For the men’s and women’s swim teams, NCAAs are seven months and two seasons away; yet both squads are undoubtedly looking to toward that far-off event in hopes of repeating a national title sweep.
Despite being favored from the get-go as an NCAA frontrunner, the team ignored the hype and instead spent much of the season honing the narrow focus that head coach David Durden so steadfastly believes in.
It paid off. The Bears, trailing Texas with three events remaining, stormed back to claim the title over the team that had beat them a year before.
Cal’s women, meanwhile, topped the standings on the second day of NCAAs and it didn’t let up until the crown was theirs.
That success might prove difficult to repeat next year with the loss of critical seniors. Four of the 12 women who competed at NCAAs this past year graduated, including standout Amanda Sims, who earned one of the team’s five national titles in 2011. As for the men, Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian isn’t the only senior to leave Spieker; in fact, two other members of the championship-clinching 400 relay team (Graeme Moore and Josh Daniels) are gone.
Durden and women’s coach Teri McKeever certainly don’t plan on relinquishing their national titles anytime soon, a drop-off could still be in the cards for the two teams.
At the other end of the spectrum reside the water polo teams: Both come off of national runner-up finishes. Both want to get over that hurdle in 2012. And most importantly, both squads are loaded.
Though the women fell to to No. 1 Stanford in this year’s final, reaching that NCAA title match — the program’s first — was a feat in and of itself. Doing so with a squad full of underclassmen was even more impressive. And with Richard Corso’s Bears returning every single starter — most notably seniors Emily Csikos and Stephanie Peckham — the rest of the nation better sit up and take notice.
On the men’s side, two of the top five scorers have graduated, but Kirk Everist’s returnees aren’t too shabby. Luka Saponjic, Cory Nasoff and reigning National Player of the Year Ivan Rackov are all back as seniors. Hosting the NCAA tournament at Spieker Aquatics Complex doesn’t hurt, either.
The Pick: Water Polo
Image Source: Shannon Hamilton and Kellen Freeman/Daily Californian
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