SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers whether SEC champ Hugo Gonzalez would appear in the NCAA this season or not:
RESULTS
Question: Will Hugo Gonzalez swim in the NCAA this season?
- No – 39.5%
- Yes, for Cal – 38.8%
- Yes, for Florida – 14.0%
- Yes, for another team – 7.7%
Former Auburn standout Hugo Gonzalez spoke to Spanish media earlier this month, suggesting he was working to compete in the NCAA again this season and naming Cal and Florida as his favorite destinations. Still, 39.5% of SwimSwam voters said they didn’t expect him to swim in the NCAA this season, while another 38.8% said he would be swimming for Cal by the end of the season.
The Spanish superstar Gonzalez had a stellar SEC meet for Auburn last year, but struggled mightily at NCAAs. He transferred away from Auburn when head coach Brett Hawke resigned, and originally committed to follow assistant coach Sergio Lopez to Virginia Tech. But Gonzalez ultimately chose to return to Spain this season.
There’s some question as to how the NCAA would interpret Gonzalez’s departure from Virginia Tech. If his move from Auburn to VT is considered a transfer, then his move from VT to another school would be considered another transfer, and he’d have to sit out a full year, gaining eligibility in January of 2020. However, if he didn’t attend practice or class at Virginia Tech before deciding to return home, a re-emergence in the NCAA might not require the yearlong sit-out.
39.5% believe Gonzalez won’t be competing in the NCAA this season, whether he chooses to remain in Spain or simply doesn’t gain eligibility in time. But another 38.8% said he would compete for Cal – that would tighten up an NCAA team title battle that looks pretty close on the swimming side, though Texas has Cal well beaten in diving.
Surprisingly, 7.7% expected Gonzalez to show up with another team not mentioned in his interview – perhaps assuming Cal and Florida are low on scholarship money and that Gonzalez would find a new target school, or that he would have to return to Virginia Tech to remain eligible.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters whether swim teams should practice on Christmas eve:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
So 61% of them were wrong
A bit premature analysis He hasn’t swum yet!