Matt Grevers Shatters Six Pool Records at NU TYR Invitational; Northwestern Leads After Day 2

EVANSTON, Ill., Nov. 21. NORTHWESTERN sophomore Matt Grevers is a young man on the way up — in a hurry.

The 6-7 Lake Forest, IL. native, who could have written his ticket to any university in the country but opted to stay close to home by attending Northwestern (much to Coach Bob Groseth's delight!), has blasted a half-dozen Norris Aquatic Center records in the first two days of the TYR Invitational here.

During Friday's initial day of competition, Grevers broke four NACl records by swimming in just three events. On Saturday, he broke two more to bring his two-day total up to six.

Grevers, who last year set the Big Ten and 17-18 NAG record in the 100 backstroke with his winning 46.68, established pool marks in the 200 IM (pr 1:45.84, fastest-nationally); the 50 free (19.93) and the 400 medley relay (3:15.16), where he led off in a workmanlike (and unshaved) 47.85 — thus breaking his own record by .01 seconds.

On Saturday the seven-time All-America then bested his own 100 back time again with a 47.45 in the finals and was part of the pool record-setting 200 medley relay that finished with a time of 1:28.82.

Grevers ranks No. 2 on the all-time Big Ten 50 list with his pr and 'Cat-record 19.44 from last year's championships, which he won. Only Michigan's Brent Lang (19.36 in '90) is faster in the two-lapper. In the 100 free, Grevers' 42.77 from the Big Ten meet is also second all-time to Lang's 42.66 among Big Ten swimmers. It is also the 17-18 NAG and NU record.

His IM clocking is a pr by several seconds as he had never been under 1:49.0 previously. It's also not far off former Wildcat Anthony Swanson's school record 1:45.64 from the Big Tens a couple of years ago. For that matter, it would seem former Minnesota Golden Gopher Paul Nelson's Big Ten record (1:45.33 from NCAAs 11 years ago) is not out of reach either.

While he's almost two seconds off the 'Cat record, Grevers is a fine 200 backstroker too, as evidenced by his pr of 1:44.30 from last season.

Joining Grevers on the 200 and 400 medley squad were Mike Alexandrov (Champaign, Ill./Centennial), Kyle Bubolz (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) and David Kormushoff (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central).

Northwestern's 200 freestyle relay also bested a pool mark Friday when Bubolz, Mike Gustafson (Lowell, Mich./Lowell), Kormushoff and Matt Weaver (Boise, Idaho/Boise) finished in 1:20.28.

Not to be outdone by the swimmers, freshman diver Ryan McIntosh (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) set a new school record with a 297.30 on the 1-meter board.

The Wildcats were not the only team getting in on the record-setting action. Elliot Rushton of Division III Kenyon College broke the Norris Aquatics Center pool mark in the 500 freestyle Friday with a time of 4:25.35.

Northwestern leads the five team event after two days with a score of 702 points. In second is Pittsburgh with 591, Missouri is third with 550.50, Southern Illinois checks in with 453.50 in fourth place and Kenyon College is fifth with 309 points.

Northwestern has a team that while perhaps not deep enough to challenge for the Big Ten title, has some excellent individual swimmers, including Bulgarian Mike Alexandrov, a fine IMer-breaststroker; and Kyle Bubolz, a promising freshman from Wisconsin who holds the 15-16 NAG record in the 100 yard butterfly (47.22) and has his eye on a berth on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team for Beijing (as no doubt Grevers does too!)

The TYR Invitational concludes on Sunday with preliminaries beginning at 9 a.m. and finals taking place at 3 p.m.

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