College Swimming League Match Five Will Go Long Way Toward Shaping Playoff Picture
The College Swimming League (CSL) regular season is rapidly approaching its conclusion, with four of the six pre-postseason matches concluded. Match Five is scheduled for Friday (5:30 p.m.) in Walnut, California, with Stanford, Cal, North Carolina State and Indiana clashing. Each school will be participating in its second and final regular season match of the campaign, with Indiana and N.C. State racing for the first time since the opening weekend of the CSL.
Virginia, behind a pair of impressive victories, has already clinched a spot in the championship match, which is scheduled for November 6 in Indianapolis. The Cavaliers have benefited from widespread contributions, but it would be tough to argue that Claire Curzan hasn’t been the star of the first season of the College Swimming League. Among Curzan’s efforts have been a 1:46 mark in the 200 backstroke in Match Two and a show-stopping performance in the 50 butterfly Skins during Match Four.
While Virginia (6-0) has booked a spot in the CSL final, Michigan (1-5) and Ohio State (0-6) have been eliminated from contention. Much will be determined by Match Five, as Indiana and Stanford enter the meet with 3-0 records, while Cal and North Carolina State are both 2-1.
Some of the biggest names in college swimming will be in action during Match Five, including Liberty Clark and Miranda Grana for Indiana, and Quintin McCarty and Erika Pelaez for North Carolina State. Cal will look for a spark from Yamato Okadome while Caroline Bricker is a headliner for Stanford.
