2019 Men’s NCAA Swimming Championships: Cal Takes Lead With Three Wins

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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During the third evening of finals at the 2019 men’s NCAA swimming championships in Austin, Texas, the California Golden Bears took the lead over the Texas Longhorns with wins in the 200 free relay, 200 IM and 50 free. Senior Andrew Seliskar and sophomore Ryan Hoffer keyed the Golden Bears effort, with Seliskar missing the American and NCAA record in the 200 IM by just one hundredth of a second.

Meanwhile, Texas’ Townley Haas swam the second-fastest time ever in the 500 free as the four-time defending champion Longhorns remain in second place. Cal currently sits at 212 points, 24 ahead of Texas (188). Rounding out the top five are Indiana (155), NC State (136) and Florida (76).

Full results

Read below for an event-by-event recap of the finals session.

200 Free Relay

In the first final of the night, Cal and NC State swam head-to-head for the first three legs, with the Bears only a tenth ahead of the Wolfpack with 50 yards to go. But Andrew Seliskar took over for Cal on the final leg, splitting 18.40 to secure the victory. Cal finished in 1:14.46, just off the NCAA record of 1:14.08 from 2009. The Bears relay also included Pawel Sendyk (18.84), Ryan Hoffer (18.43) and Michael Jensen (18.79).

NC State finished second in 1:14.78 with Nyls Korstanje, Justin Ress, Jacob Molacek and Giovanni Izzo. Ress split 18.32 to buoy the Wolfpack and make up ground on Hoffer, the top seed for the 50 free final.

Texas took third in 1:15.11 with Daniel Krueger, Drew Kibler, Jake Sannen and Tate Jackson, with Jackson anchoring in 18.38.

Indiana finished fourth in 1:15.41, followed by Florida State (1:15.92), Alabama (1:16.23), Ohio State (1:16.89) and Harvard (1:18.09). Notably, Dean Farris split 18.52 for Harvard on the second leg.

Event 2  Men 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:14.08  28-Mar-09 Auburn
                          J Andkjaer, G Louw, K Norys, M Targett
         Meet: M 1:14.08  28-Mar-09 Auburn
                          J Andkjaer, G Louw, K Norys, M Targett
     American: A 1:14.50  22-Mar-18 NC State
                          R Held, J, Ress, J Molacek, C Stewart
   U. S. Open: O 1:14.08  28-Mar-09 Auburn
                          J Andkjaer, G Louw, K Norys, M Targett
         Pool: P 1:14.72  28-Mar-19 California
                          P Sendyk, R Hoffer, M Jensen, A Seliskar
    School                              Prelims     Finals Points 
==================================================================================
                            === Championship Final ===                            
 
  1 California                          1:14.72    1:14.46P  40  
     1) Sendyk, Pawel JR              2) r:0.15 Hoffer, Ryan SO       
     3) r:0.28 Jensen, Michael JR     4) r:0.04 Seliskar, Andrew SR   
     r:+0.65  9.07        18.84 (18.84)
           27.50 (8.66)       37.27 (18.43)
           46.11 (8.84)       56.06 (18.79)
         1:04.57 (8.51)     1:14.46 (18.40)
  2 NC State                            1:15.03    1:14.78   34  
     1) Korstanje, Nyls FR            2) r:0.10 Ress, Justin SR       
     3) r:0.22 Molacek, Jacob SR      4) r:0.19 Izzo, Giovanni SO     
     r:+0.61  9.11        19.03 (19.03)
           27.47 (8.44)       37.35 (18.32)
           46.09 (8.74)       56.16 (18.81)
         1:04.80 (8.64)     1:14.78 (18.62)
  3 Texas                               1:15.53    1:15.11   32  
     1) Krueger, Daniel FR            2) r:0.19 Kibler, Drew FR       
     3) r:0.22 Sannem, Jake SO        4) r:0.30 Jackson, Tate SR      
     r:+0.73  9.23        19.19 (19.19)
           27.87 (8.68)       37.81 (18.62)
           46.71 (8.90)       56.73 (18.92)
         1:05.35 (8.62)     1:15.11 (18.38)
  4 Indiana                             1:15.60    1:15.41   30  
     1) Apple, Zach SR                2) r:0.17 Blaskovic, Bruno SO   
     3) r:0.27 Samy, Mohamed JR       4) r:0.13 Hamblin, Brandon FR   
     r:+0.62  9.13        19.06 (19.06)
           27.91 (8.85)       37.84 (18.78)
           46.94 (9.10)       56.71 (18.87)
         1:05.50 (8.79)     1:15.41 (18.70)
  5 Florida St                          1:15.73    1:15.92   28  
     1) Pisani, Will SR               2) r:0.11 Ksiazek, Jakub FR     
     3) r:0.26 Muratovic, Emir SR     4) r:0.33 Kaleoaloha, Kanoa SR  
     r:+0.66  9.25        19.14 (19.14)
           28.12 (8.98)       38.20 (19.06)
           47.05 (8.85)       57.10 (18.90)
         1:05.96 (8.86)     1:15.92 (18.82)
  6 Alabama                             1:15.64    1:16.23   26  
     1) Howard, Robert SR             2) r:0.27 Disette, Sam SO       
     3) r:0.25 Berneburg, Jonathan FR 4) r:0.23 Waddell, Zane JR      
     r:+0.68  9.16        18.93 (18.93)
           27.85 (8.92)       37.90 (18.97)
           46.98 (9.08)       57.05 (19.15)
         1:06.29 (9.24)     1:16.23 (19.18)
  7 Ohio St                             1:16.48    1:16.89   24  
     1) Loy, Andrew JR                2) r:0.08 Gaziev, Ruslan FR     
     3) r:0.23 Chavez, Mossimo SR     4) r:0.14 Sugar, Ben SO         
     r:+0.66  9.43        19.43 (19.43)
           28.35 (8.92)       38.41 (18.98)
           47.45 (9.04)       57.80 (19.39)
         1:06.69 (8.89)     1:16.89 (19.09)
  8 Harvard                             1:16.43    1:18.06   22  
     1) Marcoux, Raphael JR           2) r:0.29 Farris, Dean JR       
     3) r:0.39 Gures, Umitcan FR      4) r:0.36 Goddard, Grant SR     
     r:+0.61  9.51        19.66 (19.66)
           28.49 (8.83)       38.18 (18.52)
           47.69 (9.51)       58.11 (19.93)
         1:07.44 (9.33)     1:18.06 (19.95)

500 Free

Going for his third straight NCAA title in the 500 free, Texas senior Townley Haas took the race out at a never-before-seen pace, splitting 1:35.69 at the 200 and almost swimming the first half in under 2:00. At one point, Haas was nearly three seconds under pace for the American record, which belongs to Zane Grothe at 4:07.25.

Haas was still under record-pace at the 450, only to fade slightly on the last 50. He finished in 4:08.19, breaking Clark Smith’s NCAA record of 4:08.42 set in 2017. Haas’ performance made him the second-fastest swimmer in history.

In Haas’ wake for much of the race, Cal’s Sean Grieshop ended up putting up a stellar swim for second, with a time of 4:10.29. Arizona’s Brooks Fail finished third in 4:10.77.

Michigan’s Ricardo Vargas Jacobo finished fourth in 4:12.21, ahead of Georgia’s Walker Higgins (4:12.65) and South Carolina’s Fynn Minuth (4:12.72). Also in the A-final were Texas A&M’s Mark Theall (4:16.05) and Harvard’s Brennan Novak (4:21.72).

In the B-final, Cal’s Trenton Julian crushed the field with an impressive time of 4:11.30, better than all but the top three in the A-final.

Event 3  Men 500 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 4:08.42  23-Mar-17 Clark Smith, Texas
         Meet: M 4:08.42  23-Mar-17 Clark Smith, Texas
     American: A 4:07.25  30-Nov-17 Zane Grothe, Badger Swim Club
   U. S. Open: O 4:07.25  30-Nov-17 Zane Grothe, Badger Swim Club
         Pool: P 4:08.82  03-Dec-15 Clark Smith, Texas
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Haas, Townley          SR Texas             4:11.01    4:08.19N  20  
    r:+0.74  22.24        46.38 (24.14)
        1:10.82 (24.44)     1:35.69 (24.87)
        2:00.49 (24.80)     2:25.70 (25.21)
        2:51.25 (25.55)     3:17.27 (26.02)
        3:43.03 (25.76)     4:08.19 (25.16)
  2 Grieshop, Sean         SO California        4:11.11    4:10.29   17  
    r:+0.68  23.05        47.84 (24.79)
        1:12.84 (25.00)     1:38.47 (25.63)
        2:04.13 (25.66)     2:29.68 (25.55)
        2:55.16 (25.48)     3:20.54 (25.38)
        3:45.77 (25.23)     4:10.29 (24.52)
  3 Fail, Brooks           SO Arizona           4:11.51    4:10.77   16  
    r:+0.72  23.30        48.40 (25.10)
        1:13.74 (25.34)     1:39.24 (25.50)
        2:05.05 (25.81)     2:30.73 (25.68)
        2:56.17 (25.44)     3:21.27 (25.10)
        3:46.25 (24.98)     4:10.77 (24.52)
  4 Vargas Jacobo, Ricard  SO Michigan          4:13.15    4:12.21   15  
    r:+0.65  23.16        48.11 (24.95)
        1:13.55 (25.44)     1:39.07 (25.52)
        2:04.71 (25.64)     2:30.13 (25.42)
        2:55.54 (25.41)     3:21.10 (25.56)
        3:46.61 (25.51)     4:12.21 (25.60)
  5 Higgins, Walker        JR Georgia           4:12.57    4:12.65   14  
    r:+0.69  22.63        47.48 (24.85)
        1:12.94 (25.46)     1:38.28 (25.34)
        2:04.02 (25.74)     2:29.88 (25.86)
        2:55.42 (25.54)     3:21.25 (25.83)
        3:47.33 (26.08)     4:12.65 (25.32)
  6 Minuth, Fynn           SR South Carolina    4:12.74    4:12.72   13  
    r:+0.70  23.03        47.98 (24.95)
        1:13.30 (25.32)     1:38.76 (25.46)
        2:04.32 (25.56)     2:29.96 (25.64)
        2:55.72 (25.76)     3:21.52 (25.80)
        3:47.33 (25.81)     4:12.72 (25.39)
  7 Theall, Mark           SO TA&M              4:12.70    4:16.05   12  
    r:+0.69  22.81        47.63 (24.82)
        1:13.01 (25.38)     1:38.94 (25.93)
        2:05.08 (26.14)     2:31.13 (26.05)
        2:57.50 (26.37)     3:23.33 (25.83)
        3:49.68 (26.35)     4:16.05 (26.37)
  8 Novak, Brennan         SR Harvard           4:13.72    4:21.72   11  
    r:+0.76  23.42        49.04 (25.62)
        1:15.24 (26.20)     1:41.22 (25.98)
        2:07.26 (26.04)     2:33.85 (26.59)
        3:00.70 (26.85)     3:28.07 (27.37)
        3:55.35 (27.28)     4:21.72 (26.37)

200 IM

Cal’s Andrew Seliskar entered his senior year NCAA championships as arguably the best swimmer to have never won an individual NCAA title. No longer. Seliskar threw down a massive effort in the 200 IM, and in the process, he posted the second-fastest time in history.

NC State’s Andreas Vazaios held a slight lead after backstroke, but Seliskar took over with a massive breaststroke leg, and he came home in 24.05, eight tenths faster than anyone else in the field. Slightly under American, NCAA and U.S. Open record pace after 150 yards, Seliskar ended up finishing in 1:38.14, just one hundredth off Caeleb Dressel’s record of 1:38.13 set at the 2018 SEC championships. Few had expected Dressel’s record to be touched for years, but Seliskar very nearly took it down.

Seliskar also broke the meet record, a 1:39.38 set by David Nolan in 2015.

Vazaios ended up finishing second in 1:39.35, vaulting him into third all-time behind Dressel and Seliskar, just ahead of former American record-holder Nolan. Texas’ John Shebat finished third in 1:39.63, good for sixth all-time behind the aforementioned quartet and Jan Switkowski.

Indiana’s Vini Lanza finished fourth in 1:40.33, and Stanford’s Abrahm DeVine took fifth in 1:40.77. The A-final also included Georgia Tech’s Caio Pumputis (1:41.04), Indiana’s Ian Finnerty (1:42.84) and Florida’s Kieran Smith (1:44.23).

Event 4  Men 200 Yard IM
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:38.13  15-Feb-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Meet: M 1:39.38  26-Mar-15 David Nolan, Stanford
     American: A 1:38.13  15-Feb-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 1:38.13  15-Feb-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 1:39.90  28-Mar-19 Andrew Seliskar, California
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Seliskar, Andrew       SR California        1:39.90    1:38.14M  20  
    r:+0.60  21.58        46.04 (24.46)
        1:14.09 (28.05)     1:38.14 (24.05)
  2 Vazaios, Andreas       SR NC State          1:40.62    1:39.35M  17  
    r:+0.69  22.05        45.84 (23.79)
        1:14.51 (28.67)     1:39.35 (24.84)
  3 Shebat, John           SR Texas             1:40.83    1:39.63P  16  
    r:+0.68  21.41        46.20 (24.79)
        1:15.33 (29.13)     1:39.63 (24.30)
  4 Lanza, Vini            SR Indiana           1:40.23    1:40.30   15  
    r:+0.66  21.17        46.50 (25.33)
        1:15.79 (29.29)     1:40.30 (24.51)
  5 DeVine, Abrahm         SR Stanford          1:41.44    1:40.77   14  
    r:+0.67  21.81        46.72 (24.91)
        1:16.23 (29.51)     1:40.77 (24.54)
  6 Pumputis, Caio         SO Georgia Tech      1:41.47    1:41.04   13  
    r:+0.66  21.92        47.23 (25.31)
        1:16.17 (28.94)     1:41.04 (24.87)
  7 Finnerty, Ian          SR Indiana           1:41.80    1:42.84   12  
    r:+0.66  21.84        47.89 (26.05)
        1:16.95 (29.06)     1:42.84 (25.89)
  8 Smith, Kieran          FR Florida           1:42.26    1:44.23   11  
    r:+0.70  21.67        47.24 (25.57)
        1:18.77 (31.53)     1:44.23 (25.46)

50 Free

Ryan Hoffer put the country on notice in prelims with his monster 18.58 effort, and he backed that up at night with an 18.63 to clinch his first individual national title. Just behind Hoffer was teammate Pawel Sendyk, who added second-place points for the Golden Bears with his time of 18.68. The duo led Cal to a 200 free relay victory earlier in the night.

Alabama’s Robert Howard finished third in 18.80, just ahead of Minnesota’s Bowe Becker (18.84). Indiana’s Zach Apple broke 19 with his fifth-place time of 18.99, and the other finalists included Harvard’s Dean Farris (19.02), Texas’ Tate Jackson (19.03) and NC State’s Justin Ress (19.10).

In what is developing into a tight Texas-Cal team battle, Longhorns freshman Drew Kibler and Cal junior Michael Jensen tied for the B-final win in 19.15. A Cal swimmer or relay has finished first or second in every finals swim (championship or consolation) at the meet.

Event 5  Men 50 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 17.63  22-Mar-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Meet: M 17.63  22-Mar-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
     American: A 17.63  22-Mar-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 17.63  22-Mar-18 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 18.58  28-Mar-19 Ryan Hoffer, California
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Hoffer, Ryan           SO California          18.58      18.63   20  
     r:+0.63  8.98         18.63 (9.65)
  2 Sendyk, Pawel          JR California          18.66      18.68   17  
     r:+0.63  9.02         18.68 (9.66)
  3 Howard, Robert         SR Alabama             18.84      18.80   16  
     r:+0.67  9.07         18.80 (9.73)
  4 Becker, Bowe           SR Minnesota           18.88      18.84   15  
     r:+0.62  9.12         18.84 (9.72)
  5 Apple, Zach            SR Indiana             18.95      18.99   14  
     r:+0.60  9.05         18.99 (9.94)
  6 Farris, Dean           JR Harvard             18.92      19.02   13  
     r:+0.66  9.26         19.02 (9.76)
  7 Jackson, Tate          SR Texas               18.95      19.03   12  
     r:+0.68  9.24         19.03 (9.79)
  8 Ress, Justin           SR NC State            19.05      19.10   11  
     r:+0.63  9.18         19.10 (9.92)

1-meter Diving

Tennessee senior Zhipeng Zeng scored 405.40 points in the 1-meter competition to edge out Penn State’s Hector Garcia Boissier (399.30). Texas A&M’s Sam Thornton took third with 390.50 points.

Texas Longhorns Jordan Windle and Grayson Campbell scored 27 important points for the team competition with Windle finishing fourth (387.10) and Campbell taking seventh (340.45). That trimmed Cal’s lead in the team race to 27 points. Indiana’s James Connor scored fifth-place points with his score of 373.50, pulling the Hoosiers into third place ahead of NC State.

Miami’s Briadam Herrera took sixth (358.25) and Duke’s Nathaniel Hernandez was eighth (333.00).

Event 6  Men 1 mtr Diving
=========================================================================
         Meet: M 473.75  28-Mar-13 Kristian Ipsen, Stanford
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Zeng, Zhipeng          SR Tennessee          392.35     405.40   20  
  2 Garcia Boissier, Hect  SR Penn St            331.20     399.30   17  
  3 Thornton, Sam          SR TA&M               349.75     390.50   16  
  4 Windle, Jordan         SO Texas              332.60     387.10   15  
  5 Connor, James          SR Indiana            382.25     373.50   14  
  6 Herrera, Briadam       SR Miami              356.35     358.25   13  
  7 Campbell, Grayson      JR Texas              340.85     340.45   12  
  8 Hernandez, Nathaniel   JR Duke               320.90     333.00   11

400 Medley Relay

Ian Finnerty took over the lead on breaststroke, and his Indiana teammates held on to capture victory in the 400 medley relay. The team of Gabriel Fantoni (45.25), Finnerty (49.60), Vini Lanza (44.21) and Zach Apple (40.64) combined to swim a time of 2:59.70, the second-fastest 400 medley relay in history.

Almost two seconds behind the Hoosiers, in an all-important battle in the the team contest, Cal touched out Texas for second. Cal’s team of Daniel Carr, Reece Whitley, Andrew Seliskar and Ryan Hoffer finished in 3:01.56, with Hoffer anchoring in 41.00. Texas’ Austin Katz, Charlie Scheinfeld, John Shebat and Tate Jackson touched in 3:01.58, with Shebat providing a monster 43.89 fly split.

NC State took fourth in 3:03.25. Defending 100 back national champion Coleman Stewart was moved to the fly leg, and he responded with a 44.07 split. The rest of the final consisted of Louisville (3:03.45), USC (3:04.25), Missouri (3:04.51) and Florida (3:04.66). Notably, USC’s Carsten Vissering joined Finnerty with 49-second breaststroke splits with a 49.91.

Event 7  Men 400 Yard Medley Relay
==================================================================================
         NCAA: N 2:59.22  23-Mar-17 Texas
                          J Shebat, W Licon, J Schooling, J Conger
         Meet: M 2:59.22  23-Mar-17 Texas
                          J Shebat, W Licon, J Schooling, J Conger
     American: A 3:01.51  23-Mar-17 California
                          R Murphy, C Hoppe, M Josa, M Jensen
   U. S. Open: O 2:59.22  23-Mar-17 Texas
                          J Shebat, W Licon, J Schooling, J Conger
         Pool: P 3:01.26  28-Mar-19 Indiana
                          G Fantoni, I Finnerty, V Lanza, Z Apple
    School                              Prelims     Finals Points 
==================================================================================
                            === Championship Final ===                            
 
  1 Indiana                             3:01.26    2:59.70P  40  
     1) Fantoni, Gabriel SO           2) r:0.20 Finnerty, Ian SR      
     3) r:0.52 Lanza, Vini SR         4) r:0.31 Apple, Zach SR        
    r:+0.67  21.46        45.25 (45.25)
        1:08.15 (22.90)     1:34.85 (49.60)
        1:55.25 (20.40)     2:19.06 (44.21)
        2:38.37 (19.31)     2:59.70 (40.64)
  2 California                          3:04.48    3:01.56   34  
     1) Carr, Daniel SO               2) r:0.16 Whitley, Reece FR     
     3) r:0.24 Seliskar, Andrew SR    4) r:0.08 Hoffer, Ryan SO       
    r:+0.73  21.72        45.09 (45.09)
        1:08.72 (23.63)     1:36.24 (51.15)
        1:56.40 (20.16)     2:20.56 (44.32)
        2:40.07 (19.51)     3:01.56 (41.00)
  3 Texas                               3:03.80    3:01.58   32  
     1) Katz, Austin SO               2) r:0.21 Scheinfeld, Charlie FR
     3) r:0.20 Shebat, John SR        4) r:0.23 Jackson, Tate SR      
    r:+0.66  21.69        45.54 (45.54)
        1:08.72 (23.18)     1:36.51 (50.97)
        1:56.44 (19.93)     2:20.40 (43.89)
        2:39.84 (19.44)     3:01.58 (41.18)
  4 NC State                            3:03.81    3:03.25   30  
     1) Vazaios, Andreas SR           2) r:0.18 Graber, Daniel SR     
     3) r:0.15 Stewart, Coleman JR    4) r:0.19 Molacek, Jacob SR     
    r:+0.66  21.40        45.00 (45.00)
        1:09.25 (24.25)     1:37.42 (52.42)
        1:57.96 (20.54)     2:21.49 (44.07)
        2:41.41 (19.92)     3:03.25 (41.76)
  5 Louisville                          3:03.01    3:03.45   28  
     1) Albiero, Nicolas SO           2) r:-0.02 Somov, Evgenii SO    
     3) r:0.18 Harting, Zach SR       4) r:0.01 Barna, Andrej JR      
    r:+0.90  21.85        45.26 (45.26)
        1:09.06 (23.80)     1:36.94 (51.68)
        1:57.31 (20.37)     2:21.35 (44.41)
        2:40.98 (19.63)     3:03.45 (42.10)
  6 Southern Cali                       3:04.16    3:04.25   26  
     1) Mulcare, Patrick SR           2) r:0.35 Vissering, Carsten SR 
     3) r:0.22 Valente, Alex SR       4) r:0.23 Miljenic, Nikola SO   
    r:+0.74  22.03        46.25 (46.25)
        1:09.17 (22.92)     1:36.16 (49.91)
        1:57.02 (20.86)     2:21.67 (45.51)
        2:41.35 (19.68)     3:04.25 (42.58)
  7 Missouri                            3:04.37    3:04.51   24  
     1) Hein, Daniel JR               2) r:0.28 O'Brien, Jordan SR    
     3) r:0.16 Kovac, Danny FR        4) r:0.25 Schreuders, Mikel SR  
    r:+0.65  21.81        45.60 (45.60)
        1:09.41 (23.81)     1:37.76 (52.16)
        1:58.38 (20.62)     2:22.80 (45.04)
        2:42.57 (19.77)     3:04.51 (41.71)
  8 Florida                             3:04.78    3:04.66   22  
     1) Stokowski, Kacper FR          2) r:0.16 Guarente, Marco JR    
     3) r:0.34 Rooney, Maxime JR      4) r:0.32 Main, Bayley SR       
    r:+0.66  21.89        45.27 (45.27)
        1:09.23 (23.96)     1:37.49 (52.22)
        1:58.08 (20.59)     2:22.22 (44.73)
        2:42.22 (20.00)     3:04.66 (42.44)

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