Flash! NCAA Div. I Men’s Champs, Day 3 Finals: Draganja Gets Revenge, Sets New NCAA 100 Free Mark

By Kevin Noth, SwimInfo Special Correspondent
Photos by Tim Morse

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., March 26. DUJE Draganja was not be outdone this time. After taking a backseat to Fred Bousquet’s record-setting performance in the 50 freestyle on Thursday, the Cal senior made an emphatic statement in the finals of the 100 freestyle.

Draganja set a new U.S. Open and NCAA record in the 100 free by clocking 41.49 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 41.62 held by Anthony Ervin since 2002.

Draganja made it his race to lose by recording a sizzling first 25 split of 9.43. The Cal senior continued to add to his lead throughout, holding a full body length lead at the final turn and clocking 10.86 over the final 25 split en route to capturing the event title by .70.

The chase for the 100 freestyle title appeared to be a wide open affair heading into tonight’s finals as the top-seven swimmers clocked times within .15 of each other during prelims. But Draganja, who just missed going under 19 seconds during the finals of the 50 freestyle, burned the entire field that included this year’s 50 and 200 freestyle champions.

Auburn’s Bousquet took second in a time of 42.61 and Lyndon Ferns was .03 behind in third. Ben Wildman-Tobriner (Stanford), Rolandas Gimbutis (Cal) and Matt Grevers (Northwestern) placed fourth through sixth, respectively.

Simon Burnett (Arizona) finished in seventh and George Bovell (Auburn) in eighth rounded out the championship field.

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