By Dan.D’Addona.
The anticipation of a possible national championship has been building since the day Katie Ledecky signed with the Cardinal.
Even without her, Stanford nearly won the NCAA title last year.
Now Ledecky is a Cardinal and Simone Manuel is back after a year off training for the Olympics. They were the two most dynamic female swimmers at the Rio Olympics and have already started the year as the two most dynamic swimmers in the NCAA.
Stanford earned a 149-99 victory over Washington State in Ledecky’s home meet debut this week, winning every event. .
Ledecky set two Avery Aquatic Center records and another was set by junior Manuel. They are breaking records set by each other and some of the biggest names in swimming history.
Ledecky set the pool record in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:44.18 to eclipse Manuel’s mark of 1:44.34 from 2015. Manuel, however, found another spot in the pool record book as she finished the 100-yard freestyle in 48.00, and topped the 48.47-mark set by Lia Neal last year.
Ledecky then swam 4:36.43 in the 500-yard freestyle. She broke an eight-year-old record set by two-time Olympian Julia Smit by more than five seconds. Smit had held the standard at 4:41.74 since 2008. Ledecky’s finish is the second-fastest all-time at Stanford, trailing only legend Janet Evans, who set the school record 26 years ago at 4:34.49.
Stanford, which has won nine straight dual meets and eight in a row at home, began the meet with the top three times in the 200-yard medley relay. Ally Howe, Ella Eastin, Lindsey Engel and Ledecky were first for the Cardinal at 1:42.09.
Howe was the first to touch the wall in the 100-yard butterfly (53.93) and 200 fly (1:58.27), Eastin was tops in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.29), and Engel won the 100-yard backstroke (55.30).
Junior Janet Hu won a pair of events. She earned the top spot in the 50-yard freestyle at 22.69, and then bested the field in the 200-yard backstroke at 1:54.81.
Sophomore Kim Williams was first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:16.61), and freshman Katie Drabot won the 1,000-yard freestyle with a winning time of 10:03.04.
Ledecky actually swam exhibition in the 500 but time still counts.
Swim also fastest all-time in a collegiate dual-meet. Old record: 4:39.33, Kim Linehan, Texas, during Texas vs. Stanforddual in February of 1983.
Stanford usually goes to an invitational @. Texas A&M right before Thanksgiving and presuming they go this fall the American/NCAA record-book could take a major hit.
Even though her times haven’t been earth-shattering so far this young season keep an eye on Cardinal rookie Katie Drabot. She could be tough come Pac-12s/NCAAs and I think Ally Howe and Janet Hu re in for big years too.
Across the Bay @. Cal Abbey Weitzeil swam a fine very early-season 22.26 50 free against the Coogs Friday and she just happens to be American record-holder in this race.
Olivia who? Just kidding, Ms. S!
why is there never inclusion of Maya Dirado in smokin’ Olympic women????
Maybe because Manuel’s and Ledecky’s specialty is freestyle.
In this article, Ledecky broke the records of Manuel, Smit and Evans. DiRado had a different specialty. The previous Olympics talk in these Stanford articles talks about Ledecky, Manuel and Cook a lot because they are on Stanford’s team currently and DiRado has graduated.