Day Four Finals Live Recap

2022 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saturday Night Finals Heat Sheet

It’s the final night of the Men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, taking place at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. While the Cal Golden Bears and Texas Longhorns have battled all week long, the Bears had a huge morning that seems to give them an edge in the team race in tonight’s finals session. Tonight’s swimming will include the top heat of the 1650, then finals of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, platform diving and the 400 free relay. Finals start at 6 PM EST.

Team scores following day three:

1. Cal: 320.5
2. Texas 313
3. Florida: 272
4. NC State: 214
5. Indiana: 183
6. Arizona State: 167
7. Stanford: 169
8. Georgia: 150
9. Louisville/Ohio State: 108

The Tokyo 1500 Olympic champion Bobby Finke headlines the men’s 1650 free, coming in as the heavy favorite. Cal’s Destin Lasco then comes in as the top qualified in the 200 back and may have a shot at taking down Ryan Murphy‘s NCAA record, set six years ago at this pool.

Cal has a second top qualifier this evening in sophomore Bjoern Seeliger, who hit a 40.75 in the 100 free this morning to secure the top spot. Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks and LSU’s Brooks Curry are both close behind after hitting 41.1s this morning.

University of Pennsylvania freshman Matt Fallon was the only swimmer this morning under the 1:50 barrier in 1:49.03, but 100 breast champion Max McHugh is lurking in lane 5 after qualifying second in 1:50.31. Louisville’s Nicolas Albiero and Georgia’s Luca Urlando will go head to head in the 200 fly, with Albiero coming in as the top seed.

The session will wrap up with the 400 free relay, where Cal holds the top seed with a 2:45.95, just .01 ahead of their Pac 12 rivals Arizona State.

1650 Freestyle

• NCAA Record: 14:12.08, Bobby Finke, Florida, 2020
• NCAA Meet Record: 14:12.52, Bobby Finke, Florida, 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 14:12.08, Bobby Finke, Florida, 2020
• American Record: 14:12.08, Bobby Finke, Florida, 2020
• Pool Record: 14:29.43, Sebastien Rouault, Georgia, 2008

Top 8 finishers:

1. Bobby Finke (FLOR- Senior): 14:22.28
2. Will Gallant (NCST- Sophomore): 14:31.34
3. Ross Dant (NCST- Junior): 14:31.72
4. Jake Magahey (UGA- Sophomore): 14:33.53
5. David Johnston (TEX- Sophomore): 14:33.61
6. Michael Brinegar (IU- Junior): 14:33.76
7. Brooks Fail (ZONA- 5Y): 14:35.33
8. Charlie Clark (OSU- Sophomore): 14:35.38

Florida senior Bobby Finke, the heavy favorite coming in, defended his title from last year with a 14:22.28. While he was 10 seconds off his own NCAA and American record, he easily won by over nine seconds.

NC State earned a 2nd and 3rd place finish from sophomore Will Gallant and junior Ross Dant with both of them touching in 14:31, while Georgia sophomore finished 4th in 14:33.53.

Texas earned one swimmer in the top 8, with sophomore David Johnston finishing fifth in 14:33.61.

In the early heats, it was Indiana’s Michael Brinegar who put up the top time with a 14:33.76. Brinegar was out pretty quick and Arizona’s Brooks Fail began to make up ground over the last few hundred yards but Brinegar was able to hold him off. Stanford’s Grant Shoults, swimming in his final collegiate race for Stanford, posted a 14:38.18 for the third fastest time heading into the finals.

200 back

Top 3 finishers:

1. Destin Lasco (CAL- Sophomore): 1:37.71
2. Carson Foster (TEX- Sophomore): 1:38.77
3. Daniel Carr (CAL- 5Y): 1:39.06
4. Kieran Smith (FLOR- Senior): 1:39.39
5. Leon LacAlister (STAN- Junior): 1:39.67
6. Jack Dahlgren (MIZZ- Senior): 1:40.17
7. Bryce Mefford (CAL- 5Y): 1:40.31
8. Justin Grender (UVA- Senior): 1:40.72

Destin Lasco, the top seed coming into this meet, took home the title in 1:37.71. Texas sophomore Carson Foster went out fast and flipped first at the 100, but Lasco charged past him on the back half to take the win.

Cal also had fifth year’s Daniel Carr (3rd) and Bryce Mefford (7th) finish in the top 8. With these results, Cal now holds a 28.5 point lead on Texas.

Virigina’s Jack Aikens, swimming out of lane 7, won the B final in 1:39.26. Aikens was pushed hard on the final 25 by NC State’s Hunter Tapp and Kacper Stokowski, but was able to get his hand on the wall first.

100 free

• NCAA Record: Caeleb Dressel (FLOR): 39.90
• NCAA Meet Record: Caeleb Dressel (FLOR): 39.90
• American Record: Caeleb Dressel (FLOR): 39.90
• US Open Record: Caeleb Dressel (FLOR): 39.90
• Pool Record: Caeleb Dressel (FLOR): 40.46

Top 8 finishers:

1. Brooks Curry (LSU- Junior): 40.84
2. Bjoern Seeliger (CAL- Sophomore): 41.00
3. Andrei Minakov (STAN- Sophomore): 41.09
4. Matt Brownstead (UVA- Sophomore): 41.22
5. Jordan Crooks (TENN- Freshman): 41.24
6. Drew Kibler (TEX- Senior): 41.33
7. Matt King (UVA- Sophomore): 41.34
8. Danny Krueger (TEX0 Senior): 41.62

LSU junior Brooks Curry completed the sprint sweep on the weekend, winning the 200 free in 40.84. Curry used a masterful last 25 to overtake the field and win at the touch. Cal’s Bjoern Seeliger, who qualified first out of the prelims, finished 2nd in 41.00. Seeliger and Crooks turned nearly even in the lead at the halfway point, both out in 19.2, but Crooks faded on the final 25 to finish 5th in 41.24.

ROudning out the top three finishers was Stanford’s Andrei Minakov, who finished in 41.09.

Harvard’s Dean Farris, who won this in 2019, won the B final in 41.42. He touched just ahead of Ohio State’s Ruslan Gaziev, who finished in 41.56.

200 breast

• NCAA Record: Will Licon (TEX): 1:47.91
• NCAA Meet Record: Will Licon (TEX): 1:47.91
• American Record: Will Licon (TEX): 1:47.91
• US Open Record: Will Licon (TEX): 1:47.91
• Pool Record: Will Licon (TEX): 1:48.12

Top 8 finishers:

1. Leon Marchand (ASU- Freshman): 1:48.20
2. Max McHugh (MINN- Senior): 1:48.76
3. Matt Fallon (PENN- Freshman): 1:49.16
4. Carles Coll Marti (VT- Sophomore): 1:49.69
5. Caio Pumputis (GT- 5Y): 1:50.61
6. Caspar Corbeau (TEX- Junior): 1:50.79
7. Reece Whitley (CAL- Senior): 1:50.83
8. Daniel Roy (STAN- Senior): 1:51.17

Arizona State’s Leon Marchand won his second individual title of the meet, taking home the title in 1:48.20, the second fastest performance of all time. He overtook Minnesota senior Max McHugh on the final 50, who finished second in 1:48.76.

The field’s fastest back half belonged to Penn’s Matt Fallon, who turned 8th at the 100 but ran out of space to run down Marchand and McHugh.

Cal’s Liam Bell won the B final in 1:51.36, touching just ahead of his teammate Hug Gonzalez. Notably, Gonzalez seemed to have an issue on his start, coming up nearly a full body length behind the field off of the first pullout.

200 fly

• NCAA Record: Jack Conger (TEX): 1:37.35
• NCAA Meet Record: Jack Conger (TEX): 1:37.35
• American Record: Jack Conger (TEX): 1:37.35
• US Open Record: Jack Conger (TEX): 1:37.35
• Pool Record: Nicolas Albiero (LOU): 1:37.92