Season in ReviewSeason in Review
Men's Swimming & Diving

Season in Review

The Stanford men's swimming and diving team welcomed six new faces to The Farm for the 2015-16 season. Stanford's class of 2019 includes:

Matt Anderson • 6-4 • Breaststroke • Scottsdale, Ariz. (Arcadia)
Cole Cogswell • 6-3 • Freestyle • Valencia, Calif. (William S. Hart)
Abrahm DeVine • 6-2 • Butterfly/Individual Medley • Seattle, Wash. (Lakeside)
Ryan Dudzinski • 5-11 • Backstroke/Butterfly • Pittsburgh, Pa. (Upper Saint Clair)
Jack Walsh • 5-10 • Backstroke/Individual Medley • Ann Arbor, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central)
Brad Zdroik • 6-4 • Freestyle/Butterfly • Hillsborough, N.J. (Hillsborough) 

Fall Duals & A3 Performance Invite

Stanford had a perfect 2-0 record in its non-conference duals against Utah and No. 7 North Carolina State, also winning the A3 Performance Invite in Monterey Park, California. The Cardinal defeated Utah in its first dual of the season, 164-125, before taking down No. 7 North Carolina State, 164-136. Stanford wrapped up its fall session with a dominant win at the A3 Performance Invite, setting several meet and pool records in the process.

Ryan Dudzinski set the meet record in the 100 back, also helping Stanford set the meet and pool record in the 400-yard medley relay with Matt Anderson, Gray Umbach and Sam Perry. Dudzinski, Christian Brown, Connor Black and Sam Perry (1:26.97) also set the meet record in the 200-yard medley relay on Day 2. 

Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Shortly before the Pac-12 Conference Championships, Gray Umbach was named Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year. A four-time All-American, Umbach made the trip to NCAAs in each of his four seasons and had 14 top-10 finishes at the Pac-12 Championships. He matched his athletic prowess with a 3.99 grade-point average in chemical engineering. 

"We are thrilled for Gray and this is very well-deserved," said Goldman Family Director of Men's Swimming Ted Knapp. "The biggest challenge for Gray was the lack of flexibility in his major due to its small size; there were not a lot of options with class times and days offered. Gray has been very conscientious and diligent about balancing his rigorous academic load while meeting the expectations of contributing to a highly competitive swim team."

Seven Former Cardinal Make All-Century

A panel of 20 coaches, swimmers, administrators and members of the media selected a Pac-12 All-Century team consisting of 26 swimmers and six divers. Stanford's seven selections included Jeff Rouse, John Hencken, John Moffet, Pablo Morales, Mike Bruner, Tom Wilkens and Kristian Ipsen. 

Stanford wins the 2016 Pac-12 Championships

Big wins by Liam Egan and Sam Perry and an all-around team effort propelled Stanford to its first Pac-12 Conference title since the 2011-12 season.

"The team showed great respect for the process needed for this week's performance," said Knapp. "They were determined to send the seniors off with a championship and convey a message to our alumni that we are striving to compete as they did for so long."

The win, Stanford's first since Knapp took charge of the program prior to the 2012-13 season, is the 63rd such title in program history. The Cardinal earned top-three finishes in 12 of 18 individual events, winning three, and had a podium finish in each of the three diving events.

"I've never been part of a team with such an even point spread, top to bottom," added Perry. "Everyone did their job, and in the end it was enough to get the win. Pac-12's were a big motivator for us throughout the year, and we knew we could do it, so it was really satisfying to make our supporters and ourselves proud."

Perry won two individual events, the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. Egan finished second in the 500-yard freestyle before winning the 1,650-yard freestyle on the final day, essentially clinching the trophy for Stanford. The Cardinal dominated the individual medleys, taking three of the top four spots in the 200-yard IM and four of the top seven in the 400-yard IM. 

2016 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships

Stanford's 2015-16 season came to a close at the NCAA Championships, finishing 14th.

"Sam Perry came through all week, and Ted Miclau's performance on the platform was key for us," said Knapp. "Of the 14 swimmers and four divers that were invited, three were freshman and seven were sophomores. We outscored our projected point total on the psych sheet, and it was a big meet for the six point-scorers who hadn't scored at NCAAs before."

Perry led the way for the Cardinal, picking up All-America honors in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay. Liam Egan added a first-team All-America performance in the 500-yard freestyle, also picking up an honorable mention in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Freshman Abrahm DeVine was first-team All-America in the 400-yard individual medley, with sophomore Curtis Ogren earning honorable mention. Umbach capped his outstanding career on The Farm with an honorable mention in the 200-yard butterfly. Ted Miclau had a strong showing on the platform, making the A-final and receiving first-team All-America honors. Bradley Christensen added an honorable mention in the 1-meter. 

All-America Selections

All-America Selections

800-yard freestyle relay: Gray Umbach, Sean Duggan, Danny Thomson, Liam Egan (HM)

200-yard freestyle relay: Sam Perry, Jeff Garnier, Spencer DeShon, Sean Duggan (HM)

500-yard freestyle: Liam Egan

200-yard individual medley: Abrahm DeVine (HM)

50-yard freestyle: Sam Perry (HM)

400-yard medley relay: Ryan Dudzinski, Matt Anderson, Andrew Liang, Sam Perry (HM)

1-meter diving: Bradley Christensen (HM)

400-yard individual medley: Abrahm DeVine, Curtis Ogren (HM)

200-yard medley relay: Ryan Dudzinski, Matt Anderson, Andrew Liang, Sam Perry (HM)

1,650-yard freestyle: Liam Egan (HM)

100-yard freestyle: Sam Perry (HM)

200-yard butterfly: Gray Umbach (HM)

400-yard freestyle relay: Sam Perry, Jeff Garnier, Spencer DeShon, Sean Duggan (HM)

Platform diving: Ted Miclau 

Team Records:

Abrahm DeVine • 400 IM • 3:40.06 • NCAA Championships

Pool Records:

Gray Umbach • 200 Fly • 1:44.20 • vs. California

League Academic Leaders

Twenty one student-athletes earned academic recognition from the Pac-12 Conference.

The Cardinal placed seven student-athletes on the first team, tied with Utah for the most of any program. Stanford added six more second-team selections to go along with eight honorable mentions. 

Senior Ryan Arata, a mechanical engineering major, had a league-best 4.03 grade-point average. Pac-12 Swimming and Diving Student-Athlete of the Year Gray Umbach posted a 3.99 grade-point average in chemical engineering. 

To be eligible for selection to the Pac-12 All-Academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and participate in at least half of their team's scheduled regular-season events.