan Ginnis, Ashley Sutherland, and McHugh).

Freshman Stone had an impressive first meet, taking first in the 100 free with 51.58 and helping the 400 free relay team to victory.

Men’s team unofficially starts season: While the women were in Pullman, the men unofficially kicked off their season with an intrasquad meet. Team Blue, coached by Clif Robbins, defeated Team Red, coached by Jesse Stipek.

Up Next: Select men and women will swim in the USA Swimming College Challenge on Oct. 21-22 in southern California. The Wildcats will have their home-opener on Saturday, October 28 at 11a.m. against the Utah Utes.

Follow Arizona Swimming and Diving: For further coverage of Arizona swimming and diving, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and follow the team’s Twitter (@ArizonaSwimming) and Instagram (@ArizonaSwimDive) accounts.

PRESS RELEASE – WASHINGTON STATE:

Pullman, Wash. – Washington State swimming recorded five wins, but dropped a highly competitive Pac-12 opener to No. 24 Arizona, 161-101 at Gibb Pool Saturday. Hannah Bruggman and Emily Cook had outstanding performances for the Cougars, each claimed two races both were members of the winning 200 Medley Relay team.

Bruggman swam anchor for the first place 200 Medley Relay team. Alongside teammates Cook, Linnea Lindberg, and Anna Brolin, the Cougars swam to an impressive 1:43.12 in the meet’s opening race. She took first in the 50 free with a season best time of 23.48. Bruggman clocked in at 51.93 in the 100 free for second place, missing out on first by less than a half of a second. She was also a member of the third place 400 Free Relay team. Alba Fores, Bruggman, Rachel Thompson, and Ciera Kelly clocked in 3:27.68.

Freshman Emily Cook performed well, garnering 12.5 points for her team. In addition to a first place finish in the 200 Medley Relay, Cook took first in the 100 back with a time of 54.89, good for an NCAA “B” standard time and sixth fastest in WSU program history. Cook also tied with fellow freshmen teammate Taylor McCoy in the 200 back, both clocking in at 2:01.15 for second place. McCoy, a Pullman, Wash. native, had a third place finish in the 100 back, posting a season best 57.58.

Newcomers Clothilde Peseux, Mackenzie Duarte, and Alba Fores swam well for the Cougars in their first home meet. Peseux won the 200 breast and finished second in the 100 breast, while Duarte finished second in the 200 breast and fourth in the 100 breast. Fores finished third in the 100 free.

The Cougars are back in Gibb Pool next Saturday, Oct. 21 for the alumni meet scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Cox Records Triple as Arizona Beats Washington State

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Izaak Bastian has announced his verbal commitment to swim at Florida State University beginning in the 2018-19 season. A native of The Bahamas, Bastian is a boarder at the Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida where he has been since he arrived as a 13-year-old freshman three years ago.

Bastian told SwimSwam, “I swim with coach Stephen ‘Sid’ Cassidy, Ramon Walton, and Quinn Cassidy at Saint Andrew’s but I am also a part of the Bahamian national team. I have been able to represent The Bahamas from when I was 11 years old and have been a part of it ever since. With The Bahamas national team I have gone to the Carifta games, CCCAN CISC and The Commonwealth Youth Games. [Editor’s note: he also represented Bahamas at 2016 Junior Pan Pacs.] I am looking forward to my state series meets with the Championship meet being on November 4th. I also have my eye set on continuing to represent The Bahamas at more international meets in the upcoming years.

“I was also fortunate enough to represent my country at the FINA Junior World championships this past summer in Indianapolis. With Coach Sid I have been able to go to the Winter Junior Nationals here in the United States in 2015 and 2016.

“I chose Florida State University because when I went on my official visit I loved the way the team interacted with each other in and out of the pool. The coaches were also very involved at practice and were friendly.

“I have really flourished training with Coach Sid and believe that the Coaches at Florida State University will continue to push me to the next level.

“I would also just like to thank everyone that has helped me get where I am today and all my friends and family who continue to support me. Especially my brothers, Drew and Nnhyn, my parents and team mates. My family has supported and continue to support me every step of the way and I truly appreciate what they have done to help me get where I am. I wouldn’t be able to do the early morning and late night work outs without them. My family and I are excited to join the FSU family. Go Noles!”

Bastian specializes in breaststroke and sprint freestyle. His best times are:

LCM times:

• 50 breast: 28.77
• 100 breast: 1:03.71
• 200 breast: 2:21.10
• 50 free: 23.76
• 50 fly: 26.11

SCY times

• 100 breast: 55.68
• 50 free: 20.75

Bastian will suit up for the Seminoles with Jake Adcock, Cooper de Ryk, Karol Ostrowski, Kuba Książek, Matthew Strickland, and Zander Minano.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: FSU Earns Verbal Commitment from Bahamian National Izaak Bastian

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Harrison Wayner, a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American at Savannah Arts Academy in Savannah, Georgia, has made a verbal commitment to swim at the University of Utah beginning in the fall of 2018. His sister Darby Wayner is currently a junior swimming for the Utes, so they will have a year of overlap.

“I am excited to announce that I have verbally committed to swim at the University of Utah! I would like to thank my family, coaches and friends for helping me get to this point in my swimming career. I can’t wait to see what I will accomplish at Utah in the next four years. Go Utes!”

Wayner represents Savannah Arts Academy in high school season and does his year-round swimming with Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team. He had a breakthrough junior year, dropping massive amounts of time in both short-course and long-course seasons. At the 2017 GHSA 1-5A State Swimming & Diving Meet, he placed 9th in the 200 IM (1:59.01) and 6th in the 100 breast (58.54), a year after not qualifying in the IM and finishing 16th in the breast (1:00.44). This summer, between Sectionals and Futures, he threw down some big swims to finish with Summer Juniors cuts in the 100/200 breaststrokes.

His best times, with year-over-year progressions, are:

Wayner is the USA Swimming Senior Athlete Representative for Georgia Swimming. He will join Cole Giandinoto in the University of Utah class of 2022.

I am excited to announce that I have verbally committed to swim for the University of Utah! @UTAHswimdive@swimswamnews#pac12pic.twitter.com/LOCFJKcZJ9

— Harrison Wayner (@Harrison_Wayner) October 11, 2017

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Breaststroker Harrison Wayner Verbally Commits to Utah, Joining Sister Darby

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Atlanta, Georgia’s Brooks Merkle has announced his intention to swim for Auburn University in the fall of 2018. Also verbally committed to the Auburn class of 2022 are Brogan Davis, Matthew Yish, and Ryan Williams.

“I am very excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and continue school at Auburn University! I found on my trip that Auburn was not just a school or another team, but a family, much like my team at Dynamo. Auburn had an X factor that I cant quite put my finger on but led me to love the team and school. War Eagle!” [sic]

Merkle is a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American from Whitefield Academy in Smyrna. He swims year-round for Dynamo Swim Club and specializes mainly in breaststroke and IM. Merkle finished third in the 100 breast (58.05) and 13th in the 200 IM (1:58.04) at the 2017 GHSA 1-5A State Swimming & Diving Meet. He followed high school season with a stellar end-of-SCY-season meet at Southern Premier Championships, where he went lifetime bests in the 50 free, 200 breast, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM. He picked up three more PBs (200 free, 200 back, and 200 fly) at the Metro Divisional Championship two weeks later. At Long Course Sectionals in Athens, Merkle went best times in the 100 breast and 200/400 IM; he finished the summer with a big swim at U.S. Open, finaling in the 100 breast (30th) and 200 breast (25th).

Times SCY/LCM:

• 100 Breast – 56.33/1:04.08
• 200 Breast – 2:04.79/2:19.79
• 400 IM – 4:07.11/4:39.98
• 200 IM – 1:57.25/2:12.92

Congratulations to Brooks Merkle on his commitment to swim at Auburn University! #DynamoDNA#GoGreenpic.twitter.com/aO90y6uTin

— Dynamo Swim Club (@DynamoSwimClub) October 11, 2017

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: U.S. Open Finalist Brooks Merkle Hands Verbal Commitment to Auburn

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Danville, California’s Spencer Daily has elected to remain in-state for his collegiate swimming career; he announced his verbal commitment to the University of California, San Diego:

“I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to UCSD. I want to thank my parents, friends and coaches for all the support they have shown me. I couldn’t be happier to join the Triton Family!

Daily is a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville. He swims primarily fly and free, and placed seventh (51.26) in the 100 fly and 25th in the 200 free (1:46.24) at the 2017 CIF-North Coast Section Championships in May. He also contributed legs on SRV’s second-place 200 free relay (20.74, the third-fastest split of the meet) and fourth-place 400 free relay (47.01 leadoff). Daily then went on to the CIF State Meet where he led off the fourth-place 200 free relay in 21.23 and the third-place 400 free relay in 45.73.

Daily swims year-round with Orinda Aquatics. This summer he had strong performances at back-to-back championship meets, going from Western Zones to Santa Clara Futures to Speedo Junior Nationals. He earned PBs in all his top events: 100 fly (55.96), 50 free (24.30), 100 free, (54.05), and 200 free (2:04.07).

Best SCY times:

• 100 fly – 50.43
• 50 free – 21.26
• 100 free – 45.73
• 200 free – 1:45.25

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Spencer Daily Chooses UC San Diego for his Verbal Commitment

By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

by Olivier Poirier-Leroy. Join his weekly motivational newsletter for competitive swimmers by clicking here.

The world record. The gold medal. The underdog who overcame the odds.

We are suckers for dramatic stories about swimming.

It’s the “Big Wins” that captivate us.

After all, they come charging through our screens like a drunk moose:

• “He turned his life around, committed himself to showing up to practice, and after a few months was on top of the podium!”
• “She was injured, sick, and had no chance of qualifying for the Olympic team. She didn’t let anything stand in her way and now she’s Olympic champion!”
• “I changed up my training and dropped 8 seconds in my 100 freestyle in just three months!”

These stories, because they are so dramatic have a way of giving us the false impression that the way to achieve big things in the pool is with massive, violent change. The key to crushing it, we take from these stories of epic willpower and strength, is to hammer down and bareknuckle-brawl our way through the obstacles and change before us.

But if it’s faster swimming you want, if you are serious about slapping your personal best times around, you need to stop fixating on the big stuff and work on achieving more Little Wins.

Let me explain.

We All Want the Overnight Success Story

Alrighty, so you’ve had your “enough is enough” moment, or you’ve been hit with a large slab of motivation, and you’ve decided that now is the time to make some serious change in your swimming.

It’s time to achieve some crazy-savage stuff in the pool.

Your goals in the pool are gonna get it.

First of all, good on you.

Second of all, change is hard. Even when it’s good for us.

The ways that we make it even harder are nearly endless: We try to change everything overnight. We try to motivate ourselves solely from a negative emotion (regret or guilt). We underestimate progression. We half-heartedly commit to the change. We don’t align our environment to make things easier. And so on.

But one of the lesser-known reasons we stay stuck is because, well, we actually kinda like being stuck. We are comfortable there. We feel safe.

Even if our present circumstances don’t make us super happy, our brain reasons that this is still better than the uncertainty of making a change.

Big Change Starts and Ends with Little Wins

The concept of Little Wins isn’t revolutionary. There are a few different terms for it: kaizen, master the process, marginal gains, and so on.

It certainly isn’t sexy or glamorous, and it isn’t going to make for good fodder when giving your post-race interview after smashing a world record, “Oh, you know, I just improved little things here and there, consistently over a long period of time. Pretty cool, huh?”

But Little Wins are legit.

And they can work for anyone, whether you are getting back in the water after a year long layoff or trying to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Here are the three big ways that Little Wins can help you swim better and more consistently this season:

1. Little Wins are a harmless “Bob the Builder” for your brain.

Even though the big change is something we crave, there is a part of your brain which absolutely does not.

For a moment, let’s go to Metaphor-town and  think of your brain as a well-manicured home in the suburbs. The temperature is regulated, the furniture is laid out in an orderly fashion, and everything is just right. It’s comfortable. It’s predictable.

When Overnight Change shows up at the front door with a wrecking ball and a ten-man construction crew, the security system goes five-alarm crazy. Everybody scatters, and even though the house isn’t perfect, and it might have been much improved in the long run, for now it continues to be safe and comfortable.

Our brain, in the name of keeping things normal, scares off anything that looks like it might be a threat to the status quo.

But then Little Wins come along.

It’s just one guy with a little hammer. No wrecking ball. No jackhammer. No elaborate renovations. Maybe a couple new pictures. Some new drapes. Nothing crazy. Nothing threatening.

Come on in, Bob the Builder!

2. Little Wins are a Trojan horse for the Big Wins to come.

Starting off slow and easy might go against everything you stand for, but it makes turning up the volume and intensity down the road much easier when you already have the habit partially grooved in place for yourself.

Your brain is a lot needier than you realize. It craves comfort, safety and homeostasis. Anything that threatens this is immediately flagged for review and placed in the spam folder. But Little Wins?

Well, they are just so harmless-looking and cute that they can side-step your brain’s spam review policy and land in your inbox. (Wow…am I stretching it or killing it with these metaphors?)

Little Wins give you a sense of momentum that help ramp up and escalate the change you want to make in your swimming and your life.

3. Little Wins provide thousands of sparks.

Whenever we do something well, whether it is holding the breathing pattern for that lung-buster pull set, keeping our head down into the finish at the end of each rep, or completing the whole workout exactly as it is supposed to be done, we get a nice little hit of dopamine.

It feels good. We feel a sense of accomplishment.

Compare that to fixating on the Big Change. Because it can only happen once, we exist in a state of feeling “less than” until we have our opportunity to decide whether we achieved it or not. This is a flawed strategy, as it gives you nothing to work on in the short and medium term.

Little Wins give us, well, wins that provide confidence, motivation and the realization that we are on the right track. Sure, each of those mini victories might seem inconsequential compared to the big goal, but don’t underestimate their power: they keep the motivational flames burning and smoldering so that you get up on those early mornings.

Little Wins will help your mindset stay positive and on the day-to-day things that will actually impact your performance down the road.

Little Wins: Where to Start

There are always going to be ways we can improve as swimmers. The list of things we can change, boost or even cut out are never-ending.

This avalanche of opportunity gives us hope, yes—look at alllll that improvement just sitting there for the taking—but it gives us an infuriating quandary: with so much to do, with so much to fix, we don’t even know where to begin. So we usually don’t. Or we will try to do it all at once…and burn-out and crash as if we sprinted the first 200m of a 1500m. Fly.

Change is hard. Even when it’s good for us. Perhaps especially when it is good for us.

Resist the urge to wholesale change everything: this approach rarely works out. Instead, take a look at some of the big things affecting your swimming and introduce them to Bob the Builder.

Here are some examples:

Nutrition: If you looked at the sum of your meals over the past week, do you think you could improve 4-5 of them? Could you sub out sugary drinks at a couple of your meals for water? Instead of completely revamping your diet, look a couple things you can adjust.

Recovery: What little things could you be doing to improve your recovery? Even just by a little bit? Here are some simple ideas that take little effort:

• Put a banana and a protein shake in your swim bag every day so that you have something for post-workout.
• Go to sleep 20 minutes earlier each night.
• Write out a 3-point gratitude list in your training journal.

Staying hydrated: Every cellular process that happens in our body requires some of that delicious H2O. You already know that you should be crushing water in and around your practices, but are you drinking water the rest of the day too? Drink a glass of water when you wake up. How’s that for a small goal?

Technique: What is one little thing you can easily do for the whole practice today? You don’t need to swim the entire practice with 100% flawless technique (well, that’s the goal, but if you are swimming at 20% awesomeness currently let’s start by leveling up to 30-40% to begin with). It costs you little to do one thing technically awesome for a full swim practice. A tighter streamline. A little more undulation on your dolphin kicks. A slightly higher elbow.

The Next Step

Now, I know what you are thinking: this way is too slow.

To which I would say, Yes. It’s slow. It requires patience, which the Overnight Change story has conditioned us to not have.

But Little Wins are much faster than the perpetual start-and-stop that comes with trying to change everything at once.

If it’s dramatics you want, go to the movies. If it’s change you want, pick away at your swimming in small and doable chunks.

ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month log book for competitive swimmers.

He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset.

It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, and anecdotes and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.

Ready to take your mindset to the next level?

Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Why Change is So Hard in the Pool (and How to Make it Easier)

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy of Shawn Blatt

I ended my swimming career in 1986. I remember climbing out of the pool after the consolation final heat on the last day of NCAA’s and just standing there, realizing that was it. There would be no more swimming. I hung up my suit and never looked back. I had had enough.

And I didn’t miss it. I didn’t miss morning workouts, or long, exhausting practices or being sore and beat up after dryland. Did I mention I hated morning workouts? I was burned out and ready to live a different life. As the years went by, I adjusted to life without swimming. I enjoyed the freedom and never really missed being in great athletic shape. For the next 30 years, I managed to concentrate on a career, applying the same dedication and obsession that I had previously reserved for swimming.

I would get in and swim a few laps now and then when the opportunity presented, but going back to actually “practicing” swimming, and training for meets didn’t appeal to me; my memories were of the hard, difficult workouts and the misery of getting out of a warm bed at 4:30 a.m. to swim.

Then, about 4 years ago, my sister (who is a master swimmer) called and asked if I wanted to swim the Big Shoulders U.S. Masters open water 2.5k swim in Chicago. I thought about it. Even though I hadn’t been swimming for almost three decades, I stayed in relatively good shape. I jogged now and then and walked the dog every morning. I would try it- after all, how hard would it be to swim 2,500 meters in a lake?

I wasn’t completely naïve. I knew I needed to do some swimming, just to get in some kind of shape. So I began swimming at my local club pool, getting in about 800-1000 yards a day. I managed to do that 2-3 times a week for a few weeks before the swim. I felt pretty good in the pool, and the years of being out of the water didn’t seem such a big deal. I was ready.

The morning of the swim was beautiful. Clear and not too windy. The water was very cold, but not too frigid that you couldn’t get used to it. My sister and I were all in the same wave of older swimmers. They start you in the water, and then a horn sounds and everyone goes off in one mass.

I saw my sister, a dedicated master swimmer, take off in front of me. I started out, setting my sights on the first pylon for the turn. Things were fine for the first 500 yards. Then, the piano dropped and the 30 years of idleness kicked in. I realized I was going to have to battle my way through the waves and the course changed from a pleasant 2,500 meter swim to a harsh lesson in survival.

As I cleared the first turn, I was heaving and turning almost on my back to get a breath. My arms were getting numb and I struggled to look for the next pylon, which appeared to be another 2 miles away. It didn’t help that the first wave of 5K swimmers were also in the process of lapping me as if I was standing still. Watching them go by, I could only think “I used to be that good”.

By the time I turned for the home stretch back to the beach, I was cramping up and unable to see anything. I just wanted this over. I concentrated on moving one arm in front of the other and plowed my way toward the finish.

Finally, I hit the beach and stumbled through the finish gate. After clearing the gate, I saw my brother–in-law standing nearby taking photos. “Hey”, I said, gasping for air, “did she finish yet?. “ He laughed. “Oh, yeah” he said. “She’s been done for fifteen minutes”.

And with those words, the reality of what had become of my swimming abilities sunk in. I had the depressing realization that I was old, out of shape, and would probably never be able to swim again.

Of course, later that day, we agreed we would try it again next year.

A few weeks later, the sting of that effort was still with me. I decided to start swimming again with the local master’s team. I knew it would take at least a year to get in any kind of shape, but I felt that I needed to try. I decided that if I hated it, and it became a grind, I would quit and give up on the idea.

I haven’t regretted a minute of my decision. I have rediscovered what I loved about swimming, before it became a chore and a grind. The practices are fun, with a group of people who want to be there. I actually enjoy training and working out more than competing.

The stress relief that a hard practice provides is incomparable. The only problem is trying to find the time to get to practices. If I could, I would swim every day. Maybe someday I will. Just not morning workouts.

So to every former swimmer who has ever thought about getting back into it, I say- go for it. You won’t regret the decision. It is a sport that you can do for the rest of your life and the physical and mental health benefits are unsurpassed. Plus, you get to meet lots of new people who share your love of the sport.

If you’re on the fence, and you talk about getting back to it, and have the best intentions, stop talking about. As Johnny Unitas would say when asked for some sort of inspiring words before a game, “Talk is cheap, let’s go play.”

So stop talking about it; stop intending to get to it. Just do it. To paraphrase “Talk is cheap, lets go swim!”

About Shawn Blatt

Shawn is a practicing attorney in Dayton, Ohio and is married with a son who is an age group swimmer.  Shawn swam with the Dayton Raiders Swim Club and then with Auburn University in college. Shawn currently swim with the Dayton Area Sharks masters team.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Let’s Go Swim

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy of Elizabeth Wickham

For many teams, large and small, fundraising is a tough task that families face. With ever-increasing expenses to run and maintain pools, plus paying for coaches who need to make a living, it’s difficult to make ends meet. Parents are asked for some sort of sacrifice whether it’s donating time, goods and services or hard-earned cash.

I view fundraising as one of the difficult issues I dealt with as a board member. We initiated a mandatory fundraising obligation to get more participation from families. I heard countless excuses of “We don’t have the money.” I’d explain they could raise money without it coming out of pocket only to be met with “I don’t know anyone with money.” In contrast, there was an extraordinary kid who went door to door to local businesses and met his family’s fundraising obligation without his parent’s help. I do understand why parents aren’t thrilled about fundraising after paying monthly dues and being hit with fundraisers for their schools and other activities. But sometimes there is no other way for teams to survive.

Here are eight ideas for swim team fundraisers:

ONE

Meets.

For our team, the hosted meets provide the biggest source of fundraising revenue. Not only does the team receive the bulk of money from entry fees, we host a snack bar and have vendors who give 15% to 25% of their sales of sunglasses, shaved ice, photographs and t-shirts. We also sell program ads, hold raffles and silent auctions. Without meets, the team couldn’t survive. The tough part is the amount of manpower it takes to host a successful meet. Communication is key to getting parents to understand that even if their child doesn’t qualify for a certain meet, they need to volunteer and their family benefits.

TWO

Swim-a-Thon.

From USA Swimming: “It’s a simple, in-pool fundraiser where participants earn money by swimming lengths of the pool. Swimmers ask family members, friends, neighbors, or businesses to pledge a certain amount of money per length, or make a flat donation in support of the team.” This is a fundraiser in conjunction with USA Swimming Foundation and online they provide ideas and help for organizing the event. Our team awards prizes such as an iPad to the top fundraisers and the competition gets fierce. Swimmers used to earn a whipped cream pie to throw in their coach’s face for each $200 raised. That was always a big hit with the kids—but with the coaches—not so much.

THREE

eScrip.

I used Scrip back in the day when we’d put in orders for gift cards. I found it easy to buy Scrip for essentials like gas and groceries and our team earned a percentage. It seemed like a no-brainer, except for the mom who was the Scrip coordinator hunting down orders and delivering gift cards. Now it’s online and streamlined without so much work for volunteers running the program.

FOUR

Dine-around.

A lot of restaurants will give back a percentage of sales to teams when they promote a night out for family members. Whether it was Ruby’s or California Pizza Kitchen or a non-chain restaurant, it’s a fun, easy way to raise funds and the kids love eating out with their teammates after practice.

FIVE

Amazon Smile.

What easier way to raise funds than sign your team up for Amazon Smile? With more and more purchases being made online, it’s a simple way to get extra funds. You can ask your friends and extended family members to sign up as well and increase the number of donors to your team.

SIX

Corporate Sponsors.

We’ve tried to find corporate sponsors and throughout the years we’ve only had one or two. It’s a difficult task to get a company to sign on and give annually to a team. How fortunate to be on a team with a good base of parents who help find sponsors. Be thankful for their ongoing help with your team’s finances.

SEVEN

Dive-in Movie.

Once a summer, we’d have a dive-in movie night with the entire team floating on air mattresses and inner tubes watching movies like Finding Nemo or The Princess Bride projected on a big screen. To make money, parents sold hot dogs, popcorn, sodas and waters.

EIGHT

Coachella.

The three-day concert known as Coachella provides fundraising opportunities for local non-profit organizations. Hats off to our swim moms who spent three grueling days—two weeks in a row— selling water bottles 12 and 13 hours straight to earn money for our team. Check out local events that may allow charities to fundraise.

Fundraisers take time and effort and need parents willing to step up and help out. Be sure your team recognizes those putting in the extra time and effort. Maybe they’ll continue and newer parents will be encouraged to help out, too.

In what unique ways does your team fundraise?

Read the full story on SwimSwam: One Tough Thing For Swim Teams

There were old faces, old names and some new names and new faces climbing atop the podium representing the North zone this year in boys swimming.

The old faces, of course, belonged to the North Allegheny dynasty who captured a PIAA team title for the first time in seven years. North Allegheny essentially led the state meet wire-to-wire. It won the very first event, the 200-medley relay, with freshman Rick Mihm, junior Andrew Zhang and the Gonzalez brothers, junior Mason and senior Maxwell. Their individual depth was on display immediately with senior Eben Krigger, sophomore Jack Wright and Mihm placing 3-4-5 in the 200 freestyle, the first individual event of the meet. Max Gonzalez was fourth in the 200 IM, Zhang won silver in the 100 butterfly and Mason Gonzalez was nearly perfect, winning three gold medals.

As he has all season, Mason Gonzalez was at the center of it all for the Tigers. He won three state gold medals, the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and as part of the 200 medley relay. The disqualification denied him a rare four-for-four PIAA gold medal performance. His time of 19.99 in the 50 freestyle puts him in rarefied PIAA air. Only three swimmers have under broken 20 seconds in the event at the PIAA meet, Hershey's David Nolan and Haverford's Shane Ryan.

Sarah Spencerprofiles Obama Academy swim coach Mark Rauterkus.

"It's amazing how much progress can happen in 27 days.

"You were scared to let go of the wall, and now you're motorboating and jumping in," Obama Academy swim coach Mark Rauterkus says to his campers, the majority of which struggle to stay afloat in the pool at the beginning of camp. Though he's usually coaching teenagers to lower their times and perfect their technique, he spends the summers with beginners.

Rauterkus led swimming and water polo classes for Summer Dreamers, a Pittsburgh Public Schools summer program, ensuring his assigned campers build confidence in themselves and their ability to swim. Summer Dreamers aims to make camp an accessible option for all the city's youth, no matter their socioeconomic background. The 5½-week summer program couples academic classes taught by PPS teachers in the morning with more traditional camp activities, led by community partners or coaches such as Rauterkus, in the afternoon." 

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

The College of William and Mary women’s swimming and diving team has received a pair of in-state verbal commitments for the class of 2022: Sonora Baker from Mechanicsville and Gabby Zhang from Ashburn.

Sonora Baker

“William & Mary is an incredible school and I know it will adequately prepare me for life after college. The coaches are great, the team is awesome, and the training style is a perfect fit for me. I cannot wait to be a part of The Tribe for the next four years!”

Baker is a senior at Atlee High School. A USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, she was runner-up in the 100 back (55.83) and placed third in the 50 free (23.78) at the 2017 VHSL 5A Swimming and Diving Championships. She also led off Atlee’s fifth-place 200 medley relay (26.59) and anchored the third-place 200 free relay (23.15). Baker swims year-round for Poseidon Swimming. This summer she competed in the 50/100 free, 50/100/200 back, and 100 fly at NCSA Summer Championships, but plans to focus mainly on sprint free and backstroke in college.

Baker’s best times would have scored in the A finals of the 100/200 back and 50 free at 2017 CAA Championships.

• 50 back – 26.53
• 100 back – 55.83
• 200 back – 2:00.19
• 50 free – 23.75
• 100 free – 51.80
• 200 free – 1:52.41

i'm going to college!! so excited to say i've verbally committed to swim for william & mary #gotribepic.twitter.com/LgOa26dM8F

— Sonora Baker (@sonorawrenn) September 30, 2017

Gabby Zhang

“Couldn’t think of a better way to end my 17th birthday than to announce my verbal commitment to swim for William & Mary!! Huge thank you to my coaches, family, teammates, and friends who have supported me. So excited for the next 4 years!!! #GoTribe

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Zachary Smith has announced his verbal commitment to the University of Notre Dame for 2018-19. He will join fellow verbal commits Andrew Winton, Josh Bottelberghe, Márton Barta, and Max Miranda in the Notre Dame class of 2022.

“At the University of Notre Dame, I will be making my dreams a reality. I cannot wait to call South Bend my new home; over the next four years, I will be attending one of the greatest academic schools in the country and be a member of an unbelievable swim team. The culture and tradition in the pool and around campus are unbeatable. I believe the sky is the limit here, and I cannot wait to start this new chapter in my life. GO IRISH!”

Smith is a senior at Holy Spirit Catholic School. At the 2016 AHSAA Class 1A-5A Swimming and Diving Championships, he won the 100 fly (48.21) and was runner-up in the 100 back (50.06). The previous year, the then-sophomore placed second in the 100 fly (49.15) and fourth in the 100 back (51.54). Smith swims club for Crimson Tide Aquatics in Tuscaloosa. Over the summer he earned lifetime bests in the LCM 50/100 free, 50 back 100 breast, and 50 fly. His best times in the 100/200 fly and 100 back would have all scored in their respective C finals at 2017 ACC Championships.

SCY times

• 50 fly – 21.75
• 100 fly – 47.80
• 200 fly – 1:47.10
• 50 back – 22.69
• 100 back – 48.48
• 200 IM – 1:51.52

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Alabama State Champ Zachary Smith Verbally Commits to Notre Dame

By Eli Noblitt on SwimSwam

The University of Georgia’s Class of 2022 is really starting to take shape, and the men’s roster is starting to gain some ground on the perennially dominant women’s team. Darren “Luke” Durocher of Fredericksburg, Virginia is the latest to announce his verbal commitment to swim for the Georgia Bulldogs. Durocher currently swims for Nation’s Capital Swim Team, which produced 2012 Olympian and notable UGA men’s team alum Andrew Gemmell. Andrew’s father, Bruce Gemmell, is the head coach at NCAP, and trained Katie Ledecky to her golden individual run at the 2016 Olympics (200, 400, and 800 meter titles).

If the Sorting Hat were to be placed on Durocher’s head to determine his college selection, it would probably say something very similar to its exclamation when Ron Weasley donned it, “Ah, another [IMer and butterflyer]. Well, I know just what to do with you. G[EORGIA]!” Currently, Durocher’s best events are probably the 200 IM (1:47.97) and the 200 fly (1:45.56), but he also boasts Junior National cuts in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, and 400 IM. Including long course events, he has four different U.S. Open qualifying times.

Interestingly, all five verbals for the UGA men’s team are solid 200 backstrokers with U.S. Open cuts in either short or long course:

1. Andrew Abruzzo – 1:45.51 SCY
2. Tan Dunn – 1:46.38 SCY
3. Luke Durocher – 1:46.86 SCY
4. Keegan Walsh – 1:47.05 SCY
5. Bradley Dunham – 2:05.53 LCM

This year alone, Durocher set 8 new personal bests in various long course events. If he can translate that success to his short course season, he could very well pass several of SwimSwam’s Top 20 Recruits. Durocher’s best times are:

Although IMers and butterflyers Gunnar Bentz, Jay Litherland, Mick Litherland, and Powell Brooks will have graduated by the time Durocher arrives to train at Gabrielsen Natatorium, he will still have plenty of other training partners with remaining eligibility, including Aidan Burns, James Guest, Clayton Forde, and Tal Davis. Moreover, despite recent and upcoming matriculations, many alums remain in Athens, Georgia to continue training under UGA’s coaching staff, including the top male IMer in the world, Chase Kalisz.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Junior National Runner-Up Luke Durocher Verbals to the Bulldogs

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

VIRGINIA VS. PENN STATE

• Results
• Hosted by Penn State
• Saturday, October 14th
• 25 Yards
• Dual Meet Format

FINAL TEAM SCORES

• WOMEN: Virginia 184, Penn State 104
• MEN: Virginia 151, Penn State 149

The Virginia men and women traveled to Pennsylvania over the weekend for a dual meet with Penn State. The Cavaliers won by a large margin on the women’s side, picking up 184 points to Penn State’s 104 points. The men’s side saw a thrilling battle that came down to the final race, with Virginia beating Penn State by 2 points.

Penn State led for most of the meet, with Kaelan Freund establishing himself as their top individual performer. Freund pulled off a winning triple, starting with a dominant victory in the 100 breast (54.20). He completed the sweep of the breaststrokes with a 2:00.34 in the 200 breast, again winning by over 2 seconds. Freund closed out his schedule in the 200 IM, putting up the only sub-1:50 time to win it in 1:49.71.

Brendan Casey was also a multiple individual event winner on the men’s side, picking up a pair of titles for the Cavaliers. Casey jumped out to the early lead over teammate Sam Magnan (9:24.84) in the 1000 free, rolling to a 9:21.77 for the win. He returned to win the 200 back, touching in 1:47.69. Casey and Magnan battled again in the 500 free, but the tables were turned as Magnan touched 1st in 4:30.25 to Casey’s 4:31.20.

Heading into the final race, the 400 free relay, Penn State led by 3 points. The Virginia squad of Joe Clark (45.29 leadoff), Ted Schubert (44.24), Bryce Keblish (45.44), and Ryan Baker (44.94) combined for a 2:59.91 to win the race and seal the deal.

On the women’s side, Caitlin Cooper and Emma Seiberlich led the charge for the UVA women. Cooper swept the sprint free races. She battled down the stretch with Penn State’s Katrina Kuhn (23.47) in the 50 free, touching in a winning time of 23.11. She returned shortly after for the 100 free, touching in 50.85 ahead of teammates Morgan Hill (51.23) and Eryn Eddy (51.37) for a 1-2-3 finish.

Seiberlich, a freshman, earned her first-ever collegiate dual meet victories. Her first win came in the 200 back, where she was the only woman to break 2:00 with her 1:57.68. She then out-touched teammate Anna Pang in the 100 fly, 55.20 to 55.27. Seiberlich also finished 2nd in the 200 fly (1:59.35) behind teammate Jen Marrkand (1:57.89).

PRESS RELEASE – VIRGINIA:

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened the season with wins over Penn State. The women’s team captured 14 first-place finishes as the men’s team secured eight events.

The No. 13 Virginia women’s team defeated Penn State 184-104, while the No. 22 men’s team edged the Nittany Lions with a win in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, for a score of 151-149.

Penn State led the men’s dual competition by three points (143-140), heading into the final relay. Sophomore Joe Clark (Worcester Park, Great Britain), sophomore Ted Schubert (Ashland, Va.), junior Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) and sophomore Ryan Baker (Arlington, Va.), respectively, swam a time of 2:59.91 to capture first in the event and top the Nittany Lions in the team standings.

“It was a great meet for both our men and women today against tough Penn State teams to kick-off our 2017-18 season,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “We did some things a little unorthodox during our pre-meet warmup to put a little extra stress on the team both mentally and physically. The team responded well and fought hard ‘All Day.’ It was fun to watch our team be engaged in their teammates, like family, from their first relay to the last. We constantly talk about the team being greater than the individual and it showed today.

“We had some first-years get their first taste of individual college wins as Marcie (Maguire), Emma (Seiberlich) and Paige (Madden) rolled through their events, the 100 back, 200 back and 500 free, respectively. Kylie Towbin dominated both boards and our fourth-year leadership was phenomenal as it is every day.”

The Cavalier women opened the meet with a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay as freshman Abby Richter (Henderson, Nev.), junior Vivian Tafuto (Hummelstown, Pa.), freshman Anna Pang (Singapore) and senior Caitlin Cooper (Atlanta, Ga.), respectively, recorded a time of 1:41.59.

Cooper and freshman Emma Seiberlich (Audubon, Pa.) paced the Cavalier women, as each won two individual events in the meet. Cooper topped the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, recording a time of 23.11 and 50.85, respectively. Seiberlich finished first in the 200-yard backstroke (1:57.68) and the 100-yard butterfly (55.20).

Aiding to the women’s 12 individual first-place finishes, senior Jennifer Marrkand (Westford, Mass.) won the 200-yard butterfly (1:57.89), while sophomores Hill, Madeleine Vonderhaar (Lakeside Park, Ky.) and Mary Claire Tansill (Bristow, Va.) captured the 200-yard freestyle (1:49.40), 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.18) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.30), respectively. Freshmen Marcella Maguire (Ridgefield, Conn.) finished first the 100-yard backstroke (55.24), while Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.) won the 500-yard freestyle (4:55.43).

In the diving competition, junior Kylie Towbin (New Canaan, Conn.) swept the 1-meter and 3-meter boards, recording a score of 286.95 and 329.03, respectively.

The women’s team concluded with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay with Marrkand, junior Eryn Eddy (Loveland, Colo.), Hill and Seiberlich, respectively, finishing with a time of 3:22.95.

“For the men, they decided to help our new staff get our first win in dramatic fashion going down to the last relay,” DeSorbo said. “Penn State made it a great challenge through the front half of the meet and our men responded well with a big come back, winning six of the last eight events to set up a battle for winner take all with the last relay. Brendan Casey was big for us today with two individual wins and Bryce Shelton gave us a boost on the boards.”

Redshirt junior Brendan Casey (Santa Monica, Calif.) recorded a first-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:21.77 and in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:47.69. Schubert captured first in the 200-yard butterfly (1:49.34), while Baker placed first in the 100-freestyle (45.27). Junior Sam Magnan (Bethlehem, Pa.) won the 500-yard freestyle (4:30.25) and Keblish won the 100-yard butterfly (48.91), to round out the individual swimming events.

Sophomore diver Bryce Shelton (Vienna, Va.) recorded a score of 335.85 for first place in the 3-meter dive.

“Our distance squad carried the day and will continue to drive our program’s success as we move towards developing all sides of the program,” DeSorbo said. “I have to give a big pat on the back to our staff, it’s the best in the country. They are working hard for the program. We continue to take things day by day. Our team is learning our staff and our expectations. We have a lot look forward to. Our men and women are in a great spot and it is going to be exciting to compete three out of the next four weekends.”

The Cavaliers will compete against LSU and Pittsburgh in a two day meet beginning on Friday, Oct. 20.

PRESS RELEASE – PENN STATE:

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 22 Virginia men won the final relay to earn a two-point win over Penn State, while Virginia’s No. 13-ranked women’s team also defeated the Nittany Lion women, in the swimming and diving season opener for both teams Saturday in McCoy Natatorium.

On the men’s side, Virginia won 151-149, and on the women’s side it took a 184-104 victory.

The Penn State men led for most of the meet until Virginia pulled ahead by six points following wins in the 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 3-meter dive. Penn State sophomore Kaelan Freund put the Nittany Lions back in front by three points with a win in the 200 individual medley, touching first in 1:49.71, and also earned points from Nathaniel Bledsoe in third (1:53.47) and freshmanHayden Harlow in fourth (1:54.07). However, the Cavaliers were dominant in the 400 freestyle relay to close out the meet, winning in 2:59.91, while the Nittany Lions took second (3:03.60) and third (3:04.10).

“It stings a little bit to come so close, but we had a lot of good racing,” said head coach Tim Murphy. “I asked the team to challenge themselves, and more importantly, challenge Virginia, and I think they did that in a lot of different ways.

“We had freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors doing good things on the women’s side and on the men’s side, people on the boards doing good things, so we have a lot to be proud of. We’re way ahead of where we’ve been in the past, in a lot of different ways, this time of the year.”

Freund led Penn State with a trio of individual wins, as he also took gold in the 100 breaststroke (54.20) and 200 breast (2:00.34) in addition to his victory in the 200 IM. Freund also joined Liam Veregin, Sterg Dikos, and Gabe Castano in the meet-opening 200 medley relay, as the foursome placed first in 1:28.91.

Individually, Veregin also had a strong meet, placing first in the 100 backstroke (48.48) and second in the 200 back (1:48.01).

Freshmen Castano and Nathan Schiffman were impressive in their collegiate debuts, both winning their first races. In addition to his relay win, Castano won the 50 free in 21.05 seconds and placed third to lead the Lions in the 100 free (45.71). Schiffman led one of the Nittany Lions’ strongest performances of the meet, as he touched first in the 200 free (1:39.63), and was followed by fellow freshman Eben Krigger in third (1:40.03) and senior Ryan O’Neill in fourth (1:40.18). Schiffman also led the Lions in the 500 free, placing third in 4:31.49, less than three-tenths of a second shy of second.

Junior Hector Garcia Boissier led the Nittany Lions on the boards, winning the 1-meter (356.70) and placing second by less than three points in the 3-meter (333.52).

The Penn State women also benefitted from strong freshman efforts. Stephanie Szekely won the first individual race of the day, touching first in the 1000 free in 10:09.11. Jane Donahue earned three top-four finishes in individual races, winning the 200 IM (2:03.83), placing third in the 100 breast (1:03.34) and fourth in the 200 breast (2:18.18). Carly Hart earned two top-three finishes, placing just ahead of Donahue in the breaststrokes, taking second in the 100 (1:03.32) and third in the 200 (2:18.11). Additonally, Camryn Barry was six-hundredths of a second shy of equaling the first-place effort in the 500 freestyle, earning silver in 4:55.49.

The Lions’ upperclassmen also earned podium placings, as Tommie Dillione and Katrina Kuhn both posted runner-up finishes. Dillione placed second in the 200 free, less than a quarter-second shy of first in 1:49.62, and also placed fourth in the 100 free (51.56) and 500 free (5:01.44), while Kuhn was second in the 50 free (23.47).

Additionally, Heather MacDougall followed Donahue in the 200 IM (2:04.60) in second, while Christina Crowellled the Lions in the 1-meter dive (4th, 229.80) and Elaina Faerber led in the 3-meter (3rd, 254.85).
Penn State will next head south to Raleigh, taking on NC State and Duke Friday at 5 p.m.

Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Twitter at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Virginia Men Take 2-Point Victory Over Penn State

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

USA Swimming Scholastic All-American Nikolette Nolte has announced that she verbally committed to swim for Penn State University. “It has been a dream of mine. After having a hard junior year due to being diagnosed with cancer, it has been a relief to find a school that supports me not only as a student but also as an athlete.”

Nolte is a senior at Kutztown Area High School in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. She is a NISCA All-American in the 100 breaststroke, and a PA All-State swimmer in 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. A two-time District Champion in 100 breaststroke, Nolte told SwimSwam, “I am looking forward to having a great senior year!”

Nolte swims club for Boyertown YMCA Navy Seals. She has been a YMCA Nationals finalist and a Pennsylvania State finalist. Her best times include:

• 50 Breast SCY: 28.85 (relay split)
• 100 Breast SCY: 1:03.28
• 200 Breast SCY: 2:23.37
• 200 IM SCY: 2:07.88
• 50 Breast LCM: 33.77
• 100 Breast LCM: 1:14.59
• 200 Breast LCM: 2:44.10
• 200 IM LCM: 2:31.25

In addition to her many accolades in the pool, Nolte was crowned Prom Princess at the 2017 Kutztown Area High School Prom in May, and was a goal-scorer on the girls’ soccer team in September.

“I am incredibly excited and grateful to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Penn State University! I found a team that truly focuses on being a family, while cherishing academics and competition. Thank you to everyone; coaches, teammates, family, friends, who have helped me get to this point. Dreams really do come true ☺️ #PRIDERISING #FullTilt #BLUEPrint #WeAre”

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: YNats Finalist, All-American Breaststroker Nikolette Nolte Verbals to Penn State

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

Australian Olympian Taylor McKeown is under investigation by Australian authorities for riding a jet ski too close to a pod of whales off of Point Cartwright near Mooloolaba Beach off the Sunshine Coast recently.

As reported by The Sunshine Coast Daily,  the silver medalist and two friends were photographed by a bystander, who wishes to remain anonymous, who then sent the photos to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.

Per Australian law, jet skis are not permitted to be within 300 meters of whales. Penalties for violating this distance include fines up to $15,000.

McKeown denies allegations, stating “Anyone who knows me knows my passion for wildlife. Having professionals look at it is the best thing that can happen. We were literally floating in the water. They got closer and we sat there motionless. If whales approach that’s their decision.” (Sunshine Coast)

The photographer maintains, “We witnessed repeated interactions with whales and calves by a jet ski as I photographed the incident.”

McKeown’s Twitter profile reads, “2016 Olympian, animal lover and advocate.” Her Instagram account dated October 7th includes the following video, depicting the Olympian and her friends drifting with the motor off watching the whales approach.

I can't believe it! So this just happened