On the first day of winter, Cal and San Jose State staged a dual meet under the warm sunshine at Spieker Aquatics Complex Wednesday afternoon, with the second-ranked Golden Bears prevailing, 178-113.
Three Cal swimmers won two events apiece, with sophomore Katie McLaughlin winning the 200-yard butterfly (1:59.83) and 200 individual medley (2:093.89); sophomore Amy Bilquist claiming the 50 free (22.88) and 200 back (1:59.67); and senior Celina Li taking the 100 free (51.68) and 200 breast (2:18.91).
The meet comes during a period of intense training for the Bears. After winning the Georgia Fall Invitational in early December, Cal won’t face another opponent in head-to-head competition until the Pac-12 dual meet season almost eight weeks later.
“The goal for today was to give us the opportunity to swim some different things and have a racing experience,” head coach Teri McKeever said. “When we go from the first part of December until mid-January, that’s a long time. As a coach, you like a month where we can just focus on training, and to put a racing experience in there breaks it up a bit.”
Instead of holding a typical 1000-yard free during the meet, the coaches inserted a 100 IM, and Cal freshman Abbey Weitzeil came through in 55.94, edging out Li, who was right behind in 56.73.
The 100 breaststroke featured winner Kathleen Baker (1:03.22), the Olympic silver medalist in the 100 back, as well as fourth-place finisher Weitzeil, a two-time Olympic medalist as a sprint freestyle.
Freshmen Anina Lund (1:53.93) and Maddie Murphy 1:53.99) paced the 200 free, while junior Noemie Thomas, the national leader in the 100 fly, won her specialty in 53.66.
Following a road trip to Arizona next month, Cal returns home for three dual meets – vs. USC on Friday, Jan. 27, vs. UCLA on Saturday, Jan. 18 and vs. Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 11.
News Courtesy of Cal Athletics.
Can swimswam please investigate about Abbey’s anchor leg of 20.92 in the 4X50 free relay?
I can understand that in a relay a swimmer can surpass him/herself but unrested, unsuited and after swimming earlier in the session a 100 IM, a 100 breast and a 100 back?
Logically it looks impossible but if you tell me there’s no error then it just means that tapered and suited she will destroy all the records next March.
Hey bobo – we’ve asked, but no response so far.
Thanks. Maybe a video of the race will be posted on youtube.
Common sense tells you it was a mistake.
Anyone know where Maija Roses has been? A few months ago her father suddenly passed away and I thought she might be taking the rest of the semester off- she missed this meet as well as the texas dual and it’s unusual for a swimmer to miss two home meets. . . But she competed at the Georgia invite. Hope everything is okay.
Anyone ever split <21 before?
Yes, Megan Romano and Ariana Vanderpool-Wallace. That I know of.
Margo Geer at NCAA’s (2012 I believe) and Ivy Mzrtin at 2015 Big 10s
Is Weitzel’s 20.92 split on Cal’s C entry in the 200 Free Relay accurate?! http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/calberk.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/12/21/12_21_16_Cal_San_Jose_State_results.pdf
Weitzel split 20.92 on the Cal “C” team 4×50 free relay?!?!
I highly doubt that. Given she has been consistently 22.2 unsuited on relays and at the gTech invite went 21.6 suited and rested.
Unrested, unsuited, that’s impossible.
Or it would mean she will go 20.50 flat-start tapered and suited in March. And will split 19.90 in the relay. 🙂
She should be 20.9 flat start in March if she was untested last march like they say. But 20.9 on a relay no suit no rest I don’t buy it. (Especially looking at the results of the other events)
Go Bear
Yes! I was at the meet and in the last event— 200 Free Relay—, Cal entered 4 teams and put Weitzel with the a lesser rated group, so she, as the anchor, got into the water in last place for the Cal 4 squads and was like 15 yards behind. But she finished real strong and closed the gap very impressively. Very smart of Coach Terri McKeever.. I spent the meet conversing for an hour with Amy Bilquist’s grandmother (from Texas) who was there with Amy’s brother.(who now lives in Oregon). Great people!