2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships Day 4 Finals: Cal Rallies to Fifth Straight Title

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Daniel Carr; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships Day 4 Finals: Backstroke Powers Cal Rally

The mountain has been steep for Cal at the 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships.

By the end of Day 1 of the meet, with three diving events and two relays factored in, the Golden Bears found themselves in sixth place out of six teams, 141 points adrift of Stanford. It would take the better part of three days for Cal to claw back that deficit, but one race at a time, the Bears managed to.

Cal positioned itself well on Saturday morning, pushing 16 swimmers into finals and flexing its stroke depth. It then finished the 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships with aplomb, setting a meet record in the 400 free relay to catapult to a fifth straight title. They even made it look a little easy, entering the final relay with an unassailable lead thanks to three individual wins and a boatload of A finalists on the night.

The events of the final day:

2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships Team Scores

Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 21                      
 
  1. California University,Berkeley  853.5   2. Stanford University               760
  3. Arizona State University          652   4. Southern California, Universit    449
  5. University of Arizona           423.5   6. Utah, University of               264

2022 Pac-12 Men’s Championships Links

Men’s 1,650 freestyle

Stanford started with the upper hand in the team competition, though it’s Brooks Fail to picked up the win. The Arizona fifth-year senior won in 14:41.22, comfortably ahead of Stanford’s Grant Shoults. Arizona State was third via Gordon Mason.

Cal took home fifth place (via Sean Grieshop) and eighth.

Event 16  Men 1650 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 14:12.08  2/22/2020 Bobby Finke, Florida
       PAC-12: M 14:24.35  2012      Chad La Tourette, STAN
 PAC-12 Champ: P 14:33.69  2021      Zach Yeadon, CAL
                 14:37.31  A Standard
                 15:26.19  B Standard
    Name           Year School               Seed     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
  1 Fail, Brooks     5Y Arizona          14:41.57   14:41.22 B       20  
     r:+0.56  24.45    26.86    27.11    27.17
       26.57    25.62    25.33    25.47    24.60
  2 Shoults, Grant   SR STAN             14:56.07   14:45.38 B       17  
     r:+0.65  24.21    26.91    27.24    27.23
       26.87    26.70    26.45    26.02    24.81
  3 Mason, Gordon    JR ASU              14:53.88   14:50.70 B       16  
     r:+0.69  24.69    26.75    27.03    27.07
       27.27    27.37    27.00    27.03    25.62
  4 Matheson, Danie  FR USC              15:11.78   14:51.59 B       15  
     r:+0.62  24.45    26.72    27.18    27.28
       27.06    27.30    27.22    26.00    24.64
  5 Grieshop, Sean   SR CAL              15:07.38   15:00.90 B       14  
     r:+0.64  24.54    26.70    27.29    27.40
       27.81    27.70    27.52    27.65    26.59
  6 Little, Jack     SR ASU                    NT   15:02.29 B       13  
     r:+0.64  24.80    27.02    27.43    27.54
       27.69    27.87    27.48    27.43    26.49
  7 Johansson, Vict  SR USC              14:55.21   15:03.03 B       12  
     r:+0.65  24.39    26.52    26.80    27.13
       27.94    28.05    27.83    27.47    26.36
  8 Meehan, Jack     SO CAL              15:25.36   15:03.27 B       11  
     r:+0.57  25.14    27.19    27.35    27.61
       28.08    27.79    28.10    27.91    27.41

Men’s 200 backstroke

The event that may well define the comeback is the 200 back, so long a strong spot for the Golden Bears on stages much grander than just the Pac-12.

Even by those standards, the dominance meted out by Cal Saturday night – a 1-2 finish, four of the top five, five of the top seven – ranks as exemplary. Destin Lasco and Daniel Carr made it a two-man race, Lesco leaping from the third seed to first in 1:38.81, .09 up on his training partner. Lasco won the race on his third five, taking three tenths out of Carr in 25.18. Carr responded by a 25.13 final 50 that nearly nipped Lasco at the wall. Both are NCAA A cuts.

Bryce Mefford and Colby Mefford were fourth and fifth for Cal, with Leon McAlister sneaking in to break the blockade on Stanford’s behalf.

With the points, Cal moved within 14 points of the lead.

Event 17  Men 200 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:35.73  3/26/2016 Ryan Murphy, CAL
       PAC-12: M 1:35.73  2016      Ryan Murphy, CAL
 PAC-12 Champ: P 1:37.87  2020      Daniel Carr, CAL
                 1:39.13  A Standard
                 1:45.04  B Standard
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Lasco, Destin    SO CAL               1:40.22    1:38.81 A       20  
    r:+0.66  23.17        48.23 (25.06)
        1:13.41 (25.18)     1:38.81 (25.40)
  2 Carr, Daniel     SR CAL               1:39.71    1:38.90 A       17  
    r:+0.66  23.32        48.30 (24.98)
        1:13.77 (25.47)     1:38.90 (25.13)
  3 MacAlister, Leo  JR STAN              1:39.36    1:39.18 B       16  
    r:+0.67  23.62        48.91 (25.29)
        1:14.23 (25.32)     1:39.18 (24.95)
  4 Mefford, Bryce   SR CAL               1:41.29    1:39.49 B       15  
    r:+0.69  23.30        48.33 (25.03)
        1:13.73 (25.40)     1:39.49 (25.76)
  5 Mefford, Colby   JR CAL               1:41.49    1:40.81 B       14  
    r:+0.71  23.94        49.66 (25.72)
        1:15.21 (25.55)     1:40.81 (25.60)
  6 Makrygiannis, E  FR USC               1:41.86    1:40.92 B       13  
    r:+0.74  23.83        49.18 (25.35)
        1:15.37 (26.19)     1:40.92 (25.55)
  7 Somerset, Sebas  JR CAL               1:40.70    1:41.02 B       12  
    r:+0.67  23.81        49.47 (25.66)
        1:15.44 (25.97)     1:41.02 (25.58)
  8 Sequeira, Aaron  FR STAN              1:41.94    1:41.20 B       11  
    r:+0.69  23.50        48.68 (25.18)
        1:14.54 (25.86)     1:41.20 (26.66)

Men’s 100 freestyle

And just like that, the Golden Bears are in front. Bjorn Seeliger clocked in at 41.51, defending his top seed from prelims and completing the sprint double. With Jack Alexy third and Matthew Jensen and Robin Hanson having snuck into the A final, it’s enough to vault Cal ahead of Stanford by 38 points.

Arizona State picked up big points, finishing second via Grant House in 41.82. The Sun Devils were also fourth and fifth.

 Event 18  Men 100 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 39.90  3/24/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
       PAC-12: M 40.76  2013      Vladmir Morozov, USC
 PAC-12 Champ: P 41.38  2013      Vladmir Morozov, USC
                 41.71  A Standard
                 43.80  B Standard
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Seeliger, Bjorn  SO CAL                 41.77      41.51 A       20  
      r:+0.63  9.16    10.41    10.96    10.98
  2 House, Grant     SR ASU                 42.15      41.82 B       17  
      r:+0.61  9.52    10.51    10.91    10.88
  3 Alexy, Jack      FR CAL                 41.77      41.93 B       16  
      r:+0.62  9.48    10.49    11.07    10.89
  4 Swift, Carter    SR ASU                 42.30      42.16 B       15  
      r:+0.56  9.57    10.62    10.99    10.98
  5 Dolan, Jack      JR ASU                 42.53      42.45 B       14  
      r:+0.65  9.65    10.57    11.16    11.07
  6 Ercegovic, Mari  SR Arizona             42.59      42.52 B       13  
      r:+0.65  9.56    10.71    11.08    11.17
  7 Jensen, Matthew  SO CAL                 42.52      42.66 B       12  
      r:+0.63  9.57    10.61    11.14    11.34
  8 Hanson, Robin    FR CAL                 42.57      42.71 B       11  
      r:+0.61  9.57    10.84    11.09    11.21

Men’s 200 breaststroke

Leon Marchand wrapped up a sensational weekend by winning the 200 breast, taking the fifth seed out of prelims to go 1:50.39. It upsets Cal’s Reece Whitley, the top seed from prelims and the reigning Pac-12 champ. Whitley slid to third in 1:50.89, with teammate Hugo Gonzalez second to consolidate Cal’s lead.

The event was one of the fastest of the meet, yielding six A cuts. Daniel Roy and Ron Polonsky got there, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. Chris O’Grady’s 1:51.67 fell between them.

 Event 19  Men 200 Yard Breaststroke
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:47.91  3/25/2017 Will Licon, Texas
       PAC-12: M 1:48.53  2020      Reecce Whitley, CAL
 PAC-12 Champ: P 1:48.86  2021      Reece Whitley, CAL
                 1:52.28  A Standard
                 1:58.43  B Standard
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Marchand, Leon   FR ASU               1:52.97    1:50.39 A       20  
     r:+0.60  25.28    28.39    28.14    28.58
  2 Gonzalez, Hugo   SR CAL               1:51.27    1:50.57 A       17  
     r:+0.65  24.84    28.11    28.81    28.81
  3 Whitley, Reece   SR CAL               1:50.57    1:50.89 A       16  
     r:+0.61  24.92    28.06    28.73    29.18
  4 Roy, Daniel      SR STAN              1:52.37    1:51.21 A       15  
     r:+0.50  25.44    28.08    28.49    29.20
  5 O'Grady, Chris   FR USC               1:52.66    1:51.67 A       14  
     r:+0.69  25.53    28.30    28.65    29.19
  6 Polonsky, Ron    FR STAN              1:54.60    1:51.73 A       13  
     r:+0.66  25.28    28.43    28.46    29.56
  7 Dillard, Ben     SO USC               1:53.77    1:53.14 B       12  
     r:+0.69  25.68    28.71    28.92    29.83
  8 Louser, Jason    JR CAL               1:52.97    1:54.60 B       11  
     r:+0.67  25.29    28.59    29.64    31.08

Men’s 200 butterfly

Back to the Cal wheelhouse, and back to the top of the standings. Trenton Julian left no doubt in the final, going 1:39.95, an NCAA A cut. It’s more than a second off his Pac-12 champs record from last year (1:38.53). Cal also finished in third and fourth, with Dare Rose and Gabriel Jett, respectively, to run the team lead to an insurmountable 85.5 points.

Alexander Colson of Arizona State finished second in 1:40.28, an NCAA A cut.

Event 20  Men 200 Yard Butterfly
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:37.35  3/25/2017 Jack Conger, Texas
       PAC-12: M 1:38.53  2021      Trenton Julian, CAL
 PAC-12 Champ: P 1:38.53  2021      Trenton Julian, CAL
                 1:40.44  A Standard
                 1:46.69  B Standard
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Julian, Trenton  SR CAL               1:41.22    1:39.95 A       20  
     r:+0.51  22.09    25.21    25.71    26.94
  2 Colson, Alexand  JR ASU               1:41.25    1:40.28 A       17  
     r:+0.66  22.56    25.44    26.19    26.09
  3 Rose, Dare       SO CAL               1:41.85    1:41.36 B       16  
     r:+0.51  22.63    25.83    26.41    26.49
  4 Jett, Gabriel    FR CAL               1:43.27    1:41.42 B       15  
     r:+0.66  22.66    25.37    26.65    26.74
  5 Forst, Preston   SO STAN              1:42.30    1:41.70 B       13.5
     r:+0.62  22.87    25.46    26.49    26.88
  5 Gray, Andrew     JR ASU               1:42.25    1:41.70 B       13.5
     r:+0.58  22.73    25.68    26.21    27.08
  7 Sancov, Alexei   SR USC               1:43.10    1:42.72 B       12  
     r:+0.57  22.81    26.14    26.68    27.09
  8 Roberts, Will    SR CAL               1:43.23    1:48.24         11  
     r:+0.68  23.73    27.44    28.19    28.88

Men’s 400 freestyle relay

There are exclamation points. Then there are exclamation points that are bolded, underlined and highlighted in Cal gold. The Golden Bears delivered the latter.

Bjorn Seeliger capped an outstanding meet by rallying Cal on the final leg, chasing down Leon Marchand with an anchor leg of 40.91 seconds to lead Cal’s A squad to the win by one-hundredth of a second. The foursome of Dylan Hawk, Jack Alexy, Hugo Gonzalez and Seeliger went 2:45.94, nearly three seconds under its seed time. The time downed the meet record set by Cal in 2022 (2:46.92) and the conference record set by Cal in 2019 (2:46.41). The time leads three four A cuts across the line (plus A cuts for the B relays from Cal and ASU).

Arizona State was second in 2:45.95, via Grant House, Carter Swift, Jack Dolan and Marchand. Identical 41.46s by Swift and Dolan did the job in the middle. Marchand’s split of 41.26 was the third-fastest in the race, trailing Seeliger and Alexy (41.14).

Stanford was third despite Andrei Minakov going 41.47 out front to obtain clean water. That time was .04 quicker than the time Seeliger used to win the 100 free earlier in the night. Stanford landed third in 2:47.17.

Arizona also nabbed a A cut in 2:50.72 in fourth. Speaking of those B relays, Destin Lasco (41.87) and Daniel Carr (41.84) also turned in splits that weren’t too shabby.

Event 21  Men 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
         NCAA: N 2:44.31  3/24/2018 NC State
                          R.Held,  J. Ress, J. Molacek, C. Stewart
       PAC-12: M 2:46.41  2019      CAL
                          Jensen, Sendyk, Hoffer, Seliskar
 PAC-12 Champ: P 2:46.92  2020      Univ of California, Berkeley
                          M Jensen, P Sendyk, D Carr, R Hoffer
                 2:50.99  A Standard
                 2:52.46  B Standard
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 CAL  'A'                      2:48.80    2:45.94MA       40  
     1) Hawk, Dylan SO                2) Alexy, Jack FR               
     3) Gonzalez, Hugo SR             4) Seeliger, Bjorn SO           
       20.12    42.19    19.20    41.14
       19.82    41.70    19.52    40.91
  2 ASU  'A'                      2:47.43    2:45.95MA       34  
     1) House, Grant SR               2) Swift, Carter SR             
     3) Dolan, Jack JR                4) Marchand, Leon FR            
       19.98    41.77    19.79    41.46
       19.35    41.46    19.77    41.26
  3 STAN  'A'                     2:49.09    2:47.17 A       32  
     1) Minakov, Andrei FR            2) MacAlister, Leon JR          
     3) Polonsky, Ron FR              4) Maurer, Luke SO              
       19.90    41.47    20.21    41.79
       19.92    41.79    19.95    42.12
  4 Arizona  'A'                  2:51.79    2:50.72 A       30  
     1) Ercegovic, Marin SR           2) Ingram, Hunter JR            
     3) Miller, Seth SO               4) Perham, Ryan SO              
       20.03    42.44    20.41    42.79
       20.03    42.98    20.02    42.51
  5 USC  'A'                      2:51.33    2:52.92         28  
     1) Saunders, Max JR              2) Sancov, Alexei SR            
     3) Pellini, Trent 5Y             4) Miljenic, Nikola 5Y          
       20.48    42.79    20.40    43.10
       20.61    43.48    20.41    43.55
  6 Utah  'A'                     2:55.42    2:56.18         26  
     1) Ungur, Andrei SR              2) Horner, Jaek JR              
     3) Waterman, Ben SR              4) Carlson, Noah JR             
       20.66    43.47    20.45    43.52
       21.60    44.89    21.09    44.30
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