CAL VS. STANFORD
- Results
- Saturday, February 11th
- Hosted by Cal
- 25 yards
- Dual meet format
FINAL TEAM SCORES
- STANFORD- 177
- CAL- 123
The highly anticipated dual meet matchup between the Cal and Stanford saw no fewer than 8 Pool Records fall at the Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday. Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky stayed perfect with 3 wins and 3 Pool Records on the day to lead the Cardinal to their 177-123 victory over the Bears.
Ledecky started off with a back-to-back double, winning the 1000 free in a new record of 9:20.41. She returned to the pool immediately after for the 200 free, putting up a blistering 1:43.09 to outpace teammate Simone Manuel (1:44.04). Ledecky’s final record-setting win came in the 500 free, as she clocked in at 4:35.89 to sweep the distance races.
Manuel went on to set a Pool Record of her own. She blasted a 21.97 to win the 50 free ahead of American Record holder Abbey Weitzeil, who took 2nd in 22.15. Manuel then clocked a 48.17 in the 100 free to lead a 1-2 charge with teammate Lia Neal (48.49) over Weitzeil (48.89).
The Golden Bears also took down a couple of Pool Records thanks to their relay performances. To open the meet, the 200 meldey relay squad of Amy Bilquist (24.57), Abbey Weitzeil (27.56), Noemie Thomas (23.16), and Farida Osman (21.38) put up a speedy 1:36.67 to win the race and lower the record. They closed the meet on another record-setting note, as Katie McLaughlin (49.02), Bilquist (48.01), Weitzeil (48.13), and Osman (47.83) won the 400 free relay in 3:12.99.
PRESS RELEASE – STANFORD
BERKELEY, CALIF. — Five pool records launched the top-ranked Stanford women’s swimming and diving team to a 177-123 win over No. 2 Cal in front of a standing room only crowd at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Stanford (8-0, 7-0 Pac-12) capped a second straight undefeated season, and has won 15 straight dual meets dating back to its last visit to Cal on Feb. 14, 2015. It also marked Stanford’s 14th straight Pac-12 dual meet victory. Cal finished the season 7-2 overall and 6-1 against the Pac-12.
Freshman Katie Ledecky set three pool records. She began the day with an impressive double in the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200 free. As soon as she finished with a pool record in the 1000 in 9:20.41, Ledecky hopped back in the water and out-touched fellow Olympian and teammate Simone Manuel in the 200 with a facility record of 1:43.09.
Manuel set her own pool record in the 50 free. Right before the break, she hit the pad at 21.97 to top a field that will likely preview the Pac-12 and NCAA Championship finals. Then immediately after the break, Manuel and senior Lia Neal finished 1-2 in the 100 free. Manuel finished at 48.17, while Neal surged past Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil to finish second at 48.49.
HOWE AND HU: Junior Janet Hu won twice (again), and set her own pool record. Hu, who has won multiple events in four straight dual meets, broke the Cal facility record with a finish of 51.61 in the 100 backstroke, and also won the 100 butterfly at 51.93. Junior Ally Howe combined to sweep the backstroke with Hu as Howe won the 200 back with a finish of 1:53.98.
UNDEFEATED: Diver Kassidy Cook remained undefeated in five dual meets on the 1-meter. She earned her spot on top of the podium with a score of 309.68.
TIED UP: Sophomore Kim Williams and Cal’s Marina Garcia pulled off an impressive feat. The duo tied for first in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. They simultaneously touched at 1:01.89 in the 100 and did it again at 2:12.16 in the 200.
CARDINAL DEPTH: Freshmen Megan Byrnes and Katie Drabot picked up some big points behind Ledecky in the distance events. Byrnes was second in the 1000 at 9:46.47, while Drabot was second in the 500 at 4:44.86. Senior Nicole Stafford helped the Cardinal sweep the podium in the 200 free with an impressive third-place finish of 1:48.21.
SENIOR FINALE: Saturday marked the final regular season meet for Stanford seniors Neal, Stafford, Tara Halsted and Bridget Boushka.
WHAT’S AHEAD: The Pac-12 Championships are on the horizon, and Stanford will be in search of its first conference crown since 2013 — the first season under head coach Greg Meehan. The Cardinal has finished second each of the last three years. The championships are Feb. 22-25 in Federal Way, Wash.
SOCIAL SCENE: You can follow Cardinal women’s swimming and diving all year long on instagram, twitter and snapchat (@StanfordwSwim).
PRESS RELEASE – CAL
BERKELEY – In perhaps the fastest dual meet in school history – one that saw eight pool records fall by the wayside – top-ranked Stanford emerged with a 177-123 victory over No. 2 California Saturday before a capacity crowd at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Golden Bears set two of the marks, starting with the opening 200-yard medley relay, as Amy Bilquist, Abbey Weitzeil, Noemie Thomas and Farida Osman sprinted to the finish in 1:36.67 to break to old pool and Cal dual-meet record by nearly two seconds.
The Bears also closed out the afternoon with another impressive swim in the 400 free relay. This time, Katie McLaughlin, Bilquist, Weitzeil and Osman touched the wall in 3:12.99, nearly three seconds ahead of the previous Cal dual-meet and pool record.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” head coach Teri McKeever said. “We knew it was going to be challenging. We talked about coming in and competing and taking care of our controllables. I thought we fought in close races, but got out-touched in some. I don’t think Marina Garcia‘s been better in a dual meet, and Katie McLaughlin had a really great day. Top to bottom, we saw a lot of good things. We just need to keep sharpening up and see what happens the rest of the way.”
Garcia, a senior swimming in her last home meet, and Stanford’s Kim Williams produced a pair of remarkable outcomes in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. In the 100, the two tied for first in 1:01.89, and a short time later, they again tied for first in the 200 in 2:12.16.
McLaughlin led from the start in the 200 butterfly and outlasted Stanford’s Ella Easton, winning in 1:54.36, her fastest time of the season. In addition, sophomore Phoebe LaMay captured the 3-meter diving event with a score of 325.28, five points ahead of the Cardinal’s Haley Farnsworth.
Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky won all three of her individual races in pool-record form, taking the 200 free (1:43.09), 500 free (4:35.89) and 1000 free (9:20.41). Cal freshman Chenoa Devine was third in the 1000 free with a personal-best 9:51.47.
Other pool records set included Stanford’s Simone Manuel in the 50 free (21.97) and 100 free (48.17), while the Cardinal’s Janet Hu claimed the 100 back in 51.61. Cal’s Bilquist was second in the 100 back in a Cal dual-meet record 52.15.
The meet was Cal’s final dual of the year. Next up are the Pac-12 Championships Feb. 22-25 in Federal Way, Wash., followed by the NCAA Championships March 15-18 in Indianapolis.
While Stanford won by a significant margin, Cal performed much better than I expected. McLaughin and Garcia were in top form. NCAAs is going to be a very exciting meet!
I think we had this conversation already about Ledecky bullying the other competitors in a different results thread already this season. Was that you in the other article too Buckeye? I think it was the Stanford vs Arizona St article. I don’t think he got the hint.
Janet Hu is swimming lights out this year.
Results of this meet were really interesting to look through considering this was a practice suited dual meet. The quality depth of competition was notable by a sampling of 5TH PLACE finishes: 50 Free in 22.62, 200 Back in 1:55.100 Fly in 53.4, 200IM in 2:00.7 – every point hard fought!
Have the “swimulator” re-run the rankings WITHOUT any olympians or USA national teamers on the college teams. You shouldn’t be able to have it both ways. I think Stanford would still be #1 but it would be a competition not as A** kicking.
“Re-run the rankings WITHOUT any olympians or USA national teamers on the college teams. You shouldn’t be able to have it both ways.”
Now it’s Olympians AND USA National teamers banned. This farce just keeps getting better.
I bet if you ask any of the really, really, really good swimmers there for both teams (it’s Stanford and Cal for goodness sake), there is not one of them who doesn’t think Katie Ledecky should be there experiencing college swimming with the rest of them. She’s 19. She shouldn’t be living out of a suitcase and in hotels and trying to train on the road, and fit in endorsement deals in her spare time. She needs to live with other kids her age, go to school, enjoy the fun and comraderie that a college team provides, and train in a consistent program with great coaches. Katinka availed herself of the same system at Katie’s age.
As a pretty… Read more »
The problem is, if you ban the best in the sport because they’re “too good” then most of the values swimming teaches become irrelevant. If you worked as hard as Ledecky does only to have someone say “Well, the other competitors aren’t as fast as you, so we’re gonna have to ban you from your best events” then what’s the point to all that hard work? It’s not like Ledecky is getting a 25 yard head start on everyone, they all start out even, the race just shows who is in the best shape, physically, mentally, etc. Equality means equal opportunity, not equal results.
By banning the best in the sport from competing, people lose motivation and inspiration. Nobody… Read more »
Great for who ??? Stanford…thats who… Been to a dual meet anywhere else ?? Maybe 10 people attending and half of those are parents. Evenly matched mediocrity ? Go to a 5th grade soccer or basketball game where the score is really close. Those kids aren’t anywhere even close to medicore. But you know what ? They want to win, and they know they have a chance. Have those same 5th graders play against a team of 8th graders and it will be a quarter spirited yawner. No excitement, no fun. And no I didn’t get “beat a lot” at all, but I hated losing, I hated getting beat and I just kept going at it harder until I either… Read more »
I’ve read a lot of ridiculous comments over the years, but Buckeye499 takes the lead with the DUMBEST commentary ever.
Yes but you gotta admit once ledecky jumps into the water in a race over 200 meters, it gets boring. Not saying that she shouldn’t compete in college though. I usually skip her races and watch races where there are like 3 contenders.
In Rio the women,s 200 back was the most epic.a sprint to the wall.
Also I forgot the women,s 100 free from Rio. Now that,s what we call a race. Simone Manuel and penny oleksiak gave us a race for the ages. An epic photo finish.
Some people enjoy watching greatness, even if it means it’s not a close race.
I happen to enjoy watching the best ever compete and that includes Katie Ledecky. She’s amazing and I’m sure she is having fun competing for Stanford. Who wants to watch mediocrity? I don’t!
I don’t know where your experience comes from but at any high school swimming meets that I attended I have never witnessed the situation when the coach/team haven’t wanted to have a swimmer of state level. And if they did have such guy/girl they were bragging and proud of it. There was never the situation when they told him:”Listen, we know you are good. Could you please step aside letting others to shine to increase their local meets ribbon collection.
The situation is quite an opposite with professional sport, because it’s a show for money first of all. And the business wants it to be a show with drama and happy end. There are only a few competitions when… Read more »
We can have the best swimmers start to carry exrtra weight just like in horse racing. How about special drag suits for the Olympians to wear?
That’s pitiful haha, this is too much
I guess Buckeye499 doesn’t get to go to too many Cal-Stanford meets. The stands are usually full, and at the old Spieker pool at Cal, it was standing room only. This OSU guy is a Troll. And he has bad grammar. He should go back to school… to learn that the contraction for “you are” is “you’re” not “your”. If he is going to be a troll, do not misspell words. It detracts from the message. I really do not care too much about his grammar, but his thinking has me stumped.
the real questions is – why is Ledecky’s or other Olympians or national teamers’ success hurt your feeling so much that you wrote all these long comments about not allowing them to compete in college? Many swimmers become Olympians/national teamers because they trained and raced in colleges with other hard working, talent and driven swimmers. Training is part of the success for any swimmers, but the quality of the competition is also a key to drive others to train harder and swim faster. Why not? I believe most people wants to watch fast swimming and races. Ledecky is fast in her events, so it is up to her competitors to race her hard and not letting her won by that… Read more »
If the other swimmers at Cal and Stanford didn’t want to be on a team with some of the world’s best, there were plenty of other schools they could’ve gone to, many of which would’ve happily offered them a full scholarship. Going to a school like Cal or Stanford means you are surrounded by greatness in and out of the classroom. That’s what makes it exciting and helps everyone to be their best.
Exactly. I had a friend who swam for cal and one of the reasons she chose the program was because of its rich history and talented swimmers. She could have gotten more money and been more of a “star” at other programs, but she got to train with some of the best swimmers in the world and she loved every minute of college swimming.
By the way, MANY professional sports team owners happily take 5th place and line their pockets with tremendous amounts of cash. Happens in every sport in the US every year.
A lot of Bla bla for nothing – waste of energy dude . Stay passionate , dont go side ways .
The Simone-Katie duel at 200 free should put their coach in a very confusing situation. The 200 race in many close situations is a race first of all and it is all about right tactic. Knowing and playing on opponents’ racing weaknesses , trying to put them in uncomfortable racing conditions where they cannot perform to their bests. Should I be their coach I would say: hey, girls I’m out of it. You are on your own. Just try not to kill each other but deliver the first and the second place.
I don’t think it will be close. Ledecky should win easily for technical reasons. I figure Ledecky will focus on the 50 and 100 free going into the NCAAs for the sake of the relays. Manuel will be even more focused on the 50s and 100s. If both swimmers are focused on the sprints, Ledecky should win the 200 without much difficulty.
I still think that there’s a small chance that Ledecky might not swim the 200 free. She could still lead off the 800 free relay. Lia Neal will probably final in the 200 free like she did last year (1:42.50) and the year before that. It would make more since to me to go for the 1-2 win in both events. Yes, Stanford still has a chance of placing 1-2 in both the 200 free ( Simone and Lia) and 400 IM (Easton and Ledecky) if Ledecky should swim the IM. Everyone wants to see this race. But, it just might not happen. ?
Damn. Ledecky is amazing.