California Edges Stanford for TYR/CSCAA Dual Meet Swimming & Diving Title

EVANSTON, Illinois, March 14. WHILE the Bowl Championship Series might have a monopoly on college football, it doesn't have a monopoly on controversy. The College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) crowned the University of California-Berkeley as the 2011 CSCAA/TYR Dual Meet National Dual Swimming and Diving Champions.

Voters split their first-place ballots evenly between California and Stanford University, but gave California a slight edge in the overall voting. The six point margin separating first and second was the closest in poll history.

Close margins are nothing new to the two Pac-10 rivals. In February, Stanford edged the Golden Bears 124½-118½ with the difference coming down to 0.08 seconds separating the teams' final relays. Two weeks ago the Cardinal captured their 30th conference title with a slim 57-point margin.

There was no gloating on the part of California head coach Dave Durden. "We are flattered to be voted the nation's best dual-meet team," Durden said. "Even though we recorded one loss to an undefeated Stanford team, this honor is special knowing that fellow coaches voted in this poll."

"Both teams have a legitimate opportunity to claim the national championship in two weeks," explained CSCAA President and Virginia Head Coach Mark Bernardino, "and this may have factored into the vote."

Both teams now turn their attention to the NCAA Championships scheduled March 24-26 in Minneapolis. That meet is offers a distinctly different format than a dual meet. "We had a limited dual meet schedule, and in some dual meets, a limited order of events, but we put effort into the competition and dual meets are one of the special aspects of our sport," explained Durden. The dual meet title is sure to motivate a Stanford team that has won eight titles.

Forty-seven teams received votes in the poll. The SEC, led by Auburn and the Big Ten, led by Michigan each placed four teams into the top twenty-five. The Pac 10 and ACC each had four ranked teams with all four of the former voted into the top ten. There were two new teams voted into the top twenty-five, most notably Clemson University, which was targeted for elimination just a year ago.

Men's Rankings
Rank Prev School Points
1 1 California (12) 563
2 2 Stanford (12) 557
3 3 Auburn 528
4 4 Texas 504
5 5 Florida 473
6 6 Arizona 442
7 9 Michigan 415
7 7 USC 415
9 8 Tennessee 375
10 11 Ohio State 347
10 12 Virginia 347
12 14 Indiana 315
13 10 Georgia 300
14 13 North Carolina 271
15 15 Minnesota 269
16 16 UNLV 202
17 18 Texas A&M 171
18 19 Louisville 168
19 20 Purdue 106
20 22 Louisiana State 95
21 17 Alabama 88
22 21 Florida State 54
22 NR Penn State 54
24 25 Iowa 46
25 NR Clemson 41
25 23 South Carolina 41

Also Receiving Votes:
Princeton 33, Navy 31, Southern Methodist 21, Kentucky 15, Cal Poly 14, Northwestern 14, Texas Christian 14, UC-Santa Barbara 13, Missouri 13, Harvard 12, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 9, Oakland 9, Wisconsin 9, California State-Bakersfield 5, Columbia 5, Pittsburgh 5, Arizona State 4, Denver 4, Georgia Tech 3, Michigan State 3, East Carolina 1

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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