Following in the footsteps of countryman Joseph Schooling who competes for the Texas Longhorns, Singaporean swimmer Quah Zheng Wen is set to join the ranks of the United States’ NCAA collegiate swimming system. Zheng Wen is slated to join the swimming roster at the University of California, Berkeley, to swim under the direction of Head Coach Dave Durden.
Zheng Wen is an Asian swimming superstar, having earned 12 medals at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games (SEA), the most of any athlete at the biennial event. The 20-year-old raced in 3 events at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing 22nd in the 100m backstroke, 15th in the 100m butterfly and 10th in the 200m butterfly.
Post-Games, there were rumors Zheng Wen would join former Singaporean National Head Coach Sergio Lopez, who is now on staff at Auburn University, but Cal is confirmed as the destination. According to The Strait Times, Zheng Wen is just waiting on NCAA clearance in order to compete, but he is set to depart for Cal this week. One potential complication is the fact that he signed an endorsement deal last year with Liberty Insurance, something that may negate his NCAA eligibility.
Says Zheng Wen, “I expect to hear back from the NCAA pretty soon … I am pretty hopeful and it’s looking pretty positive.”
“If I’m not eligible this year, I will take part (in NCAA championships) next year. One option (if he is ruled ineligible) if I want to continue schooling there is maybe train as a professional … but I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get there.”
As for seeing one of his protege’s leave Singapore’s National Training Center program, current Singaporean Head Coach Gary Tan says, “I’m very proud of Zheng Wen’s achievements and decision to pursue his dream in the US.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for any student-athlete to not only be able to study in one of the best universities but also to be able to train with a world-class team.
“I’m confident that if he continues to train hard, whether at home or abroad, he’ll be in a great position to achieve his dreams. I wish him the very best and he will always have a home with the National Training Centre.”
As with Schooling, Zheng Wen was granted mandatory military service duty deferment, as his nation’s Ministry of Defense cites his Tokyo 2020 Olympic preparation as an ‘extraordinary circumstance.’
Quah Zheng Wen‘s Personal Best Times:
| Event | LCM | SCY (converted) |
| 100 Fly | 52.08 | 45.72 |
| 200 Fly | 1:56.01 | 1:41.62 |
| 100 Back | 54.03 | 45.19 |
Of note, all of his converted times would have finaled at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Brandon or Loretta,
I understand that Zheng Wen is enrolled and training with Cal. Can you get confirmation from the school or the NCAA regarding his status. If he is eligible, it will certainly close the Texas/Cal point gap in the swimming events, but even with an in-shape Quah, and a reasonably successful transition to yards, I still believe Texas’s huge advantage in diving points will be the difference.
Really happy for him in being able to train with an elite team while not giving up his aspirations of being a doctor.
Big decision to give up his secured place in medical school in Singapore to come to the States where you can’t study medicine as an undergrad.
All the best!
Nice pick up for Cal, not sure if its enough help them hold off NC State though. I guess we will find out at ncaas. If he was really serious about swimming though why would he not go to NC State though? I would have bet money he could have made a real STATEment their.
this is getting ridiculous. Cal will crush NC State at NCAAs.
Do they teach how to write a coherent post though? JK, I do think NC State is a great program though. I don’t think they’ll beat Cal or Texas this year though. I know you are just a troll though. It’s fun to write like this though.
Sorry, english is not my first language. But I am adament that NC State will beat most certainly Cal and most likely Texas.
This is huge! I would put money on this Cal Bears team to win NCAA in March.
How much money do you have? MANY folks would love to take that bet including me!!!
Haha! How about $20? That’s 2 days dinner for a broke college student like myself….
That’s pretty good…nice reply 🙂
Dawgpaddle has a really good point. Texas won by almost 200 points in ’16…and, while this year’s meet is shaping up to be much closer than last year, relatively speaking, Texas surely is in the diver’s seat. One thing does seem certain, this year’s meet could easily be much more exciting than 2016’s version. Hard to imagine, but very possible. And, not just for the Texas and Cal teams…lots of excitement all around! Can’t wait!!!
He has as much money as Quah has $$$$
Texas vs. Cal 100 butterfly showdown!
In one corner: Schooling, Conger, Glass, Ringgold, Jackson
In the other corner: Josa, Lynch, Gutierrez, Wen, Xie
I’d take Texas crew any day!
Is Guiterrez swimming for Cal? He didn’t swim at their Invite in December.
If he does get the NCAA clearance, is he eligible starting this spring?
Calswimfan – by definition, if the NCAA clears him, he’s eligible ;-).
But to answer your question – all of the information that we have is that he’s enrolled in classes already, so yes the NCAA decision on amateurism SHOULD be the only thing holding him up from competing this spring. The NCAA is really convoluted sometimes, so there’s no certainties.
Convoluted is arguably too kind of a word! The NCAA is full of dog excrement.
200 Free 1:49.1
50 Back 25.13 (National record)
100 Back 54.03 (National record)
200 Back 2:00.55 (national record)
4:21.70 400 IM (National record)
200 fly 1:56.7
50 Fly 24.3
200 IM 2:02.2
Best Times for Quah Zheng
Does anyone have the yards conversions for those times?
conversions from LCM to SCY…. 🙄
Well he’s going to be swimming in the NCAA, which is in yards, so I’m curious to see how he’d place at NCAAs, which, again, are in yards not LCM. So I’d need the yards conversions
I think BOBO said that because any Yard -> LCM conversion is amongst the most unnacurate conversions ever.. Still Waiting for the 2:04 2:03 200 Breast LCM some people predicted..
I believe his PB for 200 fly is 1:56.01 done in Rio.
Also PB clocked in Rio, 100 fly 52.08.
Actually 200 fly is 1:56.01
100 fly is 52.08
Let’s see…he is from Singapore. Probably academics are a priority….Auburn or Cal?