Buckeye Q&A: Charlie Clark & Lyle Yost
1/8/2024 12:27:00 PM | General, Men's Swim & Dive
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Charlie Clark and Lyle Yost ended the year on a high note for the Ohio State men's swimming and diving team, both claiming national titles. Clark had a strong week at the Toyota U.S. Open, turning in three Olympic Trials qualifying times, but the highlight was his first career national title at the event; a gold medal in the 800 free with a time of 7:50.49. Yost, the reigning NCAA 1-meter champion, won his first career championship at Winter Nationals, claiming gold on the 1-meter with an aggregate score of 743.65 to punch his ticket to the World Aquatics Championships this February.
Both Clark and Yost will compete for Team USA in Doha, Qatar at the World Championships this February. OhioStateBuckeyes.com chatted with them about their titles, their training, and what's ahead in 2024.
Q: How did it feel to win a national title?
Charlie: Winning the 800 at the U.S. Open was extremely rewarding. In 2021, I placed second by 0.3 seconds, so being able to get a win this year was amazing.
Lyle: It means a lot. I've been really close to winning a few times; I've been in second place and third place, but this was the first time with USA Diving that I've won a senior national title. It's great to be a national champion and join the ranks of many USA Diving and Buckeye greats before me.
Q: Charlie, was there any point during your swim when you realized you were going to win?
Charlie: Being in a race with Bobby Finke, who is known for his last 50 finishing speed, you never really know for sure until the race is over. When I had about 300 left, I was still in third but gaining on the first and second-place swimmers. I could tell by seeing their stroke that they were hurting, and I was feeling better the longer the race went on. That feeling is very motivating and helps push through the pain in the final laps of a long race.
Q: Lyle, what was going through your mind as you went into the final dive in such a close competition for first place?
Lyle: Jack Ryan is a good friend of mine, and we traded the lead after every round in the final. Going into the last dive, Jack was winning by 0.1 points, and I knew I had the advantage with the difficulty of my dive. I knew that if I hit it, that would put pressure on Jack, so I had to give it everything I had, and it worked out; I won by almost 20 points.
Q: What kind of preparation goes into getting ready for events like the U.S. Open and Winter Nationals?
Charlie: We don't taper (rest) for the U.S. Open, but we do prepare by doing a bit more race-specific work leading up to the meet. The week before, I was hitting race pace almost every practice to get my body used to performing at top-end speed.
Lyle: It's knowing the cycles of your training and how to optimize your energy levels, your training volume, and intensity, in the pool and the weight room, over a year or several-month cycle so you're at your best for the championship.
Q: You'll compete for Team USA at the World Championships in February. What does it mean to be able to represent your country on an international stage?
Charlie: It is always a huge honor to represent the USA. It had always been a dream of mine growing up, and this will be my third World Championships already. It is a dream come true and going into the race with the American flag on my cap gives me all the confidence I need.
Lyle: It's always an honor to represent Team USA. One of my main goals in diving, from the time I was a kid, was to use it as a way to travel the world. Having the opportunity to visit Qatar and to perform my sport at the highest level, on the biggest stage, is incredible and I'm so grateful for this opportunity.
Q: Lyle, you're coming off an NCAA title in the 1-meter. What kind of confidence did that give you going into this season?
Lyle: It's been a bit of an adjustment to realize that when it comes to the 1-meter, I'm the favorite. That has definitely come with some confidence; it feels good that it's my crown. Now, I have to defend it.
Q: You've both already qualified for the Olympic Trials; how does that feel?
Charlie: It's great to have my ticket punched to the Olympic Trials. It's the biggest, and a lot of people say fastest, meet in the world. USA Swimming puts on a great show, and I can't wait to race in Lucas Oil Stadium this June.
Lyle: The Olympic Trials are sort of the light at the end of the tunnel target for this season. I want to compete at the Olympic Games and perform at a high level, but I need to prioritize my preparation for the trials if I want to get there. It's nice to already have my ticket punched, but I'm more concerned with finishing in the top two.
Q: As we get closer to the Trials and the Olympics, what does your training and preparation look like?
Charlie: Training becomes a lot more focused and specialized. Recovery also becomes a high priority with the trials only five months away. At the moment, I'm swimming around 75,000 yards, running 10 miles, and lifting three times each week.
Lyle: I'm focusing a lot on my sleep these days. With all the commitments I have every day, from practice to student-teaching to lifting to class, getting enough sleep is going to be the number one thing I need to accomplish all of the goals I have for this year.
Q: Does it add any pressure to the season that it's an Olympic year?
Charlie: Being an Olympic year definitely adds quite a bit of pressure. After qualifying for the World Championships the past two years, this is the one that really matters. The whole quad leads up to this.
Lyle: I think we do a good job of keeping the NCAA season separate from the USA Diving and world seasons as far as pressure goes. It's true that the NCAA Championships will include lots of big players who will be at the Olympic Trials, but they exist in fairly separate spheres.
Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season? Are there any events you're looking forward to the most?
Charlie: My goals this year are to qualify for the Olympic team in the 800 and 1500 freestyle, and then get a spot on the podium in Paris.
Lyle: I plan to defend my 1-meter title at NCAAs and fight for 3-meter and platform titles as well. I also cannot wait to host the Big Ten Championships at Ohio State this year and pick up some more hardware for the Block O.
Q: Outside of the pool, what are your favorite hobbies?
Charlie: I love music. I've played the clarinet since fourth grade, and I still play daily. I also play the saxophone and piano. I also enjoy hiking and fishing when the weather is nice.
Lyle: This year, I'm listening to more audiobooks.
Both Clark and Yost will compete for Team USA in Doha, Qatar at the World Championships this February. OhioStateBuckeyes.com chatted with them about their titles, their training, and what's ahead in 2024.
Q: How did it feel to win a national title?
Charlie: Winning the 800 at the U.S. Open was extremely rewarding. In 2021, I placed second by 0.3 seconds, so being able to get a win this year was amazing.
Lyle: It means a lot. I've been really close to winning a few times; I've been in second place and third place, but this was the first time with USA Diving that I've won a senior national title. It's great to be a national champion and join the ranks of many USA Diving and Buckeye greats before me.
Q: Charlie, was there any point during your swim when you realized you were going to win?
Charlie: Being in a race with Bobby Finke, who is known for his last 50 finishing speed, you never really know for sure until the race is over. When I had about 300 left, I was still in third but gaining on the first and second-place swimmers. I could tell by seeing their stroke that they were hurting, and I was feeling better the longer the race went on. That feeling is very motivating and helps push through the pain in the final laps of a long race.
Q: Lyle, what was going through your mind as you went into the final dive in such a close competition for first place?
Lyle: Jack Ryan is a good friend of mine, and we traded the lead after every round in the final. Going into the last dive, Jack was winning by 0.1 points, and I knew I had the advantage with the difficulty of my dive. I knew that if I hit it, that would put pressure on Jack, so I had to give it everything I had, and it worked out; I won by almost 20 points.
Q: What kind of preparation goes into getting ready for events like the U.S. Open and Winter Nationals?
Charlie: We don't taper (rest) for the U.S. Open, but we do prepare by doing a bit more race-specific work leading up to the meet. The week before, I was hitting race pace almost every practice to get my body used to performing at top-end speed.
Lyle: It's knowing the cycles of your training and how to optimize your energy levels, your training volume, and intensity, in the pool and the weight room, over a year or several-month cycle so you're at your best for the championship.
Q: You'll compete for Team USA at the World Championships in February. What does it mean to be able to represent your country on an international stage?
Charlie: It is always a huge honor to represent the USA. It had always been a dream of mine growing up, and this will be my third World Championships already. It is a dream come true and going into the race with the American flag on my cap gives me all the confidence I need.
Lyle: It's always an honor to represent Team USA. One of my main goals in diving, from the time I was a kid, was to use it as a way to travel the world. Having the opportunity to visit Qatar and to perform my sport at the highest level, on the biggest stage, is incredible and I'm so grateful for this opportunity.
Q: Lyle, you're coming off an NCAA title in the 1-meter. What kind of confidence did that give you going into this season?
Lyle: It's been a bit of an adjustment to realize that when it comes to the 1-meter, I'm the favorite. That has definitely come with some confidence; it feels good that it's my crown. Now, I have to defend it.
Q: You've both already qualified for the Olympic Trials; how does that feel?
Charlie: It's great to have my ticket punched to the Olympic Trials. It's the biggest, and a lot of people say fastest, meet in the world. USA Swimming puts on a great show, and I can't wait to race in Lucas Oil Stadium this June.
Lyle: The Olympic Trials are sort of the light at the end of the tunnel target for this season. I want to compete at the Olympic Games and perform at a high level, but I need to prioritize my preparation for the trials if I want to get there. It's nice to already have my ticket punched, but I'm more concerned with finishing in the top two.
Q: As we get closer to the Trials and the Olympics, what does your training and preparation look like?
Charlie: Training becomes a lot more focused and specialized. Recovery also becomes a high priority with the trials only five months away. At the moment, I'm swimming around 75,000 yards, running 10 miles, and lifting three times each week.
Lyle: I'm focusing a lot on my sleep these days. With all the commitments I have every day, from practice to student-teaching to lifting to class, getting enough sleep is going to be the number one thing I need to accomplish all of the goals I have for this year.
Q: Does it add any pressure to the season that it's an Olympic year?
Charlie: Being an Olympic year definitely adds quite a bit of pressure. After qualifying for the World Championships the past two years, this is the one that really matters. The whole quad leads up to this.
Lyle: I think we do a good job of keeping the NCAA season separate from the USA Diving and world seasons as far as pressure goes. It's true that the NCAA Championships will include lots of big players who will be at the Olympic Trials, but they exist in fairly separate spheres.
Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season? Are there any events you're looking forward to the most?
Charlie: My goals this year are to qualify for the Olympic team in the 800 and 1500 freestyle, and then get a spot on the podium in Paris.
Lyle: I plan to defend my 1-meter title at NCAAs and fight for 3-meter and platform titles as well. I also cannot wait to host the Big Ten Championships at Ohio State this year and pick up some more hardware for the Block O.
Q: Outside of the pool, what are your favorite hobbies?
Charlie: I love music. I've played the clarinet since fourth grade, and I still play daily. I also play the saxophone and piano. I also enjoy hiking and fishing when the weather is nice.
Lyle: This year, I'm listening to more audiobooks.
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