Morning Splash: Kathleen Baker Determined After Cal’s Heartbreaking Relay DQ

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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By David Rieder.

When Abbey Weitzeil held off Lia Neal to touch first in the 400 medley relay, it appeared that Cal has just completed one of their most stellar NCAA championships days in recent memory, capturing wins in two relays to go along with Kathleen Baker winning the NCAA title in the 200 IM.

But a few minutes later came the heartbreak: lane four was disqualified for an illegal exchange—the third one, to be exact.

Instead of being down just 31 points to Stanford and having at least a few notches against the team’s biggest rival, Cal found itself down 77 in the team race, any hopes of a stunning upset quickly extinguished.

And amazingly, 15 minutes later, Baker walked into the media room, slightly crestfallen but still her usual upbeat self.

“I think everyone is a little disappointed,” she said. “It happens to everyone. It just fuels us for tomorrow. We are ready to go. Tomorrow is a big day for us. I think it is our best day. So I think it is a little bit of a low, but we overall had a really good night.”

Remarkable perspective for someone just minutes removed from seeing an apparently-sealed national championship vanish, but Baker’s statement was truth.

Perhaps no finish on the night provided more drama than the 200 free relay, when Baker’s Cal teammates—Abbey Weitzeil, Maddie Murphy, Amy Bilquist and Farida Osman—came from behind to stun Stanford and take down the NCAA record.

“I think I was more for that relay than for my actual race!” Baker said. “I know it meant the world to Maddie Murphy to be on that relay. Everyone swam great, and it inspired the whole team.”

Baker then put up the most impressive evening of short course yards swimming of her career, starting when she came out on top of a highly-anticipated race in the 200 IM. She beat Ella Eastin in the event for the first time in her college career and touched in 1:51.69, just four one-hundredths off Eastin’s NCAA and American record.

Baker’s time also meant she had broken a five-year-old Cal school record held by Caitlin Leverenz. It would not be the last Golden Bear legend she would surpass on the night.

Leading off Cal’s 400 medley relay, Baker finished in 49.80, the second-fastest time in history behind Ally Howe’s new American record of 49.69 from the Pac-12 championships. She moved past Natalie Coughlin’s 49.97—the American record for 15 years—on the all-time list.

“I’m shocked. I had no idea I was going to go that fast,” Baker said. “Doing the 100 back and 200 IM twice is pretty rough, so I was just hoping to do well for my team, and to see that 49 is a huge barrier for me, so I am super happy to do that, especially someone like Natalie Coughlin who is legendary, especially in Cal swimming. It means a lot to me.”

Coming off a freshman season where she missed the championship final in both backstroke events at the NCAA championships, Baker broke out over the summer on her way to a pair of Olympic medals in Rio. It’s the Olympic Baker who returned to Berkeley this past fall.

“I think I’m more confident and having a lot more fun,” she said. “Confidence makes a big difference as well as really taking my success this summer and incorporating it into short course. And my turns, I’ve really worked on those.”

With the way she performed on day two, Baker looks like a threat to wind up with three individual titles before the weekend is out. Howe looms in the 100 back, but Baker finished more than a second and a half ahead when the two led off their respective school’s medley relays.

And in the 200 back, she could challenge another long-standing American record held by a former Cal Bear, Elizabeth Pelton’s 1:47.84 from back in 2013.

Even though the night ended on a sour note for the Cal, Baker refused to get too down on herself and her team. If her teammates shake off the disappointment as quickly, the meet still could be salvaged for the Golden Bears.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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