SwimSwam China Caps Dominant Showing At Asian Games; Eastern Illinois Men’s Team Suspended For Fall Semester

China Closes Strong: The Chinese team closed out the Asian Games by continuing their dominance in the pool, finishing atop the medal table by a staggering margin.

Also: Another swim program is suspended due to hazing allegations, Merve Tuncel is left looking for a new collegiate home after a problem with admissions at USC, and the Cavalier women put up some blistering times at the UVA intrasquad.

China Adds Two More Relay Records To Close Asian Games

After we saw six Continental Records broken through the first three days of the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023, but still officially named 2022), there were just two over the back half of the competition, but both came from the top nation.

On the fourth night of action, the Chinese quartet of Xu Jiayu (51.91), Qin Haiyang (57.25), Zhang Yufei (56.05) and Yang Junxuan (52.52) combined to set a new Asian Record in the mixed 400 medley relay, clocking 3:37.73 to narrowly miss the world record of 3:37.58 set by Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.

They knocked more than eight-tenths off the previous Asian Record of 3:38.41 set by China in 2020, producing the second-fastest swim in history.

The following night, Pan Zhanle led off in 47.06 to propel the Chinese men to a new Asian Record in the 400 free relay, as he teamed up with Chen Juner, Hong Jinquan and Wang Haoyu to finish in a time of 3:10.88, lowering the previous mark of 3:11.38 set by Pan, Chen, Wang and Wang Changhao earlier this year at the World Championships.

Overall, China topped the medal table with 28 gold and 58 total medals, while South Korea (six gold, 22 total medals) edged out Japan (five gold, 30 total medals) in the race for second.

Zhang Yufei led China with four individual and six total gold medals, as she swept the women's butterfly events and also won the 50 free. Qin Haiyang also swept the men's breaststroke events, Xu Jiayu picked up the men's backstroke trifecta, and Li Bingjie went three-for-three in the women's distance events.

After Zhang's win in the 50 fly on the final night of racing, she shared a tearful hug with Japan's Rikako Ikee, who won bronze, marking her first major international podium since she beat leukemia at the end of 2019. See their moment here.

Find full Asian Games coverage here.

Eastern Illinois Suspends Men's Swim & Dive Program For Fall Semester

Eastern Illinois University has suspended its men's swim & dive program for the fall semester due to credible reports of hazing, marking at least the third sanction of its kind in recent weeks.

Although details have not been released to the public, an official investigation has been launched by the school's Office of the Dean of Students. Multiple sources told SwimSwam that head coach Jonathan Jordan reported the hazing to the administration.

“The health and wellness of our students is EIU’s topmost priority,” school officials said. “For that reason, final decisions on future competition(s) and individual roster eligibility will be determined following the results of the investigation.”

The suspension comes after Boston College suspended its swimming & diving programs indefinitely for hazing allegations, while Texas A&M suspended most of its men’s team for the fall semester over a hazing incident recorded on film.

Read more on the EIU suspension here.

Merve Tuncel Will No Longer Attend USC Due To "Problem With Admission"

Turkish Olympian and European medalist Merve Tuncel will no longer attend USC after a problem with her admission was communicated to her last week.

Tuncel was initially slated to join the Trojans this season, but her plan shifted to joining the team after the Paris Olympics in the fall of 2024 before she received the news she'll have to look elsewhere.

The 18-year-old indicated to SwimSwam that she still plans on joining the NCAA next year.

“Unfortunately, there was a problem with admission and they told me this week,” Tuncel said. “I am currently talking with other universities. I have very little time to decide. If they had told me this at least two months ago, I wouldn’t have been in such a difficult situation.”

Tuncel won bronze in the women's 800 free at the 2022 European Championships in Rome, and she also won gold in the 400, 800 and 1500 free at the 2022 World Junior Championships. At the European Junior Championships, she's won three consecutive titles in the 800 and 1500 free, and won back-to-back golds in the 400 free before earning silver in 2023.

Read more here.

Douglass, Walsh & Curzan Shine At UVA Intrasquad

It wouldn't be early in the NCAA season without some eye-popping times coming out of the University of Virginia, as their top female swimmers were on fine form at the annual Blue vs. Orange Intrasquad meet on Saturday.

Kate Douglass, the top swimmer in the NCAA last season who has since turned pro, had perhaps the top swim of the meet in the 100 IM, though it's an event not traditionally raced in short course yards.

Nonetheless, Douglass put up a time of 51.97, marking the fastest in history as she overtook the previous mark of 52.09 set by training mate Gretchen Walsh at 52.09.

The team took on some off-distance events (such as 150s of stroke), but there were also 50s and relays on the schedule, which produced some more impressive performances.

Walsh put up a time of 21.28 in the 50 free to edge out Douglass (21.38), with both swimmers under Douglass' previous meet record of 21.48. Walsh has only ever been faster on one occasion outside of a championship setting, which was the 21.16 she dropped at UVA's dual with Texas last season.

We also saw Walsh win the 50 back (23.33) in a new meet record, and she also had a pair of sub-21 free relay splits.

Claire Curzan, who transferred to UVA from Stanford but won't race collegiately until next season, also made some noise by showing good form, notably splitting 22.19 swimming fly on the 200 medley relay. That split ranks 10th all-time.

Find full results and a meet recap here.

Quick Hits

• Charlie Crosby, a former top-10 recruit who was the Big 12 runner-up in the 100 back as a freshman at Texas, has quit the Longhorns program to pursue "other aspects of life".
• “Nothing bad about the team, just swimming was taking up a lot more of my time than I wanted, and I never wanted swimming to be my end life goal," Crosby said. "So now I have the time to properly pursue my other passions."
• Less than three months after he was hired, Alma College has fired head coach Alex Lee.
• During his induction speech at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Michael Phelps revealed he and wife Nicole are expecting their fourth baby boy.
• Watch Phelps' full speech here.
• Bella Sims and Isabel Ivey made successful debuts for the University of Florida against Vanderbilt on Friday, recording three wins apiece.
• A trio of Texas freshmen secured personal best times at the Longhorns' annual Orange/White Intrasquad meet, while Coby Carrozza and Chris O'Connor also had impressive showings.
• Hear Eddie Reese's thoughts on the team's performance here.
• Arlington Aquatic Club board president Mark Black has been suspended indefinitely by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Swimming for unspecified allegations of misconduct.
• USA Swimming has released the roster of swimmers who will attend this month's National Select Camps at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. See the 104 names who were named here.
• See all 304 women and 380 men who have qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials so far here.
• See the 2023 NCAA women's recruiting class rankings here.

2023 Asian Games: China Reigns But Korea Makes Its Mark

Zhang Yufei & Rikako Ikee Share Tearful Hug On 50 Fly Asian Games Podium

Eastern Illinois Suspends Men’s Swim Team For Fall 2023 Semester

G. Walsh Swims 21.28 50 Free, Curzan Clocks 22.19 50 Fly Split At UVA Intrasquad Meet

‘Problem With Admission’ at USC Leaves Turkey’s Merve Tuncel Looking for New NCAA Home

Former Top-10 Recruit Charlie Crosby ‘Quit’ Texas Roster to ‘Pursue Other Passions’