2022 NCAA Men’s Championships: Kacper Stokowski on Sweeping 100 Backstroke Wins with Berkoff ‘NC State Knows How to Coach Backstroke’

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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The 2022 NCAA Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships continued with the 100-yard backstroke finals from McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

The prelims saw the entire field within four tenths of a second apart form each other.

But it was a late charge from Kacper Stokowski that got him to the wall in 44.04 for the victory for the NC State Wolfpack. Extra sweet after taking second last year.

“Last year gave me a lot of motivation. Shaine (Casas) wasn’t here, so I Was a little bit lucky. Going to this meet, I just wanted to improve my time from last year. I had a great 50 back, dropped a half-second from my time last year. I knew I could improve my time in the 100 back, and I did. That was a great swim for me, and I’m really happy,” Stokowski said. “The strategy was very simple. I’m a back-halfer. After going pretty damn half on the 50 back , I knew I had the front speed. I was a little worried early in the season when Braden put me in the 200 back group twice a week. I didn’t want to lose my front speed, and I didn’t. I was hoping the practice would work, and it did.”

Stokowski erupted in the water after looking at the scoreboard, basking in his first NCAA victory.

“It was all natural. I told my teammates and the coaches, when I touched the wall, it was like I woke up from a long dream. I told myself I want to be a national champ, and today, it happened, so I’m very happy,” he said.

Stokowski said he wanted to follow what Katharine Berkoff did when she won the same event in the women’s meet last week.

“We have a great team. I was dreaming about being a national champ with a team that has my back. The team is great. Freshmen stood up, and I’m glad seeing freshman Aidan Hayes going really fast on the 100 fly. David is up there, and Sam Hoover is up there. We have a lot of potential in that class, and I love to train with them, even if they kick my ass sometimes,” he said. “She motivated me a lot, and her boyfriend, Noah Henderson, was laughing, ‘You have to join her now.’ She motivated me, she texted me. She also got seeded third after prelims going into finals, just like I did. We train together, she motivates me, and I think NC State knows how to coach backstroke.”

Fresh off of the first part of his double in the 100 butterfly, Indiana’s Brendan Burns was the top seed coming into the race at 44.36, about a second behind Ryan Murphy’s NCAA record that stood until the 400 medley relay.

Florida’s Adam Chaney was 21.02 at the 50 to take the early narrow lead.

Indiana’s Brendan Burns, doing the second of his double, took second in 44.15, followed by Chaney, who touched the wall in 44.35.

Cal’s Destin Lasco took fourth in 44.36.

NCAA Event 12  Men 100 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 43.49  3/25/2016 Ryan Murphy, California
         Meet: M 43.49  3/25/2016 Ryan Murphy, California
     American: A 43.49  3/25/2016 Ryan Murphy, California
   U. S. Open: O 43.49  3/25/2016 Ryan Murphy, California
         Pool: P 43.49  3/25/2016 Ryan Murphy, California
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Stokowski, Kacper      JR NCSU                44.44      44.04   20  
    r:+0.61  21.34        44.04 (22.70)
  2 Burns, Brendan         JR Indiana             44.36      44.15   17  
    r:+0.56  21.40        44.15 (22.75)
  3 Chaney, Adam           SO Florida             44.39      44.35   16  
    r:+0.62  21.02        44.35 (23.33)
  4 Lasco, Destin          SO California          44.48      44.36   15  
    r:+0.64  21.70        44.36 (22.66)
  5 Armstrong, Hunter      JR Ohio St             44.72      44.42   14  
    r:+0.65  21.44        44.42 (22.98)
  6 Albiero, Nicolas       5Y Louisville          44.54      44.60   13  
    r:+0.60  21.56        44.60 (23.04)
  7 Farris, Dean           SR Harvard             44.55      44.68   12  
    r:+0.57  21.26        44.68 (23.42)
  8 Seeliger, Bjorn        SO California          44.58      44.87   11  
    r:+0.71  21.23        44.87 (23.64)
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Menke, Matthew         JR Alabama             44.96      44.66    9  
    r:+0.68  21.24        44.66 (23.42)
 10 Fantoni, Gabriel       5Y Indiana             44.92      44.70    7  
    r:+0.68  21.37        44.70 (23.33)
 11 MacAlister, Leon       JR Stanford            44.89      44.93    6  
    r:+0.61  21.56        44.93 (23.37)
 12 Carr, Daniel           5Y California          44.94      44.98    4.5
    r:+0.64  21.86        44.98 (23.12)
 12 Auchinachie, Cameron   5Y Texas               45.28      44.98    4.5
    r:+0.73  21.41        44.98 (23.57)
 14 Mefford, Bryce         5Y California          45.11      45.03    3  
    r:+0.60  22.00        45.03 (23.03)
 15 Stoffle, Aidan         JR Auburn              45.36      45.60    2  
    r:+0.64  21.73        45.60 (23.87)
 16 Webb, Forest           JR VT                  45.36      45.72    1  
    r:+0.56  21.90        45.72 (23.82)

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