Men’s NCAA Division I Preview: Butterfly

By John Lohn

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, March 13. DURING the coming week, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com will preview the Men's NCAA Division I Championships to be held in Minneapolis, Minn., from March 15-17. Next, take a look at a preview of the butterfly events.

Also, as a treat for our premium members, click here to find out how you can obtain an extensive resource package on the meet.

100 Butterfly
The top seed and overwhelming favorite is Arizona's Albert Subirats, who went 45.06 earlier in the year and could challenge the 45-second barrier. If he goes under, it's highly unlikely Subirats will finish with anything but a title. Meanwhile, the second seed belongs to Northwestern's Kyle Bubolz, entered at 45.96 and followed by Stanford's Ben Wildman-Tobriner at 46.00.

Although seeded ninth, the man who could be the biggest challenger to Subirats is Texas freshman Ricky Berens. Look for the talented youngster to drop a big chunk of time off his seed mark of 46.93. A jump from Berens' seed position would be huge for the Longhorns, expected to be in the championship hunt.

200 Butterfly
He might be seeded seventh, but Texas freshman Ricky Berens can be considered the favorite. Berens is expected to make waves for the United States in future international competitions and an NCAA title at a young age is not out of the question. Michigan's Alex Vanderkaay is the top seed and is followed by Indiana's Nick Walkotten and Stanford's Hongzhe Sun. Georgia's Gil Stovall, second last year, will also be in the mix.

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