By Chris Harrell
The NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships return to deep in the heart of Texas, Austin to be exact, for the first time in 11 years this weekend. That year saw David Marsh’s Auburn steamroller score the second highest point total in NCAA history in downing the host Longhorns, 609.5 to 413. The men’s title was Marsh’s, and Auburn’s, second overall and the first of five year run by the Tiger program.
This marks the sixth time that the University of Texas has hosted the NCAA men’s meet with the first coming way back in 1981 when Eddie Reese’s Longhorns won their first-ever title over the now defunct UCLA Bruins. Stanford’s Skip Kenney claimed the next two titles in Austin, handily beating Florida in 1985 then USC in 1987. The meet returned to Austin in 1991 with the hometown Longhorns capping a four-year run as NCAA champs with a victory over Kenney and Stanford. Eddie’s boys won the next home NCAA meet too, topping Auburn in 1996.
Though it has been the longest gap in-between NCAA men’s meets in Austin since the first way back in 1981, not too much has changed for the host school. Like 1981, Reese, the godfather of NCAA men’s swimming coaches, is still at the helm of the Texas program. The Longhorns have won nine more titles since that original one with the most recent coming just four years ago. The Longhorns should be in the thick of it again as they try to ward off the champions of recent years in Michigan and California while others such as Florida and Arizona will also try to spoil the party in their home pool. Which team will be the biggest and brightest deep in the heart of Texas? We shall soon find out…
Day 2:
200 Medley Relay: This could be very well be same song, different verse from the previous night’s medley relay. Arizona (1:23.50) will bring those four same soul crushers from the night before, looking to add perhaps a second NCAA record to their kitty. The defending champions who set that very record a year ago, the Michigan Wolverines (1:24.38), will not go gently into that good night however. Last year’s runner-up California (1:23.91) is actually faster than the defending champs too and will be looking to give the ‘Cats, who they beat a season ago, a run for their money. That pesky N.C. State squad (1:23.78) ranks ahead of both Cal and Michigan and could be well into their shock-the-world tour by this point. Count them out at your peril.
The Pick: Arizona. They’re just too good on paper not to pick. Tandy is better at the 50 than the 100 and much better than the anchors of every team but the Wolfpack. It’s not like he’ll need a lead heading into the anchor leg but he if gets one, you can tell the fat lady to start singing. (Last year’s pick: Auburn; Last year’s champ: Michigan).
400 Individual Medley: Georgia’s Chase Kalisz (3:36.89) won this race somewhat easily a season ago, rebounding from a disappointing 10th place finish in the 200 IM the day before. Kalisz has proven to again be a cut above this season as he carries a near two-second edge over the rest of the country. Florida’s Dan Wallace (3:38.96), last year’s bronze medalist returns for another crack as does last year’s consol winner, Kyle Whitaker of Michigan (3:38.51). The two rank third and second, respectively, entering this year’s event. Six of the eight finalists from a year return as a matter of fact, including Cal’s Joshua Prenot (3:42.20, ranks seventh), Indiana’s Stephen Schmuhl (3:43.55, ranks 10th), Arizona’s Michael Meyer (3:41.73, ranks sixth) and Michigan’s Dylan Bosch (3:39.07, ranks fourth).
The Pick: Chase Kalisz, Georgia. He’s shown no reason since he stepped foot on campus in Athens why he shouldn’t be considered the premier 400 IM swimmer in the country. This writer will keep him in that category until he proves otherwise. (Last year’s pick: Josh Prenot, California; Last year’s champ: Chase Kalisz, Georgia).
Swimmer to Watch: Sebastien Rousseau, Florida. The last time this Florida star earned a finish in this race was way back in 2010 as a freshman when he placed 12th. Rousseau will be looking to redeem himself from a disqualification in prelims a season ago. He enters the meet ranked fifth in he field
100 Butterfly: To the relief of collegiate men’s butterfly swimmers everywhere, Cal’s Tom Shields is finally gone. Five finalists from a season can now emerge for the right to be the successor to the 100 fly throne. Last year’s sixth-place finisher, Giles Smith of Arizona, has taken the national lead with a terrific time of 44.73. He leads the rest of the country by nearly half a second. The 2013 runner-up, Marcin Cieslak of Florida (45.59), should also be a prime candidate to take over the top spot. Cieslak ranks fifth in the country entering the big dance. Tim Phillips of Ohio State (45.57) and Roger Miesfeld of N.C. State both were big boy finalists a year ago and both are ranked to finish in that position again this year.
The Pick: Giles Smith, Arizona. I expect Arizona to be on a roll at this point in the meet and for Smith to grab a board and ride the wave to national title. I suspect this won’t even remotely the first time he’s on the winner’s platform by this point of the meet. (Last year’s pick: Tom Shields, California; last year’s champ: Shields).
Swimmer to Watch: Jack Conger, Texas. The Longhorn freshman is one of Texas’ biggest chances to earn a national title in their home pool. Conger (45.56) rates third entering the meet and may be one the only few that can hang with Smith.
200 Freestyle: Louisville’s Joao De Lucca will be looking to successfully defend the 200 free title he won a season ago in Indy. De Lucca (1:31.65) is on pace to that so far as he is the national leader, nearly a half second ahead of last year’s fifth-place finisher, senior Michael Wynalda of Michigan (1:32.14). Cristian Quintero of USC (1:32.81) was fourth a season ago but is already way faster in 2014, having downed Nathan Adrian’s PAC-12 meet record for that conference title a few weeks ago. Other returning finalists include Clay Youngquist of Texas (1:33.72) who was sixth and Michigan’s Connor Jaeger who was eighth. Jaeger, swimming his third-best race, is only ranked 33rd with a season best of 1:34.95. You can bank on him being much faster than that this week. Oddly enough, 14 of 16 scorers from a year ago return but almost half don’t rank among the top 16 this season. It will be interesting to see how many can work their way back into evening swims.
The Pick: Joao De Lucca, Louisville. Last year’s champ? Check. This year’s national leader? Check. My pick? Check. De Lucca is battle-tested and got a solid advantage on the rest of the field entering the meet. Look for him to defend his crown. (Last year’s pick: Joao De Lucca, Louisville; Last year’s champ: De Lucca).
Swimmer to Watch: Tom Kremer, Stanford. Last year’s bronze medalist enters the meet way back in 24th with a season-best of 1:34.36, the time that won him the consolation final at PAC-12’s. If the Cardinal swam through PAC-12’s expect a big bump from Kremer.
100 Breaststroke: Arizona’s Kevin Cordes (50.70) is the two-time defending champion and leads the nation once again courtesy of his collegiate record swim at the in this very pool at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational in December. Those looking to steal the throne from the fastest collegiate breaststroker ever include Cordes’ teammate and returning co-silver medalist Kevin Steel (52.58) and Georgia’s Nic Fink (51.15), last year’s fourth-place finisher and this year’s second-ranked entry. The man Steel tied with a year ago, Michigan’s Richard Funk (51.75) also returns and ranks fourth. The final two returning finalists from a season ago are Missouri’s Sam Tierney (53.03, 22nd) and Indiana’s Cody Miller (51.99). Miller should be a man on a mission after being disqualified in the big boy final last season. Also keep an eye on Michigan’s Bruno Ortiz (51.92). Ortiz comes in ranked fifth after finishing 16th a season ago and could be a big factor in helping keep the Wolverines on top of the team standings.
The Pick: Kevin Cordes, Arizona. Not choosing a swimmer that has set the collegiate record many times over and has never lost this race at this meet is insane. The biggest question here is to see if he can break it again and, if so, how low can he go? (Last year’s pick: Kevin Cordes, Arizona; last year’s champ: Cordes).
Swimmer to Watch: Anton McKee, Alabama. The only freshman in the top eight is representing an Alabama team clearly on the rise. How both the Crimson Tide and this talented freshman swim this week will be something to keep your eyes on.
100 Backstroke: A year ago, Stanford’s David Nolan surprised many by taking down two-time defending champion Tom Shields of California. Despite ranking eighth entering the meet, most would agree that Nolan (45.66) has the bullseye on his back this year. Topping the list of folks looking to record a second straight surprise are last year’s bronze medalist and this year’s national No. 2, Eric Ress (45.25) of Indiana. Also heading up that list is Penn State sophomore Shane Ryan (45.13). Ryan, also a freestyle sprinter, didn’t even swim this event a season ago but, incredibly, enters the meet the national leader at a time that would’ve finished second in 2013. Ryan’s teammate, Nate Savoy will be some of his biggest competition. Savoy, the last year’s 14th-place finisher has accelerated to the No. 6 slot entering this year’s meet. Senior Mitchell Friedmann (45.52) was fifth a season ago and ranks fourth this year. A climb up the charts would be a big benefit to an Arizona team trying to capture a team championship.
The Pick: David Nolan, Stanford. Nolan proved a giant-killer a year ago. Can he prevent the same from happening to him this season? (Last year's pick: Kyle Owens, Auburn; Last year’s champ: David Nolan, Stanford).
Swimmer to Watch: Ryan Murphy, California. Fifth-ranked Murphy (45.59) is one of the up-and-coming backstroke stars for the United States. Murphy finished third at the World Championship trials in both backstrokes a year after top six finishes at Olympic Trials. This kid is getting better and better every year. Could this be the meet where he takes his swimming to another level?
Three-Meter Diving: The top four finishers from last season return for another run down the three-meter springboard. Last season Kristian Ipsen successfully defended his freshman NCAA title in an epic battle with Duke star Nick McCrory, a diver who has been second twice and fourth once in this event. The two both won theirs zones again this year, E and B, respectively. Expect them to do put another fantastic show in Austin. Last year’s bronze medalist Darian Schmidt is also back for another run. He too won his zone, Zone C. Last year’s top 16 was visibily devoid of Texas divers. Don’t expect that to be the case this time around. Michael Hixon, Will Chandler and Corey Bowersox all put up big scores in this event at zones, with Hixon’s being above that have both Ipsen and McCrory in their zone victories. Virginia’s JB Kolod, last season’s 12th-place finisher, won the Zone A meet with a score comparable to the other zone victors as well. This year’s three meter-competition is shaping up to be quite the shoot-out.
The Pick: Kristian Ipsen, Stanford. McCrory is a fantastic diver but Ipsen is among the best the NCAA has ever seen. Expect him to defend his crown. (Last year’s pick: Kristian Ipsen, Stanford; last year’s champ: Ipsen).
Diver to Watch: Greg Ferrucci, Kentucky. Ferrucci finished fourth on all four boards a season ago and seems to get better as each year goes by. Could he improve enough to challenge the biggest dogs on the block?
800 Freestyle Relay: The should be one heck of a race between the defending champion Florida Gators, the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines and a young but powerful Southern California squad. Florida (6:13.03) returns their entire winning relay from a season ago and, incredibly, has two other swimmers who rank among the top 16 in the nation in the 200 free. That seems almost unfair. Michigan (6:09.85) enters as the top seed with a time more than two seconds faster than last year’s title-winning time. USC (6:12.54) has three of the top eight 200 freestylers in the country with a fourth ranked just outside the top 30. A frisky N.C. State squad (6:16.31) has three in the 21 themselves. Expect Cal and Texas to be impact players here as well.
The Pick: Michigan. I picked these guys last season but Florida proved the victor over the Wolverines by more than two seconds. They are almost four full seconds faster than year ago entering Austin and have nearly three on the field. That should be enough for them to seal the deal properly this time around. (Last year’s pick: Michigan; last year’s champ: Florida).
Relay to Watch: Texas. The host Longhorns have five swimmers entered in the 200 free though only one is fast enough to get an individual invite into the meet. Texas does rank sixth however and they are swimming in their home pool in front of their home crowd. That does count for something.