This was another busy week as the last of the NCAA Championships were held in Indianapolis, with the Texas men taking their third straight title and continuing to cement their legacy as the best program in men’s collegiate swimming. Take a look below to get a recap of their win and the rest of the stories from The Week That Was!
The Week That Was #5 – Katie Ledecky Inducted Into Maryland Hall of Fame
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Olympian and Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame on March 16 in Annapolis, Md. The Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame honors women who have made a significant impact across various disciplines, including the arts, athletics, government, and many other fields. Ledecky, who is 20, is officially the youngest ever inductee into the Hall of Fame and is she the first Team USA swimmer to be selected for the honor. Ledecky was competing at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis on the night of her induction, breaking her own American record in the 500 freestyle before going on to claim two more individual wins and help Stanford to an NCAA title. Ledecky issued a statement in response to her induction, where she thanked her parents as well as her coaches, teammates, and teachers from across the years.
The Week That Was #4 – Canadian Olympian Ryan Cochrane Retires
Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports Images
Canadian Olympian Ryan Cochrane has officially retired from competitive swimming. The three-time Olympian was named Swimming Canada’s Swimmer of the Year from his first Olympics in 2008 through 2015, becoming one of Canada’s most consistent international swimmers. Cochrane won a bronze medal in the 1500 at the Beijing Olympics when he was just 19, becoming Canada’s first Olympic medalist in that event in 88 years. He would go on to win silver in that event at the 2012 London Olympics before finishing sixth in the mile at this summer’s Rio Olympic Games. Cochrane also has eight long course world championship medals to his name in addition to six Pan Pacific medals and four Commonwealth Games medals. The 28-year-old had announced that Rio would be his final Olympic Games.
The Week That Was #3 – Former World Record Holder Andy Coan Passes Away
Photo Courtesy: Andy Coan
Former world record-holder Andy Coan passed away this week following a battle with liver cancer. He was 60 years old. Coan had held the world record in the 100 free in 1975, setting the mark at 51.11 at a meet in Ft. Lauderdale before Jim Montgomery took the record under 51 a few weeks later. He would go on to win three gold medals at the 1975 World Championships in Columbia, and swam for Tennessee from 1976 – 1980. At Tennessee he won NCAA titles in the 50 and 100 free and helped the Vols to their first NCAA title in 1978. Coan still holds the 50 and 100 freestyle records at Pine Crest, dating back to 1975. A memorial service for Coan is set to take place at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in late April. You can read more from the Knoxville News Sentinel here.
The Week That Was #2 – Caeleb Dressel Smashes Sprint Free Records
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
While the Texas Longhorns took home the NCAA team trophy (read more about that below), Florida junior Caeleb Dressel took home the CSCAA Swimmer of the Meet honors following his performances in Indianapolis this week. Dressel rewrote the sprinting record books, smashing two American records en route to three individual titles and the fastest ever relay split. Dressel started off the meet with a win the 50 free, just .03 off his own NCAA and American record, but really got things rolling on day two. That included the fastest ever 50 free relay split in prelims of the 200 medley relay (17.71) and an upset win in the 100 butterfly. In that race he broke the NCAA and American records, hitting the wall in 43.58. While he was only fourth at the 50 wall, he rocketed home in a ridiculous 22.88, the only sub-23 split on the second 50 in the field. On the final day of the meet he set another record in the 100 free, taking his own NCAA and American record down to 40.00, just .01 away from becoming the first man under 40 seconds in the event. With one more year of eligibility to go, that may very well be his goal come the 2018 NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
The Week That Was #1 – Texas Wins Third Straight NCAA Title
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The University of Texas men won their third straight NCAA title and 13th overall with a dominating performance this week, breaking their tie with Michigan for most NCAA titles all time and giving Head Coach Eddie Reese the most program titles in the NCAA. Texas won with a final score of 542 points, beating second place Cal-Berkeley’s score of 349 by almost 200 points. The men won 11 events in total, tying Texas’ own record for most events won in a single championship. The Longhorns had won 11 events at the 2001 NCAA Championships. The senior class of Clark Smith, Will Licon and Jack Conger helped lead their team to the championship, breaking four individual NCAA and American records between them. Smith opened the meet with a record-setting win in the 500 free, breaking Peter Vanderkaay’s record from the 2006 meet with a 4:08.42. Despite pulling his groin during that race, Smith would also go on to set an NCAA and American record in the 1650 (14:22.41). Licon tied for first in the 200 IM and swept the breaststrokes, setting an American and NCAA record in the 200 (1:47.91), while Conger won his first NCAA title in the last race of his collegiate career, breaking teammate Joseph Schooling’s record in the 200 fly with a 1:37.35. You can catch up on everything from the meet, including recaps and results, on our Event Landing Page.
It was allegedly supposed to be close. Clearly, the Horns were exceedingly prepared to shine.
Fastest swim meet in history,period.Eddie Reese is a mountain of a coach among mere mortals!