Teagan O’Dell Commits To Cal; Luka Mijatovic & Kaii Winkler Go On Record-Breaking Spree

swin @ swan O'Dell Chooses Cal: The Cal Golden Bears have secured the top three ranked recruits in the girls' high school class of 2025 as #2 Teagan O'Dell made her verbal pledge to Berkeley on Monday. Also: Luka Mijatovic annihilates his NAG record in the 500 free, Kaii Winkler sets a pair of National HS records at the Florida 1A State Championships, and USA Swimming faces a significant membership revenue shortfall in 2023. TEAGAN O'DELL COMMITS TO CAL, GIVING BEARS 1-2-3 IN GIRLS' 2025 CLASS Teagan O’Dell, the #2-ranked recruit in the girls' high school class of 2025, announced her verbal commitment to Cal on Monday, giving the team an unprecedented trifecta with the top three swimmers in the class. O'Dell, a backstroke and medley specialist, joins #1 Alex Shackell and #3 Claire Weinstein in the class, making it one of the best in history. The fastest swimmer in the class in the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM, O'Dell is the reigning world junior champion in the LCM 200 back and U.S. junior national champ in the 100 back. O'Dell's Best Times (SCY) * 100 back – 50.96 * 200 back – 1:51.00 * 200 IM – 1:53.38 * 400 IM – 4:06.99 * 500 free – 4:39.29 * 200 free – 1:43.94 O'Dell is a California native, opting to remain in-state while Shackell will head to Berkeley from Indiana and Weinstein comes over from Nevada. O'Dell currently attends Santa Margarita Catholic High School and trains with the Mission Viejo Nadadores. * Read more on the commitment here. * Read more on the historic class for Cal here. This trio of massive commitments (along with several others) comes in the team's first full recruiting cycle under head coach Dave Durden and staff members David Marsh and Josh Huger. LUKA MIJATOVIC HITS 4:17 500 FREE TO SHATTER 13-14 NAG RECORD Luka Mijatovic continued to rewrite the National Age Group Record books over the weekend, smashing a pair of his own marks at home during the Pleasanton Seahawks Short Course Senior Open. In the 500 free, Mijatovic dropped a staggering time of 4:17.07, crushing his 13-14 NAG record of 4:22.50 by more than five seconds. The swim makes him an incredible 2.9 percent quicker than the next-fastest swimmer in the age group (Lleyton Plattel, 4:24.79). The 14-year-old would also rank 7th all-time in the 15-16 age group with that performance, and is just 2.71 seconds shy of what was required to earn an invite to the 2023 Men's NCAA Division I Championships. Mijatovic also lopped nearly four seconds off his 13-14 NAG record in the 1000 free in a time of 8:55.41, lowering his previous mark of 8:59.29 set in March (while he was still 13) which made him the only swimmer in the age group sub-9:00. The Pleasanton Seahawks product went six-for-six in personal best times at the meet, also doing so in the 200 free (1:37.57), 200 back (1:48.74), 200 fly (1:49.25) and 200 IM (1:49.08). The 200 free swim ranks him #3 all-time in the 13-14 age group, while the 200 IM puts him 8th. KAII WINKLER SETS PAIR OF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RECORDS AT FHSAA 1A CHAMPIONSHIPS Four months after having surgery to repair a fractured wrist, Kaii Winkler closed out his high school swimming career on a high note at the FHSAA 1A State Championships in Ocala, Florida. Winkler first broke the National High School Record in the boys' 200 freestyle in a time of 1:32.68, taking out Aaron Shackell's previous mark of 1:32.85 set in February while also dipping under the 1:33 barrier for the first time. Winkler, a 17-year-old senior who represents the South Florida HEAT, had previously been 1:33.28 in March (he won the 1A title last season in 1:34.18). The NC State commit followed up by taking out a 12-year-old National High School Record in the 100 free leading off the HEAT 400 free relay, clocking 42.14 to erase David Nolan's 2011 mark of 42.34. Winkler now ranks 6th all-time in the boys' 17-18 age group in both the 100 and 200 free, with his 100 free lifetime best standing at 41.96, which marked a new 15-16 NAG record back in March. In addition to his 200 free win, Winkler added the 100 fly state title individually, putting up a new PB of 46.33 to move into a tie for 40th all-time among 17-18s. Erika Pelaez, Winkler's South Florida HEAT teammate and fellow NC State commit, set a trio of state records at the meet, winning the girls' 50 free (21.98) and 100 back (51.29) while also doing so in the 100 free (47.78) leading off the 400 free relay. In the team race, Bolles dominated, with the boys winning their 36th title in a row and the girls picking up their 33rd straight. You can find a full recap here. In the 2A state meet, the Bishop Kenny boys won their third straight title, while the Academy of Holy Names girls won their second in a row. USA SWIMMING PROJECTED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT MEMBERSHIP REVENUE SHORTFALL USA Swimming's membership revenue is forecasted to fall well below projection this year, resulting in a ballooning budget deficit according to the organization's Board of Directors Meeting Minutes in September. Membership revenue is expected to be $926,000 less than initial projections, contributing to an anticipated operational deficit of $1,731,587 — the national governing body’s largest since at least 2011. The Board had approved a budget deficit of $1,368,963 for this year, but USA Swimming is expected to exceed that figure by $362,624 (or 26%). In their latest performance monitoring report, USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey and CFO Eric Skufca self-assessed “potential non-compliance” with the broadest financial policy provision due to the budget discrepancy. Revenue is expected to rebound next year due to the Paris Olympics, with USA Swimming projecting over $4.3 million in profit. Read more here. QUICK HITS * Jordan Crooks blasted his way to an unsuited 19.02 50 free during Tennessee's tri-meet with Florida and Kentucky, where the Vols honored the life of the late Ben Kredich. * NC State's Luke Miller led the Wolfpack men to a narrow win over Georgia with a pair of blistering swims in a tri-meet at UNC, clocking 19.18 in the 50 free and 44.17 in the 100 fly. * The Texas A&M men picked up their second win over in-state rival Texas in the last 61 years, topping the Longhorns 143-119 during a tri-meet with Georgia Tech. * Leon Marchand set a new ASU record in the 100 fly (44.66) during the Sun Devils' dual meet split with USC, while Ilya Kharun (1:40.07) won the 200 fly showdown with fellow freshman Krzysztof Chmielewski (1:41.20). * The University of Wyoming is closing in on securing the funding for a new 50-meter pool, which would be just the second one in the state. * David Johnston put up a time of 8:34.82 in the 1000 free during the Kevin Perry Senior Invitational in La Mirada, Calif., coming within a second of the American Record to rank #3 all-time. * The competition also included long course finals, where Carson Foster dropped times of 1:47.08 in the 200 free and 3:48.05 in the 400 free, beating Johnston (3:49.39) head-to-head in the latter. * Kate Douglass hinted that she sees retirement "in the near future" during a Q&A on UVA's Instagram account on Friday. * Irvine City Council is moving forward with plans to add a third 50-meter competition pool to the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, one of the premier facilities in Southern California. * Check out an outline of the exodus Canadian swimming has experienced over the last 20 months as the majority of the country's top swimmers have departed to train elsewhere. * Grant House secured class-action status in his multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the NCAA on Friday, as he and two other plaintiffs are seeking backpay for NIL and a piece of broadcasting revenue. * Some of the major recruiting commitments from the past week, not including O'Dell: * Girls' #15 Nicole Zettel to Tennessee (2025) * Girls' HM Sophia Umstead to Virginia (2025) * Girls' BOTR Sylvia Roy to Virginia (2025) * Girls' BOTR Tori Abruzzo to South Carolina (2025) * Girls' BOTR Ella Cosgrove to Cal (2025) * Girls' BOTR Applejean Gwinn to UCLA (2025) * Girls' BOTR Mabel Koff to Yale (2024) * Boys' #5 Sean Green to Georgia (2025) * Boys' BOTR Cooper McDonald to Indiana (2024) * Boys' BOTR Diego Balbi to USC (2024) * Boys' BOTR Nate Thomas to Louisville (2025) #2 RECRUIT IN CLASS OF 2025 TEAGAN O’DELL CHOOSES CAL; GOLDEN BEARS GRAB 1-2-3 IN THE CLASS By Braden Keith on SwimSwam The top 3 swimmers in the high school class of 2025 have all verbally committed to the Cal women, including the latest - #2 Teagan O'Dell. Read the full story on SwimSwam: #2 Recruit in Class of 2025 Teagan O’Dell Chooses Cal; Golden Bears Grab 1-2-3 in the Class Read More → - LUKA MIJATOVIC IS NOW 2.9% FASTER IN THE 500 FREE THAN ANY 13-14 IN HISTORY By Braden Keith on SwimSwam Luka Mijatovic is seven seconds better then the next-fastest 13-14 in history of the 500 yard free. Here's a few stats that put that in context. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Luka Mijatovic Is Now 2.9% Faster in the 500 Free Than Any 13-14 In History Read More → - KAII WINKLER BREAKS NATIONAL HS RECORD IN 200 FREE (1:32.68) 4 MONTHS AFTER WRIST FRACTURE By Riley Overend on SwimSwam NC State commit Kaii Winkler took down Cal freshman Aaron Shackell's previous national high school record of 1:32.85 from February. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kaii Winkler Breaks National HS Record in 200 Free (1:32.68) 4 Months After Wrist Fracture Read More → - USA SWIMMING FACES MEMBERSHIP REVENUE SHORTFALL, BALLOONING BUDGET DEFICIT FOR 2023 By Riley Overend on SwimSwam A membership revenue shortfall is contributing to USA’s Swimming’s projected deficit of $1,731,587 this year — the NGB’s largest since at least 2011. Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Faces Membership Revenue Shortfall, Ballooning Budget Deficit for 2023 Read More → - KATE DOUGLASS: “I SEE RETIREMENT IN THE NEAR FUTURE…I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT” By Yanyan Li on SwimSwam On Friday, Kate Douglass and Claire Curzan took to UVA's Instagram story to answer questions about retirement, Olympic Trials, and Taylor Swift. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kate Douglass: “I See Retirement In The Near Future…I’m Looking Forward To It” Read More → - JORDAN CROOKS BLAZES UNSUITED 19.02 50 FREE TO BEAT JOSH LIENDO IN NCAA TITLE REMATCH By Riley Overend on SwimSwam Crooks's winning time of 19.02 — which came without a tech suit, in a brief — is tied for the best in the NCAA this season with ASU fifth-year Jack Dolan. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Jordan Crooks Blazes Unsuited 19.02 50 Free to Beat Josh Liendo in NCAA Title Rematch Read More → - ONCE A HOTBED, CANADA’S TOP SWIMMERS HAVE MADE A MASS EXODUS OUT OF THE COUNTRY By James Sutherland on SwimSwam SANCHEZ Kayla RUCK Taylor MACNEIL Margaret OLEKSIAK PennyEver since Ben Titley was let go by Swimming Canada in early 2022, the country's top swimmers have fled elsewhere after previously remaining in-house. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Once A Hotbed, Canada’s Top Swimmers Have Made A Mass Exodus Out of the Country Read More → - Twitter Facebook Instagram Website