NCAA Women’s Championships: Kate Douglass Ties Fourth-Fastest Time Ever in 200 Breaststroke Prelims

Kate Douglass -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

NCAA Women’s Championships: Kate Douglass Ties Fourth-Fastest Time Ever in 200 Breaststroke Prelims

In two previous individual events at the NCAA Women’s Championships, Kate Douglass has recorded the fastest time in history to defeat loaded fields. After beating the previous American and NCAA records in the 200 IM by 1.71 seconds in the 200 IM while dominating Torri Huske and Alex Walsh, Douglass beat Maggie Mac Neil and Huske in a highly-anticipated 100 butterfly showdown. But in the 200 breaststroke, Douglass entered as an overwhelming favorite, seeded almost three seconds clear of the field having already broken the American and NCAA records twice this season.

Indeed, Douglass made quick work of her heat in prelims Saturday morning. Her 100-yard split of 58.94 was more than two seconds clear of anyone else in the heat and a second faster than any other swimmer in the field. She had the luxury of cruising to the finish, but she still checked in with a time of 2:02.60. That mark is tied for the fourth-fastest time in history, with only Douglass having posted quicker marks (at the Cavalier Invitational last month, the Tennessee Invitational in November and at last year’s NCAA Championships). Douglass tied Lilly King’s best time, which was the American and NCAA record for four years until Douglass broke it last year.

Douglass is the only swimmer to have captured two individual titles so far this week, and with no one within three seconds in the prelims, the 21-year-old originally from Pelham, N.Y., is a virtual lock to clinch NCAA Swimmer of the Year honors for the second consecutive year.

Virginia’s Ella Nelson, who placed second to Walsh in the 400 IM Friday evening, pulled comfortably ahead of her heat on the second 50 and cruised to the win in 2:05.72. After the impressive result in the medley, Nelson said, “The 200 breast has always been my comfort event, I would say. I’ve been working on a more speedy breaststroke. I usually am the one to be pretty behind at the 100, and then I’m like, ‘Oh shoot, I’ve got to go,’ and then I start spinning. I have been working on a new breaststroke that’s more poppy.”

Nelson only entered the event as the ninth seed after she was disqualified for a false start at the ACC Championships last month, but she will be definitely in the running for a top-three result at night.

Behind Nelson in that heat, Indiana’s Noelle Peplowski touched out Tennessee’s Mona McSharry for second place, 2:06.35 to 2:06.39, and those times ended up third and fourth overall, respectively. In the remaining circle-seeded heat, Texas’ Anna Elendt held off USC’s Isabelle Odgers on the final length. Elendt qualified fifth for the final in 2:06.64, followed by Odgers in 2:06.92.

Virginia’s Anna Keating (2:06.92) and Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley (2:07.12) were the last two qualifiers into the A-final, with Gridley finishing marginally ahead of teammate Sarah Foley (2:07.43) for the last spot in the A-final.

Notably, Texas’ Lydia Jacoby finished 10th in 2:07.58 to miss the top heat. Jacoby was the winner in the 100 breast Friday night, but she touched more than three seconds behind her remarkable 2:04.32 from last month’s Big 12 Championships. Texas will still have two scorers in the event but only Elendt capable of scoring A-final points.

Event 18  Women 200 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 2:01.43  2/4/2023  Kate Douglass, Virginia
         Meet: M 2:02.19  3/19/2022 Kate Douglass, Virginia
     American: A 2:01.43  2/4/2023  Kate Douglass, Virginia
      US Open: O 2:01.43  2/4/2023  Kate Douglass, Virginia
         Pool: P 2:01.87  11/19/2022Kate Douglass, Virginia
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Douglass, Kate         SR Virginia          2:01.43    2:02.60  
    r:+0.65  27.88        58.94 (31.06)
        1:30.46 (31.52)     2:02.60 (32.14)
  2 Nelson, Ella           SR Virginia          2:06.39    2:05.72  
    r:+0.58  28.81      1:00.34 (31.53)
        1:32.63 (32.29)     2:05.72 (33.09)
  3 Peplowski, Noelle      5Y Indiana           2:05.52    2:06.35  
    r:+0.73  28.88      1:00.97 (32.09)
        1:33.36 (32.39)     2:06.35 (32.99)
  4 McSharry, Mona         JR Tennessee         2:05.11    2:06.39  
    r:+0.65  29.03      1:00.96 (31.93)
        1:33.56 (32.60)     2:06.39 (32.83)
  5 Elendt, Anna           JR Texas             2:05.50    2:06.64  
    r:+0.68  28.42      1:00.37 (31.95)
        1:33.05 (32.68)     2:06.64 (33.59)
  6 Odgers, Isabelle       5Y USC               2:06.66    2:06.92  
    r:+0.57  29.35      1:01.58 (32.23)
        1:34.08 (32.50)     2:06.92 (32.84)
  7 Keating, Anna          JR Virginia          2:07.91    2:07.12  
    r:+0.72  29.15      1:01.28 (32.13)
        1:34.29 (33.01)     2:07.12 (32.83)
  8 Gridley, Kaelyn        FR Duke              2:06.74    2:07.32  
    r:+0.70  29.58      1:01.93 (32.35)
        1:34.56 (32.63)     2:07.32 (32.76)
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Foley, Sally           JR Duke              2:06.61    2:07.43  
    r:+0.53  29.13      1:01.61 (32.48)
        1:34.45 (32.84)     2:07.43 (32.98)
 10 Jacoby, Lydia          FR Texas             2:04.32    2:07.58  
    r:+0.65  28.87      1:01.12 (32.25)
        1:33.98 (32.86)     2:07.58 (33.60)
 11 Wiseman, Avery         SO Alabama           2:05.85    2:07.77  
    r:+0.68  29.17      1:01.64 (32.47)
        1:34.62 (32.98)     2:07.77 (33.15)
 12 Hartman, Zoie          SR Georgia           2:05.48    2:07.85  
    r:+0.70  29.29      1:01.77 (32.48)
        1:34.63 (32.86)     2:07.85 (33.22)
 13 Davey, Gillian         SR Kentucky          2:08.19    2:07.88  
    r:+0.68  29.56      1:02.06 (32.50)
        1:34.59 (32.53)     2:07.88 (33.29)
 14 Dobler, Kaitlyn        JR USC               2:05.66    2:07.89  
    r:+0.64  28.48      1:01.25 (32.77)
        1:34.15 (32.90)     2:07.89 (33.74)
 15 MacCausland, Heather   SR NC State          2:08.82    2:08.14  
    r:+0.65  28.61      1:00.68 (32.07)
        1:33.98 (33.30)     2:08.14 (34.16)
 16 Kucheran, Nina         5Y Florida           2:10.01    2:08.30  
    r:+0.56  29.06      1:00.96 (31.90)
        1:33.62 (32.66)     2:08.30 (34.68)

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