STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford finished the 2022-23 season strong, closing out a championship season with a top-eight finish at the NCAA meet. 11 swimmers and divers combined to collect 28 All-American honors while also having the best GPA among all division I teams.
Regular Season
Stanford kicked off the campaign in the fall of 2022 with a dual meet victory, taking down conference foe Utah at the Avery Aquatic Center 199-97. Following the Triple Distance Meet against California, the Cardinal headed to North Carolina for the midseason NC State/GAC Invite. Against strong competition, Stanford finished on the podium in third place, and with its eyes on the remainder of the dual meet season. The Cardinal faced off against four ranked opponents in dual meets, three of whom are also Pac-12 rivals. Stanford closed out the regular season with a 4-2 record, highlighted by a senior day victory over No. 20 USC.
Rafael Gu also was named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week during the regular season while Jack Ryan claimed four of the nine possible Pac-12 Diver of the Week awards.
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Pac-12 Championships
The Cardinal began the postseason at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington. During the diving portion of the championships, Jack Ryan earned a silver medal in the 1-meter while Peyton Donald added a fourth-place finish. Andrei Minakov claimed his second-straight Pac-12 title in the 100 fly, while also leading Stanford to a clean sweep of the podium. Aaron Sequeira finished in second place in the event while Rafael Gu claimed third. Minakov added a third-place finish in the 50 free while Ron Polonsky took third in the 200 IM. Polonsky also claimed sixth in the 400 IM. Zhier Fan took fifth place overall in the 100 breast while swimming the fourth-fastest time in program history. Fan is just the fourth Stanford swimmer to break 52 seconds in the event. Gabe Machado took fourth in the 1,650 free, swimming his way into the record books with the 15th-fastest time in program history. Minakov closed out a strong conference championships with a sixth-place finish in the 100 free. Stanford wrapped up the championships in third place, trailing California and champions Arizona State.
Day three included a Stanford podium sweep, back-to-back Pac-12 titles for Andrei Minakov in the 100 fly, and 2??4?? total swims in finals!
— Stanford Men's Swimming and Diving (@stanfordmswim) March 4, 2023
Excited to see what tomorrow has in store in the final action of the Pac-12 Championships ??#GoStanford https://t.co/P66rlAAQEu
NCAA Championships
The NCAA Championships saw the Cardinal finish in the top-10 for the second straight year, taking eighth place overall. Jack Ryan and Ethan Foster led the way in the diving pool, earning All-American honors in the 1-meter and platform, respectively. Along with five relay teams that each earned All-America recognition, four swimmers claimed individual honors, led by Ron Polonsky and Aaron Sequeira who each had two. Polonsky's time in the 100 breast at the NCAA Championships set the new Stanford record in the event at 51.14.
1??1?? Cardinal swimmers and divers combined to earn 2??8?? All-America nods ??
— Stanford Men's Swimming and Diving (@stanfordmswim) March 28, 2023
?? » https://t.co/4diV5APDel#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/6VfRJxK1jO
Academic Success
Stanford was just as successful in the classroom during the 2022-23 season. The Cardinal claimed the top GPA among all division I programs in the NCAA, while 24 athletes were named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans. 19 student-athletes were also named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Leon MacAlister was named the Pac-12 Men's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year and also earned his second consecutive CSC Academic All-American honor. Luke Maurer, Preston Forst, and Ron Polonsky joined MacAlister among the CSC Academic All-American selections.
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