The FASTEST Weekend in College Dual Meet History | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

This past weekend saw many of the fastest times EVER swum outside of a championship meet (and a couple times that were just the fastest ever, period). Between the Stanford/ASU and Cal/ASU duals on the men’s side and the UVA/NC State/UNC Triple Dual on the women’s side, they made for an insanely fast January weekend.

So here’s some food for thought:
– Who will have the better NCAAs: Leon Marchand or Gretchen Walsh?
– Are the ASU men still the favorite to win the NCAA Championships?
– Should NCAA swim meets be allowed to end in a tie?

Welcome to the swim swim breakdown I’m your host Coleman Hodges coming to you from Berkeley California today joined by yinyan Lee from Evon Illinois we had I think the best weekend of dual meet racing in NCAA history this past weekend uh which is what we’re GNA talk

About today yinyan would you concur with that assessment um I don’t think I’ve been following swimming NCA swimming closely enough to include that cuz really I’ve only paid attention to dual meet weekends for like maybe the last four or five years but definitely out of all the Dual meet weekends that

I’ve followed definitely for sure fair enough I can I can say with with a lot of confidence that before the past four or five years dual meets were just slower and slower uh they’ve really gotten faster in the last four or five years which we’ll get into a little I think um as

Our conversation goes but holy holy moly was this weekend fast uh I think that starts where I am on the west coast um we saw Arizona State travel to the Bay Area where they raced Stanford on Friday and then Cal on Saturday there were so many Sensational

Swims um but yinyan I’ll start with you just what were your highlight swims what surprised you what was a really good swim but maybe didn’t surprise you um yeah what what were your initial thoughts and reactions to those to that pair of dual meets with Arizona State um

Well obviously Ilia karun was the major stand up going 137 in the 200 fly one of the fastest performers of all time we knew that he was capable of a final Ling in this event we’ve known that since the very first school meet but this is just

Taking it up a notch and and it’s turning him from an A finalist to potentially one of the best swimmers in the NCA period and now as a freshman he’s the favorite to win the 200 fly out at nca’s and I think that’s a really big deal I’m also really impressed with

Zalan sarani who has been very fast these past few minutes he went 8 837 in the thousand three also one of the fastest performances of all time backing up that 1429 from a few weeks ago so ridiculous I think Cal stepped up more than they did last year I think they’re

Starting to take dual meets more seriously last year it was a matter of ASU suited up and Cal didn’t so ASU did considerably better this time I feel like not that they didn’t respect ASU last year but I think this time they looked at this meet and their mindset

Was we know what you guys are capable of doing but we can do it too and and we know you’re good we want to be able to match that so ASU really helped set the standard with suiting up and Cal falled suit and definitely the tie I hate I

Really hated the fact that ASU and Cal tied but um yeah the fact the tie showed that the battle between the two of them the two schools is closer than um it was predicted to be and Stanford the Stanford men also looked really good Andre mikov was back um Ron palansky Jon

And they did really really well especially mikov 132 2003 um 138 200 fly which is ridiculous um I didn’t know he had that in him and then 40 441 100 fly he’s back like he never left so very very good so those are all my highlights also fast swims on

The woman’s side Lindsay Looney 132 200 fly but I think most of the highlights were of the men yeah the that 441 hun fly from minov I don’t know if you watched the video but all of his turns were awful like all he was taking half Strokes into every single turn and he

Still went 441 which I think is just ridiculous um he looked so good uh in in in all of his races um and yeah like you said back like he never left uh so the ASU the tying of ASU and Cal was so fun to to witness and to be

There to watch so we’re just G to mix in some Sinker swims today on this breakdown instead of doing a whole section of them so first Sinker swim do you think it ties should be allowed in NCAA college dual meets I’m gonna think it I know ties it don’t matter dual meets don’t

Matter in the long run but it’s just not it’s just not fun I like the idea of a sudden death overtime where there’s extra on the line and especially since it’s a meet between the top two teams in the country even if it’s not for a record or anything that counts towards

The post season there’s still a lot on the line there’s a lot of just Pride on the line and it would it would have been so much more entertaining to see some sort of tier than to just call it a tie and leave it at that there were a lot of

Ideas being thrown out on deck in real time about like what do we do you know there were fans shouting re the relay or like skins you know uh I think Herby B of ASU had had thought about this scenario and he was like I think that

The head coaches should put on a suit after the second break if they think there’s a potential of tying and then if they tie the head coaches get on the blocks and do a 25 all out and Winner Takes all um which I think is pretty hilarious um I’m swimming ties though I

I think it it it means that on that day they were completely evenly matched I don’t really have a problem with walking away from a duel me I think it would be super fun to see them settle it in a sudden death relay or Sprints or skins

Or whatever it is but um you know like to see the top two teams go at it swim a ton of Fast Times the the fastest dual meat in history I think it’s safe to say and then have them come out neck and neck uh I mean I think in If This Were

Nc2a it would be pretty anticlimactic and I wouldn’t want nc2a to end in a tie but I think for a dual meet this fuels both teams and it fuels The Narrative of ASU versus Cal moving forward and for that reason I kind of like it yeah and

Sophie Kaufman and she did an article about ties in swimming it was a really well written article and she mentioned that in 2014 in women’s gymnastics they there was a tie that they need to implement something to make sure that doesn’t happen in swimming because a joint National Champion it’s just not you

Know yeah I I I agree I think there should be some rule written where if you tie it in c2a something needs to happen right uh I there was at one duel in the pool I think it was 2013 um it was in Glasgow and it was the

The European All Stars versus Team USA and they tied at the end of the meet and so there was a mixed 200 medley relay uh as that was like the written in the rules as like that’s the tiebreaker I’m guessing because no one ever thought it would actually happen but they

Actually did it and Team USA won I don’t really remember who was on it aside from Simone manual anchoring it but uh it was pretty epic but yeah it’s like something like that you know yeah it makes 200 Bley R would be really fun to watch it would be this is why nc2a

Should be combined because then you could do that as a tiebreaker but uh yeah it was it both meets raining which I think just added to the drama of it um at the Stanford ASU duel it was just kind of like lightly sprinkling but at the Cow duel

For certain parts of it it was like coming down pretty heavy uh and especially like during the 50 freeze I was afraid that someone was going to like fall off a you know slip on a block at the start or something but it didn’t happen uh and people you know people

Were going 18s in the 53e rain uh hu Hubert Kosh and Dustin Lasco went 139s in the 200 back while they’re while getting uh by rain so I think that was pretty pretty pretty dramatic and pretty cool to to win and to see how fast they

Could go in conditions like that and I think it bodess very well for both teams coming into nc2a oh sure next sinker a after seeing this dual meet where the Cowman and ASU men tied who wins nc2a um all right here I’ll phrase it this way sink or swim ASU is still the

Favorite to win in c2a I’m gonna swim it I know it was a tie but when you factor in all of the other teams that will have scorers the gap between ASU and cow wi because I feel like ASU still has a lot more potential a finalists than C does especially with

Zaran and Ilia karun getting better whereas Cal’s losing people they lost Aaron shackle and um yeah the the whole Brooks Curry thing ended up not I I don’t know if that’s going to happen I don’t know what’s going on there but assuming that doesn’t happen I think ASU out still

Outnumbers C and top on Talent agreed I think I think their depth and potential a finalists on paper is better than Cal’s uh and I think that right now I would also swim ASU being the favorite I don’t necessarily think that means they’re going to win but I because

Cal has has such a heavy focus on nc2a that even though we’ve seen them suit up and swim really fast in a dual meet even though we’ve seen them we’ll see them you know suit up and swim probably very fast at pack 12s I don’t you know

They’ve done this time and time again I don’t think we will see them really show all their cards until nc2a and they have the advantage of I I talked about this with a lot and you can see it at the Dual meet this week Cal rolls up to nc2a and no matter where

It is it’s like a home meet for them because they have 100 plus cheering fans in the stands in Bear suits like screaming the whole meat and it it gives them a lot of energy and momentum and no nearly no other team has that to the level that they do and I think

Especially for Arizona State they they know what they’re dealing with because they dealt with it last year but I you know they have to be ready to perform under those conditions right and I think we saw them do a very good job of it at the meet this weekend

When there were hundreds of cheering fans in the stands for Cal but you know having having that kind of energy for Cal makes a big difference and not having it at a championship meet like that can make a difference in the other direction for Arizona State yeah it’s

Interesting that you bring up fan influence and I love that this is a topic conversation because I feel like at dual meets you don’t really hear about that that often because people don’t watch D meets but the energy at the Cow me gave them a legitimate home

Field po advantage and you also saw that at the uba NC State meet where um I think Ross fan um had to like silence a bunch of booing people in the uba stands like that kind of stuff you don’t typically see that at du meets but you

Saw that this weekend I just thought that was really cool agreed um and it it it just makes it such a such a spectator friendly environment and experience right to to see that kind of fan athlete interaction um that we’re let’s move on to the UVA NC State UNC triple

Duel um that was at Virginia uh that again where you saw rosant silencing the crowd when he took the thousand free win we saw Noah Nichols kind of chirp back when he took the took the win in the 100 breast um but it was it’s good to see that that dual meets

Are getting a little more exciting in that way that people are deciding to suit up uh to to get faster swims out of themselves at any point in the season um but I I’m I’m it’s I think we’re headed in a good direction is is how I’ll end

That little rant uh UVA NC State UNCC triple Duel at UVA obviously the Highlight was gret and Walsh it’s always W Walsh anytime gr and Walsh touches a short Coast yards full the attention is all on her especially this year I was so I uh I talked to her in Knoxville uh

Right before she went and did something ridiculous at Virginia Tech I think and I was a little hesitant because in her interview she was like yeah I’ve been pushing 48s 4800 backs in practice you know and i’ I pushed a 46 in the Hun free and I didn’t want to make that the

Headline because there’s no there’s no video of it right she’s just saying it but she backs it up with everything she does in meets right I mean she went 48 in the 100 back uh in in this meet she went 46 in the 100 free and so it’s like

She she’s on another level this year right she is Leon Marshon Caleb dressle Natalie cogin you know like she’s she has ascended to the top of the NCAA uh and sinker swim she will end she will break three nc2a records individually at nc2a oh I’m a th% swimming it first

Off if she chooses to swim the 100 fly she’s technically already hasn’t broken the NC record for that but she did there was that whole thing at um the midseason me and she’s just been knocking on the door of those NCA records just over and

Over again with her du meet swims and it it’s just ridiculous and a lot of people say oh she doesn’t get a lot faster her her her specialty is sing P suits but she does she did get significantly faster in both of her NCAA meets I don’t see why she can’t this

Year yeah it’s not that she doesn’t get faster with a suit it’s that she’s already so fast without a suit yeah and then she gets like a bit faster you know she gets like partially f a bit faster she she dropped a second in the 100 back

Last year is not a bit faster you’re right she gets a lot yeah it’s like that’s a that’s a misconception completely um just to give to give some context if you don’t know at the at the NC State UNCC triple duel gret and Walsh split 20.1 in a 50 freestyle the fastest

Split in history by a big margin she was 215 in the 50 fly is that correct and then she went 46 in the 100 free she was 48 in the 100 back she was 20.9 in the 50 free all which are times that most athletes never go in their

Entire career and she was doing this in a practice suit at a dual meet yeah oh I wasn’t gonna say anything I was just agreeing with you yeah it’s it’s she’s she’s putting up times that are just bananas um for NC and it’s all signs are pointing to her having a historic NCAA

Performance so this not quite a sinker swim but who do you think will have the better nc2a Leon marand or Gretchen Walsh I’ve got to go with Gretchen I think this is her year she’s been she’s been the center of attention she’s been the spotlight throughout the season and

I think she was kind of over shadowed by Kate Douglas these last two years and rightly so because Kate Douglas is incredible but this year it’s hard and shine and we were just talking last week about how leam Marshall might not set that many NCA records where whereas

Gretchen walls has never had that massive three three win NCA meet and I think she’s gonna have that this year yeah I I mean I think they’re in definitely two different places Gretchen had a sensational nc2a last year but was just off in the 50 just off the nc2a

Record in the 50 free let me rephrase that and didn’t win it and then just off the nc2a record in the 100 free did win it and then smashed the the record in the hunter back with a win but so you know so she didn’t have that lights out three for

Three completely breaking every record performance whereas Leon did six of his seven swims were the fastest in history right and so Leon’s in a different place obviously this year because a he’s already had that meet and B his his focus is the Olympics right he wants to help his team win win

An nc2a title and he wants to perform well at his home Olympics I don’t think breaking nc2a records is his number one priority right like he doesn’t he doesn’t necessarily need to just fully rest go all in for this meet he could add time and still run away with three nc2a

Titles and I’m not saying he will after seeing him go 138 in the 200 IM twice in 24 hours it’s kind of like oh my God like can he go f like is he gonna go faster like I’m I’m feeling insecure about saying he’s not now um because that’s just incredible

But I think Gretchen has more to prove at an nc2a championships I think she is very motivated to have that 2018 drlees 2023 marones meet where she just completely dominates and rewrites the record books so I’m I’m with you I think Gretchen is going to have that meet that’s our swim

Swim breakdown for today we just wanted to rec cap again the fastest dual meet weekend in history uh it where we saw just some crazy Fast Times uh from from east to west coast thanks for joining us I know it was a short one but we’ll be

Back next week with with a normaliz one uh until then we’ll see you next time