2022 NCAA Men’s Championships: Leon Marchand Breaks Dressel 200 IM Mark with 1:37.69

Leon Marchand; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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2022 NCAA Men’s Championships: Leon Marchand Breaks Dressel 200 IM Mark with 1:37.69

Leon Marchand’s impact on NCAA swimming has been immediate, to say the last.

The Frenchman added his name to the list of international freshmen to make massive impacts on the college scene, going 1:37.69 to win the 200 individual medley. That time downs the NCAA record set in 2018 by Caeleb Dressel of Florida, who was on deck to see the Arizona State swimmer take it down.

Marchand is Arizona State’s first NCAA men’s champion since 2000, when Attila Czene also won the 200 IM. He’s just the fifth all-time in Sun Devils history.

Marchand went 1:38.83 in the morning to grab the second seed. He was quicker by more than a second at night, jetting past Destin Lasco of Cal, who had set the pool record. Lasco was second in finals at 1:38.21.

Marchand’s finals splits: 21.42 – 24.32 – 28.41 – 23.54

Marchand was out second after 50 yards, trailing only Luca Urlando of Georgia. He moved to the front on his backstroke with a split that was four tenths quicker than anyone else, with Urlando second. Lasco made up some ground with a 27.89 breaststroke leg, and he kept the pressure on with a 23.10 coming home. But the 23.54 from Marchand was enough.

“This is amazing,” Marchand said. “A few years ago, I was watching this record and I was like, “this is insane.” And now I’m beating this so this is crazy.”

Urlando was third in 1:39.22. Lasco, who was third last year, bumped up a spot. Cal got points from Hugo Gonzalez in fifth (he was second last year) and Trenton Julian in seventh. Carson Foster went from fourth last year to sixth.

Stanford freshman Ron Polonsky, who was 10th in prelims, went a best time by more than a second to win the B final in 1:39.96. He led wire-to-wire, holding off the charge from Arizona State’s Grant House.

Texas’s Caspar Corbeau went from the ninth seed in the morning to 14th overall in what could be crucial points in the team standings.

Marchand was a big part of a major international movement Thursday night. Fellow freshman Matt Sates, of South Africa by way of Georgia, won the 500 free. Cal’s Swedish sprinter Bjorn Seeliger was second in the 50. For such a precocious talent to be dropping time to rapidly this early in his career bodes well for what the Frenchman’s potential may be.

“From the beginning, it was very quick because everyday I’m learning new stuff here,” Marchand said. “I’m changing my regimen and everything. I’m swimming more short-course – I was only swimming long-course in France. This is very different, and every day I’m enjoying swimming with my teammates.”

Event 4  Men 200 Yard IM
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:38.13  2/15/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Meet: M 1:38.14  3/28/2019 Andrew Seliskar, California
     American: A 1:38.13  2/15/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 1:38.13  2/15/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 1:38.71  3/24/2022 Destin Lasco, California
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Marchand, Leon         FR ASU               1:38.83    1:37.69N  20  
    r:+0.65  21.42        45.74 (24.32)
        1:14.15 (28.41)     1:37.69 (23.54)
  2 Lasco, Destin          SO California        1:38.71    1:38.21P  17  
    r:+0.65  22.02        47.13 (25.11)
        1:15.11 (27.98)     1:38.21 (23.10)
  3 Urlando, Luca          SO Georgia           1:40.65    1:39.22   16  
    r:+0.64  21.09        45.82 (24.73)
        1:14.88 (29.06)     1:39.22 (24.34)
  4 Coll Marti, Carles     SO VT                1:40.45    1:39.63   15  
    r:+0.62  22.07        46.88 (24.81)
        1:15.37 (28.49)     1:39.63 (24.26)
  5 Gonzalez, Hugo         SR California        1:40.47    1:39.82   14  
    r:+0.64  21.61        46.77 (25.16)
        1:15.39 (28.62)     1:39.82 (24.43)
  6 Foster, Carson         SO Texas             1:40.07    1:40.13   13  
    r:+0.64  21.67        46.56 (24.89)
        1:15.79 (29.23)     1:40.13 (24.34)
  7 Julian, Trenton        5Y California        1:40.35    1:40.47   12  
    r:+0.60  21.75        47.13 (25.38)
        1:15.93 (28.80)     1:40.47 (24.54)
  8 Foster, Jake           JR Texas             1:40.91    1:40.63   11  
    r:+0.62  21.76        47.50 (25.74)
        1:15.68 (28.18)     1:40.63 (24.95)
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Polonsky, Ron          FR Stanford          1:41.22    1:39.96    9  
    r:+0.61  21.81        46.68 (24.87)
        1:15.60 (28.92)     1:39.96 (24.36)
 10 House, Grant           SR ASU               1:41.85    1:40.53    7  
    r:+0.62  21.68        46.75 (25.07)
        1:16.35 (29.60)     1:40.53 (24.18)
 11 Cohen Groumi, Gal      FR Michigan          1:41.38    1:41.09    6  
    r:+0.60  21.83        46.95 (25.12)
        1:16.47 (29.52)     1:41.09 (24.62)
 12 Khosla, Raunak         JR Princeton         1:42.13    1:41.24    5  
    r:+0.60  22.28        48.78 (26.50)
        1:17.03 (28.25)     1:41.24 (24.21)
 13 Corbeau, Caspar        JR Texas             1:40.98    1:41.42    4  
    r:+0.66  22.20        48.06 (25.86)
        1:16.94 (28.88)     1:41.42 (24.48)
 14 Louser, Jason          JR California        1:42.19    1:41.91    3  
    r:+0.67  22.36        48.31 (25.95)
        1:17.14 (28.83)     1:41.91 (24.77)
 15 Vines, Braden          SR Texas             1:42.35    1:42.71    2  
    r:+0.59  22.27        48.07 (25.80)
        1:17.18 (29.11)     1:42.71 (25.53)
 16 Pumputis, Caio         5Y GT                1:42.13    1:43.37    1  
    r:+0.67  22.06        48.35 (26.29)
        1:17.41 (29.06)     1:43.37 (25.96)

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