2022 NCAA Men’s Championships: Matthew Sates Sets 500 Free Meet Record in Just Fourth Ever 500 Swim (VIDEO)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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The 2022 NCAA Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championship continued with the finals of the 500-yard freestyle from McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

How fast was the start of the individual races during prelims? So fast that Olympic champion Bobby Finke went a 4:11.77 and didn’t even make the A final.

In the prelims, Georgia’s Matthew Sates picked up his already fast pace at about the 350 mark and touched in 4:08.73.

In the final, the race started with a hushed crowd as everyone in the building waited to see who was going to make their move first, especially with how fast the prelims were across the board.

Kieran Smith took the lead at the 100 mark from Lane 2. He held the lead through the 200 mark. Texas’ Luke Hobson made a slight move ahead of the pack during that span but was still behind Smith until the 350 mark when they turned about the same time, with Sates closing.

Sates made his move at the 350 again and rocketed past Hobson and Smith. Meanwhile, teammate Jake Magahey made a similar move and rode the wave to second place. Sates broke the meet record at 4:06.61, three tenths off the NCAA overall record.

Magahey was second in 4:07.38 after his late charge, also breaking the previous meet record of 4:07.97 that he set last year as the NCAA champion in this event.
Hobson finished third in 4:08.42, ahead of Smith (4:08.68).

“It was a good swim. The title at NCAAs has been a goal for the last month, since I got to Georgia,” Sates said. “I am getting used to yards and the 500. I still have a lot to learn and improve and I am happy with the swim. That was my fourth 500 (ever), my second final.”

He is still working on the strategy, too.

“This final was supposed to be a 300 then 200 (strategy) but I actually miscounted. So I did it 150, so a little bit to learn. My strategy is to finish hard,” he said.

Going 1-2 with Magahey, the defending champion, made it extra special.

“That was awesome. Me and Jake train head-to-head every single day, every single session. Couldn’t ask for a better training partner,” he said.

Arizona fifth year Brooks Fail finished fifth in 4:10.05, area of Texas sophomore David Johnston (4:11.57), Florida junior Alfonso Mestre (4:11.98) and NC State junior Ross Dant (4:14.30).

Finke ended up 10th despite a 22.99 final split in 4:11.74 behind ninth-place Preston Forst of Stanford (4:11.56).

• Day 2 Finals Heat Sheets

• Day 2 Prelims Results

• Live Results

Event 3  Men 500 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 4:06.32  2/19/2020 Kieran Smith, Florida
         Meet: M 4:07.97  3/25/2021 Jake Magahey, Georgia
     American: A 4:06.32  2/19/2020 Kieran Smith, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 4:06.32  2/19/2020 Kieran Smith, Florida
         Pool: P 4:08.60  12/5/2008 Peter Vanderkaay, Club Wolverine
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Sates, Matthew         FR Georgia           4:08.73    4:06.61M  20  
    r:+0.62  22.52        47.46 (24.94)
        1:13.04 (25.58)     1:38.57 (25.53)
        2:04.07 (25.50)     2:29.51 (25.44)
        2:54.55 (25.04)     3:18.76 (24.21)
        3:42.74 (23.98)     4:06.61 (23.87)
  2 Magahey, Jake          SO Georgia           4:09.22    4:07.39M  17  
    r:+0.69  22.86        47.90 (25.04)
        1:13.31 (25.41)     1:38.56 (25.25)
        2:03.71 (25.15)     2:28.82 (25.11)
        2:54.08 (25.26)     3:18.92 (24.84)
        3:43.38 (24.46)     4:07.39 (24.01)
  3 Hobson, Luke           FR Texas             4:10.38    4:08.42P  16  
    r:+0.75  22.82        47.56 (24.74)
        1:12.67 (25.11)     1:37.66 (24.99)
        2:02.71 (25.05)     2:28.08 (25.37)
        2:53.33 (25.25)     3:18.46 (25.13)
        3:43.77 (25.31)     4:08.42 (24.65)
  4 Smith, Kieran          SR Florida           4:10.53    4:08.68   15  
    r:+0.72  22.45        47.03 (24.58)
        1:11.71 (24.68)     1:36.72 (25.01)
        2:01.83 (25.11)     2:27.24 (25.41)
        2:52.93 (25.69)     3:18.63 (25.70)
        3:44.15 (25.52)     4:08.68 (24.53)
  5 Fail, Brooks           5Y Arizona           4:11.27    4:10.05   14  
    r:+0.72  23.03        47.97 (24.94)
        1:13.32 (25.35)     1:38.93 (25.61)
        2:04.72 (25.79)     2:30.50 (25.78)
        2:56.01 (25.51)     3:21.25 (25.24)
        3:46.11 (24.86)     4:10.05 (23.94)
  6 Johnston, David        SO Texas             4:10.96    4:11.57   13  
    r:+0.68  22.86        47.65 (24.79)
        1:12.69 (25.04)     1:38.02 (25.33)
        2:03.57 (25.55)     2:29.33 (25.76)
        2:55.12 (25.79)     3:20.94 (25.82)
        3:46.59 (25.65)     4:11.57 (24.98)
  7 Mestre, Alfonso        JR Florida           4:09.74    4:11.98   12  
    r:+0.67  22.52        47.43 (24.91)
        1:12.76 (25.33)     1:38.58 (25.82)
        2:04.42 (25.84)     2:30.11 (25.69)
        2:56.11 (26.00)     3:21.76 (25.65)
        3:47.53 (25.77)     4:11.98 (24.45)
  8 Dant, Ross             JR NCSU              4:10.66    4:14.30   11  
    r:+0.58  22.77        47.78 (25.01)
        1:13.07 (25.29)     1:38.60 (25.53)
        2:04.30 (25.70)     2:30.26 (25.96)
        2:56.27 (26.01)     3:22.29 (26.02)
        3:48.58 (26.29)     4:14.30 (25.72)
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Forst, Preston         SO Stanford          4:12.41    4:11.56    9  
    r:+0.65  23.39        48.46 (25.07)
        1:14.22 (25.76)     1:40.08 (25.86)
        2:05.90 (25.82)     2:31.69 (25.79)
        2:57.38 (25.69)     3:22.60 (25.22)
        3:47.40 (24.80)     4:11.56 (24.16)
 10 Finke, Bobby           SR Florida           4:11.77    4:11.74    7  
    r:+0.71  23.31        48.62 (25.31)
        1:14.35 (25.73)     1:40.24 (25.89)
        2:06.05 (25.81)     2:31.81 (25.76)
        2:57.49 (25.68)     3:23.43 (25.94)
        3:48.75 (25.32)     4:11.74 (22.99)
 11 Freeman, Trey          JR Florida           4:12.80    4:12.70    6  
    r:+0.64  23.31        48.72 (25.41)
        1:14.44 (25.72)     1:40.53 (26.09)
        2:06.54 (26.01)     2:32.34 (25.80)
        2:58.08 (25.74)     3:23.79 (25.71)
        3:48.84 (25.05)     4:12.70 (23.86)
 12 Shoults, Grant         5Y Stanford          4:13.14    4:12.79    5  
    r:+0.62  22.82        48.26 (25.44)
        1:14.14 (25.88)     1:40.34 (26.20)
        2:06.42 (26.08)     2:32.42 (26.00)
        2:58.44 (26.02)     3:24.26 (25.82)
        3:49.10 (24.84)     4:12.79 (23.69)
 13 Soloveychik, Bar       FR Minnesota         4:12.76    4:13.51    4  
    r:+0.65  23.32        48.66 (25.34)
        1:14.21 (25.55)     1:39.98 (25.77)
        2:05.81 (25.83)     2:31.73 (25.92)
        2:57.60 (25.87)     3:23.48 (25.88)
        3:49.18 (25.70)     4:13.51 (24.33)
 14 Plage, James           SO NCSU              4:12.88    4:13.82    3  
    r:+0.68  23.76        49.39 (25.63)
        1:15.40 (26.01)     1:41.40 (26.00)
        2:07.20 (25.80)     2:33.00 (25.80)
        2:58.53 (25.53)     3:24.08 (25.55)
        3:49.39 (25.31)     4:13.82 (24.43)
 15 Carrozza, Coby         SO Texas             4:12.09    4:14.45    2  
    r:+0.71  23.16        48.42 (25.26)
        1:14.29 (25.87)     1:40.33 (26.04)
        2:06.18 (25.85)     2:32.10 (25.92)
        2:57.60 (25.50)     3:23.42 (25.82)
        3:49.21 (25.79)     4:14.45 (25.24)
 16 Hill, Julian           JR ASU               4:13.81    4:15.78    1  
    r:+0.62  23.46        49.37 (25.91)
        1:15.51 (26.14)     1:41.84 (26.33)
        2:07.79 (25.95)     2:33.60 (25.81)
        2:59.42 (25.82)     3:25.02 (25.60)
        3:50.76 (25.74)     4:15.78 (25.02)

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