{"id":501586,"date":"2022-03-26T19:19:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T02:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=501586"},"modified":"2022-03-26T23:40:32","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T06:40:32","slug":"a-cal-tradition-golden-bears-latest-ncaa-title-earned-through-power-and-depth-and-expectation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/a-cal-tradition-golden-bears-latest-ncaa-title-earned-through-power-and-depth-and-expectation\/","title":{"rendered":"A Cal Tradition: Golden Bears’ Latest NCAA Title Earned Through Power and Depth – And Expectation (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Cal Tradition: Golden Bears’ Latest NCAA Title Earned Through Power and Depth – And Expectation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nathan Adrian and Tom Shields.<\/p>\n

Jacob Pebley and Josh Prenot.<\/p>\n

Seth Stubblefield and Ryan Murphy.<\/p>\n

Andrew Seliskar and Ryan Hoffer.<\/p>\n

Over the past decade-plus, California has featured some of the biggest names in swimming, guys who excelled individually and simultaneously recognized the team aspect of the sport. They gave their all for the Golden Bears and coach Dave Durden<\/strong>, proud to be part of a program that is rich in tradition and \u2013 for as long as anyone can imagine \u2013 will be a major factor in the chase for NCAA championships.<\/p>\n

Many of these fellas have stood on international podiums, from the Olympics to the World Championships. Adrian and Murphy are individual Olympic champions, guaranteed future spots in the International Swimming Hall of Fame<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From A to Z, there has also been a collection of guys who might be lesser known, but who have played equally critical roles in Cal\u2019s success. Guys who won national titles under the radar. Men who scored a point here or there at the NCAA Champs. Athletes who pushed a teammate during a grueling practice. An individual who provided perfectly timed words of encouragement ahead of a key race.<\/p>\n

Nolan Koon.<\/p>\n

Will Hamilton.<\/p>\n

Justin Lynch.<\/p>\n

The list goes on.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, California hoisted the seventh NCAA championship in program history \u2013 and fifth since the 2011 campaign, and of the Durden era. Bolstered by a spectacular final-day showing, the Golden Bears finished with 487.5 points, 51 ahead of defending champion and longtime rival Texas.<\/p>\n

More, the 2022 campaign marks the 12th time in 13 years in which Cal has finished either first or second in the NCAA team standings. The only time the Golden Bears did not produce a top-two effort since 2010? How about the 2020 season, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season-ending meet, one which \u2013 not surprisingly \u2013 was expected to feature a showdown between the Bears and Longhorns.<\/p>\n

So, yes, that makes 12 consecutive finishes in the top two at the NCAA Champs. It\u2019s one hell of a streak, among the best in any sport at the collegiate level.<\/p>\n

“They do swim for each other,” Durden said. “That is wonderful to see. Even working through this meet with Bjorn. Bjorn was so concerned with everybody else\u2019s swimming, recovery, etc., that he probvbly spent 10% thinking about his swimming. That\u2019s a challenge to get everybody redirected, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s such a great meet. It\u2019s the best meet in the world to see young men go after a goal and do it for each other. We knew how the path of this meet was going to go, knowing that the last day is our best day. I don\u2019t like it that way. I would like to get to a spot where it\u2019s more comfortable, but that\u2019s a testament to the programs that we\u2019re swimming. This meet is getting faster and faster. That\u2019s probably our fastest NCAA meet that we\u2019ve ever had. It\u2019s super competitive. Our conference meet was tough. Moving the three-and-a-half days at our conference meet really put us in a spot where we could handle the situation at this meet. Have it be close when we get to Saturday, and we can get after this thing.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regardless of sport, most programs that reach dynastic proportions possess a specific personality. It is a mix of confidence, support, high expectations and calm. Cal displayed each of those traits during its four days in Atlanta. The Bears believed they would excel. They lifted each other emotionally. They remained unphased when Texas built an early lead, fully aware that the back half of the competition was its time to shine.<\/p>\n

This latest Cal team offered a spectacular blend of top-flight talent and key contributors. Consider the team\u2019s scoring breakdown:<\/p>\n