CMC75 Moments: 1998 Men's Swim & Dive Finishes Fourth Behind Simon's Two NCAA Titles
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
1998 Men's Swim & Dive: Stags Earn Fourth at NCAA Championships
The CMS men's swimming and diving team had six second-place finishes at the NCAA Championships between 1983-1991 (and one third), but slipped a little bit from its impossibly high standards in the mid-1990s, seeing its 12-year streak of SCIAC championships snapped by Redlands in 1994. The Stags bounced back, though, and rattled off six more SCIAC titles from 1995-2000, and in 1998 they earned their way back among the list of national powers, earning a top-five finish at the NCAA Championships by coming in fourth place. Fourth was a significant spot since the top four finishing teams receive NCAA trophies, and the Stags ended just a half-point ahead of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in fifth (256.5/256) by touching USWP out for third place in the championship's final event (the 400 free relay).
Gary Simon led the way by earning NCAA Division III Swimmer of the Year honors for the second consecutive year with two national championships in the 200 IM and the 200 breast, bringing his total to five national championships in his career. He set a national record in the 200 IM in a time of 1:46.97 (his third NCAA record), which was so fast that it would have actually placed fourth in the NCAA Division I Championship that year. His time still stands as the CMS program record after 23 years, almost three seconds faster than any other Stag, while he also places second at CMS in the 100 breast, third in the 200 breast, and fourth in the 100 butterfly at CMS.
Simon wasn't alone at the 1998 NCAA Championships, though, as a whopping 10 CMS swimmers earned All-America honors, including Rion Beauregard (100 back, 400 medley relay), Steven Brende (50 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Chris Lloyd (500, 1650), Tim McPheron (200 free relay), Ty Olson (100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay), Jason Reed (100 fly, 200 back, 400 free relay, 800 free relay), Jon Schild (200 free relay, 400 free relay), Kevin Wallis (400 free relay, 800 free relay) and Garrett Yamaguchi (200 medley relay).
Jason Reed, a freshman on the 1998 team, would go on to add his own name to the CMS history books by winning the national championship in the 100 fly as a senior in 2001, an event in which he still ranks in the CMS top 10 (seventh).
Rion Beauregard:
I had big emotions about this particular swim meet. There was a sense of relief that this was going to be my last hoorah as a NCAA swimmer, but also some deep grief – after all, most of my CMC experience was made more meaningful, fulfilling, and engaging because of my time immersed in the CMS Aquatics Program and the stellar camaraderie, dedication, and connection to my fellow Stags.
I imagine for most students, the Claremont Colleges is a very academic pursuit of their time and energy. For me, the true dedication and commitment of my time and energy was to this team of brothers, both in and out of the pool, to create a deeper cohesion, accountability, and purpose (and more often than not, to do it with some good laughs and fun!). It has been something that has continued to be a priority in my life since graduation - the relationships and the integrity of how we show up for one another in our times of need, as well as celebration.
The 1998 NCAAs was definitely a reason for celebration – we saw Rookie Class of the Century dominate SCIACs for 4 years (in swimming and water polo) and passed the torch in to a new talented class of rookies with Reed, Yamaguchi, and others. I was pretty burned out in the week that followed SCIAC as we geared up to head to Atlanta the following month for NCAAs, but found myself re-inspired in some of our free-for-all aquatic weekends by the people, our amazing pool (yay, no long course!) and the sport of swimming itself.
One of the unique and rewarding aspects of that swim season was having Bill White onboard as our assistant coach; although some of his brutal workouts were exhausting, it was a welcome challenge to have a former Stag pushing our boundaries and encouraging us to give it our all. Although the energy from many of us seniors was no doubt unforgiving and often on the verge of semi-abusive towards Bill, we loved him, and knew the exchanges and rips were earned from our respect and appreciation of his personality and continued dedication to the Stag culture.
As NCAAs started and we got our first day of prelims and finals wrapped up, it was fun to watch Coach Sutton eyes start to light up and his pencil constantly calculating each event, place, and points. "We're gonna get wood this year…" was the phrase I remember us saying over and over. For me, the entire swim meet was a blur. I do remember we were the guinea pigs for the 2000 Atlanta Olympic Drug Testing program, as well as the constant movement of the CMS Stags up and down the board, from 9th place to 5th…
My final event on the last day of the meet - 200 back - was a personal heartbreak. I didn't come close to my personal best, and though I was poised to make finals that night, my performance was poor, and I didn't win my heat or qualify for finals. I felt like I'd let down my brothers and was in a funk for most of the day. As we made our way into our final session that night, I remember moving out of my own disappointment and into the one thing I knew I could provide to my fellow Stags: inspiration, encouragement, and the commitment to yell and scream my head off in support for every one of my brothers that night: "Rally now, Stags!!"
If I remember correctly, I believe it came down to our final relay. I remember cheering for all those final events, watching our team excel and finish better-than-expected across the board. With great pride, I donned those fashionable crimson sweats that had been passed down from generation to generation of Stag (and likely still carried their man-scent) and stood shoulder to shoulder on that 4th place platform with the greatest group of guys I'd ever known! Kinda brings me to tears thinking back on it.
Quick tangent here – in the last 15 years, I occasionally dream that I'm back at our pool, surrounded by Jonny, Wallis, Farkas, Olson and the rest of the RCOTC, somehow capitalizing on an obscure loophole and gaining a bonus year of NCAA eligibility for another season of water polo and swimming. In these dreams, I often find myself in tears of joy and appreciation, remembering the nostalgia and looking forward to sharing just … one … more … year … of Stagdom!!!
Kevin Wallis:
Regrading that 400 free relay, I can't remember if we were tied with that team – what I do remember is that whoever placed higher in the final relay final would take 4th and 'get wood'. I wanna say the other team was like St Olaf, and I think we were even in lanes right next to each other.
It was very close as the third leg was nearing completion. The anchor from St Olaf stepped up on his block…a second or two later the soon-to-be two time D3 Swimmer of the year (aka, the Beast!) stepped up on his. The St. Olafy dude looks over and then immediately bows his head and mutters an f-bomb. And it was never close. Beast was up a body length (more?) by the end of the first 25 on his way to like a cool 44.1 split.
Jon Schild:
Some great memories. I want to say it was Wisconsin-Stevens Point that we were competing with for hardware. I also remember Gary finishing one of his races (maybe the 200 IM?) about 20 yards ahead of the field. He was out of the water before some of them finished. Beastly.
Jason Reed:
Every Nationals trip has embedded stories and emotion to be retold. The '98 year was truly amazing. Ten. TEN (varsity blues voice) of us made it to Nationals. Being a freshman, I didn't realize how special that was.
The story I repeat to this day is the initial walk onto the deck. It was Wednesday afternoon. Very few people there. Light pouring in, but a bit gray. For me, as I tell the story, it was a "Hoosiers" moment: the pool was the same length, the blocks the same height, the water just as cold. Perfect. Having that time along in the pool made all the difference, and I'm so grateful for it and the experience.
I also remember Bill clearly advising me on my 200 Fly, and probably life in general. It's "all about who wants to hurt themselves more." I took that to heart, and still do (even when not in the pool), and sprinted out the first 100 of my 200 Fly, followed by another 100 yards just to get home. What a race.
And, I shaved my head for the first time. Peer pressure at its finest, and an omniscient view of the future.
Of course, there's other great experiences as well. Going to the St. Louis Arch and learning our place as Rooks and jumping in our own car, the shaving cream incident (yes, Sutton was on his game that day), and Ty singing (out loud) the entire first two verses to the Humpty Dance during a finals walkout (yup, somebody selected it as their walkout song; seriously… and wow). The final night was not as wild as expected, which was probably no surprise, given the distance to a local downtown and lack of 90s Uber, but it was great.
I personally will always remember Coach inviting my parents on the trip. Everyone else's parents were already attending. My family thought of it as just another "away" meet, and did not plan to travel. But Coach encouraged my folks to join in on the fun, and it made for the start of a very special family event for the next four years. Now, knowing that my mother would pass in 2003, I am so glad he made the call. It started an annual tradition that made an impact and I can look back on each year with love.
Ty Olson:
All these memories already have put a smile on my face.
Adding to the drama of the 400FR, we were swimming in the outside lane because we barely made the big finals, qualified 8th. Of course Beast brought the outside smoke. After it was over my name came up on the random drug test list so I spent the next hour chugging Gatorade in the locker room desperately trying to fill the pee cup while some dude stood next to me watching.
1:46 for the IM still blows me away. I could barely swim a 200 free that quickly.
I still have that black nationals T-shirt in my closet. It's a little worn, but I'm holding onto that one until I die.
It's too bad we didn't have cell phones while we were there. There would be a lot more pictures and video. Although on the flip side maybe that's not such a bad thing.
The Stags mean the same thing to me as they do to Beau. It was my college experience and it couldn't have been with a better group of guys.
Gary Simon:
Swimming is often regarded as an individual sport, but the 1998 Stags was the most enjoyable swimming TEAM I've ever been a part of. The traditions were great: signing the California flag the night before NCAA's started, the little toilet plunger that a chosen rookie would place beside the starting block, and doing cheers with all the other teams from California before the last session. Even greater was how much the Stags supported each other. My lasting impression from that meet is swimming the last leg of the 400 free relay, "wood" on the line, and seeing my teammates waving towels and screaming like crazy every time I took a breath. It was awesome!
1997-98 Men's Swimming and Diving Roster
Head Coach: Mike Sutton
Assistant Coaches: Cami Johnson, Bill White
Kevin Amaya (Fr., CMC)
Aaron Batley (Sr., CMC)
Andrew Batley (Fr., HMC)
Rion Beauregard (Sr., CMC)
Ryan Blaney (Jr., CMC)
Stephen Booth (Sr., HMC)
Steven Brende (Fr., CMC)
Ryan Della Maggiora (Sr., CMC)
David Farkas (Sr., CMC)
Cliff Glickman (Fr., CMC)
Kris Jurka (So., HMC)
Chris Lloyd (Fr., CMC)
Sujendra Mather (So., CMC)
Ryan McFadden (Fr., CMC)
Tim McPheron (Jr., CMC)
Christopher Murillo (Fr., CMC)
Thomas O'Hara (Sr., CMC)
Ty Olson (Sr., CMC)
Jason Reed (Fr., CMC)
Brian Ruark (Sr., CMC)
Jon Schild (Sr., CMC)
Gary Simon (Sr., HMC)
Troy Smith (Fr., CMC)
Ori Stitleman (So., CMC)
Brian Vlasich (So., CMC)
Craig Vroman (Sr., CMC)
Kevin Wallis (Sr., CMC)
Steve Welch (Sr., HMC)
Garrett Yamaguchi (Fr., CMC)