Georgia Invitational: Cal’s Relay Speed Takes Lead Over Georgia

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Cal's Abbey Weitzeil. Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

By Dan D’Addona.

Georgia’s Chase Kalisz, Olivia Smoliga and Chantal Van Landeghem all earned NCAA automatic qualifying times during the first day of their home Georgia Fall Invitational.

But it was the Cal Golden Bears that took the early lead in the meet Friday with relay-record speed.

Cal leads the men’s meet with 259 points, followed by Georgia (223) and Auburn (209), Virginia (181), Florida State (173) and Michigan (143). In the women’s meet, Cal leads with 285, followed by Georgia (270, Virginia (218), Michigan (159) and Florida State (92).

It started fast for the Cal men as Pawel Sendyk, Ryan Murphy, Michael Jensen and Justin Lynch won the 200-yard freestyle relay in an NCAA “A” time of 1:16.94.

It ended even faster as Murphy, Connor Hoppe, Lynch and Jensen won the 400 medley relay in the fastest time in the nation this year (3:03.82). Sendyk also won the 50 freestyle (19.01), second fastest in the country this season.

For the Cal women, Olympian Abbey Weitzeil, Amy Bilquist, Valerie Hull and Farida Osman won the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.31) to break the school record and post the fastest time in the nation this season.

Olympian Kathleen Baker won the 200 IM (1:53.41).

Bilquist led off the 400 medley relay with a 50.85 backstroke split, the fastest time in the country this season in the 100 backstroke, as Marina Garcia, Noemie Thomas and Weitzeil won in 3:28.33.

Georgia’s Smoliga and Van Landeghem went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle, which also featured four Olympians, with A cuts of 21.58 and 21.76, respectively. Weitzeil was third in an “A” cut of 21.81.

Kalisz won the signature race of the evening as he took the 200 individual medley featuring four United States Olympians with an A-cut time of 1:41.26. Fellow Rio competitors Murphy (1:42.53), Gunnar Bentz (1:43.63) and Jay Litherland (1:44.57) were 3-4-5 behind Kalisz and Cal’s Andrew Seliskar (1:42.41).

Kevin Litherland and Walker Higgins went 1-2 in the 500 freestyle with times of 4:15.33 and 4:16.91, respectively.

Smoliga and Van Landeghem also bookended the 200 freestyle relay, teaming with Veronica Burchill and Emily Cameron, to set the school record with a second-place effort of 1:26.79. That broke the mark of 1:26.89 set in 2013.

Virginia’s Kaitlyn Jones took second in the 200 IM with a Virginia record time of 1:54.05, an NCAA “A” cut. Jennifer Markkand took third (1:55.9), also an NCAA “A” cut.

Michigan’s G Ryan (4:34.28) and Rose Bi (4:34.63) went 1-2 in the women’s 500 freestyle.

UCLA’s Eloise Belanger won 3-meter diving (331.3 points). Auburn’s Pete Turnham won 1-meter diving (314.2).

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