USC Earns Two Top Seeds During Pac-12 Men’s Day Three Prelims

Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold / Aringo Photos

Stanford has the lead in the team race after two days of the men’s Pac-12 championships, having scored 387 points, but USC (305) and Cal (292) are not out of it yet. It was the Trojans that took perhaps the biggest step forward during the third morning of preliminary action, as they head into the finals with a pair of top seeds.

Stanford should score big points in the first final of the night, the 400 IM, as Abrahm DeVine topped the field in 3:44.39, and he was joined in the final by teammates Justin Buck (3:47.02), Curtis Ogren (3:47.34) and Max Williamson (3:48.93), who qualified sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

Arizona’s Nick Thorne will be in title-contention in the final as he qualified second in 3:44.56, and just behind was Cal’s Ken Takahashi in 3:44.92.

USC’s Patrick Mulcare touched fifth in 3:45.54, and Cal’s Andrew Seliskar will be back in the water after winning the 200 IM, qualifying fifth in 3:46.34.

Event 10  Men 400 Yard IM
==================================================================
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 DeVine, Abrahm         SO STAN-PC           3:41.64    3:44.39  
       23.46    27.11    29.56    28.50
       31.25    31.81    27.54    25.16
  2 Thorne, Nick           JR ARIZ-AZ           3:42.59    3:44.56  
       23.63    26.82    29.13    28.71
       32.09    32.43    26.69    25.06
  3 Takahashi, Ken         SO CAL-PC            3:51.04    3:44.92  
       23.95    27.26    28.77    28.45
       31.56    32.06    26.29    26.58
  4 Mulcare, Patrick       SO USC-CA            3:51.26    3:45.54  
       23.77    27.69    28.43    28.19
       32.49    32.75    27.06    25.16
  5 Seliskar, Andrew       SO CAL-PC            3:39.54    3:46.34  
       23.08    26.83    29.39    28.46
       31.91    32.21    27.79    26.67
  6 Buck, Justin           SR STAN-PC           3:54.63    3:47.02  
       24.22    27.06    29.39    28.66
       32.22    32.45    26.85    26.17
  7 Ogren, Curtis          JR STAN-PC           3:42.04    3:47.34  
       23.89    27.20    28.56    27.48
       32.02    32.96    28.13    27.10
  8 Williamson, Max        SR STAN-PC           3:42.53    3:48.93  
       23.98    27.96    29.57    29.12
       32.02    32.34    26.96    26.98

The Golden Bears finished 1-2 in the 100 fly with Justin Lynch qualifying first in 45.51 and Matthew Josa taking second with his time of 45.68. Just behind them was Arizona State’s Andrew Porter, who checked in at 45.78.

USC’s Alex Valente took fourth in the prelims in 46.02, one one-hundredth ahead of Stanford’s Andrew Liang (46.03). Also making the final were Arizona’s Chatham Dobbs (46.18), USC’s Santo Condorelli (46.20) and ASU’s Tadas Duskinas (46.36).

Event 11  Men 100 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Lynch, Justin          JR CAL-PC              45.85      45.51  
        9.59    11.27    12.10    12.55
  2 Josa, Matthew          JR CAL-PC              47.01      45.68  
        9.50    11.54    11.92    12.72
  3 Porter, Andrew         JR ASU-AZ              46.35      45.78  
        9.69    11.59    11.91    12.59
  4 Valente, Alex          SO USC-CA              47.11      46.02  
        9.86    11.33    12.02    12.81
  5 Liang, Andrew          JR STAN-PC             45.93      46.03  
        9.74    11.62    12.19    12.48
  6 Dobbs, Chatham         SO ARIZ-AZ             46.14      46.18  
        9.34    11.76    12.19    12.89
  7 Condorelli, Santo      JR USC-CA              47.36      46.20  
        9.80    11.71    12.06    12.63
  8 Duskinas, Tadas        SR ASU-AZ              46.56      46.36  
        9.45    11.58    12.28    13.05

USC’s Dylan Carter and ASU’s Cameron Craig both posted quick leadoff splits on their respective squads’ 800 free relays, and both will have a chance to improve on those times in the 200 free final.

Craig, who led off in 1:32.16 to rank fourth in the country this year, posted the top seed in prelims, touching in 1:33.34, while Carter will have to swim from lane one after qualifying seventh in 1:34.53. But Carter has proven he can go much faster after his 1:32.15 swim two days earlier, ranked No. 3 in the NCAA.

Utah got a swimmer into prime position for the final as Austin Phillips qualified second in 1:34.20, while Cal’s Long Gutierrez (1:34.22) and Michael Jensen (1:34.31) took third and fourth, respectively.

USC’s Reed Malone qualified fifth in 1:34.37, and sixth was 500 free champion and Stanford freshman Grant Shoults (1:34.46). Cal’s Kyle Coan grabbed the last spot in the A-final, touching in 1:34.94.

Event 12  Men 200 Yard Freestyle
==================================================================
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Craig, Cameron         FR ASU-AZ            1:34.57    1:33.34  
       22.28    23.82    24.04    23.20
  2 Phillips, Austin       SO UTAH-UT           1:37.24    1:34.20  
       21.94    23.90    24.13    24.23
  3 Gutierrez, Long        SR CAL-PC            1:35.00    1:34.22  
       22.15    23.86    24.34    23.87
  4 Jensen, Michael        FR CAL-PC            1:33.76    1:34.31  
       21.42    23.82    24.29    24.78
  5 Malone, Reed           SR USC-CA            1:36.56    1:34.37  
       21.93    23.83    24.17    24.44
  6 Shoults, Grant         FR STAN-PC           1:34.15    1:34.46  
       22.28    24.01    24.19    23.98
  7 Carter, Dylan          JR USC-CA            1:32.61    1:34.53  
       21.75    23.85    24.49    24.44
  8 Coan, Kyle             JR CAL-PC            1:37.86    1:34.94  
       21.78    24.04    24.26    24.86

USC’s Carsten Vissering led the way in the 100 breast with a strong time of 51.82, which moves him into eighth in the country this season. Meanwhile, Cal’s Connor Hoppe edged out ASU’s Christian Lorenz for the No. 2 seed, 52.29 to 52.32.

Arizona’s Blair Bish finished fourth in 52.61, and also making the final were Stanford’s Matt Anderson (52.69), Cal’s Carson Sand (52.72), USC’s Steven Stumph (53.00) and Cal’s Matt Whittle (53.05).

Event 13  Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Vissering, Carsten     SO USC-CA              52.17      51.82  
       11.05    13.16    13.61    14.00
  2 Hoppe, Connor          JR CAL-PC              52.44      52.29  
       10.95    13.39    13.67    14.28
  3 Lorenz, Christian      JR ASU-AZ              53.24      52.32  
       11.20    13.32    27.80         
  4 Bish, Blair            SO ARIZ-AZ             52.77      52.61  
       11.17    13.56    13.91    13.97
  5 Anderson, Matt         SO STAN-PC             53.24      52.69  
       11.00    13.64    13.70    14.35
  6 Sand, Carson           SO CAL-PC              52.61      52.72  
       11.22    13.43    13.78    14.29
  7 Stumph, Steven         SR USC-CA              55.35      53.00  
       11.39    13.75    13.75    14.11
  8 Whittle, Matt          JR CAL-PC              53.56      53.05  
       11.45    13.65    13.84    14.11

USC posted another top seed in the 100 back when Ralf Tribuntsov touched in 45.74. He finished just ahead of Stanford’s Ryan Dudzinski (45.84) and ASU’s Richard Bohus (45.84).

But Ryan Murphy is lurking.

The three-time defending NCAA champion in both backstrokes posted a time of 45.94 in prelims to qualify fourth. He already has the fastest time in the country this year at 44.61, and his American record in the event is a 43.49 from last season.

Utah’s Paul Ungur qualified fifth in 46.31, and he will be joined in the final by Arizona’s Thomas Anderson (46.41), Stanford’s Andrew Liang (46.54) and Utah’s Justin McArthur (46.60).

Event 14  Men 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Tribuntsov, Ralf       JR USC-CA              45.91      45.74  
       10.97    11.34    11.87    11.56
  2 Dudzinski, Ryan        SO STAN-PC             46.89      45.84  
       11.09    11.45    11.71    11.59
  3 Bohus, Richard         SR ASU-AZ              46.00      45.91  
       10.70    11.28    12.01    11.92
  4 Murphy, Ryan           SR CAL-PC              44.61      45.94  
       10.72    11.45    12.02    11.75
  5 Ungur, Paul            JR UTAH-UT             47.52      46.31  
       10.53    11.21    12.12    12.45
  6 Anderson, Thomas       FR ARIZ-AZ             46.84      46.41  
       10.98    11.61    11.96    11.86
  7 Liang, Andrew          JR STAN-PC                NT      46.54  
       11.21    11.57    11.85    11.91
  8 McArthur, Justin       SO UTAH-UT             47.25      46.60  
       10.78    11.40    12.15    12.27

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