2024 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Deep breaths everybody–it’s the primary night time of the 2024 Males’s Division I NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. How fortunate are we that we get one other week of quick swimming after all of the motion on the ladies’s meet final week?
It’s a easy session tonight with solely two occasions: timed finals of the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relay.
Order of Occasions:
- 200 medley relay (high seed: Arizona State, 1:20.55)
- 45 minute break
- 800 freestyle relay (high seed: Arizona State, 6:06.14)
After a season of swimming quick primarily each time they dove in, the Solar Devils are high seeds in each relays tonight. They took down the NCAA and U.S. Open data at PAC-12s with a blistering 1:20.55. And essentially the most thrilling (terrifying?) a part of that performances was that Leon Marchand was about five-tenths off his quickest 50 breaststroke cut up. As newly-minter NCAA report holders with much more room to enhance, Arizona State are the clear favorites heading into the meet.
However there are challengers: NC State took down the American report within the occasion at ACCs, solely to be outdone by Florida’s quartet minutes later. There are questions on each relay lineups, significantly how the Gators will select to deploy Josh Liendo tonight. After which there are the Golden Bears, who will likely be at full energy for the primary time this postseason after sending the likes of (to call a number of) Jack Alexy and Destin Lasco to the Westmont Professional Swim.
Additionally lingering within the air–will we see a sub-20 backstroke lead-off this yr after being so shut the final two seasons?
There are related questions swirling across the 800 freestyle relay. Texas’ blistering 6:03.42 seems to be secure, however will Marchand, Luke Hobson, Chris Guiliano, or one other swimmer break Dean Farris‘ 200 freestyle report main off? Texas, the defending champions, are in an early warmth, and clear water may play to their benefit.
Arizona State is the highest seed within the 800 freestyle relay as properly, however Florida and Georgia are additionally seeded within the 6:06 vary at 2nd and third, suggesting one other tight race.
200 Medley Relay — Timed Remaining
NCAA Document: 1:20.55 — Arizona State (J. Dolan, L. Marchand, I. Kharun, J. Kulow), 2024Meet Document: 1:20.67 — NC State (Okay. Stokowski, M. Hunter, N. Korstanje, D. Curtiss), 2023American Document: 1:21.66 — Florida (A. Chaney, J. Smith, S. Buff, M. McDuff), 2024U.S. Open Document: 1:20.55 — Arizona State (J. Dolan, L. Marchand, I. Kharun, J. Kulow), 2024- 2023 Champion: 1:20.67 — NC State (Okay. Stokowski, M. Hunter, N. Korstanje, D. Curtiss), 2023
High 8:
- Florida (A. Chaney, J. Smith, J. Liendo, M. McDuff) — 1:20.15 *NCAA, Meet, U.S. Open Document*
- Arizona State (J. Dolan, L. Marchand, I. Kharun, J. Kulow) — 1:20.55
- NC State (A. Hayes, S. Hoover, L. Miller, Q. McCarty) — 1:20.98 *American Document*
- Cal — 1:21.01
- Tennessee — 1:21.91
- Indiana — 1:22.10
- Stanford — 1:22.43
- Auburn — 1:22.57
What a race to kick off these championships; we’re solely via one occasion and we’ve already seen our first NCAA report. Coming into this race, Arizona State had been the heavy favorites. However the first half of the race confirmed that Florida, NC State, and Cal weren’t content material to let that be the story.
Final yr’s 200 fly champion Aiden Hayes dropped the quickest 50 backstroke in historical past to get the Wolfpack began, clocking a 20.07 to surpass Bjorn Seeliger‘s 20.08 from 2022. That put the Wolfpack firmly in charge of the final timed closing forward of Flordia who received a 20.29 lead-off from Adam Chaney and Cal’s 20.39 from Seeliger.
The Golden Bears had the lead on the midway mark, courtesy of one other quickest cut up in historical past, this leg from fifth-year Liam Bell. Bell cut up 22.25, out-pacing Marchand’s cut up from 2023 by two-hundredths. Marchand, who was within the water on the time, cut up 22.59 to tug the Solar Devils from 4th to third.
The Gators received a 22.255 cut up from Julian Smith to maintain them operating in 2nd place. Then, Josh Liendo–who they left off this relay at SECs–had a sensational change and breakout that propelled the Gators into the lead for the remainder of the race. Liendo turned in an 18.97 fly cut up, which makes him simply the second man to separate sub-19. His cut up is now the second quickest all-time.
As we’ve gotten used to seeing, it was Macguire McDuff on the anchor for the Gators. He cut up 18.34, holding off Jonny Kulow‘s blazing 17.94 and McCarty’s 18.16, to take the win. The Gators swam 1:20.15, taking four-tenths off the NCAA and U.S. Open Information that ASU set at PAC-12s.
Florida – 2024 NCAAs | Arizona State – 2024 PAC-12s | |
Backstroke | Adam Chaney — 20.29 | Jack Dolan — 20.30 |
Breaststroke | Julian Smith — 20.55 | Leon Marchand — 22.71 |
Butterfly | Josh Liendo — 18.97 | Ilya Kharun — 19.30 |
Freestyle | Macguire McDuff — 18.34 | Jonny Kulow — 18.24 |
Whole | 1:20.15 | 1:20.55 |
ASU repeated their 1:20.55 from PAC-12s right here, which gave them second-place. Ilya Kharun and Dare Rose touched on the identical time after the fly legs, however Kulow’s cut up helped the Solar Devils separate themselves. Kulow is now the third-fastest swimmer in a 50 freestyle rolling cut up, behind Caeleb Dressel and Vlad Morozov.
Touching third, NC State’s Hayes, Sam Hoover (23.40), Luke Miller (19.35, and Quintin McCarty (18.16) reclaimed the American Document. They briefly held it after their swim at ACCs however then Florida took over after they swam about 20 minutes later at SECs. It’s again with the Wolfpack now, who after changing all 4 legs of their 2023 NCAA title profitable relay nonetheless took third in a report setting time.
800 Freestyle Relay — Timed Remaining
- NCAA Document: 6:03.42 — Texas (L. Hobson, C. Carrozza, P. Larson, C. Foster), 2024
- Meet Document: 6:03.42 — Texas (L. Hobson, C. Carrozza, P. Larson, C. Foster), 2024
- American Document: 6:03.42 — Texas (L. Hobson, C. Carrozza, P. Larson, C. Foster), 2024
- U.S. Open Document: 6:03.42 — Texas (L. Hobson, C. Carrozza, P. Larson, C. Foster), 2024
- 2023 Champion: 6:03.42 — Texas (L. Hobson, C. Carrozza, P. Larson, C. Foster), 2024
High 8: