A Cal Tradition: Golden Bears’ Latest NCAA Title Earned Through Power and Depth – And Expectation
Nathan Adrian and Tom Shields.
Jacob Pebley and Josh Prenot.
Seth Stubblefield and Ryan Murphy.
Andrew Seliskar and Ryan Hoffer.
Over the past decade-plus, California has featured some of the biggest names in swimming, guys who excelled individually and simultaneously recognized the team aspect of the sport. They gave their all for the Golden Bears and coach Dave Durden, proud to be part of a program that is rich in tradition and – for as long as anyone can imagine – will be a major factor in the chase for NCAA championships.
Many of these fellas have stood on international podiums, from the Olympics to the World Championships. Adrian and Murphy are individual Olympic champions, guaranteed future spots in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
From A to Z, there has also been a collection of guys who might be lesser known, but who have played equally critical roles in Cal’s success. Guys who won national titles under the radar. Men who scored a point here or there at the NCAA Champs. Athletes who pushed a teammate during a grueling practice. An individual who provided perfectly timed words of encouragement ahead of a key race.
Nolan Koon.
Will Hamilton.
Justin Lynch.
The list goes on.
On Saturday night, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, California hoisted the seventh NCAA championship in program history – and fifth since the 2011 campaign, and of the Durden era. Bolstered by a spectacular final-day showing, the Golden Bears finished with 487.5 points, 51 ahead of defending champion and longtime rival Texas.
More, the 2022 campaign marks the 12th time in 13 years in which Cal has finished either first or second in the NCAA team standings. The only time the Golden Bears did not produce a top-two effort since 2010? How about the 2020 season, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season-ending meet, one which – not surprisingly – was expected to feature a showdown between the Bears and Longhorns.
So, yes, that makes 12 consecutive finishes in the top two at the NCAA Champs. It’s one hell of a streak, among the best in any sport at the collegiate level.
“They do swim for each other,” Durden said. “That is wonderful to see. Even working through this meet with Bjorn. Bjorn was so concerned with everybody else’s swimming, recovery, etc., that he probvbly spent 10% thinking about his swimming. That’s a challenge to get everybody redirected, and that’s why it’s such a great meet. It’s the best meet in the world to see young men go after a goal and do it for each other. We knew how the path of this meet was going to go, knowing that the last day is our best day. I don’t like it that way. I would like to get to a spot where it’s more comfortable, but that’s a testament to the programs that we’re swimming. This meet is getting faster and faster. That’s probably our fastest NCAA meet that we’ve ever had. It’s super competitive. Our conference meet was tough. Moving the three-and-a-half days at our conference meet really put us in a spot where we could handle the situation at this meet. Have it be close when we get to Saturday, and we can get after this thing.”
Regardless of sport, most programs that reach dynastic proportions possess a specific personality. It is a mix of confidence, support, high expectations and calm. Cal displayed each of those traits during its four days in Atlanta. The Bears believed they would excel. They lifted each other emotionally. They remained unphased when Texas built an early lead, fully aware that the back half of the competition was its time to shine.
This latest Cal team offered a spectacular blend of top-flight talent and key contributors. Consider the team’s scoring breakdown:
- The Bears received individual scoring from 14 athletes, clear evidence of the program’s combination of power and depth.
- Destin Lasco and Hugo Gonzalez captured individual championships, besting the competition in the 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley, respectively. Meanwhile, Bjorn Seeliger was the runnerup in both sprint-freestyle events.
- Cal’s lowest relay finish was a fourth-place showing in the 800 freestyle relay on the opening night of the meet. Otherwise, there was a title in the 400 medley relay, a second-place effort in the 200 freestyle relay, third place in the 400 freestyle relay and a tie for third in the 200 medley relay.
- Although he didn’t qualify for any championship finals, Jason Louser was an integral part of Cal’s championship run, as he guaranteed scoring in each of his three events by nailing down bids to a trio of consolation finals.
Basically, what Cal showed over the past four days has been customary of the Golden Bears. It’s become a formula, really. All performances are valued and respected, no point taken for grant. More, athletes enter the program eager to learn about the Cal way, and leave having passed along the tradition to others.
“This iteration has been through a lot of different experiences, and I think those experiences create a lot of maturity,” Durden said. “These guys have done some different things in their career. They are an extension of our coaching staff, and we just have conversations about it. That’s a lost art in this day and age where you can actually talk to people and very logically work through a season, work through a training segment, work through a week or work through a meet. I think our guys do a good job of that. Conversation is lost in this day and age of text, Twitter and Instagram. We try to work through that and make sure we’re having conversations about things… There’s a level of trust in the room that we know exactly where we need to be.”
What will next year bring? Well, another title run is likely. After all, plenty of talent returns, and impressive skill is on the way. But for now, let’s allow Durden and his crew the opportunity to enjoy this latest championship.
A title which is the latest in a special legacy.