Swimming World Presents – The Mount Rushmore of Division I Swimming

Swimming World March 2021 - The Mount Rushmore of NCAA Division I Swimming
PICTURED ABOVE (FROM LEFT): PABLO MORALES, TRACY CAULKINS (PHOTO BY HORST MULLER), JOHN NABER (PHOTO BY BOB INGRAM) & NATALIE COUGHLIN (PHOTO BY TONY DUFFY)

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The Mount Rushmore of Division I Swimming

By Andy Ross

If there were a sculpture made of the top American NCAA Division I swimmers similar to the one depicting four U.S. Presidents on Mount Rushmore, Tracy Caulkins, Natalie Coughlin, Pablo Morales and John Naber would be worthy honorees. No other U.S. swimmer has won more NCAA D-I individual titles than those four.

TRACY CAULKINS, FLORIDA (12)
100 breast 1984; 100 fly 1982; 200 fly 1982-84; 100 IM 1982-83; 200 IM 1982-83-84; 400 IM 1982-83-84 (also swam on four winning relays)

Tracy Caulkins won 12 NCAA titles in her career at the University of Florida from 1982-84. But she was in a unique position compared to other swimmers who competed after her: Back then, swimmers weren’t limited to the number of individual events they could swim. That changed in 1987 when NCAA rules stated that swimmers would be limited to three individual events and four relays or two individuals and all five relays.

Then again, Caulkins only swam three years of college instead of four, forgoing her senior year and retiring after the 1984 Olympics in pursuit of completing her schooling—she earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcasting in 1985.

Tracy Caulkins was often referred to as one of the greatest female swimmers of all time, but she was only able to compete in one Olympics, where she won three gold medals. The U.S. boycott the Games in 1980, and Caulkins retired from the sport after the ’84 Games at the age of 21.

NATALIE COUGHLIN, CAL (11)
100 back 2001-02-03-04; 200 back 2001-02-03; 100 fly 2001-02-03-04 (also swam on one winning relay)

Natalie Coughlin was near perfect in her NCAA career, winning 11 of a possible 12 NCAA individual titles in her four years at Cal-Berkeley from 2001-04. She won four titles in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, and three in the 200 back.

In her freshman season, she secured two of her three wins over Olympic gold medalists. In the 100 yard fly, she upset Stanford’s Misty Hyman to set an NCAA record at 51.18. In the 100 back, she bested Hyman again and future Olympian Haley Cope for an American record of 51.23. In the 200 back, Coughlin bested 1996 Olympic gold medalist Beth Botsford of Arizona by four-and-a-half seconds to take nearly two seconds off the American record with a 1:51.02.

Her three NCAA records (she just missed Jenny Thompson’s 100 fly American mark of 51.07 set in 1998) landed her on the cover of Swimming World (May 2001) and launched herself as a household name. She had also been an excellent high school swimmer (SW’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year, 1998), but she took that next step in her rookie year of college.

PABLO MORALES, STANFORD (11)
100 fly 1984-85-86-87; 200 fly 1984-85-86-87; 200 IM 1985-86-87 (also swam on three winning relays)

Stanford’s Pablo Morales is officially the winningest male swimmer in NCAA Division I history with 11 individual titles from 1984-87. John Naber had held that distinction after the 1977 season with 10 wins, but Morales passed him after taking Titles #9, 10 and 11 at the 1987 NCAAs at Texas.

He swept all four years of the 100 and 200 butterfly, and won three titles in the 200 IM during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. However, as a freshman, Morales, swimming in his very first college championship finals, finished fourth in the medley (1:48.08), albeit only 13-hundredths off Ricardo Prado’s (SMU) winning time of 1:47.95.

Two days later at that 1984 meet, Morales held off Prado in the 200 butterfly (in which Prado was the defending champ) by 1-tenth of a second, 1:44.33 to 1:44.43. On the meet’s middle day, Morales clocked an American record in the 100 fly (47.02).

Not only did Pablo Morales become the winningest NCAA Division I male swimmer in history with 11 individual titles, but he also was a member of five NCAA championship teams at Stanford—three in swimming (1985-87) and two in water polo (1985-86).

JOHN NABER, USC (10)
500 free 1974-75; 100 back 1974-75-76-77; 200 back 1974-75-76-77 (also swam on five winning relays)

USC’s John Naber had held the record for most NCAA D-I individual titles for a decade after he won 10 from 1974-77, sweeping the 100 and 200 back all four years, as well as earning two wins in the 500 free.

As a freshman in 1974, Naber swam his first college championship final in the meet’s first race, the 500 free. All he did was upset Indiana’s John Kinsella, the American record holder (4:24.49), who was vying for his fourth consecutive title. Naber won in 4:26.85; Kinsella finished sixth in 4:33.69.

It was an auspicious start for the Trojans—and a not-so-welcome start for the Hoosiers. By meet’s end, USC beat Indiana by one point to put a halt to IU’s six-year winning streak.

Naber would go on to win the 100 and 200 backstrokes, both in American record time (50.51, 1:48.95), as the Trojans celebrated their first national title in eight years.

While John Naber was at USC, winning 10 individual titles and four team championships, he also competed at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, where he won four gold medals—all in world-record time—and one silver medal.

To read more about Tracy Caulkins, Natalie Coughlin, Pablo Morales, and John Naber,
Click here to download the complete March 2021 issue, available now!

Swimming World March 2021 - Shane Casas - COVER[PHOTO CREDIT: CONNOR TRIMBLE]

 

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Swimming World March 2021 Issue

FEATURES

012 THIS SHOULD BE WELL WORTH THE WAIT
by Dan D’Addona
A year ago, all eyes were on Cal and Texas in what looked to be one of the greatest men’s NCAA Championship duels ever. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out that showdown, but spirits are running high one year later—not only for that much anticipated Cal-Texas confrontation, but for the simple fact that college swimmers will again be able to come together and compete at a national championship.

014 YES, VIRGINIA, NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE
by Dan D’Addona
For years, Stanford and Cal have been battling each other for national supremacy at women’s NCAAs, with the Cardinal and Golden Bears finishing 1-2 in the last three championships. Before that, Cal had put together four team titles since 2009. But in 2021, look for Virginia to make its move—not only as a new rival, but quite possibly as a new champion!

016 ALL SYSTEMS GO…FOR NOW!
by Andy Ross
Although the NCAA Division III and NAIA had canceled their championship swimming and diving meets in early February, NCAA  Division II was still a “go,” thereby preserving the possibility for Queens University of Charlotte to pursue its sixth straight men’s and women’s team titles.

018 DOC’S GUYS
by John Lohn
In the late 1960s into the early 1970s, Doc Counsilman’s Indiana University swimming program was a focal point of the sport. His legendary teams were a dominant presence not just on the collegiate scene, but also on the national—and international—stage.

021 THE “MOUNT RUSHMORE” OF NCAA DIVISION I SWIMMING
by Andy Ross
If there were a sculpture made of the top American NCAA Division I swimmers similar to the one depicting four U.S. Presidents on Mount Rushmore, Tracy Caulkins, Natalie Coughlin, Pablo Morales and John Naber would be worthy honorees. No other swimmer has won more NCAA D-I individual titles than those four.

024 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: OLYMPIC RIVALRIES OF YESTERYEAR
by John Lohn
Rivalries have always defined the sport. Michael Phelps vs. Ian Crocker. Gary Hall Jr. vs. Alexander Popov. Shirley Babashoff vs. East Germany. These are just a few rivalries that stand out and should long be remembered. But what about the rivalries from the early days of swimming? As our “Takeoff to Tokyo” series continues, Swimming World takes a look at some of these rivalries from yesteryear.

026 WHO IS THIS GUY?
by David Rieder
Before the summer of 2019, Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas had been swimming under the radar. But if his performances since then are any indication, the end results could be spectacular. His coaches see his potential as basically unlimited, and recent history makes it tough to disagree. As for Casas, he has similarly lofty expectations for himself.

029 ISHOF: THE VALUE OF SWIMMING IN WAR
by Bruce Wigo
In the early 1900s, there was scarcely an American alive who was unfamiliar with the name of Frederick Funston. He was the most decorated and celebrated hero of the Philippine-American War (1899-1902)—famous in military and swimming history for his willingness to have his men swim across rivers, under fire, when, according to press reports, “They couldn’t otherwise get at the enemy quickly enough to suit them.”

COACHING

041 SPECIAL SETS: BOWE KNOWS SWIMMING
by Michael J. Stott
Bowe Becker has trained with Sandpipers of Nevada coaches Ron Aitken and Cutter Haupt as well as Kelly Kremer at the University of Minnesota (2015-19). The eight-time NCAA All-American, Big Ten champion and conference record holder in the 50-100 free now swims with the ISL’s Cali Condors. Coach Haupt provides some sample workouts from November 2014, which were done prior to that year’s December sectionals.

043 Q&A WITH COACH MATT BARANY
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN MAGGIE PURCELL
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

040 DRYSIDE TRAINING:  PULLING POWER
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

046 UP & COMERS: LIAM CUSTER
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT PRINCE DABULAMANZI & THE BATTLE OF ISANDLWANA?

011 THE OFFICIAL WORD

032 2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY

047 HASTY HIGH POINTERS

048 GUTTERTALK

049 PARTING SHOT

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