2017 MEN’S PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25
- Federal Way, WA (Pacific Time Zone)
- Defending Champion: Stanford (results)
- Psych sheets
- Live results
- Live Video (if available)
- Championship Central
The first week of the 2017 Pac-12 Championships last week featured record-setting women’s swimming, but also the men’s and women’s diving competitions.
The women’s team title went to Stanford, while the men’s award is yet to be determined next week. While there’s still a long way to go before a men’s winner is determined, the first points have rolled in, and so the picture is starting to take shape.
As usual, Stanford, USC, and Arizona State were strong in the men’s diving competition. The Cardinal, especially, racked up big points – with Bradley Christensen winning the 1-meter and Tarek Abdelghany won the platform. Meanwhile, USC’s Dashiell Enos and Henry Fusaro placed 1st and 2nd in the 3-meter.
In the Pac-12, while the women score to C finals, the men only score top 16 – and not all of those spots were filled by the 5 men’s teams.
Each team is allowed to have a total of 20 scorers of combined swimmers and divers, with divers counting as half of a roster spot.
Arizona was the only of the conference’s 6 teams that did not participate in diving – just one year removed from having a senior diver, Rafael Quintero, finish 2nd on both the 1-meter and platform at the NCAA Championships.
| Points | Divers Used | |
| Stanford | 154 | 4 |
| USC | 123 | 4 |
| Arizona St | 88 | 2 |
| Utah | 41 | 2 |
| Cal | 37 | 1 |
Ted Knapp.
How many points do we think the Cal breast group is going to put up at this meet? They have 4 potential NCAA breaststrokers
They also have to go against Vissering, Anderson and Bish
True but there are 4 Cal guys in the top 6 of the 200 breast (in the pac 12) and 4 in the top 10 (again in pac 12). I’d say that is pretty darn loaded.
you’d think Cal would ramp up their diving program since they are in the hunt for the national title every year.
Isn’t it a virtually new program? US mens diving has always been thinly spread .& foreign divers might want to join a more established set up .
If I was a betting man, I’d go with Cal over Stanford with Cal winning several exciting and competitive relays to gain the advantage.
Nice, gonna need that when Cal gets 5 in the backstroke final. My gut tells me Cal will win but logic tells me Stanford will win with their crazy distance group
Stanford doesn’t have the sprinters. Relays are sorta important
Relays are surprisingly unimportant at conference meets. The difference between 1:15 and 1:18 could be 30 points – or 10% of a top 5 score. The difference at Pac 12s would be more like 12 points – or 1.5% of the champion’s score.
Relays aren’t meaningless at conference meets, but barring a DQ, they’re not deal-breakers. Relays, for example, won’t even negate half of Stanford’s diving lead over Cal.
Agree, I have always said that for Conference meets. Relays don’t mean that much especially with so few teams in their conference. It is more depth….how good is your 18th swimmer? Great minds think alike!
Okay, so take that 12 points and multiply it by 5 relays. 60 points isn’t a towering margin but its certainly a significant one
Ted Knapp is Stanford’s coach
Stanford will be able to put in a very very good 800 free relay and a decent 400 free relay, I think this meet is going to be very very close
Well they do got the Pac 12 champion in the 50 free so their 4×50 isn’t that bad. And their 800 free relay should do pretty well too.
Sure, 60 points is significant. Not enough to have swung most of the conference meets over the last decade, but it is meaningful. However, Cal won’t get 12 points on Stanford in every relay. Stanford is the top seed in the 800, for example. In the 200 free relay, Cal is seeded 2nd and Stanford is 4th. That’s only a 4 point difference.
At the end of the day, in 19 out of 20 years (by super scientific roughly estimated math), relays aren’t what decides the Pac-12 Champion.
Although Stanford has made huge improvements from last year and will likely dominate the mid-distance and distance free races, they just don’t have the speed to beat Cal. Relays score double points, my dude.
Let’s say they get second in every relay unlikely since Zona will likely get second in the medley relay, the 800 free relay could go to Stanford, regardless they will place at least 3rd in every relay and combined with diving that still gives them an edge