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Claire Weinstein, the #3 recruit on our Way Too Early list of high school recruits from the class of 2025, has announced her verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley. Weinstein lives in Las Vegas and trains with Sandpipers of Nevada.
“I’m thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to pursue my athletic and academic career at the University of California, Berkeley. I want to thank everyone in my life who has helped make this possible for me, especially Coach Ron, Coach Carle, and my friends and family. GO BEARS!!!! 🐻💙🐻💛🐻💙🐻💛”
The announcement came just hours after Alex Shackell, the #1 recruit in the high school class of 2025, sent her verbal pledge to the Golden Bears.
A perfect complement to the sprinter Shackell, Weinstein is the best distance freestyler in the class, with leading times in the 500/1000/1650 free. Her 500 free time would have won NCAAs last year by 3.6 seconds and she would have placed 8th in the mile.
Weinstein, who had already made a name for herself as a multiple national age group record-holder, grabbed the headlines this summer with a come-from-behind win over Katie Ledecky in the 200m free at U.S. Nationals, going 1:55.26 to become the #4 American performer all-time in the event, behind Allison Schmitt, Katie Ledecky, and Missy Franklin, and the #2 15-16-year-old after Franklin. Indeed, she has had more success in LCM in the 200 distance than in SCY, but her 1:43.93 would have made the B final at NCAA’s last year and would have put her on Cal’s 4×200 free relay.
Best Times:
- 500 free: 4:33.03 (best in class)
- 1000 free: 9:25.06 (best in class)
- 1650 free: 15:52.84 (best in class)
- 200 free: 1:43.93
- 100 free: 48.76
- 400 IM: 4:07.72
- 200 fly: 1:58.63
- 200 back: 1:58.80
- 50 free: 23.00
Shackell and Weinstein give huge momentum to the Cal women’s team, which is in a rebuilding mode after the termination of their longtime head coach Teri McKeever on abuse findings. The Golden Bears have won the men’s NCAA title in each of the last two years, but coaches Dave Durden and David Marsh have now turned their attention to returning the women’s team to its past glory and are building the class to prove it.
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is this the start of a new era of dominance for durden/marsh on both men’s and women’s collegiate swimming?!
I think Tegan O’Dell is next…
*Teagan
I can understand why you would want to swim for Durden, but I don’t understand why people put so much trust in Marsh as a college coach. He is a great coach for pro athletes, not so much as an NCAA coach. His ego and win at all costs mentality has tainted every college program he touches. If Durden had no prior association with Marsh, would he have landed a job at any other Top 10 program?
Marsh had way more success as a college coach than a pro coach, by a large multiple, so I’m not sure I agree with the “he’s more of a pro coach than a college coach.”
Marsh had an epic run at Auburn, some of the all time best NCAA men’s teams were Marsh’s Auburn men’s teams.
At least coaching pros he doesn’t risk running afoul of the NCAA. He created a dynasty at Auburn and brought the school swimming prestige and tons of national titles and was all but forced to quit at the peak of his reign and you don’t find that at all suspicious?
Rada Owen. Maggie Bowen. Margaret Holzler. Kirsty Coventry. These names alone state otherwise.
Summer McIntosh next to the Bears 🐻
She’s a pro
Impossible. She’s pro
ACC looking even stronger!
between this, shackell, and durden’s award, someone will need to get andrew a therapist ASAP
And what did I say… this is just the start!!!
I wonder what Meehan thinks about today’s news.
Only a few years ago, announcements like these would be made smiling young women wearing brand new red T-Shirts with a big “S” on them.
Not so much anymore.
It’s a cyclical business, Mon Capitaine.
Don’t have a cry for Stanford. It’s a world class university & Stanford coaches in every sport will always have a strong institutional set of resources to sell.