{"id":464554,"date":"2021-03-10T11:22:38","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T18:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=464554"},"modified":"2021-03-10T11:22:38","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T18:22:38","slug":"shaine-casas-poised-to-step-into-spotlight-at-ncaa-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/shaine-casas-poised-to-step-into-spotlight-at-ncaa-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaine Casas Poised to Step Into Spotlight at NCAA Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shaine Casas Poised to Step Into Spotlight at NCAA Championships<\/strong><\/p>\n

(From March’s Swimming World Magazine<\/em><\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before the summer of 2019, Texas A&M\u2019s Shaine Casas wasn\u2019t exactly impressing anyone with his swimming. 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

In the spring of 2019, Shaine Casas<\/strong> was showing promising ability, but nothing that indicated that the then-19-year-old would win a national title in a few months. Certainly, no one\u2014at least no one outside of his inner circle\u2014imagined that Casas would soon become the country\u2019s best collegiate swimmer.<\/p>\n

The last time the United States held a major selection meet, the 2018 summer nationals, Casas was a total non-factor. He swam five events and qualified for two B-finals, one C-final and two D-finals. At his first NCAA Championships eight months later, Casas finished as high as 11th in the 200 fly in two consolation finals appearances.<\/p>\n

Now, the 21-year-old McAllen, Texas, native and Texas A&M junior enters the college championship season with the top time in the country in four events while threatening American records. He has never competed internationally, but he has become a contender, if not a favorite, to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. And the person least surprised by all that success?<\/p>\n

Shaine Casas.<\/p>\n

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Just Give Him a Chance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI definitely believed I was talented, and I was very ambitious,\u201d Casas said. \u201cI just felt like I didn\u2019t have the same resources or opportunities as other swimmers. I felt like I had to wait to get my chance. I had to move for a summer just to get a chance to train with a really good club program doing doubles and a somewhat thought-out and methodical weight program with Nitro. I always felt like I was at a disadvantage until I got to the level that everybody was at, and I felt once the playing field was even, I could really explode and put distance on people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shaine Casas — Photo Courtesy: Craig Bisacre \/ Texas A&M Athletics<\/p><\/div>\n

Since the summer of 2019, Casas has been on a hot streak, seemingly surpassing every expectation in sight, and he oozes confidence in his abilities. He\u2019s flown somewhat under the radar since not a single national-level meet has been held since U.S. nationals in August 2019, but it was at that meet when Casas made his career breakthrough, posting massive time drops to win the 100-meter back and finish second in the 200 back (behind Austin<\/strong> Katz<\/strong>) and the 200 IM (behind Ryan Lochte<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

In his sophomore season swimming for the Aggies (2019-20), Casas was masterful. He won SEC titles in the 200-yard back and 200 IM and finished second in the 100 back to reigning 50-meter back World champion Zane Waddell. He led off four A&M relays, including a victorious effort in the 200 medley, and the team finished in an impressive second place. He was set up to star at NCAAs, seeded first in the 200 back and 200 IM and second in the 400 IM.<\/p>\n

But when the NCAA meet was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Casas lost his big chance. Soon after, he lost another opportunity when the Olympic Trials and Olympics were postponed to 2021. Carrying so much momentum and knowing he had such a huge chance to prove himself on a significant stage, the cancellations were a severe bummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I didn\u2019t have any closure, really,\u201d Casas said. \u201cI was pretty frustrated, and I was upset for a while because I felt like I was robbed. Going into a meet seeded first, there was a good possibility I could have won. I could have lost, also, but I felt like I had a lot to prove that season.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Shaine Casas is Something Special<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Texas A&M<\/a> men\u2019s head coach Jay Holmes<\/strong> and associate head coach Jason Calanog<\/strong> were interviewed together, they recalled their first impression of Casas upon his arrival in College Station in the summer of 2018, and both men laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe broke his ankle at U.S. junior camp, so he was on crutches for six to eight weeks when he got here, so he wasn\u2019t doing anything. He was just a lazy bum just hanging out at practice, just pulling,\u201d Calanog said. \u201cHe really went to nationals (that year)\u2014I swear to God… what was it, Jay, after like three or four weeks of training? And he went all best times and was (the top 18-and-under finisher at nationals).<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, that\u2019s when we knew that we had something special.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The coaches described the swimmer they now see every day in practice as a relatively normal college swimmer who \u201cjust happens to be super-talented at swimming\u201dand a good teammate who rarely takes things too seriously, but he can be stubborn and complain about a set he doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis brain is really like a 10-year-old, but he\u2019s in a 21-year-old body,\u201d said Calanog, who actually believes that Casas has the same natural talent and abilities of a high school swimmer he once coached in Jacksonville: a certain Caeleb<\/strong> Dressel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Shaine Casas at 2019 U.S. Nationals — Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cHe just doesn\u2019t know his potential yet because it\u2019s literally limitless. With strokes, distances, he has no idea. And we have no idea. We\u2019re just trying to prepare him the best we can,\u201d Calanog said. \u201cI never thought I would have another chance to coach somebody this good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Exactly what boundaries can he push?<\/p>\n

He\u2019s already within striking distance of American records in backstroke and butterfly short course, and his coaches insist he\u2019s even better long course. His weak stroke? Not breaststroke. \u201cHe talks a lot of trash to our breaststrokers,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cHe has gotten up and raced them a couple times in practice and given them all they can handle.\u201d<\/p>\n

But remember, Casas is just 21, a college junior with untapped capability, but a long process of growth ahead of him as he seeks to join the swimming world\u2019s elite ranks.<\/p>\n

Even as they marvel at his capabilities, Holmes and Calanog want to make sure they help set him up for sustained improvement and consistency. That means teaching him skills in mental preparation, and Calanog has been applying what he learned from his days at Bolles working with Dressel, Ryan<\/strong> Murphy<\/strong> and Joseph<\/strong> Schooling<\/strong>. Sometimes, they have to preach patience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage Shaine to grow, but we\u2019re not trying to have him grow up too fast because he needs to be able to go through this process himself and be able to figure all this stuff out,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to run too fast here. We want Shaine to be Shaine and grow up and experience this. I really believe the older he gets, the more dangerous he\u2019s going to get. It\u2019s going to be fun for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Casas Coming Back from COVID-19\u2014And Dominating<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shortly after returning to swimming in late spring last year, Casas had to take another break from the pool when he contracted COVID-19. While he did not suffer from severe symptoms, he found coming back to training for a second time to be even more difficult, and briefly, he even questioned whether he could return to his usual form. But as the college season began, those questions quickly went by the wayside as he put together brilliant performances meet after meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my physical maturity has finally matched my talent,\u201d Casas said. \u201cI felt like whenever I got here, my strokes were fine, but I was too weak, too slow off the walls, not enough power in and out of turns. I really focused in the weight room, lost fat. I\u2019ve had a dramatic physical change.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The highlights from Casas\u2019 brilliant fall included a stunning 200-yard fly at a dual meet against TCU<\/a>. Casas had come to college as a butterflyer, and his only junior nationals title had come in the 100-meter fly as a 17-year-old in 2017 when he tied for first with Alexei<\/strong> Sancov<\/strong> in 53.24. He swam mostly butterfly through his freshman year before his backstroke exploded and suddenly become his best stroke. Still, he was training fly, so he expected that stroke might catch up to his backstroke eventually.<\/p>\n

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Casas swimming backstroke — Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI went about a second-and-a-half faster than I thought I was going. I thought I was going about 1:40 or 1:41-low, and I looked, and I was 1:39-low, and I was like, \u2018OK, that\u2019s pretty cool.\u2019 I didn\u2019t really know my butterfly yet, but I\u2019ve kept at it, and it\u2019s finally gotten to the level of my backstroke,\u201d Casas said. \u201cThat was just a random stellar swim that I had. I honestly couldn\u2019t explain that one to you. It just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, at A&M\u2019s Art Adamson Invitational, Casas swam the 200-yard IM in the same pool where Dressel had annihilated the American record (1:38.13) almost three years earlier, and Casas blasted a 1:38.95 200 IM<\/a>, good for the third-fastest performance ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Caeleb went that, I was like, \u2018That pool record might stay for 20, 30, 40 years,\u2019\u201d Calanog said. \u201cWhen (Casas) goes 1:38 two years after, I was like, \u2018Oh my God, Jay! Maybe that thing\u2019s actually going to be broken!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

At the SEC championships in February, Casas posted a 1:31.28 200 free that moved him to 11th all-time in the event, and at the American Short Course Championships a week later, he swam a 1:38.69 200 fly that improved him to fourth all-time. At this month’s NCAA championships in Greensboro, N.C.<\/a>, Casas could have chosen to challenge top-notch competition in the either of those races (like\u00a0Kieran Smith<\/strong> and Drew Kibler<\/strong> in the 200 free and a deep field led by Trenton Julian<\/strong> in the 200 fly), but instead, he opted to swim<\/a> the three events he’s almost certain to win\u2014and where he could chase after some impressive records.<\/p>\n

At NCAAs, Casas will take his shot at Dressel’s 200 IM American record, and he’s the top seed by more than two seconds. He also holds the top seed in the 100 back (43.87) by almost a second and in the 200 back (1:36.54) by more than a second and a half, and in both events, he ranks fourth all-time.<\/p>\n

Shaine Casas Season-Best Times (Rank This Season)<\/strong><\/p>\n