Ricky Berens Online

News updates

2009-10-27T16:46:00.003-04:00

Berens tabbed National Men's College Swimmer of the Week
CollegeSwimming.com has selected Texas senior Ricky Berens as its NCAA Division I Men's Swimmer of the Week after the Olympic gold medalist and world champion won two individual events and helped UT to four relay wins in its victory last weekend at the Southwest Collegiate Plunge in Dallas.

A 16-time All-American, Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) claimed the 100-yard backstroke in 48.71 seconds, good for a NCAA provisional-qualifying mark. He added another individual win in the 100 butterfly in 48.35.

Berens split 48.21 on the butterfly leg in helping Texas to victory in the 400 medley relay in 3:20.04. Berens anchored UT's 200 free relay to victory in 20.20 and split 21.89 on the butterfly leg in UT's first-place 200 medley relay. He split 45.59 on the second leg of UT's 400 freestyle relay that was victorious in 3:03.07.

Berens and the Longhorns host their home opener on Friday, Oct. 30 when they take on Indiana at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The meet gets underway at 3 p.m. Central.

Men's Swimming and Diving claims Southwest Collegiate Plunge
Texas captured seven of eight events to finish off its victory Saturday at the Southwest Collegiate Plunge, a four-team championship-style meet featuring Texas A&M, Missouri and SMU. The Longhorns claimed the event with 872 points after leading with 459 points after Friday's opening session.

Texas opened day two with a win in the 200-yard medley relay, as freshman Cole Cragin, junior Scott Spann, senior Ricky Berens and sophomore Jimmy Feigen finished in 1 minute, 30.81 seconds. Cragin led off in 22.98 on the backstroke leg before Spann split 25.55 on the breaststroke. Berens picked up the butterfly in 21.89 before Feigen anchored in 20.39.

Results
400 Yard Medley Relay
1 The University of Texas 3:20.04 40
2 Texas A&M University 3:21.28 34
3 Southern Methodist University 3:21.81 32

100 Yard Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky The University of Texas 48.35
2 Loncaric, Boris Texas A&M University 50.21
3 Caskey, Neil The University of Texas 50.22
4 Larsson, David J Southern Methodist University 50.94
5 Melin, Anders University of Missouri 51.26
6 Welch, Tyler J Texas A&M University 51.51
7 Korosec, Blaz Southern Methodist University 51.63
8 Sellers, Cameron M University of Missouri 51.77

Men's Swimming and Diving takes day-one lead at the Southwest Collegiate Plunge
Texas tallied victories in seven of nine events Friday evening and assumed the lead in the team standings after day one of the Southwest Collegiate Plunge, a four-team meet featuring UT, Texas A&M, Missouri and SMU.

Texas leads after day one with 459 points, and Texas A&M sits in second with 380 points. Missouri is in third with 342 points, and SMU sits in fourth place with 327 points.

The Horns opened the meet with a win in the 400-yard medley relay, as freshman Cole Cragin, junior Scott Spann, senior Ricky Berens and sophomore Jimmy Feigen finished in 3 minutes, 20.04 seconds. Sophomore Jackson Wilcox, an All-American in the 500 freestyle, added a victory in that event in 4:29.47.

Berens chipped in another Longhorns victory in the 100 butterfly, where he clocked 48.35, just off of the NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 48.34. Missouri's Jan Konarzewski took the 200 backstroke before Texas' Spann, competing in his first collegiate meet since last October, took the 100 breaststroke in 56.90.

Results
400 Yard Medley Relay
1 The University of Texas 3:20.04
2 Texas A&M University 3:21.28
3 Southern Methodist University 3:21.81

100 Yard Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky The University of Texas 48.35
2 Loncaric, Boris Texas A&M University 50.21
3 Caskey, Neil The University of Texas 50.22
4 Larsson, David J Southern Methodist University 50.94
5 Melin, Anders University of Missouri 51.26
6 Welch, Tyler J Texas A&M University 51.51
7 Korosec, Blaz Southern Methodist University 51.63
8 Sellers, Cameron M University of Missouri 51.77

Ricky to appear on The Tyra Show

2009-10-15T21:03:00.004-04:00

Ricky will be appearing on tomorrow's butt-themed episode of The Tyra Show to discuss his wardrobe malfunction during the 2009 World Championships. Here's a publicity photo from JustJared.

The Tyra Banks show airs at 4pm on the CW.

Gold Medal Minute Extra: Ricky Berens Cribs

2009-09-08T16:41:00.001-04:00

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Gold Medal Minute: Ricky Berens

2009-09-04T15:10:00.000-04:00

Berens bears all about the suit split and life in Texas

The Best Press Conference Ever

2009-07-31T17:25:00.007-04:00

Sorry for the delay with news and gallery updates! I'm working on adding everything now!

FINA World Championships, Swimming: Flash! United States Clips World Record in Men's 800 Free Relay
It came down to the touch, but the United States was able to beat the men's 800 free relay world record by the slimmest of margins at the FINA World Championships.

The team of Michael Phelps (1:44.49), Ricky Berens (1:44.13), David Walters (1:45.47) and Ryan Lochte (1:44.46) clocked a time of 6:58.55 to win the world title, and claim the world record.

Nearly the same team set the global mark at 6:58.56 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as Phelps (1:43.31), Lochte (1:44.28), Berens (1:46.29) and Peter Vanderkaay (1:44.68) topped the event last summer.

FINA World Championships, Swimming: United States, Japan Tie for Top Seed in Men's 800 Free Relay
It came down to the wire, and not even 800 meters could decide the top seed in the men's 800 free relay at the FINA World Championships.

The U.S. and Japan tied with matching 7:03.30s in the final heat of prelims in the relay, as the two teams nearly beat the meet record of 7:03.24 set by the U.S. in 2007.

Ricky Berens (1:44.95), Dan Madwed (1:45.63), Davis Tarwater (1:47.94) and Peter Vanderkaay (1:44.78) made up the U.S. time, while Shogo Hihara (1:46.75), Yoshihiro Okumura (1:44.73), Shunsuke Kuzuhara (1:46.41) and Takeshi Matsuda (1:45.41) comprised the Japanese relay.

Men's 4x 200m Freestyle
1 United States of America 6:58.55 WR
PHELPS Michael 1:44.49 (2) 1:44.49
BERENS Ricky 1:44.13 (1) 3:28.62
WALTERS David 1:45.47 (1) 5:14.09
LOCHTE Ryan 1:44.46 (1) 6:58.55
2 Russia 6:59.15
3 Australia 7:01.65
4 Japan 7:02.26
5 Germany 7:03.19
6 Italy 7:03.48
7 Great Britain 7:05.67
8 South Africa 7:08.51

Men's 4x200m Freestyle
1 United States of America 7:03.30
BERENS Ricky 1:44.95
MADWED Daniel 3:30.58
TARWATER Davis 5:18.52
VANDERKAAY Peter 7:03.30
1 Japan 7:03.30
3 Australia 7:05.56
4 Germany 7:05.62
5 Great Britain 7:06.11
6 Russia 7:06.44
7 South Africa 7:08.01
8 Italy 7:08.07

World Championships Results

2009-07-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

4x100m Freestyle Relay
1 Brazil 3:11.26
2 France 3:11.38
3 Great Britain 3:11.62
4 United States of America 3:11.64
WEBER-GALE Garret 23.02 48.30 48.30
GREVERS Mattew 22.42 47.55 1:35.85
BERENS Ricky 23.01 48.19 2:24.04
JONES Cullen 22.26 47.60 3:11.64

Records fall, but U.S. 400 relay doesn't at world championships
The closest-contested men's final of Day 1 did not even feature a world record in the 400 freestyle relay. Even swimmers from other countries were all but handing the win to the vaunted French foursome because the U.S. team was without Olympic hero Jason Lezak, who is competing in Israel.

"We pretty much had a new relay," Phelps said of his teammates Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers and anchor Nathan Adrian. "When we come into a meet we have a goal to win all three relays. This is a perfect way to end Day 1."

That U.S. foursome almost didn't get the chance to swim in the final. In the morning prelims, Ricky Berens' suit, by the Italian company Jaked, split in the back when he leaned over to stretch after getting on the blocks.

"I kind of freaked out for a second," Berens said.

Showing some skin took on new meaning here. Of course, Berens is hoping he won't become a YouTube cult hero after completing the exposed swim.

"It felt like there was a bunch of extra weight around like a bag of water," he said. ". . . I was trying hard not to focus on the suit. I've never ripped a suit before."

Said Lochte: "I would have been, like, 'Whatever.' I would have swam naked if I had to. I mean, you're at the world championships, you can't really hold anything back."

In an Olympic Flashback, U.S. Team Rallies to Win Gold
[...] a U.S. team that had never swum together stepped up after a suit malfunction Sunday morning nearly prevented the Americans from even qualifying in the event's heats. And they persevered after an extremely average day from the team's resident living legend.

"Tonight, we pretty much had a whole new relay," said Phelps, who has won 14 gold medals in the last two Olympic Games. "I think tonight we came together well as a team. We swam great as Team USA. They put together three solid splits. I was a little disappointed; I wanted to swim a little faster."

Phelps's leadoff leg of 47.78 seconds put him 0.69 behind Cielo and 0.05 behind France's Fabien Gilot. Though it looked bad, things could have been worse. Moments before the event's qualifying heats Sunday morning, Ricky Berens, scheduled to swim third on the U.S. morning relay team, bent over to stretch and ripped the back of his suit. A large part of his rear end was exposed.

Urged on by relay teammate Cullen Jones, Berens competed anyway, helping the U.S. team qualify for Sunday's final.

"I kind of freaked out for just a second," Berens said. "I felt like [the tear] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show."

He did, but it didn't match the show later.

National Championships Results

2009-07-10T14:57:00.002-04:00

Nathan Adrian Claims 100 Free Title

With six Olympic gold medalists contesting the men's 100 free finale at the USA Swimming National Championships, anyone could have claimed the title. California's Nathan Adrian, however, doubled up on the sprint victories after topping the 50 free.

Adrian clocked a personal-best time of 48.00, clearing his previous best of 48.10. He had to track down Matt Grevers of Tucson Ford, swimming in lane eight. Grevers went out under American-record pace with a 22.89 before finishing in 48.27 for fourth.

"The last 15 meters, you really have to keep your stroke together to get your hand on the wall," Adrian said. "I don't like to try to follow in anyone's footsteps. I make my own path."

Longhorn's Garrett Weber-Gale finished third in 48.19, while SwimMAC-Carolina's Cullen Jones clinched fifth in 48.31. Longhorn's Ricky Berens, the sixth gold medalist in the field, wound up sixth in 48.14.

100m Freestyle Final
1 ADRIAN Nathan 48.00
2 WALTERS David 48.17
3 WEBER-GALE Garrett 48.19
4 GREVERS Matt 48.27
5 JONES Cullen 48.31
6 BERENS Ricky 48.44
7 FEIGEN Jimmy 48.46
8 BRUNELLI Nicholas 48.53

Men's 100 free
California's Nathan Adrian topped qualifying in 48.10, while Daytona Beach's Ryan Lochte claimed second with a swift 48.16. Auburn's Matt Targett placed third in prelims with a time of 48.17.

Longhorn's David Walters (48.46) and Garrett Weber-Gale (48.52) touched fourth and fifth, while Sun Devil's Nick Brunelli took sixth in 48.73. SwimMAC-Carolina's Cullen Jones (48.74) and Longhorn's Ricky Berens (48.83) completed the top eight.

Heavyhitting international swimmers like Cesar Cielo (49.02) and Fred Bousquet (49.42) relaxed during prelims knowing they could only qualify for B finals.

Meanwhile, Michael Phelps scratched from the event after waking up with a stiff neck.

100m Freestyle Prelim
1 ADRIAN Nathan 48.10
2 LOCHTE Ryan 48.16
3 TARGETT Matthew 48.17
4 WALTERS David 48.46
5 WEBER-GALE Garrett 48.52
6 BRUNELLI Nicholas 48.73
7 JONES Cullen 48.74
8 BERENS Ricky 48.83

National Championships Results

2009-07-09T19:14:00.001-04:00

100m Butterfly Final
1 PHELPS Michael 50.22
2 MCGILL Tyler 51.06
3 PEIRSOL Aaron 51.30
4 TARWATER Davis 51.95
5 BERENS Ricky 51.98
6 ANDERSON Jordan 52.65
7 DYLLA Mark 52.80
8 BUBOLZ Kyle 52.99

100m Butterfly Prelim
1 PHELPS Michael 51.17
2 MCGILL Tyler 51.76
3 PEIRSOL Aaron 51.86
4 TARWATER Davis 52.07
5 BERENS Ricky 52.18
6 SUBIRATS Albert 52.45
7 BUBOLZ Kyle 52.59
8 KISHIDA Masayuki 52.64

National Championships Results

2009-07-08T14:34:00.001-04:00

200m Freestyle Final
1 PHELPS Michael 1:44.23
2 WALTERS David 1:44.95
3 LOCHTE Ryan 1:45.66
4 BERENS Ricky 1:45.73
5 VANDERKAAY Peter 1:45.77
6 TARWATER Davis 1:46.36
7 HOUCHIN Charlie 1:48.56
8 BEAL Danny 1:48.99

USA Swimming National Championships: Day Two Prelims
200m Freestyle
Michael Phelps of North Baltimore entered the building, as was easily apparent when the crowd welcomed him with a rousing applause at the start. His preliminary swim of 1:46.31 not only gave him the top seed, but was the first swim for him this meet.

Former Club Wolverine teammate Peter Vanderkaay qualified second in 1:46.42, while Longhorn's David Walters touched third in 1:46.46. Daytona Beach's Ryan Lochte cruised in for the fourth seed with a 1:46.51, while Longhorn's Ricky Berens and Tennessee's Davis Tarwater tied for fifth with matching 1:46.59s. Club Wolverine's Daniel Madwed placed seventh in 1:47.31, while Santa Barbara's Daniel Beal qualified eighth in 1:47.81.

200m Freestyle Prelim
1 PHELPS Michael 1:46.31
2 VANDERKAAY Peter 1:46.42
3 WALTERS David 1:46.46
4 LOCHTE Ryan 1:46.51 0
5 BERENS Richard 1:46.59
5 TARWATER Davis 1:46.59
7 MADWED Daniel 1:47.31
8 BEAL Daniel 1:47.81

Santa Clara interview with Gold Medal Mel

2009-06-14T21:57:00.000-04:00

Santa Clara Invitational Saturday Results

2009-06-13T22:12:00.000-04:00

100 LC Meter Butterfly
1 Kishida, Masayuki 52.43
2 Lochte, Ryan 52.84
3 Berens, Richard 53.00
4 Dunford, Jason 53.26
5 McGill, Tyler 53.28
6 Subirats, Albert 53.43
7 Grevers, Matthew 53.57
8 Anderson, Jordan 53.85
9 Bollier, Robert 53.92

Santa Clara Invitational results

2009-06-12T22:39:00.001-04:00

200 free
Longhorn's Ricky Berens came all the way from behind after being the last off the blocks as he used several strong turns to make up the difference. Berens completed the comeback bid with a triumphant time of 1:47.18. Canada's Brent Hayden finished second in 1:47.79 with Australia's Patrick Murphy snatching third in 1:47.88.

"I slipped off the towel covering the starting block this morning, so I took the towel off tonight," Berens said. "I didn't draft on purpose until the end of the race."

200 LC Meter Freestyle Prelim
1 Hayden, Brent 1:49.14
2 Berens, Richard C 1:49.25
3 Murphy, Patrick 1:49.27
4 Ffrost, Nicholas 1:49.57
5 Monk, Kenrick 1:49.60
6 Napoleon, Ryan 1:49.66
7 Basson, Jean 1:49.68
8 Hurley, Robert 1:49.95

200 LC Meter Freestyle Final
1 Berens, Richard C 1:47.18
2 Hayden, Brent 1:47.79
3 Murphy, Patrick 1:47.88
4 Ffrost, Nicholas 1:48.51
5 Monk, Kenrick 1:48.80
6 Napoleon, Ryan 1:48.83
7 Johns, Brian 1:49.39
8 Basson, Jean 1:50.28

Complete meet results are available here.

Texas Senior Circuit Results - Day 2

2009-05-23T21:28:00.000-04:00

Texas Senior Circuit: Ricky Berens Doubles on Second Night
May 23, 2009
The second night of long course meter swimming at the Texas Senior Circuit in College Station witnessed Ricky Berens winning a pair of titles for Longhorn Aquatics.

Men 100 LC Meter Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky 54.16
2 Walters, Dave 55.24
3 Wang, Andrew 56.05
4 Caskey, Neil 56.29
5 Sacco, Tommy 56.32
6 Jackson, Jonath 56.79
7 Seward, Alex 56.89
8 Loncaric, Boris 57.79

Men 200 LC Meter Freestyle
1 Berens, Ricky 1:51.74
2 Klueh, Michael 1:52.10
3 Walters, Dave 1:54.65
4 Veazey, Caleb 1:55.03
5 Sell, Tyler 1:55.49
6 Rogers, Dale 1:55.75
7 Singley, Wil 1:56.90
8 Barber, Matt 1:57.24

Texas Senior Circuit Results

2009-05-23T02:43:00.001-04:00

Texas Senior Circuit, College Station: Dara Torres Lowers American Record Again
May 22, 2009

Longhorn's Ricky Berens topped the men's 50 fly in 25.28, while Aggie Boris Loncaric placed second in 25.48. Longhorn's Andrew Wang touched third in 25.52.

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Berens earned his second gold of the evening with a 49.86 in the men's event. Longhorn teammates Garrett Weber-Gale (50.46) and Dale Rogers (50.93) placed second and third behind him.

Men 50 LC Meter Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky 25.28
2 Loncaric, Boris 25.48
3 Wang, Andrew 25.52
4 Jackson, Jonathan 25.69
5 Thompson, Matt 25.81
6 Seward, Alex 25.98
7 Reeves, Joseph 26.22
8 Cooper, Tripp 26.66

Men 100 LC Meter Freestyle
1 Berens, Ricky 49.86
2 Weber-Gale, Garrett 50.46
3 Rogers, Dale 50.93
4 Jackson, Jonathan 51.96
5 Walters, Dave 51.99
6 VanRoekel, Ben 52.77
7 Wang, Andrew 53.09
8 Singley, Wil 54.43

3rd-place finish shows more signs of greatness

2009-05-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

By Scott Fowler

Charlotte native Ricky Berens gives the Texas hook 'em horns salute after receiving his third-place medal for the men's 100-meter freestyle Sunday at the Charlotte UltraSwim.

Ricky Berens, the 2008 Olympian who grew up in Charlotte, doesn't get home much.

He swims now for the University of Texas, where he just finished his junior year of college with a three-hour finance exam Friday night.

On Saturday morning, Berens hopped a flight to Charlotte. On Sunday, he finally got a piece of the best Charlotte UltraSwim ever, finishing third in the blazing 100-meter freestyle final that capped the meet.

Berens beat everybody in the field except France's Fred Bousquet (who won) and his 2008 Olympic teammate Michael Phelps. That's pretty darn good for a 21-year-old kid from South Mecklenburg High, and Berens was smiling afterward.

“To be finishing third against them was great,” he said.

The race was more evidence of Berens' potential. He is considered one of the best hopes for the future of American swimming and has a chance to qualify for multiple events at the London Olympics in 2012.

A shorter-term goal this summer: Make the U.S. team that will go to the 2009 world championships in Rome in more than one event.

Berens swam only one event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he made the most of it. He won a gold medal and helped set a world record in the 4-by-200 freestyle relay. He rode into his junior season in college on a natural high from his time in China.

And then the real world intruded.

“I was kind of disappointed in the way all that went,” Berens said of his collegiate season. “I think I kind of went into the season, coming off the Olympics going, ‘Oh, this is going to be a breeze.' So it was a reality check.”

Berens' standards are very high, for his junior season wouldn't have been a disappointment for most swimmers. He finished third in the nation in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 freestyle. The Texas men's team couldn't quite catch Auburn for the national championship.

Berens now believes the long stretch from the Olympics through the collegiate season took something out of him. He will begin his senior season at Texas in the fall.

“We've got to get a national championship there before I'm done,” he said.

For this trip home, Berens is combining business with pleasure. He attended his first NASCAR race Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the all-star event, and was awed.

“It was incredible,” he said. “Sitting there up close you have such a different perception. You don't think they're going so fast on TV until you see that in person.”

Berens didn't get home from that race (won by Tony Stewart) until about 1 a.m. Sunday, but it didn't affect him for his own race Sunday morning. He won his 100-meter heat in a sizzling time of 49.50, nearly setting a personal best while beating Bousquet. Phelps won his heat in exactly the same time.

Then came the final.

Bousquet and Phelps improved their times from the morning. Berens did not, and that was ultimately the difference.

As far as swimming stardom, Berens is still not there yet. But he's on the cusp.

Charlotte UltraSwim Results

2009-05-17T20:02:00.002-04:00

100m Free Final

1 Fred Bousquet48.22
1 Michael Phelps49.04
3 Ricky Berens 49.66
4 Tyler McGill49.93
5 Cullen Jones 50.02
6 Davis Tarwater50.51
7 Bobby Savulich50.85
8 Bryan Lundquist50.91

Videos are available at SwimNetwork.

Charlotte UltraSwim Results

2009-05-17T13:34:00.004-04:00

100m Free Prelims

1 Michael Phelps 49.50
1 Ricky Berens 49.50
3 Cullen Jones 49.75
4 Fred Bousquet 49.81
5 Bryan Lundquist 50.28
6 Tyler McGill 50.38
7 Davis Tarwater 50.43
8 Bobby Savulich 50.60

More results from the UltraSwim at SwimmingWorldMagazine.

Fun interview with Study Breaks Magazine

2009-05-04T17:16:00.001-04:00

Inside Beijing - UT Olympians
The lighter side of going for gold.

Ever wonder who you're sitting next to on the bus? Is that guy with the non symmetrical, multi-colored hair the next Rod Stewart, or is that quiet girl hiding behind an over-sized backpack and a genetics book going to win a Nobel prize? Would you guess that the normal, somewhat lanky-looking guy standing in front had an Olympic Gold medal in his bag? While the vast majority of 20-year-old college students are desperately trying to figure out “what they want to be when they grow up”, this guy answers, “I’m an Olympic swimmer.”

So, what's life like when you are actually living out your dreams, and not still working towards them? I sat down and talked with Ricky, Scott and David, three members of the UT swimming team that represented the United States globally at the 2008 Summer Olympics, about their experience in Beijing, and what it’s like being serious athletes and normal 20-year-old guys.

Q: How long have you boys been swimming?
Ricky: I started swimming when I was four; my mom was a swimming coach.
Scott: I think I was five. Well, except I almost drowned when I was six. I strapped myself into a boogie board, belly down, and I flipped over and couldn’t unstrap myself. My mom grabbed me just in time—I was turning blue!
David: I never almost drowned, but when I was eight I couldn’t surf the big waves, because I was a really poor swimmer. So I joined the summer league to learn.

Q: How did you end up here at Texas?
Ricky: Eddie Reese was a huge influence. He has coached here at Texas for 30 years, and has created an amazing swimming legend. I also really wanted to get away from North Carolina—there’s absolutely nothing there. Austin is a much better city; there is something different to do every single day.
Scott: I had grown up here in Austin, so in order to get away and have a new experience I went to Michigan for two years. I wanted something new, something that was my own. But… It’s hard to leave Texas, there’s just something about it.
David: Along those same lines, I’d always heard that Texas was the shit. I figured it was the place for me… and no one else would take me!

Q: Can you describe your average day as a student athlete?
Ricky: We start morning practice at 5:30 for an hour an a half. Go to class and are back in the pool from 2:00 to 5:00. Relax, eat dinner, and study.

Q: Do you ever feel that such a rigorous and structured routine has caused you to miss out on other aspects of college life?
Ricky: No, not really. It’s just a different lifestyle.
David: I mean, there’s always going to be beer, but we only have four years to be with a team and achieve something real.
Ricky: Instead of having a lot of drunken nights that we won’t remember, we get gold medals that we can never forget. It’s totally worth the sacrifice.
Scott: And it’s not like we never get to go out and fun. We can’t go out as much, but it makes the times we do all the better.

Q: So do you have time for girlfriends?
David: Well, I have a problem dating girls. I’ve gone through like five or six that only lasted about a week. Except this one A&M girl; she only lasted three days. I’m not a player, I just get bored fast. Scott on the other hand is still into high school girls!
Scott: I’m not even going to respond to that.
Ricky: Unlike my friends, I’m neither slutty nor creepy. I have a girlfriend, and she’s awesome. She swims for UT too, so we have similar schedules. It works really well.

Q: What went through your minds when you found out you would be representing the USA globally?
David: Oh shit! We made the Olympic team. It happened so fast I didn’t really have time to look back on the moment. I was just looking toward what I would have to do in Beijing.
Scott: I won the 200 breast stroke at the qualifying meet in Omaha, Nebraska. Once I hit the wall, I kind of blacked out. I had to see it on camera to believe it. It was unreal.

Q: So, are you and Michael Phelps pretty tight?
Ricky: Oh yea, we are basically best friends. So, apparently Phelps and any of his teammates get free Pizza Hut for a year. So, I call Pizza Hut and explain to them that I won gold with Phelps in the 800 free relay, and they totally didn’t buy it. It was so lame.
Scott: I play a lot of poker with him online. He’s upset with me because I screwed him over in our last poker tournament. That’s the last time we talked…
Q: Besides Phelps, who was the coolest person you each met?
Ricky: The NBA guys came to our session and sat with us.
Scott: Jason Kidd! He was so awesome. He offered me tickets to all of his games.
Ricky: No he didn’t. You were begging him for them.
David: Come on, yes he did; box seats and everything.
Ricky: I still talk to some of the gymnastic girls. They were pretty fun.
David: George Bush Sr. came to our reception. I’m pretty sure I smelled a few cocktails on his breath!
Scott: I met George W. Bush, and he was really nice to talk to in person.
David: You liked talking to his daughter! He and Laura Bush were those awkward people talking in the corner.

Q: Besides hitting on the president’s daughter, what was your favorite part about the whole experience?
Scott: Free McDonald's everyday.
Ricky: Fat ass!
David: For me it was the coming home that was really cool. There were a lot of posters of me in my neighborhood, and the deputy was waiting to greet me at my door.
Ricky: David got a whole day dedicated to him with a parade. It’s an official town holiday.
David: (Laughs) Yea, it’s kind of like Martin Luther King Day.
Ricky: As for my favorite part… I don’t know. The whole experience was just amazing.
Scott: Seriously, Ricky. Douche.
Ricky: Ok, ok. Opening ceremony maybe?
Scott: I think I liked seeing myself on the level of my idols. Signing autographs for little kids who look up to me was a really satisfying experience.
David: (cracks up laughing)

I've also added photos from the Study Breaks Flickr to the Gallery.

New Gallery additions and blog mentions

2009-04-03T17:50:00.002-04:00

Photos from the following blogs have been added to the gallery.

Pictures from RedSports.sg came with this commentary-

Singapore Island Country Club, Sunday, 27 July, 2008 - Anyone would have been upset if he had turned up for a swim at the pool on a hot day only to find out that it was closed to its members. Yet, no one seemed to mind that the Singapore Island Country Club pool was off limits during the peak recreational period from 4 to 6pm last Sunday.

It was good enough for all those there for that once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the US Olympic Swim Team going though their paces as they prepared for the Olympic Games in Beijing in a fortnight’s time. Before us were some of the world’s very best swimmers, history-makers and record-breakers building up to take their place on the victors podium in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Strangely though, the pink-coloured swim attire at these training sessions looked pleasantly attractive on these well-sculpted bodies. Perhaps more so than the grey Speedos that will replace them when these athletes compete for medals. On closer inspection, the design features a dragon motif, in keeping with the China theme.

CBS's Early Show producer blogged about her Beijing experience and meeting Ricky-

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008

Today I got to wear my first gold medal. Yep - wear it! A real one. It was a great reward at the end of a long and crazy day of booking for The Early Show.

As a booking producer for The Early Show here in Beijing, my job is to line up athletes (preferably the medal-winning variety) for live interviews. This may sound easy, but it really isn’t. And it’s a process that I started long before arriving in Beijing. For the past three months, I’ve been establishing working relationships with all the press representatives for each sport in the Olympics. I have to walk a fine line between being in touch and being a nuisance. The press representative walks a fine line between promoting their athletes and protecting them. It’s an interesting balance to say the least.

For a week I’ve been reaching out to USA Swimming. Each day we are hoping that they will make a medal winner available. (What about Phelps, you ask? Nice try. With finals nearly every day for 9 days, he will only do media outside of the Water Cube venue once he is completely done with competition.) Today all of those friendly phone calls paid off. Ricky Berens - who won gold earlier in the day as part of the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle relay, would be available for an interview. After the Today Show, that is. That’s fine - you can’t outbook the Today Show in this scenario. What you can do, however, is pick up Ricky (and his press rep, and his parents, and his sister) at the Olympic Green immediately following his NBC appearance and hightail him a half-mile down the road to The Early Show studio to have him on the air as quickly as possible. And that’s exactly what we did.

I won’t go into the gory details of the logistics of moving everyone around Beijing, calling the control room in New York to make sure it was a go, calling an intern from the car to hold the slow elevator for us in the lobby. But we made it work. Keep in mind that we also had two other guests at the top of the show - gold medalist Cullen Jones and former Olympian Gary Hall. They both needed transportation and escorts to get to and from our studio as well.

All of the guests were fantastic, but Ricky and his family were particularly lovely. I couldn’t tell who was more excited about gold - Ricky, his family, or me! As I stood in our makeshift control room with the Berens, they just couldn’t stop chuckling over the fact that their 20-year-old son was doing national interviews live from Beijing with a gold medal around his neck!

Speaking of that gold medal … Ricky let me wear it, and I have the picture to prove it. It was awesome! In my busy state, I nearly forgot to take it off and give it back to him - but I don’t think Mr. Berens would have let me get away with that.

Columbia, Missouri's KOMU 8 Reporter Mark Welsh blogged about meeting Ricky after his appearance on the Today Show-

Tonight, fate intervened in my life.

Tonight, I decided I wanted to go watch Swimming at the Water Cube, but accidentally ran into Brian William's assistant instead. I explained that I report for KOMU (an NBC affiliate) and asked her if she could get me a ticket to the Today Show. She had one in her hand and told me I could have it and to have fun. It just so happened other Mizzou students were there, so I met up with Sarah and Paige and we waited for almost two hours for the show to start.

I wanted to share one experience that I had at the Today Show this evening, but first a bit of background. I went to South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C. At the time, my high school had an outstanding swimmer. His name was Ricky Berens. Everyone in Charlotte knows Ricky's name, he's a great guy and has an amazing reputation as a swimmer. Anyways, Ricky graduated the year after me and I found out he went to U-Texas at Austin and pursued swimming.

Well today, Ricky and the Team USA 200-meter freestyle relay team set a World Record and won Gold Medals at the Water Cube. I was working at the Field Hockey venue and had a chance to catch a glimpse of the race...needless to say, I was screaming at the screen! The Chinese people around me thought I was crazy for yelling that "I know him! I went to high school with him! I know his sister too!"

I can't explain how excited I am for Ricky and his family!

Well, if you watched the Today Show this morning, you saw Matt Lauer interview Ricky. I couldn't believe, of all days, I was there the day Ricky was interviewed! As soon as he appeared on the set, I wasn't sure if I would say hi since it's been almost 4 years since I last saw him. I decided to go and say hi, even if I would awkwardly explain that we went to high school, in case he didn't recognize me. As I walked over to the set, Team USA supporters chanted his name, took pictures and requested autographs. When I managed to get over to his area, I yelled out "RICKY!". Luckily, and to my relief, he remembered me. Not only did he recognize me, he knew who I was! He came over and I congratulated him over and over again, and said how proud I am to say I know him. We chatted for a bit, and I answered "So what exactly are you doing in Beijing?"

After his interview with Matt, Ricky came over one more time and I asked to take a picture with him. You can see the picture above. What you can't see is what happened moments before that picture was taken. Ricky let me HOLD HIS GOLD MEDAL!! I can't even describe how awesome it was! I couldn't believe I had an Olympic Gold Medal in my hands! (Although it was still attached to his neck!) It wasn't too heavy, was embossed with the Olympic logo and had jade set in the other side. It was so awesome, I can't say it enough.

If you couldn't tell, I'm still excited about my adventure over to the Olympic Green today. There are tons of more stories to share, but this is the story about one event that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

I could've decided to stay home and watch events on TV; I could've bought a ticket for the Water Cube; I could've walked past Brian Williams' assistant...but instead, fate intervened.

Men's Swimming and Diving places second at NCAA Championships

2009-03-29T20:49:00.000-04:00

Longhorns rack up 11 top-three finishes and five new American records on their way to second-straight second-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

March 28, 2009

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Behind 11 top-three individual and relay finishes and five new American records, Texas finished second at the 2009 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday evening at Texas A&M's Student Rec Center Natatorium.

Auburn claimed the NCAA team title with 526 points, while Texas took second with 487 points. Stanford placed third at 460.5, and California placed fourth with 350 points.

Texas' second-place showing marks the Longhorns' eighth such finish under 31st-year head coach Eddie Reese, who boasts nine NCAA team titles at Texas. Reese's Longhorns have finished in the top-three at the NCAA Championships in 24 of his 31 seasons in Austin.

Texas Blows Roof Off Pool With American, NCAA, U.S. Open Record to Win 800 Free Relay

2009-03-28T17:55:00.003-04:00

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, March 27. THE University of Texas held off a hard charge from Arizona to end the Wildcats' three-year winning streak in the 800-yard free relay. And, the Longhorns did it with an American, NCAA and U.S. Open record.

Dave Walters leadoff the Texas relay with an American-record time of 1:31.72. That swim beat the 1:31.83 he set back in December and is the third-fastest 200 free of all time. Only Simon Burnett's NCAA and U.S. Open record 1:31.20 and Florida's Shaune Fraser's 1:31.70 posted this evening to win the individual title are faster.

Walters, Ricky Berens (1:32.15), Scott Jostes (1:33.20) and Michael Klueh (1:33.09) then finished off the relay American, NCAA, and U.S. Open record with a combined 6:10.16. The swim broke the previous record of 6:10.55 set by Texas last year at Big 12s.

The triumph gave Texas an NCAA-leading 10th title in the distance relay event. Texas previously won in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Texas jumped back into the lead with Auburn taking eighth in 6:21.86. Texas will enter the final day of action with 348 points, ahead of Auburn's second-place 342. Stanford (298.5), California (239) and Arizona (229) made up the rest of the top five.

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NCAA Results Day 1
200 IM Prelim
3. Ricky Berens - 1:41.98

200IM Final
3. Ricky Berens - 1:41.98

Junior Ricky Berens took down Nate Dusing's eight-year-old school mark in the 200 IM and placed third in 1:41.92. The time fell well under Dusing's school standard of 1:42.85 set at the 2001 NCAA Championships in College Station.

NCAA Results Day 2
200 Freestyle Prelim
1 Ricky Berens - 1:32.73

200 Medley Relay Prelim
T2. TEXAS (Jostes 21.31, Magruder 24.08, Berens 20.78, Feigen 18.45) - 1:24.62

200 Freestyle Final
3. Ricky Berens - 1:32.74

800 Freestyle Relay - Championship Final
1 TEXAS (Walters, 1:31.72, Berens 1:32.15, Jostes 1:33.20, Klueh 1:33.09)- 6:10.16 (new NCAA, NCAA meet, American, U.S. Open, UT records)

The Texas quartet of juniors Dave Walters and Ricky Berens, sophomore Scott Jostes and senior Michael Klueh ended day two of the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships with a thrilling victory in the 800-yard freestyle relay that set new American, NCAA, NCAA meet and U.S. Open records Friday at Texas A&M's Student Rec Center Natatorium.

The relay, one of three American record-setting efforts on the day for Texas, marked UT's first victorious 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships since 2003 and regained the overall team lead for the Longhorns after the second day of action.

NCAA Results Day 3
200 Butterfly Prelim
24. Ricky Berens - 1:44.58

No. 1 Men's Swimming and Diving defeats No. 8 Auburn, 139-102

2009-01-08T23:24:00.002-05:00

Freshman diver Drew Livingston sweeps diving events, and swimmers Jackson Wilcox and Ricky Berens take two wins apiece in win at Auburn.

Jan. 8, 2009

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 1 Texas (4-0) claimed 10 of 14 events en route to a 139-102 victory at No. 8 Auburn Thursday afternoon at Auburn’s James E. Martin Aquatic Center.

Freshman Drew Livingston swept all three diving events for the Longhorns, and Texas added victories in seven of nine individual swimming events, including two wins apiece from freshman Jackson Wilcox and junior U.S. Olympian Ricky Berens.
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Berens notched his first victory in the 200 IM in 1:48.09. Senior Agustin Magruder placed third in 1:49.86, and sophomore Brian Wilson took fourth in 1:49.86. Berens competed in the very next event, the 200 butterfly, and ran down Auburn’s Tyler McGill to pick up his second consecutive win. Trailing McGill by nearly a second after 150 yards, Berens rallied to win in 1:46.69 and top McGill by 19 one-hundredths of a second. Jackson Wilcox took third in 1:48.99.
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Texas resumes competition on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Georgia.

Men 200 Yard IM
1 Berens, Ricky Texas 1:48.09
2 Mitchell, Andrew Auburn 1:49.66
3 Magruder, Agustin Texas 1:49.86

Men 200 Yard Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky Texas 1:46.69
2 McGill, Tyler Auburn 1:46.88
3 Wilcox, Jackson Texas 1:48.99

How I Met the Hottest Male Athlete

2008-12-19T17:22:00.006-05:00

The men's 4x200 free relay victory celebration as recreated by cast members How I Met Your Mother for Entertainment Weekly. Photo by Williams + Hirakawa

Ricky, Ryan Lochte, and Michael Phelps have placed fifth in the New York Daily News' list of the Hottest Male Athletes of 2008.

No. 1 Men's Swimming and Diving claims six victories on day One of Texas Invitational

2008-12-05T18:53:00.003-05:00

UT junior Ricky Berens claimed two events and posted a pair of NCAA automatic-qualifying marks on day one of the Texas Invitational.
Dec. 4, 2008

No. 1 Texas claimed six of seven events to successfully kick off the opening session of the Texas Invitational at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
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Berens picked up his first of two victories in the 100 butterfly, where he scored a new personal best with a NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of 45.54. Texas picked up NCAA provisional-qualifying cuts from junior Hill Taylor, who took third in 46.69, and sophomore Matt Donch, who placed fifth in 47.55. Feigen and sophomore Brian Wilson tied for seventh at 47.69.
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Texas finished off the evening with a close win over Arizona in the 400 medley relay. Taylor, Magruder, Berens and Walters captured the event in 3:09.10.

UT leads the meet with 503.5 points, while Arizona sits in second with 343.5 points.

Men's Swimming and Diving's Collins scores school record at Texas Invitational
Texas sophomore Bryan Collins takes down teammate Michael Klueh's school mark in the 400 IM in the day two prelims at the Texas Invitational.

Dec. 5, 2008

Olympians Dave Walters and Ricky Berens led the Horns in the 200 freestyle by taking second and third in the preliminary round. Walters topped out at 1:34.85, while Berens came in at 1:35.71. All totaled, seven Longhorns – including senior Ryan Verlatti, Klueh, freshman Jackson Wilcox and sophomore Scott Jostes - will join Arizona’s Jean Basson, the top seed, in what figures to be a lightning-fast 200 freestyle final. UT also picked up NCAA “B” cut marks from senior Sean Patton and freshman Kyle McNeilis.

Texas Invitational – day 2 prelims results
200 Freestyle
2. Dave Walters – 1:34.85 (NCAA “B” cut)
3. Ricky Berens – 1:35.71 (NCAA “B” cut)

100 Backstroke
1 Ricky Berens – 46.81 (NCAA “B” cut)
3. Hill Taylor – 47.17 (NCAA “B” cut)

No. 1 Texas Tops Washington, 142-115

2008-11-21T22:09:00.003-05:00

November 21st, 2008

No. 1 Texas totaled eight victories en route to a 142-115 victory over Washington Friday in the Horns’ home opener at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
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Junior Ricky Berens led a one through three Texas finish in the 100 backstroke, where he won in a NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 48.10. Senior Michael Klueh took second in 49.32. Senior Sean Patton led a one through four UT finish in the 200 backstroke, where he was victorious in 1:47.05. Sophomore Bryan Collins took second in 1:49.25.

Magruder led another one through four Texas finish in the 200 breaststroke. Magruder claimed the event in 2:01.94, while Berens took second in 2:06.05. Berens later led a one-two-three UT showing in the 100 butterfly, where he clocked a NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 47.65. Sophomore Matt Donch took second in 49.26. Junior Dave Walters claimed the 200 individual medley in 1:50.89, though he completed the event as an exhibition and did not officially pick up the victory.

Texas capped the meet with an exhibition win in the 200 freestyle relay. Donch, Berens, freshman Neil Caskey and Klueh finished in 1:21.62.

The Longhorns return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4 when they host the annual three-day Texas Invitational at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

Men 100 Yard Backstroke
1. Berens, Ricky Texas 48.10
2. Klueh, Michael Texas 49.32
3. Jostes, Scott Texas 50.16

Men 200 Yard Breaststroke
1. Magruder, Agustin Texas 2:01.94
2. Berens, Ricky Texas 2:06.05
3. Friedland, Eric Texas 2:06.36

Men 100 Yard Butterfly
1. Berens, Ricky Texas 47.65
2. Donch, Matt Texas 49.26
3. Wang, Andrew Texas 49.54

Men's Swimming and Diving's Livingston, Berens earn Big 12 honors

2008-11-12T16:54:00.001-05:00

Nov. 12, 2008
Big 12 Conference coaches have tabbed Texas freshman diver Drew Livingston and junior swimmer Ricky Berens as the league's diver and swimmer of the week after the two registered outstanding performances in the top-ranked Longhorns' recent victories over No. 3 Michigan and No. 14 Indiana.
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Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) won three individual events and swam on three winning relays in Texas' double dual-meet wins against Michigan and Indiana. Each individual and relay swim resulted in a mark that leads the nation.

Berens tied Michigan's Tyler Clary in the 200 IM in a NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 1:46.85 - that mark is tied as the nation's best. Berens claimed the 100 butterfly in a NCAA "B" cut mark of 47.69, which leads the nation. Berens captured the 200 butterfly in a NCAA "B" cut mark of 1:46.31, which also leads the nation.

Berens swam the butterfly leg in 47.59 in UT's 400 medley relay that won in 3:15.33; that relay is ranked first in the nation. Berens swam the third leg of UT's 800 free relay in 1:36.97; the relay won in a mark of 6:28.89, which ranks first in the nation. Berens led off UT's 400 free relay in 44.72. The relay finished in 2:57.45, a mark that ranks the relay first in the nation.

Livingston, Berens and the rest of the Longhorns return to action on Friday, Nov. 21 when they host Washington at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at 3 p.m. Central.

Berens tabbed National Men's College Swimmer of the Week

2008-11-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

UT junior Ricky Berens holds the nation's top times in three individual events.
Nov. 4, 2008

CollegeSwimming.com has selected University of Texas junior Ricky Berens as its National Men's College Swimmer of the Week after the Beijing Olympic gold medalist won three individual events and swam on three winning relays in the Horns' wins over the weekend against No. 3 Michigan and No. 14 Indiana.

Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) tied Michigan's Tyler Clary in the 200 IM in a NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 1:46.85, which is the fastest mark in college swimming thus far. Berens captured the 100 butterfly in a NCAA "B" cut mark of 47.69, which leads all of college swimming, and took the 200 butterfly in a nation-leading 1:46.31.

Berens swam the butterfly leg in 47.59 in UT's 400 medley relay that defeated Michigan and Indiana in a top national mark of 1:46.31. He swam the third leg of UT's 800 free relay in 1:36.97, and the relay finished in a top national time of 6:28.89. Berens finished off UT's double dual-meet wins over the third-ranked Wolverines and 14th-ranked Hoosiers by leading off Texas' 400 freestyle relay in 44.72. The relay finished in 2:57.45, good for yet another time that leads college swimming.

Berens and classmate Dave Walters earned gold medals in the 800 freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Top-ranked Texas returns to action on Friday, Nov. 21 when it hosts Washington.

No. 1 Men's Swimming and Diving defeats No. 3 Michigan, No. 14 Indiana in tri-meet

2008-11-02T15:10:00.002-05:00

Nov. 1, 2008

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- No. 1 Texas lengthened its lead after the opening day of competition and finished off a pair of victories over No. 3 Michigan and No. 14 Indiana Saturday at Michigan’s Canham Natatorium.

UT held a 14-point cushion over Michigan heading into Saturday, but the Horns pulled away to a 221.5-166.5 victory. Texas defeated Indiana by a 209-153 count.

Texas opened the session with a win in the 800 freestyle relay, as junior Dave Walters, senior Sean Patton, junior Ricky Berens and senior Michael Klueh finished in 6:28.89. UT’s “B” relay of sophomore Bryan Collins, freshmen Neil Caskey and Kyle McNeilis and senior Ryan Verlatti took third in 6:42.18.
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UT finished off the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay, where the Horns finished in 2:57.45.

Texas returns to action on Friday, Nov. 21 when it hosts Washington at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

800 Yard Freestyle Relay
1 University of Texas 'A' 6:28.89
2 Michigan, University of 'A' 6:36.92
3 University of Texas 'B' 6:42.18

200 Yard Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky C Texas 1:46.31
2 Weik, Cody A Indiana 1:47.34
3 Madwed, Dan Michigan 1:49.48

400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1 University of Texas 'A' 2:57.45
2 Michigan, University of 'A' 2:58.34
3 Indiana University 'A' 3:00.69

No. 1 Men's Swimming and Diving leads No. 3 Michigan, No. 14 Indiana after day one of tri-meet

2008-11-01T00:14:00.004-04:00

October 31, 2008

No. 1 Texas tallied five individual wins and two relay victories in day one of its meet against No. 3 Michigan and No. 14 Indiana Friday at Michigan's Canham Natatorium.

After Friday's opening session, Texas leads Michigan by a 108.5-94.5 margin and Indiana by a 148-55 count.The second and final session is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern.
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Junior Ricky Berens trailed Michigan's Tyler Clary by 23 one-hundredths of a second in the 200 IM before running him down and tying Clary in 1:46.85. Freshman Eric Friedland placed seventh in 1:52.94.

Texas captured the 400 medley relay, where juniors Hill Taylor, Scott Spann, Ricky Berens and Dave Walters finished in 3:15.33. Freshman diver Drew Livingston registered his first collegiate victory in dominant fashion, as he finished with 423.30 points and topped the nearest finisher by over 55 points. Senior Jonathan Wilcox took third with 352.55 points, and sophomore Matt Cooper took fifth with 342.55 points.

200 Yard IM
1 Clary, Tyler T Michigan 1:46.85
1 Berens, Ricky C Texas 1:46.85
3 Kennedy, Neal H Michigan 1:50.21

400 Yard Medley Relay
1 University of Texas 'A' 3:15.33
2 Michigan, University of 'A' 3:16.76
3 University of Texas 'B' 3:21.16

100 Yard Butterfly
1 Berens, Ricky C Texas 47.60
2 Brady, Chris D Michigan 48.08
3 Madwed, Dan Michigan 48.76

Oatmeal cream pies?

2008-10-21T22:58:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of post! Here are some news updates for y'all.

Men's Swimming and Diving opens at No. 1 in CSCAA preseason rankings
Under the direction of 31st-year head coach Eddie Reese, Texas has received the No. 1 preseason ranking from the CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) for a second consecutive year.

The Longhorns, who return 12 All-Americans from the 2008 squad that placed second at the NCAA Championships, garnered seven of the eight first-place votes. Stanford ranks second, and defending NCAA champion Arizona and Florida are tied for third. Michigan rounds out the top five.

The 40-man Texas swimming and diving roster boasts a blend of swimmers and divers with major international experience along with a talented group of newcomers that includes an Olympic finalist and the 2008 National High School Swimmer of the Year.

Longhorns Profile - Ricky Berens
Complete article at MySanAntonio
Is it true that your favorite thing to eat is uncooked ramen and hot dogs?
(Surprised gasp) No. That was one time. I was out of food, and I had ramen and hot dogs for lunch one day. And I had a really good practice after that, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

I'm a picky eater. I wasn't eating too well in the summer before the Olympic Trials, so I actually asked my mom to make me a list of foods to eat. At home, I literally rotate dinners every night. I was running out of ideas. So, it's a bunch of pizzas, steak and mashed potatoes and a lot of pasta.

And is it also true that at the Olympic Trials you swam three different personal bests to make the team, and were fueled almost solely on oatmeal cream pies?
(Laughter) This is bad. No. No, not at all. I ate other things too.

For some reason, I get random cravings for random foods. So, you always have to keep a box of oatmeal cream pies around the house, just in case. It's a good snack. That and Nutter Butters.

Men's Swimming's Kris Kubik recalls Beijing
From parts 1 and 2
A pair of swimmers you have coached the last couple of years at UT, Ricky Berens and Dave Walters, won gold as members of the 800 freestyle relay. Talk about the feeling of seeing them reach the pinnacle of their sport after watching them work so hard toward that goal the last two years.
I would give great credit to Eddie Reese for preparing them for what to experience. I give an amazing amount of credit to their peers on the team who took them under their wings and showed them that, yes, it's a huge world stage, but the bottom line is when you dive in, it's the same as when you're swimming summer league when you're a little kid, or at a high school meet, or in our case, an NCAA meet.

It's just racing. I think they understood that, and I'm incredibly proud of the fact that they represented not only the country well in the way they performed, but in their actions outside of the pool. They were very well-received by the Chinese. They were well-received by people back home who saw interviews with them after their competitions. They really represented their families, our program, The University of Texas and our country admirably. I'm very proud of that.

Mostly, I was just very proud that the work they had put in for a long, long time prior to coming to Texas - they were both very well-coached prior to coming here - paid off. Once they got here, they did the small things in the sport that we look to see corrected...push-offs, streamlines, good technique, good breathing patterns, not breathing into their finish.

A lot of that comes from something I call perpetuity - the way that Dave finished his race without breathing his last six strokes was very similar to the way Garrett Weber-Gale finished his races in his 100s and 50s and on his relay. That was very similar to what he learned from Neil Walker, and what Neil learned from Josh Davis, and so on.

All that came from something that we've worked very hard on...it's not something we just wake up and do. You have to practice it. To see all that come to fruition in that race, on that stage, was unforgettable.

Two UT juniors - Ricky Berens and Dave Walters - brought back valuable experiences - not to mention a pair of gold medals - from Beijing. How will their Olympic experiences benefit them in their two remaining years of college swimming?
It could work both ways. At their next big meet, they may only have 200 people in the stands. They just swam in front of 17,000 people in Beijing and millions of people watching at home. So, it's a bit of a challenge from a coaching standpoint. But, the team atmosphere in college swimming...being a part of that will help. They're not alone standing there, but the eyes of Texas truly are upon them.

The swimming fans from Texas, and a lot of people in this state and country who are Longhorns fans in other sports, who have suddenly become swimming fans...they (Ricky and Dave) have a responsibility to them to continue and lead the next generation. We have some people in our freshman class who could very well be in their shoes when we get to London. Now, they need to not only do what they can to be a part of that team, but also help and guide and be mentors to the next generation of swimmers.

Olympians at Texas vs. Rice game

2008-09-22T00:05:00.004-04:00

Ricky and 17 other UT Olympians were celebrated at yesterday's Texas vs. Rice game. I've just added some photos of Ricky taken by Saiqa to the Gallery.

Austin to celebrate local Olympians

2008-09-05T20:43:00.002-04:00

From News 8 Austin

A handful of athletes including gold medal winners will be part of the procession next week.

The already confirmed athletes, gold-medal-winning swimmers Ricky Berens, Kathleen Hersey and Dave Walters will attend the event.

The city asks anyone who attends to wear red, white and blue.

The event will kick off at 7 p.m. next Friday at Republic Square park, and the procession will head east on 4th Street and then north on Congress to the State Capitol.

New fan art and old videos

2008-09-04T23:08:00.002-04:00

Michelle from Brendan Hansen Online sent in these fabulous icons and wallpaper.

Here's a FloSwimming video from before Olympic Trials.

Hello, bienvenidos, bonjour...

2008-08-28T13:24:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Ricky Berens Online! To kick things off, Ricky recently did a brief email Q&A with Scott Fowler from his hometown paper, the Charlotte Observer.

3 questions for a Q.C. gold-medal swimmer

Q: What were the favorite moments of your Olympics?

A: The whole Olympic experience was amazing to me. If I had to pick a few of my favorites it would be the opening ceremonies, being on the awards stand with our national anthem being played, and then being at a sporting event with all the different countries.

It was an honor to be able to walk in opening ceremonies, and being able to represent my country like that. Also, walking around the village or being at the swim meet I saw many countries I have never heard of. It was incredible to see athletes from these countries and having them being able to participate in the Games. Some of them looked like they had never swam a whole 50 meters before, but they were in the pool and able to experience everything we were. It was great to see that and what the Olympics can do for the countries that are not as fortunate as we are.