Cal Swim: Ryan Murphy Storms into the 100 Back Final at the U.S. Olympic Trials
Cover photo of Andrew Seliskar (with the yellow Cal cap) by Rob Schumacher, USA Today
World-recordholder and reigning Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy set himself up for a trip to Tokyo by swimming the fastest time in Monday night’s 100-meter backstroke semifinals at the U.S. trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
Murphy will swim the 100 back final on Tuesday night with a return trip to the Games on the line.
The news wasn’t as good for another former Cal star, as former world-recordholder Kathleen Baker — just weeks after suffering a broken bone in her right foot — could not get through her semifinal heat of the women’s 100 back.
Three other Golden Bears did advance: Andrew Seliskar moved through to the final of the 200 freestyle after placing seventh in the semifinals, Bryce Mefford was fifth in the 100 back semifinals and Isabelle Stadden tied for fourth in the semifinals of the women’s 100 back.
Ryan Murphy enjoys his victory in the semifinals.
Photo by Rob Schumacher, USA Today
Murphy, 25, showed his talents by swimming 52.22 seconds in the 100 back semifinals, not far off his world-record mark of 51.85 in the 2016 Olympic final at Rio. He was nearly a half-second faster than anyone else in either heat.
Afterward, he jokingly said he picked up some time by shaving his chest before the race and hoped to go faster still in the Tuesday night final by shaving his back.
“I feel good,” he said during the pool-deck TV interview with NBC. “I can’t really control what other guys are doing but the field looks good and at the end of the day I’m trying to be as fast as I can be. We’ll see if that’s good enough.”
Cal had four swimmers in the men’s 100 back semis. Mefford, a current Golden Bear, hit the wall in 52.87 to finish third in his heat and fifth overall. Destin Lasco and Daniel Carr were 13th and 14th, respectively, in 54.08 and 54.16.
Baker, 24, announced via social media last week that she had suffered a foot injury -- a "freak walking injury -- in early May but expressed confidence she was ready to go at the trials.
Kathleen Baker shows off her walking boot last month.
A silver medalist in the 100 back at Rio, Baker was in second place after 50 meters on Monday night before fading to sixth place with a time of 1:00.51. She wound up 11th overall.
Stadden, who just completed her freshman year at Cal, swam a personal-best 58.99 to finish third in her semifinal race and tied for fourth overall. Ex-Golden Bear Amy Bilquist wound up ninth with a time of 1:00.26, missing a spot in the final by .08 seconds.
Seliskar, a 24-year-old four-time NCAA champion during his days at Cal, was first at the halfway point of his 200 free semifinal and wound up a solid third. His time of 1:46.95 was seventh overall, advancing him to the final.
Current Golden Bear Trenton Julian placed 13th in the event at 1:47.50.
Katie McLaughlin’s bid to make the U.S. team in the 100 butterfly was hijacked by a crew of speedy teen-agers. McLaughlin, 23, finished just fifth in the final with a time of 57.72 that was a shade slower than her semifinal mark from the night before.
It may not have mattered because 18-year-old Torri Huske broke her day-old American record to win a time of 55.66, the fastest time in the world this year. Claire Curzan, 16, secured the second ticket to Tokyo with a runner-up finish of 54.43.
Third place went to another teen-ager, 19-year-old Kate Douglas and even 2016 Olympian Kelsi Dahlia, 26, was left out after a fourth-place finish.
In other action involving Cal swimmers in the morning session, Isabel Ivey (22nd in 1:0123) and Ayla Spitz (43rd in 1:02.23) both failed to advance through heats in the women’s 100 backstroke.
The men’s 200 free heats sidelined Gabriel Jett (20th in 1:48.85), Lasco (29th in 1:49.69), Sean Grieshop (tied 37th in 1:50.42), Dare Rose (41st in 1:50.53) and Zach Yeardon (50th in 1:53.43).
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo