Bobby Finke Runs Down Foster With 23.8 Final 50 to Win 400 IM NCAA Title For Gators

Photo Courtesy: NCAA Media

Florida junior Bobby Finke had an unbelievable last 50 in the final of the 400 IM at 23.83 to run down Texas freshman Carson Foster with a final time of 3:36.90 to Foster’s 3:38.25.

Finke was hardly in the picture during the race as Foster was dominating the race for the first 300, turning at 2:46.12 head of Finke at 2:47.46. Finke is one of the top closers in the country, as this was a near mirror image of the 400 IM at the 2019 summer nationals when Finke ran down Foster a year and a half ago. Finke threw down a 49.4 on the freestyle leg compared to Foster’s 52.1, who went faster this morning and also in October when he went 3:35.

Bobby Finke is now 12th all-time with his swim.

“I really just have to shout out to all the staff and trainers at home. The last month has been a whirlwind,” Bobby Finke said after the race. “I was just trying to stay calm throughout the fly and try to stay underwater on the breaststroke.”

Cal’s Sean Grieshop also closed well to nearly catch Foster for second with a 50.49 on the final 100 to get third at 3:38.73 ahead of Arizona’s David Schlicht (3:39.89) and Texas’ Jake Foster (3:40.16).

Texas’ Braden Vines (3:41.28), Georgia’s Ian Grum (3:42.35) and Texas’ David Johnston (3:43.06) also swam in the championship final.

Texas has pulled in front of Cal by three points by virtue of their four A-finalists, the most for any school in any event at the men’s meet since Texas had six up in the A-final of the 100 fly.

Also notably Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez won the B-Final with a time that was quicker than what won the A-Final at 3:36.73, but will only receive nine points for Cal. The last time the B-Final winner was faster than the A-Final was in 2002 when Texas’ Chris Kemp had a faster time from the B-final than Florida’s Adam Sioui.

Florida now has five NCAA titles in the 400 IM as Bobby Finke joins the likes of Greg Burgess (1993, 1994) and Ryan Lochte (2004, 2006) as winners of the event for the Gators.

 Event 8  Men 400 Yard IM
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 3:33.42  3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
         Meet: M 3:33.42  3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
     American: A 3:33.42  3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
   U. S. Open: O 3:33.42  3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
         Pool: P 3:37.79  3/26/2021 Carson Foster, Texas
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Finke, Bobby           JR Florida           3:39.58    3:36.90P  20  
    r:+0.72  23.77        50.53 (26.76)
        1:18.58 (28.05)     1:45.97 (27.39)
        2:16.48 (30.51)     2:47.46 (30.98)
        3:13.07 (25.61)     3:36.90 (23.83)
  2 Foster, Carson         FR Texas             3:37.79    3:38.25   17  
    r:+0.68  23.17        49.53 (26.36)
        1:17.20 (27.67)     1:44.08 (26.88)
        2:15.05 (30.97)     2:46.12 (31.07)
        3:12.27 (26.15)     3:38.25 (25.98)
  3 Grieshop, Sean         SR California        3:38.68    3:38.73   16  
    r:+0.67  23.80        50.30 (26.50)
        1:18.72 (28.42)     1:46.07 (27.35)
        2:17.17 (31.10)     2:48.24 (31.07)
        3:13.90 (25.66)     3:38.73 (24.83)
  4 Schlicht, David        SO Arizona           3:40.21    3:39.89   15  
    r:+0.66  23.63        50.54 (26.91)
        1:18.89 (28.35)     1:46.98 (28.09)
        2:17.39 (30.41)     2:48.18 (30.79)
        3:14.49 (26.31)     3:39.89 (25.40)
  5 Foster, Jake           SO Texas             3:39.69    3:40.16   14  
    r:+0.65  23.59        50.40 (26.81)
        1:19.08 (28.68)     1:47.22 (28.14)
        2:17.25 (30.03)     2:48.19 (30.94)
        3:14.63 (26.44)     3:40.16 (25.53)
  6 Vines, Braden          JR Texas             3:40.18    3:41.28   13  
    r:+0.61  23.53        50.53 (27.00)
        1:19.68 (29.15)     1:47.53 (27.85)
        2:18.00 (30.47)     2:49.38 (31.38)
        3:15.68 (26.30)     3:41.28 (25.60)
  7 Grum, Ian              SO Georgia           3:40.64    3:42.35   12  
    r:+0.76  23.06        50.39 (27.33)
        1:18.64 (28.25)     1:45.73 (27.09)
        2:18.12 (32.39)     2:50.80 (32.68)
        3:17.13 (26.33)     3:42.35 (25.22)
  8 Johnston, David        FR Texas             3:40.80    3:43.06   11  
    r:+0.67  23.94        51.10 (27.16)
        1:19.53 (28.43)     1:47.39 (27.86)
        2:18.69 (31.30)     2:50.61 (31.92)
        3:17.61 (27.00)     3:43.06 (25.45)
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Gonzalez, Hugo         JR California        3:41.91    3:36.73P   9  
    r:+0.69  23.36        50.13 (26.77)
        1:18.05 (27.92)     1:45.07 (27.02)
        2:15.45 (30.38)     2:46.05 (30.60)
        3:12.12 (26.07)     3:36.73 (24.61)
 10 Storch, Casey          JR Virginia          3:42.23    3:41.79    7  
    r:+0.67  23.24        50.07 (26.83)
        1:18.94 (28.87)     1:47.35 (28.41)
        2:17.72 (30.37)     2:48.66 (30.94)
        3:15.45 (26.79)     3:41.79 (26.34)
 11 Hoagland, Jack         SO Notre Dame        3:41.75    3:41.99    6  
    r:+0.75  23.98        51.25 (27.27)
        1:19.65 (28.40)     1:47.35 (27.70)
        2:19.41 (32.06)     2:51.31 (31.90)
        3:17.51 (26.20)     3:41.99 (24.48)
 12 Daly, Michael          JR Penn St           3:42.47    3:42.49    5  
    r:+0.80  23.28        50.21 (26.93)
        1:18.57 (28.36)     1:45.95 (27.38)
        2:17.96 (32.01)     2:50.80 (32.84)
        3:17.16 (26.36)     3:42.49 (25.33)
 13 Liang, Alex            SR Stanford          3:42.99    3:43.59    4  
    r:+0.66  23.94        50.52 (26.58)
        1:19.40 (28.88)     1:47.48 (28.08)
        2:19.69 (32.21)     2:52.47 (32.78)
        3:18.31 (25.84)     3:43.59 (25.28)
 14 Aman, Caleb            JR Wisconsin         3:43.93    3:43.70    3  
    r:+0.74  24.65        53.08 (28.43)
        1:21.44 (28.36)     1:49.23 (27.79)
        2:20.14 (30.91)     2:51.65 (31.51)
        3:18.10 (26.45)     3:43.70 (25.60)
 15 Abruzzo, Andrew        JR Georgia           3:42.78    3:44.81    2  
    r:+0.80  23.77        51.28 (27.51)
        1:20.54 (29.26)     1:48.92 (28.38)
        2:20.93 (32.01)     2:53.40 (32.47)
        3:19.76 (26.36)     3:44.81 (25.05)
 16 Roberts, Will          SR Michigan          3:44.05    3:48.24    1  
    r:+0.67  23.48        50.59 (27.11)
        1:20.27 (29.68)     1:49.72 (29.45)
        2:22.94 (33.22)     2:56.23 (33.29)
        3:22.84 (26.61)     3:48.24 (25.40)

Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 8                  
 
  1. Texas                             258 
  2. California                        255
  3. Florida                           181 
  4. Georgia                           130
  5. Texas A&M                          88 
  6. NC State                           87
  7. Indiana                            84  
  8. Arizona                            66
  9. Michigan                           64 
  9. Louisville                         64
 11. Virginia                           63 
 12. Stanford                           46
 13. Missouri                           42 
 14. Virginia Tech                      39
 15. Alabama                            38 
 16. Purdue                             28
 16. Ohio St                            28 
 18. Lsu                                23
 19. University of Miami                19 
 20. Florida St                         18.5
 21. Notre Dame                         15 
 22. Georgia Tech                       14
 23. Penn St                            13 
 24. Pittsburgh                         12
 25. Kentucky                            9 
 26. Wisconsin                           8
 27. Tennessee                           6 
 28. UNC                                 4
 29. Utah                                2.5

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