Lia Neal, one of two American Olympians in this high school class of 2013, has chosen Stanford for her collegiate education and training ground. This is a huge coups for new women’s coach Greg Meehan. He got a very late start on this year’s recruiting season, but instantly overtook everyone by taking the unanimous top-2 recruit who was a member of the American finals 400 free relay that took bronze at the London Olympics.
Neal’s exploits in long course are well-told. She’s one of the country’s best freestylers, at any age, with a best of 54.15 in the 100, which ranked her 24th in the world last year. At the end of last summer, she also found herself a 200, with a 1:58.26.
Let’s take a moment, though, and relate her spectacular yards times, which are not as often spouted for swimmers of her caliber but will be invaluable to Meehan and the Cardinal. She has a 22.56 in the 50, a 48.1 in the 100, and a 1:45.99 in the 200. All of those were done in the winter of her sophomore season at the end of 2010; sometimes that means young women have maxed out their speed a little bit. Based on what she’s done in long course, it’s pretty clear that this wouldn’t apply to Neal. In that same time frame, she’s cut almost a second off of her 100 free, and four seconds off of her 200 free.
The Asphalt Green swimmer, who trains under Rachel Stratton-Mills, brings huge value and even beyond the numbers, “feels” like one of those once-in-a-decade type of sprinters who is going to carry some American relays into Rio. This is about the best start to the Meehan era that the Cardinal could have asked for. Many we have spoken with around NCAA swimming have “felt” like Neal was a Stanford girl from day 1, for whatever that’s worth.
She’s focused heavily on freestyles, but anybody who’s as well-built as Neal, and has that sprint speed, can contribute in other areas. Her 54.50 in the 100 yard fly is a great start to that.
Stanford badly needed this signing. They have the best sophomore sprinters in NCAA swimming in Maddy Schaefer, but aside from her the NCAA Championship 400 free relay will have graduated three out of four legs by the time Neal gets there. Now, they arguably will have the best sprint bookends in the country headed into the 2014 NCAA Championships (though a lot could change by then).
I love to hear the elites talk about these schools as if you cant get a solid education at any big accredited university and then go to med school too.You do not have to go to Cal, Stanford or an Ivy League to go to med school. And as smart as many of these swimmers are, the workload of a student athlete is brutal– Who is to say going to a more “normal” university, for lack of a better word , wouldnt make those four years a little more doable. My daughter goes to a highly ranked east coast top ten public university with great academics and swims also– it is quite an undertaking. The adjustment to the training and… Read more »
She is planning to visit Texas and USC. So I hope she would hop over to Stanford at one point. Maybe her last visit. I felt that Stanford is the place for Missy with her education-oriented and doctor-wannabe.
I didn’t know that Franklin wanted to go pre-med, but Cal would be just as good for that. I’ve read that she already has way more friends at Cal than Stanford, and she seems to be planning her trips so far on where her friends are going and where she knows the coaches.
Understood. But I think I would value the education more. Something that would stick with me wherever I go. Friends don’t go with me everything I go.
There is nothing to lose to visit the campus and facilities to see whether you like them or not. Before friends become friends, you don’t know them before either. So I think the girls at Stanford could be lifelong friends as well. Missy does know Lia Neal during the Olympics.
In any case, whichever college she decides to attend would be very lucky to have her compete for the team. Hope she doesn’t turn pro in between.
All the schools she is applying to are good academically; she was quoted as saying the friends were as important. “My teammates will probably end up being my bridesmaids!” I’m not sure why she wouldn’t give Stanford a shot either, though. The only thing of is that they’re in the middle of a transition and maybe she lost interest after 1) Maurer stepped down 2) They only got a distant fourth even at this years NCAAs (after Cal, Georgia, and USC), and 3) Stanford women got shut out at the Olympic Trials.
Putting Maddy Schaeffer and Lia Neal on the same sprint relays really throws Stanford into the mix next year. Relays are double points. They have two big guns that can go on any relay. This is going to get competitive.
I think the big winner in all of this is NCAA Swimming. We know Cal picked up major recruits, as did Georgia and USC. Now Stanford. And we still have Missy to go!
The next 4 years of NCAA swimming for the women is going to be phenomenal! So glad they all didn’t choose the same place and make 1 powerhouse team that nobody can compete against.
Congrats Lia and Stanford! Great pick up for Stanford and great decision for Neal. Great education will be with her for life.
Now we just need to have Missy to sign with Stanford!!!
I’m with you Nick 100%. Missy has to visit and from the info that’s circulating she’s not even giving Greg a shot (which is surprising, but its a free country).
Great pick for Stanford. I hope she’ll continue to improve there.
Great girl, incredible swimmer, excellent school, terrific coach. Congrats to Lia, Greg, Pac 12, and the world’s largest Taco Bell.
Let’s face it. If you combine education and athletics, Stanford is almost in a class by itself. I say that as an Ivy Leaguer, and we don’t like to admit that anyone can compare in education. Congratulations, Lia! You have made a great choice for your swimming and your future.
I’m an Ivy Leaguer too; thought I feel that Ivy League academics are a bit over-rated, which is one reason why the top swimmers are more likely to end up at a Stanford or Cal than an Ivy League school, i.e. the academics, as good as they are, aren’t good enough to make up for the lower ranked athletic teams. From my viewpoint, at a company recruiting both Cal/Standford grads, along with grads from Ivy League schools, I see Cal and Stanford as roughly equal in the big picture, both having excellent academics/athletics.
But I’m intrigued to discover why swimmers might pick one over the other. The article mentioned that Neal has been thought of as “a Stanford girl”;… Read more »
There a few factors ….both CAL and Stanford have top notch academic reputations….though Stanford has more of west-coast Ivy feel than CAL…..so one difference whether you prefer larger public university versus private university.
I don’t Stanford cutting back on athletics (unlike Cal which already eliminated a number of successful non-revenue programs). Still, CAL swimming is probably safe because of strong alumni support (though Spieker’s contributions to UCLA didn’t save/revive the men’s program).
I’d say longer term one has to be a bit concerned about the future quality of CAL undergraduate education if the State of CA support of public universities continues to wane. This is a more theoretical concern right now but would be one factor in my… Read more »
Cal didn’t eliminate any sports. There was a threat to eliminate 5 sports, but alumni stepped up & none were eliminated.
As far as graduate school is concerned CAL and Stanford are equals (depending on area Cal may have the edge). I hate to burst CAL bubbles—as fars as undergraduate education is concerned–Stanford is leaps and bounds ahead–Stanford ranks top 4 and Cal 17-25. This is not a dig at CAL–big state schools (however elite) always rank much lower to smaller elite private schools. So CAL is an academic powerhouse but at the graduate level–undergrad is great but not in that superior tier that Stanford ranks (with Princeton, Harvard, and Yale)
Can’t speak for Stanford, but Harvard is overrated for sure. As you said, rankings are biased toward smaller schools. Looks like Franklin knew the ratings were bullshit and that she could get just as great education at a school other than Stanford. Med school’s not that hard to get into anymore anyways, so she wouldn’t even have to go to a Cal or Stanford if that’s what she wants.
Congrats, I guess the life on the Farm is well and good!