CSL Wild Card Match: Indiana Dominating Competition, Set to Advance to Final
The inaugural season of the College Swimming League concludes this weekend in Indianapolis. Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina State all qualified for the CSL final by virtue of their impressive results during each team’s two regular season matches, with Thursday’s Wild Card match determining the final participant in that final. Indiana, California, Stanford and Louisville advanced to this round by finishing fourth through seventh out of 12 teams overall this season.
The Hoosiers are on track to advance to the CSL final, winning the vast majority of events through the first portion of the competition.
- Match 1 Recap
- Match 2 Recap
- Match 3 Recap
- Match 4 Recap
- Match 5 Recap
- Match 6 Recap
- CSL Standings
- CSL Instagram
Women’s 200 Backstroke
Indiana’s Miranda Grana set the pace for her team, winning the opening event by almost two seconds with a time of 1:51.16. IU got a big surge of points right away as Eva Rottink placed third in 1:53.78, with Louisville’s Mary Clarke splitting the difference in 1:53.78. Stanford’s Sylvia Roy ended up just behind in 1:53.94.
Men’s 200 Backstroke
The Hoosiers won two events in a row to begin the meet as Miroslav Knedla swam the fastest time yet in CSL competition. The junior put up a time of 1:37.77, which only three swimmers beat at last season’s NCAA Championships. Knedla finished more than a second clear of Louisville’s Filip Kosinski, who clocked 1:38.90, while the Hoosiers’ Owen McDonald also got under 1:40, touching in 1:39.67 to wrap up the 1-3 finish.
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Louisville needed a big swim from Anastasia Gorbenko in the 200 breaststroke, and the veteran came through to win by three seconds. Gorbenko finished in 2:05.05, quicker than she swam to finish third place in the event at last season’s NCAA Championships. The Cardinals also got fourth-place points from Anna Inagaki (2:09.71) while Indiana’s Anita Bottazzo (2:08.09) and Stanford’s Caroline Bricker (2:08.68) got second and third, respectively.
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Fresh off his win in the short course meters version of the 200 breast at last week’s U.S. Short Course Trials, Josh Bey put up the top performance here, defeating Cal’s Yamato Okadome in a rematch from last week’s NCAA Championships. Bey finished in 1:50.73, ahead of Okadome’s 1:51.01. Indiana’s Noah Cakir, who was second to Bey at the selection meet, got third here in 1:52.53.
Women’s 500 Freestyle
The Hoosiers got a fourth victory in five opportunities here thanks to the superb closing speed of Indiana’s Elizabeth Eichbrecht, who overtook Louisville’s Thilda Haell in the closing 100 yards to win by two tenths, 4:37.35 to 4:37.56. Cal’s Camille Henveaux got fourth (4:39.33) while Indiana again put two swimmers in the top half of the heat as Kayla Han took fourth (4:41.22).
Men’s 500 Freestyle
Yet another win for Indiana, again in tight fashion. This time, Gabriel Manteufel led for most of the race and finished in 4:14.27, holding off Stanford’s Ethan Ekk by less than three tenths. The Cardinal actually placed 2-3, with Ekk going 4:14.54 and Sander Kiaer Sorensen finishing in 4:16.26. Indiana’s Luke Whitlock picked up more points for his team, placing fourth (4:17.71).
Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay
Liberty Clark sizzled on the leadoff leg, blasting a 21.15 performance, and her Indiana teammates came through to secure the relay win. Alex Shackell, Miranda Grana and Kristina Paegle combined for a time of 1:26.20, a half-second clear of the top team from Louisville. The Cardinals’ Caroline Larsen, Anastasia Gorbenko, Julie Mishler and Daria Golovaty placed second in 1:26.74, followed by Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh, Gracyn Aquino, Elle Scott and Annie Jia in 1:28.87.
Kristina Paegle held tough for the Indiana Hoosiers on the anchor leg here, holding Louisville at bay to secure 18 points and control of the skins event. Indiana’s top team, which swam a time of 1:26.20, ahead of Louisville’s 1:26.74. Cal finished third in 1:28.87.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay
Louisville’s Nikita Sheremet blasted an 18.69 leadoff leg, breaking the CSL record in the 50 free, but Indiana would have the superior squad over all four lengths, coming through to win by 0.12 at the finish. The group consisting of Mikkel Lee, Owen McDonald, Vidar Carlbaum and Miroslav Knedla finished first in 1:16.52, followed by Louisville’s Sheremet, Aiden Musso, Aiden Kaplan and Rian Graham in 1:16.64. The Cal team of Martin Wrede, John Thumann, Albert Smelzer and Jack Brown was not far off, taking third in 1:16.93.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
No one was ever going to touch Alex Shackell in her signature event. Shackell, a U.S. Olympian in the 200-meter fly in 2024, came back after swimming for Louisville on the 200 free relay to lead throughout this race. Shackell ended up winning by more than four seconds with a time of 1:51.96, easily defeating Cal’s Kelsey Zhang (1:56.35) and Stanford’s Clare Watson (1:56.37).
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Ten events, nine wins for Indiana as Raekwon Noel led throughout this event. Noel held off strong challenges from Louisville’s Gregg Enoch on the third 50 and then from Stanford’s Gibson Holmes down the stretch. Noel finished in 1:41.23, nine tenths clear of Holmes’ 1:42.12 while Enoch held on for third (1:43.14).
Women’s 100 IM
Louisville finally broke through in the sprint medley, relying on Anastasia Gorbenko and Caroline Larsen to produce a 1-2 performance. Gorbenko became the day’s first double winner after previously topping the 200 breast. She swam a time of 51.80 to beat out Larsen’s 52.18. Indiana held serve, though, as Anita Bottazzo and Lylah Theriac went 3-4.
Men’s 100 IM
Owen McDonald dominated this race through all four strokes. The fifth-year swimmer put up a time of 47.24 as Indiana remained unbeaten in men’s events, and this one resulted in a 1-2 finish as Toby Barnett finished in a tie for second. Barnett and Louisville’s Rian Graham recorded equal times of 48.02.
Women’s 100 Backstroke
Cal picked up its first win of the evening thanks to a blistering swim from Mary-Ambre Moluh. The native of France opened up a sizeable lead in the opening stages of the race and finished in 50.62, almost seven tenths clear of the field. Miranda Grana, the winner of the 200 back earlier in the meet, claimed second in 51.29, with Stanford’s Levenia Sim third (52.04).
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Miroslav Knedla became the first male swimmer to double up on the day, swimming to a first-place result in the 100 back. He touched in 45.12 to break the CSL record after previously doing the same in the 200 back. Knedla finished well clear of Louisville’s Filip Kosinski (45.85) and Stanford’s Finn Harland (46.49) while Raekwon Noel of the Hoosiers rebounded quickly after his 200 fly win to take fourth (46.68).
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Liberty Clark broke out at last week’s U.S. Short Course Trials, breaking the American record in the short course meters 200 free and securing her first ticket to major international competition. Back against college competition, Clark continued to dominate. In her first individual event of the meet, she won the 100 free in 46.62, easily out-pacing Louisville’s Mary Clarke (47.89) and Indiana teammate Kristina Paegle (47.96).
Men’s 100 Freestyle
Yet another dominant performance for Indiana in the men’s 100 free, this time thanks to Mikkel Lee, who swam a time of 42.41 to beat the field by six tenths. The field was considerably tighter for the minor places, with Cal’s Nans Mazellier finishing second in 43.02 ahead of Stanford’s Nathan Foucu (43.10), Indiana’s Vidar Carlbaum (43.18) and Cal’s John Thumann (43.24).
Women’s Skins
Alex Shackell won the first round of butterfly skins in 23.60, three hundredths ahead of Louisville’s Caroline Larsen (23.63) while Anastasia Grobenko was just behind in third (23.75). Same story in the second round, with Shackell going even faster at 23.44 to beat Larsen (23.61) and Gorbenko (23.78). Miranda Grana also advanced to the third round for Indiana, with both Stanford swimmers bowing out after neither Cal competitor advanced from round one.
The shake-up happened in the third round. Shackell held on to take first in 23.56, but Larsen could not advance as Gorbenko and Grana recorded identical second-place times of 23.99. That set up a three-woman final, and once again, Shackell came through. Shackell swam her best time of the day with a 23.35 while Grana made it a 1-2 Indiana finish with her 23.58
Men’s Skins
In backstroke skins, Louisville’s Filip Kosinski won round one with a time of 21.67, three hundredths ahead of Indiana’s Raekwon Noel (21.70), with Louisville’s Rian Graham (21.77) and Indiana’s Miroslav Knedla (21.92) also distinguishing themselves. Noel then captured first in round two in 21.96, followed by Kosinski, Stanford’s Ethan Ekk and Knedla.
The Hoosiers were aiming to take the top-two spots into the final, but that did not work out. Knedla won in 21.92, but Ekk touched out Noel for second, 22.34 to 22.39. Knedla then dominated the final round, going 22.02 to Ekk’s 22.61. That gave Indiana a total of 354 points, far ahead of second-place Louisville (228) entering the final third of the meet.
Women’s 200 IM
When individual events returned, Indiana picked up where it left off. Lylah Theriac crushed the field throughout this race, swimming a time of 1:56.00 for another Hoosiers win. Cal’s Alexa McDevitt claimed second in 1:58.11, ahead of Louisville’s Xeniya Ignatova (1:58.71) and Indiana’s Reese Tiltmann (1:58.82).
Men’s 200 IM
Josh Bey secured his second win of the day, pulling ahead on his signature breaststroke and staving off a late challenge from Stanford’s Gibson Holmes to win in 1:42.92. Holmes, thanks in large part to a monster final underwater kickout, took second in 1:43.25, with Indiana’s Owen McDonald taking third in 1:44.66.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Anastasia Gorbenko has been the most impressive non-Indiana swimmer on the day, but her winning streak ran out against the Hoosiers’ Anita Bottazzo in the 100 breast. Bottazzo led throughout and beat Gorbenko to the wall by three tenths, 57.67 to 58.09. Anna Inagaki made it a 2-3 finish for Louisville, going 59.48 for third.
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
For the first time all meet, Indiana did not win a men’s event. No surprise, though, given the strength of Cal’s Yamato Okadome, the reigning NCAA champion in the 100 breast. Okadome fired off a CSL record of 51.24 to win the event by almost a second, comfortably out-pacing the Hoosiers’ duo of Alexei Avakov (52.21) and Toby Barnett (52.27).