The Cal women freshmen are living up to their considerable hype already this season, as they topped the Texas Longhorns in Berkeley by tally of 172-128 (albeit with no exhibition events – showing still some good fight from Texas).
First, the Lady Bears swam a blazing 3:36.60 in the 400 medley relay. There’s been a lot of curiosity about where this medley will go this year, and for now the group is Cindy Tran, Caitlin Leverenz, Kelly Naze, and Liz Pelton. That might not even be their best 400 medley, but it’s definitely spectacular. They split 53.5-1:00.5-53.7-48.8 (that’s Pelton anchoring in sub-49 already). The middle section still needs some work (we know Leverenz will be there) but everything we’ve seen this season indicates that the Bears medleys will be about as untouchable as everyone has expected, especially now that Pelton has proven a more-than-capable sprint anchor after Liv Jensen’s graduation.
Pelton also added three individual wins at this meet: a 1:46.56 in the 200 free, which ranks her 4th in the country this year, a 4:09 in the 400 IM, and sandwiched in between a 1:54.55 in the 200 back. That 200 was the only backstroke race she swam, and ranks her now 2nd-best in the country (behind only another freshman, Kendyl Stewart at USC). She actually negative split taht swim in a big way – going out in 57.5 and coming back in a 57.0. That time set a new Spieker Aquatics Complex Pool Record, crushing the 1:56.20 set by Stanford’s Julia Smit in 2007.
A pair of National Teamers, Caitlin Leverenz and Laura Sogar, had two great breaststroke battles in this meet. In the 100, Leverenz showed some good speed to win in 1:00.33, pulling just away from Sogar in 1:00.66. Texas sophomore Gretchen Jacques had a solid 3rd-place swim of 1:01.44.
The 200, though, was where the real fireworks flew (it’s both swimmers’ best distance of the two). The swimmers posted the two best times in the country this year easily (even better than A&M’s Breeja Larson, who has been so good in the 100), but at the touch Leverenz was a 2:09.52 and Sogar was a 2:09.64, with Cal’s Olympian again overtaking Sogar on the last 50 yards of the race.
In other good swims, Texas’ Kaitlin Pawlowicz is off to another hot start like she did last season, putting up a 9:52 to win the 1000. That’s not as good as the 9:45 she was last week, but ultimately that could be a good thing. Last season, she was a head-scratching 9:42 this same weekend, but was unable to hit her taper at NCAA’s. She looks to be in a much better position this year.
The women’s 100 backstroke was another lighting-quick race, featuring 3 swimmers who should be in the A-Final at this year’s NCAA Championships. Cal saw two swimmers mark 53.4’s already, and neither of them was Liz Pelton. Freshman Rachel Bootsma tipped the defending NCAA Champion Cindy Tran by mark of 53.43-53.45. Texas’ transfer Sarah Denninghoff was 3rd in 54.03.
Texas ended the meet on a high note, with their 200 free relay (arguably their best this season) winning in 1:31.85 to Cal’s 1:32.00. Those are the number-two and number-four times in the country this season, and for Texas included matching 22.72’s from Gretchen Jacques and Bethany Adams (both on rolling starts). Bootsma has the fastest split for Cal, marking a 22.70 on Cal’s third leg.
In the 400 IM, we noted already Pelton’s 4:09 in the 400 IM, but strangely Leverenz was far off of that mark in 4:16. In the past, she’s been consistently good in this race all year long, so this time is a bit of an anomaly for her. Perhaps the Olympics pushed back her typical start-of-season training schedule, which would explain why she wasn’t quite back to form yet in this tough event. We’ll have to watch for better at the Arena Invitational in two weeks, where historically Cal has been very sharp (Leverenz swam a 4:05 at that meet last year).
Well, Bootsma can do it she swam under 51. seconds and so has Tran, so its quite possible.
Fyi, they aren’t the “Lady” Bears, Cal women are the Golden Bears (just like the men).
You can use that moniker when referring to Baylor, not Berkeley!!!
Pelton won another 3 events today vs Wisconsin: 100 back, 100 free, 500 free.
Any good times? by the men or the women? Michael Weiss was really impressive yesterday winning three events against Stanford.
Weiss is a stud, but Josh Prenot looked very good in swimming a diverse program (1000 free, back on a medley relay). Hoyt and Pebley didn’t swim today.
Egypt’s Farida Osman (sprints/butterfly) committed to Teri’s team.
Prenot could probably score in about 7 events. Interesting to see what route they go with him.
DDG,
I see that another site(where she is listed as the #12 women’s recruit) mentioned Olympian Osman as a Cal verbal but there hasn’t been any other public confirmation. Maybe Braden and Swimswam can follow up and give us an overall recruiting picture of Cal’s class versus Georgia, USC and Stanford. If the verbal commits follow through with their LOI’s next week, and Cal’s class includes Missy Franklin,Celina Li, Kristen Vredeveld, Farida Osman,Abigail Speers and Taylor Young this looks to be the Bear’s second consecutive top recruiting class. This class addresses the lack of sprint free speed post Iiv Jensen, and adds depth to the fly and IM groups. Adding Missy to the existing Cal back stroke group is ridiculous,… Read more »
Osman’s brother doesn’t swim for the Bears, but is a current Cal student.
Pelton went 53.46 in the 100 back. Isnt that identical to tran and bootsma? Bootsma also went a 22.98 which is pretty good for her right now. Im still interested to see what those two will swim at taper time…so diverse.
At taper time I predict at the next NCAA championships 2 NCAA records for them. Rachel Bootsma will probably swim under 50 seconds and will beat the very old 49.97 from the legendary Natalie Coughlin. And Elizabeth Pelton will probably swim around 1.47 in the 200 back to beat the surreal 1.48.34 from Gemma Spofforth helped by her magical suit.
Which events will Elizabeth Pelton swim at the NCAA championships? She can swim the 200 IM on day 1, the 200 free or the 100 back on day 2 and the 200 back on day 3. I hope she will swim the 200 IM. I’m sure she can make big damages in this race.
To be fair to Gemma, she swam in a LZR racer, both when she set her NCAA record and when she set her still-standing 100 back world record. It’s not like she was wearing an X-Glide or a Jaked, and I’d wager she would have broken the NCAA record with or without a LZR.
No attacks against Gemma Spofforth. She was a very good swimmer but I prefer when the best swimmers have the records. Admit it was a magical suit, surely not the best but it has helped her to swim so fast. She has been at the top level during the magical suit’s period. Then she has struggled. These suits favored the big bodies. I don’t still understand her world record in the 100 back, perhaps she was on fire this day and her NCAA record which is in the 200 back, not her specialty.
Against Texas this past Friday, Bootsma won in 53.43 with Tran 2nd in 53.45. On Sat vs Wisconsin Pelton won in 53.46. So, not actually identical but pretty fast early season swims.
Does anyone know if the Cal girls were wearing fast suits?
Based on this, I would say they were not wearing fast suits.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=411377178935931
On the photo in the Cal website we see Caitlin Leverenz in an old school suit.
What is the pool record? Elizabeth Pelton breaks pool record. In which race?
And the other interesting thing I have noticed is that she has swum the 400 IM and it wasn’t very often the case for her before. And with a very impressive time so early in the season and in a relatively new event for her. 4.09.89 is great after a relay, a 200 free and a 200 back. Her breaststroke splits aren’t very far from Caitlin Leverenz who is a specialist. Perhaps she begins to work very hard her weakest stroke and it begins to pay off. She will probably easily win the 200 back at the next NCAA championships with a new big record, perhaps… Read more »
Ok, the pool record is in the 200 back. I hadn’t well read.
pelton also negative split the 200 free. 53.34/53.22.
Good early season times by both Cal and TX, as well as the times out of SMU, who blew away the Gators. I’m going to see the women’s USC-Washington State meet here in L.A. tomorrow, looking forward to seeing Tosky, Anderson, Carlson, LIm, Stewart, et. al. There is also a diving invitational there tomorrow, but USC mens’ schedule does not list a separate swim meet here tomorrow does anyone know if that is accurate? I thought the men’s/women’s schedules were usually the same, thx.
Washington state doesn’t have a men’s team.