Men's NCAA Championships, Day One: Vanderkaay Leads 1-2-4 Michigan Sweep -- March 25, 2004

By Phillip Whitten

EAST MEADOW, New York, March 25. MICHIGAN sophomore Peter Vanderkaay won the 400m freestyle this evening – his first-ever NCAA title -- and he left little doubt about the outcome right from the start.

Taking the lead from the very first stroke, he just kept going, splitting 1:49.98 at the 200 to lead the field by two seconds at the halfway point. Then he came back almost as fast as he went out to finish in 3:40.78, just missing the American record of 3:40.66 by Chad Carvin. “I wish I’d known I was that close,” he said. “ I think I could have gone a tenth of a second faster.”

Vanderkaay had the fastest time for each of the four 100 meter splits.

Michigan’s Dan Ketchum was second in 3:44.92 while another Wolverine, Andrew Hurd, was fourth. Michigan might have finished 1-2-3-4 but Arizona’s Tyler deBerry, who placed third, transferred from Michigan to Arizona, where he grew up.

USC’s Oussama Mellouli won the consols in 3:43.33 – which would have placed him second in the championship final.

Afterwards, Vanderkaay commented: Coach Urbanchek’s retirement inspired everyone on our team. We want to make his last NCAAs special.”

FINALS RESULTS
EVENT: 2 MEN's 400 Meter Freestyle

NCAA Record: 3:40.47 Ryk Neethling Arizona 2000
World Record: 3:34.58 Grant Hackett AUS 2002
American Record: 3:40.66 Chad Carvin USA 2000
US Open Record: 3:40.47 Ryk Neethling Arizona 2000
QUALIFYING FOR "A" Cut: 4:19.63
QUALIFYING FOR Meet Qualifying: 4:22.86

RESULTS of FINALS

RANK NAME YEAR TEAM PRELIM TIME

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

1) VANDERKAAY, PETER SO MICHIGAN 3:43.40 3:40.78
:53.91 :56.07 :56.44 :54.36
2) KETCHUM, DAN SR MICHIGAN 3:44.11 3:44.92
:55.02 :57.01 :57.34 :55.55
3) DeBERRY, TYLER SO ARIZONA 3:43.78 3:45.51
:55.34 :57.07 :56.65 :56.45
4) HURD, ANDREW JR MICHIGAN 3:45.49 3:45.91
:55.41 :58.13 :57.34 :55.03
5) CRAMER, JAYME JR STANFORD 3:44.94 3:45.94
:54.78 :56.88 :57.48 :56.80
6) MARGALIS, ROBERT JR GEORGIA 3:44.97 3:46.07
:55.21 :57.95 :57.52 :55.39
7) JONES, BJ JR AUBURN 3:45.25 3:47.30
:54.88 :57.32 :58.31 :56.79
8) SUGUIYAMA, YURI SR NORTH CAROLINA 3:44.89 3:47.45
:55.19 :57.83 :57.73 :56.70

CONSOLATION FINAL

9) MELLOULI, OUSAMA SO SOUTHERN CAL. 3:45.69 3:43.33
:53.83 :56.78 :56.71 :56.01
10) CRIPPEN, FRAN SO VIRGINIA 3:46.19 3:45.17
:54.44 :57.10 :56.85 :56.78
11) RUSSELL, COLIN FR INDIANA 3:47.11 3:46.18
:54.93 :57.46 :57.27 :56.52
12) PEIRSOL, AARON SO TEXAS 3:46.55 3:46.94
:54.11 :56.99 :57.81 :58.03
13) PRICHARD, IAN SR VIRGINIA 3:46.89 3:47.08
:54.57 :57.65 :57.91 :56.95
14) MANLEY, STEVEN SO KENTUCKY 3:46.83 3:48.83
:55.84 :58.00 :58.02 :56.97
15) HARTLEY, BRIAN SO FLORIDA 3:47.84 3:49.93
:55.23 :57.70 :58.31 :58.69
16) PHILLIPS, SHAUN FR STANFORD 3:46.84 3:50.68
:55.43 :57.57 :58.46 :59.22