NCAA Division III Championships, Day 3 Prelims: Frank Applebaum Chasing Third Straight Title

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NCAA Division III Championships, Day 3 Prelims: Frank Applebaum Chasing Third Straight Title

Claremont Mudd Scripps’ Frank Applebaum is the fastest 200 butterflier in NCAA Division III history. He’s looking to add “three-time champion” to his list of accomplishments Friday.

Applebaum is the top seed in the men’s 200 fly final, the first event of the third night of the meet at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. He has set NCAA records each of the last two years in claiming victories, though this one won’t be easy.

Men’s team scores

Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 19                      
  1. Emory                             214   2. Kenyon                            177
  3. Chicago                           167   4. Nyu                               164
  5. Williams                        154.5   6. Calvin                            108
  7. Tufts                            92.5   8. Carnegie Mellon                    89
  9. C-M-S                              86  10. Mit                                84
 11. Tcnj                               81  12. Denison                            78
 13. Wash U. MO                         51  14. Johns Hopkins                      44
 15. Suny Geneseo                       37  16. Conn College                       35
 17. Pomona-Pitzer                      34  18. Coast Guard                        33
 19. Hamilton                           30  20. Birmingham Southern                29
 21. Hope College                       24  22. Colby                              21
 22. Rit                                21  24. Washington & Lee                   18
 25. Brandeis                           17  25. Trinity U.                         17
 27. Centre                             15  28. St. Mary's MD                      14
 28. Alfred State                       14  30. Rhodes                             12
 30. Case Western                       12  32. Bates                              11
 33. Bowdoin                             6  34. Franklin & Marshall                 4
 35. Chapman                             3  36. Whitworth                           2
 36. Usmma                               2  38. Rose-Hulman                         1

Women’s team scores

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 20                     
  1. Denison                           244   2. Kenyon                            212
  3. Nyu                               195   4. Williams                          189
  5. Mit                               163   6. Pomona-Pitzer                     140
  7. Emory                             121   8. Chicago                           110
  9. Swarthmore                         82  10. Tufts                            64.5
 11. Trinity U.                         59  12. Hope College                       51
 13. Calvin                             40  14. Johns Hopkins                      36
 14. Case Western                       36  16. Amherst                            30
 17. Suny Geneseo                     27.5  18. Ithaca                             27
 19. Bates                              24  20. C-M-S                              20
 21. Nazareth                           16  21. Albion                             16
 23. Austin College                     15  23. Wash U. MO                         15
 25. Mary Washington                    12  25. Middlebury                         12
 25. Bowdoin                            12  25. Rhodes                             12
 29. Springfield                        10  29. Gettysburg                         10
 31. Rit                                 9  32. Luther                              5

Men’s 200 butterfly

Frank Applebaum set the pace in prelims in 1:45.91. He was the top seed by a clean half-second. The senior has gotten faster throughout college, having won in 1:44.01 in 2022 and 1:43.96 last year. His seed time was 1:43.87 this year.

But the field is closing. When Applebaum won his first title in 2022, it was by 2.01 seconds. The margin of victory was whittled to less than four tenths last year.

Said “field” is back, the top four in last year’s final all back in the A final this year. Last year’s runner-up, Connecticut College’s Justin Finkel, is the fourth seed in 1:46.81. Jesse Ssengonzi of the University of Chicago went 1:46.49 in prelims. He was third last year and second in 2022. Johns Hopkins’ Avery Clapp was third in the morning.

Chicago has two A finalists, with Cooper Costello included. Both Thorsen brothers are represented for Emory.

Event 21  Men 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
         1:44.48  A A-cut
         1:50.26  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Applebaum, Fran  SR C-M-S             1:43.87    1:45.91 B      
                 23.11        49.74 (26.63)
        1:17.20 (27.46)     1:45.91 (28.71)
  2 Ssengonzi, Jess  SR Chicago           1:51.74    1:46.49 B      
                 23.71        50.69 (26.98)
        1:17.91 (27.22)     1:46.49 (28.58)
  3 Clapp, Avery     SO Johns Hopkins     1:45.53    1:46.53 B      
                 23.75        50.22 (26.47)
        1:18.27 (28.05)     1:46.53 (28.26)
  4 Finkel, Justin   JR Conn College      1:44.62    1:46.81 B      
                 23.49        50.96 (27.47)
        1:18.91 (27.95)     1:46.81 (27.90)
  5 Costello, Coope  FR Chicago           1:45.27    1:46.94 B      
                 23.28        50.23 (26.95)
        1:18.02 (27.79)     1:46.94 (28.92)
  6 Thorsen, Harris  FR Emory             1:46.45    1:47.01 B      
                 24.38        51.92 (27.54)
        1:19.73 (27.81)     1:47.01 (27.28)
  7 Thorsen, Benjam  JR Emory             1:48.07    1:47.14 B      
                 23.51        50.91 (27.40)
        1:18.67 (27.76)     1:47.14 (28.47)
  8 Han, Leo         SO NYU               1:47.47    1:47.19 B      
                 23.60        50.71 (27.11)
        1:18.23 (27.52)     1:47.19 (28.96)

Women’s 200 butterfly

Caitlin Marshall and Alesha Kelly finished 1-2 last year and are in those places in reverse order after prelims. Marshall set the pace in 1:59.85, 1.01 seconds up on Kelly, the reigning gold medalist. The duo were the only two to enter with sub-2-minute times in the regular season. Marshall won the event in 2022.

Four A finalists return from last year. Bronze medalist Nicole Ranile was fourth in prelims. With freshman Youngju Baik, NYU has three in the A final. Samantha Kilcoyne of Williams is a medal contender in sixth in prelims. The third seed went to Denison’s Emily Harris.

 Event 22  Women 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
         1:56.90  A A-cut
         2:05.26  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Marshall, Caitl  JR NYU               1:59.41    1:59.85 B      
                 26.73        57.17 (30.44)
        1:28.31 (31.14)     1:59.85 (31.54)
  2 Kelly, Alesha    SR Chicago           1:59.76    2:00.86 B      
                 27.31        57.65 (30.34)
        1:28.82 (31.17)     2:00.86 (32.04)
  3 Harris, Emily    SO Denison           2:00.92    2:01.31 B      
                 27.39        58.20 (30.81)
        1:29.08 (30.88)     2:01.31 (32.23)
  4 Ranile, Nicole   SO NYU               2:01.12    2:01.45 B      
                 27.05        57.45 (30.40)
        1:29.01 (31.56)     2:01.45 (32.44)
  5 Gomez, Reina     FR NYU               2:02.58    2:02.58 B      
                 27.41        58.04 (30.63)
        1:29.55 (31.51)     2:02.58 (33.03)
  6 Kilcoyne, Saman  SR Williams          2:01.69    2:02.98 B      
                 27.95        59.26 (31.31)
        1:31.06 (31.80)     2:02.98 (31.92)
  7 Baik, Youngju    FR NYU               2:03.42    2:03.07 B      
                 27.47        58.92 (31.45)
        1:31.16 (32.24)     2:03.07 (31.91)
  7 Schmitz, Sophia  SR Kenyon            2:02.60    2:03.07 B      
                 28.55        59.63 (31.08)
        1:30.93 (31.30)     2:03.07 (32.14)

Men’s 100 backstroke

Washington University’s Alex McCormick set the pace in 47.39 in what promises to be a crowded final, the top eight in prelims spread across less than seven tenths. David Bajwa of Calvin and Kenyon’s Djordje Dragojolovic tied for second in 47.44. Dragojolovic and McCormick are the only two to have made the A final in this event last year.

Fourth was Ev Nichol of Williams. Yurii Kosian of Kenyon was sixth, guaranteeing a third straight year where he’s finished at least ninth or better.

Two top seeds missed out, though. Ryan Koh came in with the fourth-fastest seed but ended up ninth. Kenyon’s Daniel Brooks went from fifth to 10th. They’re joined in the B final by two A finalists from last year, Eric Lundgren in 12th and Jack Watson in 15th.

 Event 23  Men 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
           46.29  A A-cut
           49.48  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 McCormick, Alex  SR Wash U. MO          47.83      47.39 B      
                 22.74        47.39 (24.65)
  2 Bajwa, David     JR Calvin              47.69      47.44 B      
                 23.04        47.44 (24.40)
  2 Dragojlovic, Dj  SO Kenyon              47.63      47.44 B      
                 22.88        47.44 (24.56)
  4 Nichol, Ev       SR Williams            47.12      47.52 B      
                 22.78        47.52 (24.74)
  5 Morford, Brayde  FR Carnegie Mellon     47.06      47.53 B      
                 23.07        47.53 (24.46)
  6 Kosian, Yurii    SR Kenyon              47.28      47.55 B      
                 23.04        47.55 (24.51)
  7 Schwenk, James   JR St. Mary's MD       48.61      48.04 B      
                 22.98        48.04 (25.06)
  8 Braunschweig, A  JR Emory               48.23      48.08 B      
                 23.15        48.08 (24.93)

Women’s 100 backstroke

Kate Augustyn led the way in prelims, the MIT junior going 54.40. The second seed belonged to Williams’ Sophia Verkleeren, who went 54.78. She was the top seed entering the meet in 53.65. MIT freshman Sydney Smith was third in 54.86.

Emory is poised to bounce in the team standings, with three A finalists. That includes Megan Jungers, the third seed entering the meet, who posted the fourth-fastest time in 55.11. She won silver each of the last two years. Augustyn was third last year, and Verkleeren was fourth in 2022.

The A final features a swap of 17ths, that most unlucky of places. Izzy Huang of Emory was there last year. Now she’s seventh. Last year’s fifth-place finisher, Sara Kraus of Hope College, finished 17th in the morning.

Event 24  Women 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
           53.70  A A-cut
           56.76  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Augustyn, Kate   JR MIT                 54.16      54.40 B      
                 26.50        54.40 (27.90)
  2 Verkleeren, Sop  JR Williams            53.65      54.78 B      
                 26.27        54.78 (28.51)
  3 Smith, Sydney    FR MIT                 56.30      54.86 B      
                 26.72        54.86 (28.14)
  4 Jungers, Megan   SR Emory               54.24      55.11 B      
                 26.29        55.11 (28.82)
  5 Celtnieks, Penn  SO Emory               55.52      55.52 B      
                 26.86        55.52 (28.66)
  6 Thiele, Sammi    SR Austin              55.35      55.59 B      
                 26.34        55.59 (29.25)
  7 Huang, Izzy      SO Emory               55.65      55.65 B      
                 26.84        55.65 (28.81)
  8 Wukitch, Caleig  SR Kenyon              55.04      55.66 B      
                 27.24        55.66 (28.42)

Men’s 100 breaststroke

Emory’s Jake Meyer is chasing a second straight title, but he’ll have Derek Maas chasing him. Meyer, who won last year’s title and was fifth in 2022, paced the field in 52.83. He holds the top time in the field in 52.55 this year. Maas was second in prelims as he was in the seeds, in 53.02. The Division I All-American at Alabama has a top time of 50.78 in college.

Garrett Clasen of Chicago is chasing a third medal in this event. He was third in 53.12. The senior finished second last year and fourth in 2022. Henri Bonnault of Emory was fourth in 53.71, having finished sixth last year.

On the redemption trail, fifth seed Jason Starbuck of Chicago is up from 14th last year. Emmett Adams of Tufts jumped from 28th last year to eighth. And Alex Grand’Pierre of Bowdoin was DQed in this event last year. He’s snugly into the A final in seventh.

Event 25  Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
           52.11  A A-cut
           55.55  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Meyer, Jake      SR Emory               52.55      52.83 B      
                 24.96        52.83 (27.87)
  2 Maas, Derek      5Y NYU                 52.78      53.02 B      
                 24.40        53.02 (28.62)
  3 Clasen, Garrett  SR Chicago             53.25      53.12 B      
                 24.91        53.12 (28.21)
  4 Bonnault, Henri  SO Emory               53.69      53.71 B      
                 25.09        53.71 (28.62)
  5 Starbuck, Jason  SR Chicago             54.09      53.74 B      
                 24.84        53.74 (28.90)
  6 Venos, Elijah    JR Denison             53.63      53.81 B      
                 25.34        53.81 (28.47)
  7 Grand'Pierre, A  JR Bowdoin             53.52      53.91 B      
                 25.34        53.91 (28.57)
  8 Adams, Emmett    JR Tufts               54.62      54.14 B      
                 25.04        54.14 (29.10)

Women’s 100 breaststroke

Kenyon’s Jennah Fadely is after a second straight title. She led the way in prelims in 1:01.39 and she has the top time in the nation this year at 1:00.02. She won in 59.94 last year. She’s got 2022 champ Edenna Chen for company, the MIT fifth-year second in 1:01.87. Chen finished fourth last year.

Also back from last year’s A final are Charlotte Wishnack in 1:01.93 for third and teammate Amanda Wager in fifth. In between is Kenyon’s Gabriella Wei.

Event 26  Women 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
         1:00.05  A A-cut
         1:04.39  B B-cut
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Fadely, Jennah   JR Kenyon            1:00.02    1:01.39 B      
                 28.86      1:01.39 (32.53)
  2 Chen, Edenna     5Y MIT               1:01.43    1:01.87 B      
                 28.69      1:01.87 (33.18)
  3 Wishnack, Charl  JR Williams          1:02.40    1:01.93 B      
                 28.99      1:01.93 (32.94)
  4 Wei, Gabriella   JR Kenyon            1:02.29    1:01.95 B      
                 28.90      1:01.95 (33.05)
  5 Wager, Amanda    SR Williams          1:01.86    1:02.23 B      
                 29.29      1:02.23 (32.94)
  6 Rotival, Sophie  JR Swarthmore        1:02.19    1:02.32 B      
                 29.20      1:02.32 (33.12)
  7 Sekhon, Kavita   SO Wellesley         1:02.37    1:02.46 B      
                 29.54      1:02.46 (32.92)
  8 Smith, Mattie    JR Albion            1:02.57    1:02.49 B      
                 28.87      1:02.49 (33.62)
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Mika Gomez
Mika Gomez
1 month ago

There are FOUR women from NYU in the A finals. You forgot my daughter, Reina Gomez.

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