Can't find 'em anywhere.

??

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A certain female diver was MIA again.

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Really??? Ok, even I'll say that this is getting ridiculous. Unless she was left home to send her a message...

From what I understand, this was no surprise and she will be back for the next meet. Her and Grant Nel both were in Australia for a big diving competition -- it's just that Nel flew here and trained for several weeks, competed against Auburn and she just stayed at home for 5-6 weeks. Maybe $$ was a factor. Who knows...

Are we expecting some backstroke recruits? Looks like our men really need a guy capable of a 46-47. Then again Cole Cragin may have been the only one last year in the nation. Not sure how this year is shaping up. For them to continue to move up in rankings it would seem we need four freestylers in the 44 range to win more relays.

jason bergstrom went a 46.3 last year and denisyako looks like he'll do well too.

Guido

^^^If I had posted this, it would've been a firestorm in here, because I wasn't a world championship swimmer like Anonymiss.

The 400 relay should still be pretty good. Casey is certainly capable of a 43 low. Balazs has the school record at a 42 high off of a flat start. Duckworth hasn't shown much this year, but based on how he tapered last year, there's no reason he can't get into the low 44 range off of a relay start. Dalton, the freshman, is still a bit of an unknown quantity. Boris has been swimming in the relay this year too, so they have some options there. I think they have the 44's, it'd be great to have one more guy that can get in to that mid-43 range off a flat start to put them into that top echelon, but I think the 400 will certainly be ok as is. The Canadian kid will give them that next season, although Casey graduates, and hopefully Dalton continues to develop and they could put together a pretty impressive relay next year. Nikita and Bergstrom both got into that 46/47 range last year.

With what Snowden has done this year in the Br events, and Enriquez in the distance, I think we're certainly a much more well-rounded team than we've been in recent memory. There's no single event at dual meets where we're going to get crushed. Even against the mighty Auburn, there were only 2 events where the guys didn't have someone in the top 3, and one of those was the 50 free which is so bang-bang on the finish.

What we need to really get over the hump into the conversation with that top tier of teams is that one sure fire guy who gets their A (or solid B) cuts without a taper, and who is a fairly sure-fire to final, and can take the relays to that zone of solid A-finalists.

Maybe Troskot can be that swimmer for us. The guys are just that close to breaking through where it might only take that one to get a really big jump at NCAA's to 7th or 8th, and then all of a sudden recruits start to put us in a class with the Michigans, Pac-10 schools, Tennessees, etc. of the world.

But anyways, this is probably one of the best, or THE best, overall squad that A&M's had this century, and excited to see where Kyle can take them next year!

I agree completely GoBlu, except for the thing about you saying that, would have made anything different. Hopefully they all can taper they way they always do and become the team we all are hoping they become. Got no words for this feud with Anonymis, even though it is very funny to sit back and see how stupid both sides are being.

excited to see where kyle can take them next year goblu?

what about the team this year, kyle won't be here until august and won't contribute any points at NCAA's until 2011. one guy isn't going to take the team from where they are now into the top 10 and then the top 5. the team works their tails off every day and you are giving all of the credit to someone who hasn't trained a single day with the team yet. i wouldn't count out that dalton kid either, the young freshman class this year shows a lot of potential that should start showing within the next month.

Did you read the whole post? Or just skip to the part where I stopped praising the guys that are there now? Because I certainly gave them their due.

But yes, when a team is as close to being on the verge as ours is, one guy CAN take them from this point to the top 10. And from there, it can be a snowball effect, and the recruits can get better and better.

It's like you don't think that the guys on the team this year are good enough where 1 more swimmer, of the quality I described, would get them to the single-digits. Which is ok, except for all of the crap that you guys give me when I say something like that. I don't know that Troskot will be that guy, but I was just saying he could be.

You understand? This is the kind of thing that makes sports fun. Talking about the future, what COULD be, or analyzing what happened in the past. If you guys aren't interested in that kinda stuff, then why are you on Texags? To defend your honor? Lame.

there's a simple answer to all this: texas a&m is aiming to break into the top ten THIS year and its the great recruiting of swimmers like kyle (undoubtedly a great addition to the team) that will keep them there in the future.

get a life goblu

speaking of looking to the future..... they might need a backstroker. snowden and fonua in breast, loncaric in fly, tons of freestylers, but no backstrokers in the immediate future

I think Denisyako will have 1 more year of eligibility, right? A few of the freshmen are listed as backstrokers, but none of them are getting much of a chance to swim it in the meets.

I agree though, probably something the coaches will be looking to shore up with next year's recruiting class. What is the class of 2010 looking like besides Troskot?

i can guarantee the coaches don't have the team wondering how much a recruit coming in the next year will help the team, its irrelevant to the success of this years team.

i'm sure the coaches are going to put together another solid recruiting class to go along with troskot, they certainly have the team going in the right direction.

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i can guarantee the coaches don't have the team wondering how much a recruit coming in the next year will help the team, its irrelevant to the success of this years team.

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From what they've posted on here, clearly they don't. And that's probably a good thing.

Doesn't mean the rest of us can't though!

Bergstrom and Denisyako are both seniors and I'm sure that's not lost on the coaching staff. For the next two months, I'd rather they be more concerned with how we do at this year's NCAA's with these two guys we do have now.

There are a ton of freshman and we have yet to see any taper so we don't really have much of idea what to expect in a lot of areas until we see those results.

I'm sure the coaches are constantly looking for that next big recruit to help move the Ags up the ladder. There was a great post by ag09 on the subject not all that long ago that provided tremendous insight into how good our coaches are at doing that very thing. Though it took a year or two, they did a superb job in the aftermath of the Nash dismissal and ensuing recruiting nightmare and now have this program back on track to do good things at the NCAA Championship level. They should be commended for that.

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What is the class of 2010 looking like besides Troskot?

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As in past years, most of the recruiting class wont be decided until mid spring, after the big meets. the coaches like to wait and see how the high school guys swim when theyre tapered. Theres guys that dont get a sniff from solid programs in the fall, but that our coaches have been watching all year, and then those guys swim lights out in March. Those are the type of guys who have helped (and will continue to help) build this program. And that has led to landing a guy like Troskot. Start small, work your way up. Troskot was the first big time fall signee the men have had in a while, but im sure he wont be the last. But as we've talked about on here before, never under estimate the impact that a "walk-on" can have on the team.

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Though it took a year or two, they did a superb job in the aftermath of the Nash dismissal and ensuing recruiting nightmare and now have this program back on track to do good things at the NCAA Championship level. They should be commended for that.

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Such a true statement


[This message has been edited by texagg09 (edited 1/25/2010 8:56a).]

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There are a ton of freshman and we have yet to see any taper so we don't really have much of idea what to expect in a lot of areas until we see those results.

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Also true. The freshman have a lot of potential, and we're seeing some sparks from Dalton, but we still need to see some of the others step up. They've dont a heck of a job so far, dont get me wrong, but its a long road. I know theyre workin their tails off at practice, and racing hard, but I think they can take one more big step. Once they realize the difference between being "good" and being "great" for the team, thats when the fun starts. I think we'll see all of them step it up come conference, if not sooner (t.u meet maybe?)

It's great to take underrated high school swimmers, and turn them into outstanding college swimmers. It's a very good way to build a program, and the coaches have done a great job at it. All that I was implying was that at some point, you have to get guys that were outstanding in high school, and make them even better, if you really want to be in that top tier of programs. Seems as though they'll get their shot at that with Troskot.

Bultman has done a great job of this with the girls. He is also very good at developing underrated swimmers (although I'm sure lots of college coaches are, Bultman and Jay seem to have an eye for picking the right ones), but once he got Wilkinson/Triin, the floodgates opened and A&M became a destination for top recruits.

goblue says: "It's great to take underrated high school swimmers, and turn them into outstanding college swimmers."

I think two of the freshman are definitely flying low under the radar, John Wagner and Max Lewis. Both of them had very good senior years. Wagner, this summer did an impressive 1:53 in a 200 free while Lewis had a impressive 1:49 in a 200 fly. They might not make a big impact this year but in years to come they should be scoring points for the team.

Wagner swam the 200 long course, while Lewis swam his shortcourse.

Wow, those are good times. Were they on campus at the time yet, or still training with their home clubs?

they were with FLEET when they did those times. Those two guys, along with the rest of their class, definitely have the potential to impact this team significantly now and in years to come, there is no doubt about that.

All this gets me excited to see everyone taper!

and blu, i wasnt trying to call you out or anything about your earlier post, just trying to answer your question about other recruits. sorry if it came off wrong

What have Wagner's times been like so far?

His 1:53 200 free LCM converts to a 1:37-1:38 SCY.

A&M has never had much depth in 200 free - so it would be outstanding if we can get 4 guys solidly under 1:40.

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I think two of the freshman are definitely flying low under the radar, John Wagner and Max Lewis

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I hope that's not an intentional flight...

B-- Shouldn’t you be doing something around 4:37pm?

Wagner was 1:41.80 at LSU this weekend. If the past is any indication of the future, he's going to taper like a champ! No doubt he's going to be a star in the next few years.

I think GoBlu's got a good point here. Jay & Doug do a great job of turning decent HS swimmers into NC qualifiers & foreign unheard-of’s into NC scorers. That all makes for some great relays. Now it's time to start bringing in guys who can score points at NC's their first year and go after more points in individual events. Trosket and the like are the first step to being able to consistently recruit top eight potentials. That said, dbcooper's right; one guy isn't going to take a team up five places, especially in one year.

An aside:
Freshmen that have just gotten on here-- play nice &, for the love of God, don't post anything unless it's worthwhile.

DirtyGirl, shut up. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but you've managed to bring this forum down to a low-brow shoving match. College is for big kids-- act like you're not still on the playground, at recess, continually taking the tether ball to the head. Use that brain of yours to formulate something longer than four words & more constructive than "get a life." You've got 24 hrs between posts, think real hard!

Snafu, I like the enthusiasm, but do the math. Relays can't do everything, and without some serious individual points top 10's not going to happen. Without Sehn, diving's got some work to do. Who's to say that Cam won't choke again?? He has in the past. Grant's good but, again, one guy can only do so much. Denysiako's really going to have to step it up in the backstrokes to be a serious contender this year. We can count on Loncaric for a great 100 fly & for a solid leg on the relays. From an individual standpoint, Strange has his work cut out for him as well.
That just leaves the new guys. How far up can Omar & Makany finish in their respective events? Can Snowden, Fonua, Welch & Lavery make it to the meet & have any scoring impact? Even one point makes a difference. And how debilitating will “no suits” be to some of the higher ranked teams & could that alone change A&M’s standing?

Food for thought.

alright LFP, I'll try and match your witty inteligence with some more decent intellectual conversation. Here we go:

Oh, first, please keep in mind that nothing I say is in any way meant to get anyone all riled up.

What else would I possibly be doing at 4:37pm that is more important than posting on a message board?! Maybe I just caught a boring spot in a long day at work?

I pretty much agree about most of the other shnaz, and good analogy for dirtygirl, I like that one. Touche. But let's see, so we have how many rookie posters on this forum? 8-ish? And how many freshman? Oops, sorry, I hate accusing people of being on the team, should have kept my big mouth shut.

Back to topic: The individual events will be tough to score at NCs, suits or not. Though the suits are going to throw all the predictions out of whack. If El Mar can taper decently, he has a shot to be in the hunt for something, and Balazs has been fighting tooth and nail in dual meets this season, scrapping and clawing for every inch. Always a GREAT thing to see during the heavy training part of the season. It seems like a rare quality these days, but it does look like a few (and maybe more?) of the guys have developed, or are developing that ability and desire. Good to see, good to see.

Guess that's all I have for now. Anyway, I've got much better things to be doing with my time at 7:33pm on a Monday evening don't I?

From reading this thread. Looks like I was wrong about current swimmers posting GoBlu. Good call

Wagner had a fast time this summer, but I can guarantee he was suited up and probably felt really good that day, no guarantees he can do it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY
Stupidity strikes again!!!!

I hope you don't really believe what just came out of your...well...finger tips.

Who cares how Wagner felt when he swam that 1:53 this summer. That .2 micrometer thick suit he was wearing had more muscle than the boy did going to A&M this fall. From what I've heard, he's gained 15 lbs just the first semester.

"Who knows if he can do it again?" I sure hope he can't. He better be a lot faster than that. When has anyone ever gone to A&M and not dropped significant time their first year under Jay & Doug's tenure?

On top of that, how many stories have you heard of guys who have swum amazing times when they're feeling under the weather? I've heard and seen more than a few. The planets don't have to align for any of these guys to best their times from 6 months ago.

I think someone might be jealous over there....

Good call LFP. Im sensing (maybe hoping for) some sarcasm in cooper's post...who knows tho

[This message has been edited by texagg09 (edited 1/27/2010 9:36a).]