It was a tumultuous week in Columbus, Ohio for the men’s swimming and diving team, capping a season that has seen its share of setbacks and triumphs. When the dust finally settled on Sunday night, senior Eugene Godsoe and sophomore Chad La Tourette were NCAA champions, but the setbacks that seemed to plague the Cardinal men all season also thwarted their bid for a team title. The men finished fourth behind Texas, California and Arizona – still a top-level performance, but well back from their hopes of claiming the NCAA title.
Problems for the team began in January when NCAA 100-yard butterfly champion Austin Staab, a sophomore, took a leave of absence from the University. Even after losing top senior diver Dwight Dumais along with Staab and losing a dual meet to Arizona, the Cardinal was able to rebound and win its 29th consecutive Pac-10 championship in convincing fashion. The hits kept coming, however, and the men were in for a nasty surprise in Columbus.
Upon arriving at the meet, the three top-ranked teams that shared an airline flight, Stanford, Texas and Arizona, had a number of athletes come down sick with stomach problems. At least five Stanford athletes had to go the hospital and the issue was severe enough for the NCAA to postpone the meet by one day.
As a result of the virus, the Cardinal got out of the gates slowly. On the first day, Stanford scored only two All-Americans in the 500-yard freestyle, an event in which seven Cardinal athletes qualified. Junior David Mosko was fourth while sophomore Chad La Tourette was 11th. The Cardinal also had a number of declared false starts, including sophomores Bobby Bollier and Robert Andrews in the 500-yard freestyle and freshman Matt Thompson in the 200-yard individual medley.
Senior David Dunford and junior Alex Coville both fought off the effects of the virus to make the final of the 50-yard freestyle. A valiant fourth place effort in the 200-yard freestyle relay before the final, however, drained them as they came in seventh and eighth.
However, there were some bright spots for the Cardinal as Godsoe kicked off his stellar meet by setting a school record of 44.93 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke on the opening leg of the 400-yard medley relay which finished third. Lovelace, Bollier and Andrews joined Godsoe on that All-American relay team.
Godsoe again led on the second day of competition as he scored in three events. He led off the 200-yard medley relay, which finished fourth, and then took third in the 100-yard butterfly. To cap it off, he won his best event, the 100-yard backstroke, by over a second for his first NCAA championship.
After winning the title, Godsoe spoke to collegeswimming.com.
“I had confidence going into the walls and I just kept pushing and pushing into them,” he said. “We have a strong last day so I hope this win is a springboard for us.”
Also earning All-American honors and scoring for the Cardinal on the second day were Lovelace and junior John Criste, who took seventh and eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke, respectively. Andrews took 15th in the 200-yard freestyle and the 800-yard freestyle relay team took seventh.
Just as Godsoe had hoped, the final day was the high note for Stanford: the men scored the most points of any team on the final day to move into fourth place. La Tourette led off the action by winning his first NCAA title in the 1650-yard freestyle by six seconds. He was undefeated in the event this year, and as only a sophomore, has a bright future ahead of him. Mosko also scored for the Cardinal in the event, placing 11th.
Godsoe then placed third in the 200-yard backstroke, giving him five top-four placings at the meet. Thompson won the consolation final to place ninth and earn his first All-American honor as a freshman. Stanford scored two swimmers in each of the next three events. Dunford and Coville placed fifth and 13th in the 100-yard freestyle. Lovelace and Criste finished sixth and 14th in the 200-yard breaststroke, and Bollier and Mosko placed third and fourth in the 200-yard butterfly. Stanford closed out the meet by taking third in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with Dunford swimming the anchor in his last collegiate race.
All told, 13 Stanford athletes achieved All-American status with a finish of 16th or better in their event. Godsoe, Dunford and Coville each earned five All-American certificates apiece at the meet. The fourth place finish continued a streak of top-four finishes for the Card that dates back to 1982. It is a testament to the strength, talent and depth of the Stanford team that such a finish was considered somewhat of a disappointment.