2018 Campeonato Espana Universitario
- May 8th-9th, 2018
- Piscina Cubierta de Las Fuentezuelas, Jaén, Spain.
- SCM (25m), timed finals
- Championship Central
- Full results
The Catholic University of Murcia, or UCAM, put up a historically-dominant performance at the 2018 Spanish university championships, winning a record 54 medals (35 golds, 13 silvers, and 6 bronzes) en route to a trio of titles (men’s, women’s, and overall).
Among the star performers of the team was Olympic gold medalist Mireia Belmonte, who won 8 gold medals in the meet. In the process, Belmonte broke 6 Championship Records, including taking 3 seconds from the 400 free record, 11 seconds from the 800 free record, and 7 seconfs from the 200 IM record.
A list of Belmonte’s results (all in short course meters):
Day 1:
- 200 fly – 2:09.77
- 400 free – 4:06.11, Championship Record
- Mixed 400 free relay – 3:33.42, Championship Record (Belmonte anchor in 55.99)
Day 2:
- Women’s 200 free relay – 1:45.90, Championship Record (Belmonte anchored in 26.18)
- 800 free – 8:26.66, Championship Record
- Women’s 200 medley relay – 1:54.03, Championship Record (Belmonte split 28.01 fly leg)
- 200 IM – 2:10.02, Championship Record
- Mixed 400 medley relay – 3:53.26 (Belmonte split 1:00.08 on fly leg)
Belmonte was one of a handful of international-level swimmers competing at the meet, mostly training at UCAM with Belmonte. Her teammate, 29-year old Jessica Vall, won the 100 IM, (1:02.88), 50 breaststroke (31.82), 100 breaststroke (1:08.18), and 200 breaststroke (2:25.31) at the meet, with the 50 and 100 both coming in new Meet Records. Duane Da Rocha won the 50 back (29.69), 100 back (1:01.49) individually, both also in Meet Records.
From the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Lidon Munoz won the women’s 100 free in 55.25, just beating out UCAM’s Melanie Costa Schmid (55.43), and later added a comfortable win in the 50 free in a new Meet Record of 25.24. National Teamer Africa Zamorano also represented the Barcelona-based university, but didn’t win any events.
Belmonte returns with a group of international swimmers to altitude training at the Sierra Nevada camp with Spanish head coach Fred Vergnoux. A full list of senior swimmers attending that camp:
Mireia Belmonte (UCAM Fuensanta), Jimena Pérez (CD Gredos San Diego), Paula Ruiz (CN Mairena), Miguel Durán (UCAM Fuensanta), Pol Gil (CE Mediterrani), Alberto Martínez (AD Áncora) y Raúl S. Betancor (CN Metropole); and officials, Fred Vergnoux (Head Coach RFEN) and Mónica Solana (Physiotherapist, May 5th-6th, 12th-13th).
Courtesy: RFEN
Top 5 Men’s Teams
- Universidad Catolica San Antonio – 393
- Universidad de Valencia – 266
- Universidad de Sevilla – 242
- Universidad Politecnica de Madrid – 223
- Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona – 200
Top 5 Women’s Teams
- Universidad Catolica San Antonio – 419
- Universidad de Valencia – 271
- Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona – 229
- Universidad Politecnica de Madrid – 205
- Universidad de Granada – 181
Top 5 Combined Teams
- Universidad Catolica San Antonio – 893
- Universidad de Valencia – 587
- Univesridad Autonoma de Barcelona – 493
- Universidad Politecnica de Madrid – 478
- Universidad de Sevilla – 465
Can someone explain to an American the nature of “university championships?” What type of affiliation do the athletes have to the academic institution?
The type of affiliation is that competitors are students from an University, I don’t want to sound rude or something, but is it any different in the USA? It only makes sense that anywhere in the world students from those universities compete in an University Championship.
David – it’s quite different in the US. In the US, it’s not good enough to be a student. To compete in the NCAA, there is an incredible number of other requirements, not the least of which is the approval and permission of a non-academic individual (aka a ‘coach’) to represent the university, you can’t accept money for competing, even if that competition isn’t for your school, along with an unbelievable number of other restrictions (including oversight of when/how/where you make any money whatsoever, age, how long ago you graduated high school, how many years you’ve been attending that university, what your grades are like, how many football players your school has, how many volleyball players your school has –… Read more »
Dang she swims a lot… she’s also been very consistent over the years. Hope she throws up a really good one soon!