#dave durden

Head coach Dave Durden of Cal as Daniel Carr secures a spot in the A-final of the 100 back after a re-swim.

Bears Swim Away With Pac-12 Championship

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Taken on its own and without any specific context, the fact that the Cal men's swimming team secured the fifth Pac-12 championship in program history could stand on its own as a triumph of the Bears' tremendous team atmosphere and culture.

But, when considered as part of the larger story of the 2017-18 season, what the Golden Bears finished Saturday in Federal Way, Wash. adds another impressive chapter for a group that has grown together, already achieved quite a bit and is very much looking forward to what still lies ahead.

In the pool, Cal finished off a dominant performance with another standout night at the King County Aquatic Center. Nick Norman and Sean Grieshop kicked things off with a 1-2 finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle and Norman became Cal's first conference champion in the mile with a time of 14:39.77 that ranks No. 2 in school history behind only Jeremy Bagshaw (14:39.00).

Just a few races later, Andrew Seliskar won his second individual title of the week with a Pac-12 Championships record time of 1:51.30 in the 200 breast. And, Zheng Wen Quah followed his teammate's lead in the history department, setting his own Pac-12 Championships record with a winning time of 1:40.24 in the 200 fly.

Taken together, the results were staggering. Cal will travel home to Berkeley with four relay titles and seven individual crowns and the Bears' team total of 971 points was more than 200 points ahead of second place Stanford, an amazing feat.

But, once all the races finished and Cal head coach Dave Durden had a chance to reflect on what his team did over the last four days, he pointed not to the significance of the last four days but rather the overall payoff for a school year filled with hard work.

"Every year is different and this year we had a great group of seniors," Durden told the Pac-12 Networks. "We had great balance. I'm probably the most proud of how our guys did in the classroom in the fall and that was led by one of our seniors, Zach Stevens. When we have balance, and when we're doing well in the classroom, I know everything else is going to fall in line for us to swim fast."

With two individual victories and two relay titles, Seliskar earned his second Pac-12 Swimmer of the Meet award. Justin Lynch walked away with two individual wins in his last Pac-12 Championships while Connor Hoppe also earned one in his final trip to Federal Way.

And, while the tendency might be to fast forward three weeks and look to the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., Saturday's accomplishment will stand on its own as another example of Cal swimming's legacy in the Pac-12 pool.

"I think every coach would say, especially when we're in this position, we just need to give our guys some rest," Durden said. "We're really in a good spot. It's not so much that we're thinking about the next three weeks but we're thinking about this moment and getting back to our hotel, getting some rest and getting back home tomorrow. We know where the meet is in a couple weeks and that'll take care of itself. Right now, we're just enjoying this moment right here."

The Top six finishers in the Pac-12: 1.Cal, 971; 2.Stanford, 769; 3.USC, 549; 4.Arizona, 391; 5.Arizona State, 387; 6.Utah, 296

Some throwback thursday for all you Nathan Adrian lovers out there. 

Nathan's days on the Cal Mens' Swim Team