2022 NCAA Men’s Championship: Brooks Curry on Another Hometown Win: ‘I’ve Been Dreaming About This Race’ (VIDEO)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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The 2022 NCAA Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championship last night continued from the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, with the 100-yard freestyle finals

In the prelims, Cal sophomore Bjorn Seeliger scorched a 40.75 to become the second-fastest performer in history. Florida’s Caeleb Dressel still holds the NCAA, meet, American and U.S. Open record at 39.90. But his pool record of 40.46 looked within reach heading into finals.

Seeliger has scorched some fast splits on relays in this meet, too, the fastest 50 backstroke split to lead off the 200 medley relay, and just about every swim he has participated in so far.

The talented field that Seeliger faced included U.S. Olympians Brooks Curry and Drew Kibler.

It all added up to a thrilling race.

In a late charge, LSU’s Brooks Curry won the 100 free in 40.84, giving him two NCAA titles this meet after winning the 50 free in his home town.

“I’ve been dreaming about this race in particular for a long time, especially to be In this pool coming back home. It’s a great feeling coming back here in such a fast field and be able to win that heat,” Curry said. “It’s awesome.”

Curry trailed Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger and Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks at the 50 mark. Seeliger was at 19.21 and Crooks at 19.29.

But Curry finished in 21.38, a half second faster than both of them to get to the wall first.

“I was going into that, and I was thinking, ‘I’m right there at the 50.’ If I’m right inside at the 25, I knew it was mine. That last 25, I knew I would put my head down and really claw to the finish. I had to get my head down and power through,” Curry said. “That prelim time really didn’t tweak my strategy. Ideal would have been I had gone faster than 40.8. I was going for the pool record today. It will definitely happen another time. It didn’t change my strategy today. I knew it was the fastest 100 free field I’ve ever swum in, so I had to lay it on the line.”

“It was a battle for sure. It hurt a lot. I was going for it tonight.”

Seeliger finished second in 41.00, ahead of Stanford sophomore Andrei Minakov (41.09), Virginia sophomore Matt Brownstead (41.22) and Crooks (41.24).

Texas senior Drew Kibler was sixth in 41.33, ahead of Virginia sophomore Matt King (41.34) and Texas senior Danny Krueger (41.62).

Harvard’s Dean Farris won the consolation final in 41.42, finishing ninth overall in his final collegiate race. The ESPN broadcast said that Farris was retiring after the meet, the end of one of the better college careers in the past decade that included NCAA championships and the NCAA and American record in the 200 free.

Event 17  Men 100 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 39.90  3/24/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Meet: M 39.90  3/24/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
     American: A 39.90  3/24/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 39.90  3/24/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 40.46  3/26/2016 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Curry, Brooks          JR LSU                 41.19      40.84   20  
    r:+0.59  19.46        40.84 (21.38)
  2 Seeliger, Bjorn        SO California          40.75      41.00   17  
    r:+0.67  19.21        41.00 (21.79)
  3 Minakov, Andrei        SO Stanford            41.29      41.09   16  
    r:+0.59  19.57        41.09 (21.52)
  4 Brownstead, Matt       SO Virginia            41.52      41.22   15  
    r:+0.58  19.65        41.22 (21.57)
  5 Crooks, Jordan         FR Tennessee           41.16      41.24   14  
    r:+0.62  19.29        41.24 (21.95)
  6 Kibler, Drew           SR Texas               41.45      41.33   13  
    r:+0.62  19.68        41.33 (21.65)
  7 King, Matt             SO Virginia            41.48      41.34   12  
    r:+0.64  19.53        41.34 (21.81)
  8 Krueger, Danny         SR Texas               41.46      41.62   11  
    r:+0.65  19.84        41.62 (21.78)
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Farris, Dean           SR Harvard             41.68      41.42    9  
    r:+0.65  19.69        41.42 (21.73)
 10 Gaziev, Ruslan         SO Ohio St             41.79      41.56    7  
    r:+0.64  20.15        41.56 (21.41)
 11 Auchinachie, Cameron   5Y Texas               41.62      41.72    5.5
    r:+0.67  19.85        41.72 (21.87)
 11 Ramadan, Youssef       SO VT                  41.80      41.72    5.5
    r:+0.57  19.73        41.72 (21.99)
 13 Miroslaw, Rafael       FR Indiana             41.63      42.02    4  
    r:+0.63  19.99        42.02 (22.03)
 14 House, Grant           SR ASU                 41.67      42.03    3  
    r:+0.61  20.12        42.03 (21.91)
 15 Blaskovic, Bruno       5Y Indiana             41.72      42.10    2  
    r:+0.58  19.89        42.10 (22.21)
 16 Armstrong, Hunter      JR Ohio St             41.92      42.70    1  
    r:+0.63  20.51        42.70 (22.19)

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