AUSTIN, Texas – A pair of distance swimmers represented the San Antonio area at the NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships.
Making his second straight appearance on the biggest stage, Notre Dame sophomore Zach Yeadon entered the 1,650-yard freestyle as the 8th overall seed. Yeadon, a former UIL state champion in the 500-yard freestyle at Reagan high school, had high expectations after finishing 4th in this same event during his freshman campaign -- a performance that helped him earn team MVP honors.
This year was a different story. Yeadon fell off the pace set by the leaders early on, and though he closed the race well, he added 3.30 seconds to his seed time and settled for a 13th place finish in 14:42.90. The time was also seven seconds slower than than his personal best from last season.
"The game plan was definitely just to stay with the group, and then be able to drop in and make my move," Yeadon explained. "I didn't quite accomplish that, but there are some really positive aspects of my race that I can build on from last year. I also had a really great performance in the mile my freshman year, so I think I can utilize that experience and have an even better year next year."
Yeadon also scored points in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing 14th overall in 4:14.84 seconds. Now, with a week to relax before jumping back into the water for long course training, he has plenty of time to analyze his races and figure out how to improve.
"At this point, it's all about the mental game and being strong and consistent throughout the meet," Yeadon said. "I had a really great first semester, but I'm not sure exactly what happened during my second semester. Going over that data with the coaches will really help me figure something out, and hopefully we'll be able to move forward."
Yeadon will next compete at the World University Games, representing Team USA this July in Naples, Italy.
Meanwhile, Indiana freshman Mikey Calvillo -- a former O'Connor High School standout -- made his NCAA Championship debut this week. Calvillo added a half-second in his first event, the 400-yard individual medley, taking 32nd in 3:46.67, but rebounded in the mile. Seeded 14th and swimming in the final afternoon heat, Calvillo opened the race with a methodical pace for the first 500 yards, and slowly built towards faster splits throughout the remainder of the swim. Calvillo touched touched the wall 4th in his heat, finishing in 14:40.59 seconds -- a personal best time.
"It feels really good to have all my hard work pay off," Calvillo said. "My coach, Mike Westphal, told me before the season began that I had the potential to score at this meet. I had a hard time believing it then. I was a little unfamiliar with the whole college scene, but being here and swimming at the meet made me realize that I do belong here."
The performance helped him take 10th overall, scoring critical points for a Hoosiers team that finished the meet third in the team standings for the second straight season. Calvillo's 400 I.M. was important for getting his feet wet on the biggest stage.
"My coach's philosophy was to get an early event under my belt to really put myself into the meet and get the right mindset," Calvillo explained. "I was a little hesitant about that game plan, but once I swam that race, I knew it was going to pay off."
Now, with his first NCAAs in the books, Calvillo sets his sights on the immediate future: long course season.
"There are no big international meets for me to shoot for this summer," Calvillo said. "Right now it's all about putting in the training to prepare for next season."
With two swimmers scoring in the longest event at this year's NCAAs, it's clear that the San Antonio area will be well-represented at the collegiate level in distance for years to come.