Coach Kim Carlson and Freshman Sam Seybold Earn Big West Awards
2/21/2025 1:45:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Co-Interim Head Coach Kim Carlson and true freshman Sam Seybold earned conference honors after the Cal Poly men's swimming and diving team finished third of six teams at the Big West Championships in Houston, Texas.
California's 59th-ranked recruit in the 2024 high school class, Sam Seybold committed to Cal Poly out of Danville, Calif., following in his older brother Alex's footsteps.
From the start of it all Sam went to great lengths in separating himself and making his way as Cal Poly's next up-and-coming backstroke specialist.
Seybold set a high bar for freshmen across the conference with his immediate impact in the pool, as he enjoyed a breakout Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invite, not only posting a final qualifying time in the 200 IM (1:48.41) but also nearly setting a top-5 program mark if not for a trio of his teammates resetting the entire top-3 in program history.
Then, on the precipice of entering the program's top-5 lists over the previous few days, posted the program's 3rd best time (1:45.21) in the 200 Back during the preliminary round while qualifying for the finals.
That time was in the program's top five, and his Big West Championships performance (1:45.98) was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the conference.
First-year co-interim swimming head coach Kim Carlson helped train Sam Seybold. A former Mustang swimmer, Carlson has accumulated over 30 years of experience coaching after swimming for Cal Poly in 1984-85 and becoming a two-time Division I All-American at Florida State. She most recently coached the SLO Swim Club for two years.
In guiding the emergence of Evan Yoo, Sam Seybold, and other standout newcomers, Carlson helped the men's swimming program to its first undefeated dual-meet season in program history, which included a special 151-143 win over Central Coast rival UC Santa Barbara.
According to SwimCloud, Cal Poly's men became the 21st most-improved team in 2024 highlighted by Drew Huston (200 Back) and Evan Yoo (200 Breast) posting times that have a chance to make the NCAA postseason.
The Mustangs also finished the season as the 14th-ranked Mid-Major program according to SwimCloud.
California's 59th-ranked recruit in the 2024 high school class, Sam Seybold committed to Cal Poly out of Danville, Calif., following in his older brother Alex's footsteps.
From the start of it all Sam went to great lengths in separating himself and making his way as Cal Poly's next up-and-coming backstroke specialist.
Seybold set a high bar for freshmen across the conference with his immediate impact in the pool, as he enjoyed a breakout Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invite, not only posting a final qualifying time in the 200 IM (1:48.41) but also nearly setting a top-5 program mark if not for a trio of his teammates resetting the entire top-3 in program history.
Then, on the precipice of entering the program's top-5 lists over the previous few days, posted the program's 3rd best time (1:45.21) in the 200 Back during the preliminary round while qualifying for the finals.
That time was in the program's top five, and his Big West Championships performance (1:45.98) was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the conference.
First-year co-interim swimming head coach Kim Carlson helped train Sam Seybold. A former Mustang swimmer, Carlson has accumulated over 30 years of experience coaching after swimming for Cal Poly in 1984-85 and becoming a two-time Division I All-American at Florida State. She most recently coached the SLO Swim Club for two years.
In guiding the emergence of Evan Yoo, Sam Seybold, and other standout newcomers, Carlson helped the men's swimming program to its first undefeated dual-meet season in program history, which included a special 151-143 win over Central Coast rival UC Santa Barbara.
According to SwimCloud, Cal Poly's men became the 21st most-improved team in 2024 highlighted by Drew Huston (200 Back) and Evan Yoo (200 Breast) posting times that have a chance to make the NCAA postseason.
The Mustangs also finished the season as the 14th-ranked Mid-Major program according to SwimCloud.
Players Mentioned
Fly, Free, IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Back, IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Breast, IM
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