NCAA Men’s Championships: Olympic Momentum Leads Brooks Curry to First NCAA Title in 50 Free (VIDEO)

Brooks Curry after winning the national title in the 50 free -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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NCAA Men’s Championships: Olympic Momentum Leads Brooks Curry to First NCAA Title in 50 Free

When Brooks Curry swam at the NCAA Championships last season, he was a relatively anonymous LSU sophomore, not a swimmer who stole away attention at a meet full of big names. But a few months later, Curry became an Olympian. He placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle at U.S. Olympic Trials, and he went on to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics as a prelims swimmer on the U.S. men’s 400 freestyle relay. That meant that as he returned to college swimming, he would have a target on his back. Even if he had yet to finish higher than sixth at the NCAA Championships, he would be viewed as a favorite because of his status as an Olympian.

So far, Curry has been up to the task. He swam best times in all three of his events, the 50, 100 and 200-yard free, at the SEC Championships last month, and he captured the first national title of his career in the 50 free.

In an incredibly tight final in the splash-and-dash, a blanket of five swimmers crashed into the finish at almost exactly the same time, and Curry got there first in 18.56, three hundredths ahead of Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger (18.59). Virginia’s Matt Brownstead and Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks finished just one hundredth back in 18.60 to tie for third, while NC State’s Nyls Korstanje (18.66) was just off the pace.

“It’s huge,” Curry said. “I’ve been looking forward to this meet for a really long time. Super stoked that the team is all behind me and they’re watching. It’s a huge deal for me to finally get a title. Last year was hard. I worked really hard this year. I had some awesome training partners this year, and I’m super excited that I made it happen.”

Curry admitted that returning to college swimming following his Olympic debut was “a big adjustment” and “a different feeling all around,” but at this point in the season, he has been “kind of riding off with that and feeling good in the pool and out of the pool.”

In the prelims Thursday morning, Seeliger finished in 18.45 to become the third-fastest man in history behind Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Hoffer, but Curry was the one who put the pieces together in the final. Brownstead and Korstanje both got to the turn hundredths ahead of Curry, but the 2021 U.S. Olympic gold medalist in the 400 free relay had the finishing burst to get to the wall first. Curry will also be the favorite in the 100 freestyle later in the meet, and he is seeded fourth in the 200 free.

“I’m liking my range more and more now going up to the 50, 100 and 200,” Curry said. “I’ve been working on a lot of top-end speed this year, tempo stuff, and really nailing down my sprint technique overall. I think my technique has come a long way in a year. I’m historically more of a 100 guy. I’m really excited that I’ve been able to move into other events and perform at that level.”

Brooks Curry’s win makes him just the third man to ever win a title in men’s swimming for LSU. Previously, Todd Torres was the champion in the 100 breaststroke in 1987, and Mark Andrews won the 50 freestyle in 1988.

The field that Curry beat was the fastest and deepest ever at an NCAA Championships. It took under 19 seconds to qualify for the A-final, and one swimmer, Indiana’s Bruno Blaskovic, actually swam 18.98 in prelims and ended up in the consolation heat. At night, that B-final was absolutely sizzling as as Florida’s Adam Chaney touched out NC State’s Noah Henderson for the win, 18.75 to 18.80.

In the team competition, the Cal Bears did not get the individual title they had hoped for with Seeliger, but the event was particularly disappointing for first-place Texas. Drew Kibler, who tied for the second seed in prelims, dropped to sixth place (in 18.87, after his 18.60 in prelims), while teammate Cameron Auchinachie was disqualified. Auchinachie was considered a contender for this national title after he split 18.08 on the Longhorns’ 200 medley relay Wednesday night.

Event 5  Men 50 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 17.63  3/22/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Meet: M 17.63  3/22/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
     American: A 17.63  3/22/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
   U. S. Open: O 17.63  3/22/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 18.20  3/24/2016 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Curry, Brooks          JR LSU                 18.85      18.56   20  
     r:+0.60  8.86         18.56 (9.70)
  2 Seeliger, Bjorn        SO California          18.45      18.59   17  
     r:+0.63  8.89         18.59 (9.70)
  3 Brownstead, Matt       SO Virginia            18.85      18.60   15.5
     r:+0.60  8.81         18.60 (9.79)
  3 Crooks, Jordan         FR Tennessee           18.60      18.60   15.5
     r:+0.61  8.98         18.60 (9.62)
  5 Korstanje, Nyls        JR NCSU                18.94      18.66   14  
     r:+0.60  8.84         18.66 (9.82)
  6 Kibler, Drew           SR Texas               18.60      18.87   13  
     r:+0.57  8.98         18.87 (9.89)
  7 Ramadan, Youssef       SO VT                  18.79      19.04   12  
     r:+0.57  9.15         19.04 (9.89)
 -- Auchinachie, Cameron   5Y Texas               18.63         DQ  
     r:+0.68  8.96            DQ (9.74)

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Mitchell Hale

2 years ago

Geaux Brooks!!! Tigahs are proud of you!

Virginia Coach

2 years ago

Why was the Texas swimmer disqualified?