Indiana Freshman Noah Cakir Blasts 17-18 NAG Record in 200 Breaststroke
Competing at the Big Ten Conference Championships, Indiana University freshman Noah Cakir established a National Age Group (NAG) record for the 17-18 category in the 200-yard breaststroke on Friday night. En route to a third-place finish for the Hoosiers, Cakir posted a time of 1:50.47. That performance was faster than the previous record of 1:51.38, set by Josh Matheny in 2020.
Hailing from Deer Park, New York, Cakir has helped Indiana to a commanding lead in the team standings at the Big Ten Champs. Entering the final night of action, the Hoosiers hold a 250.5-point lead over Michigan. At March’s NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Indiana is expected to contend for a second straight top-three finish.
In the prelims of the 200 breaststroke, Cakir posted a time of 1:52.23 to put Matheny’s NAG standard within read. During the evening finals, he crushed the old standard by nearly a second. Cakir was out at the 50-yard mark in 25.41 and came through the midway point of the race in 53.29. He made the turn at the 150 in 1:21.52 and finished just behind fellow IU freshman Josh Bey, who took second place in 1:50.03. The race winner was Michigan’s Luka Mladenovic in 1:49.34.
Earlier in the meet, Cakir placed sixth in the 400 individual medley.