First home meet of the year (and an invite no less) as well as signing day

This week will lay the final groundwork for how these two teams do at NCAA's next year...I hope we have some good people coming down the pipe...

I think the men will have a big bulk of their signing class coming in after Christmas, so hopefully they'll do well, though I don't expect any records to fall. (although I would certainly be happy if they proved me wrong!)

REAL nice start for the ladies...three girls at 4:45 or lower in 500 free...1:57 200 IM...22.5 50 free...

WOW

HOLY COW BATMAN! check out the swims that Heiss and Wilkinson put up. NCAA champs here we come!!

VERY VERY impressive swims from most of the women. several team records posted this weekend.

Heck of a 400 FreeRelay to finish off the meet for the men. unless im mistaken thats like a second slower than they swam last year at conference. all 4 guys split under 45, call me impressed.

Do our ladies have a good chance at a national title this yr?

I think top 5 would could be realistic...the top 3-4 teams are completely stacked and pretty much have been since swimming became a sport...Any improvement on last year's eighth place finish would be a successful year

A national title is unlikely for several reasons. Cal, Stanford, Auburn, etc. are just awesome teams. Second - you probably need divers to place. We're better this year than last, but probably not good enough. Third - we have not swum well at NCAAs. Some may think I am too harsh, but our girls have been off in the NCAAs every year I have been watching. They have not peaked at the NCAAs and generally have not swum best times.

I think top 5 is a realistic goal and would be amazing.

We must remain paranoid. Texas just signed a terrific class. In two years our current junior class will be gone. There are high school juniors in Texas swimming as fast as many of our girls right now. Look at the meet results of a meet last weekend in Dallas. One junior was 1 second slower than Wilkinson in the 200 IM. The national high school record holder (Mary Beck) finished 2nd.

Some very fast boys times in that meet too - especially Matt Thompson.

I think you are a little harsh on the girls NCAA performances...more than half the girls A&M took had season best times at NCAA's:

NCAA's was definitely Heiss' best meet last year and Aljand didn't even sniff 22.1 at any point in the season until NCAA's...Marshall's and Wilkinson's 200 free was best at NCAA's...Wilkinson also had her best 50 of the year there too (leading off the relay)...Nebera swam the two best times of her life at NCAA's...Stratton had her lifetime best in 400 IM as did Mahoney in the 200 IM...the 200 free relay set a school record there as well

I do agree wholeheartedly with your recruiting synopsis however...

[This message has been edited by Look Out Below (edited 11/19/2007 1:06p).]

LOB - I know I am a bit harsh about that. But our relays (as a team) swam poorly. Our 800 free should have been top 3 and they were way off. To swim top 5 at NCAAs needs great swims all around, not just 5-8 races out of 20. When we send 11 swimmers, qualify in all the relays with times for top 8 - we need to deliver. Bultman has another year to get this right before we host NCAAs in 2009. Our great junior class will be seniors then!

i would venture a guess that this year might be a little different for the ladies. last year their main goal was to beat t.u and win conference for the first time ever. now that that has been done, i would expect them to set their sights a little farther ahead, to NCs. I'm not saying they swam bad last year at NCs, as you said LOB, there were many lifetime bests, but perhaps their preparation for BigXIIs and NCs will be slightly different this year?

Also an excellent point about diving. look at the huge difference diving has made for the Men at NCs the past 3 years, and as of now the women will once again have ZERO points at NCs. the national championship is a very lofty dream for this year i think, but with the addition/improvement of divers (and swimmers of course) i would say next year looks a tad more reasonable.

added:
good call spice

[This message has been edited by texagg09 (edited 11/19/2007 1:38p).]

I just want to say that I think our girls are awesome. I especially appreciate how hard the sport is - my two boys are swimmers and I am a Masters swimmer. It is exciting to think we are very close to being in the same group as Cal, Stanford, and Auburn. I gotta believe Bultman can smell it. The next leap for us is to put an Aggie on the American Olympic team.

You've got to think a certain 200 backstoker has a puncher's chance with the way she has been swimming this year...she keeps getting better and better

LOB - like I said.......

I agree with you.

I converted her 1:53.49 SCY to LCM and it was a 2:08.37. Based on the FINA site rankings that would be the 3rd fastest time in the world this year. She would be the 2nd fastest American behind Margaret Hoelzer.

Her 1:53.49 is the 3rd fastest SCY time in the US this year.

WOW! thats amazing. thats way faster than the time she swam at Nats this summer. the pieces are coming together for the women, i cant wait to see it happen.

I'm so proud of our girls. I've seen them come from where they were 5 years ago and the difference is amazing. No matter what happens, you'll see them fight with every ounce of their souls for every accomplishment they achieve. They're a team first and foremost and they push each other day in and day out to be the best they can be. That's what makes our team special. Good luck ladies. We're pulling for yall!