{"id":466017,"date":"2021-03-20T16:12:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T23:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=466017"},"modified":"2021-03-24T20:26:43","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T03:26:43","slug":"sophie-hansson-throws-down-203-to-win-ncaa-title-in-200-breaststroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/sophie-hansson-throws-down-203-to-win-ncaa-title-in-200-breaststroke\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophie Hansson Throws Down 2:03 to Win NCAA Title in 200 Breaststroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just when NC State needed her most in the pursuit of a runner-up finish in the team standings, junior\u00a0Sophie Hansson\u00a0<\/strong>backed up her 100 breast<\/a> win last night with a 2:03.86 to double up in the 200, her fourth title of the weekend after swimming the breast leg on both of NC State’s medley relays. Hansson dropped a second on her best time to catapult herself from 11th all-time to fifth, and the sixth to break 2:04 in short course yards.<\/p>\n

Hansson led a fast pace at the halfway point, turning at 59.44 ahead of Virginia freshman\u00a0Alex Walsh\u00a0<\/strong>(59.60), Tennessee’s\u00a0Mona McSharry\u00a0<\/strong>(59.64), Virginia’s Alexis Wenger\u00a0<\/strong>(59.66) and NC State’s\u00a0Andrea Podmanikova\u00a0<\/strong>(59.74) as five swimmers were all under at the halfway point. Hansson split a 31.7 on the third 50 to give herself a cushion heading into the final 50 as Virginia’s Nelson also moved up.<\/p>\n

Hansson won going away while Nelson moved up to eighth all-time with a 2:04.35 as McSharry was third, backing up her runner-up in the 100, with a 2:05.01.<\/p>\n

“I was definitely surprised. I came in this morning knowing it was going to be hard just to make the final, and I am not going to lie, it was pretty rough swimming this morning. I did not expect to drop this much,” Sophie Hansson said. “Every point counts and I did it for my team.”<\/p>\n

Podmanikova scored big points for the Wolfpack in fourth at 2:05.51 while Walsh fell to fifth at 2:05.86 and Wenger was seventh at 2:06.90.<\/p>\n

Indiana’s\u00a0Noelle Peplowski\u00a0<\/strong>(2:06.46) and Georgia’s\u00a0Zoie Hartman\u00a0<\/strong>(2:07.70) also swam in the championship final.<\/p>\n

Sophie Hansson’s win is NC State’s first ever title in the 200 breaststroke and the first for the current members of the ACC since Emma Reaney\u00a0<\/strong>of Notre Dame won in 2014. NC State now leads Texas by 67 points heading into the 200 fly and platform diving where the Longhorns are loaded.<\/p>\n

All-Time Rankings:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 2:02.60,\u00a0Lilly King<\/strong>, Indiana, 2018<\/li>\n
  2. 2:03.26,\u00a0Bethany Galat<\/strong>, Texas A&M, 2018<\/li>\n
  3. 2:03.55,\u00a0Kierra Smith<\/strong>, Minnesota, 2015<\/li>\n
  4. 2:03.65,\u00a0Sydney Pickrem<\/strong>, Texas A&M, 2019<\/li>\n
  5. 2:03.86, Sophie Hansson<\/strong><\/span><\/em>, NC State, 2021<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  6. 2:03.93,\u00a0Kate Douglass<\/strong>, Virginia, 2021<\/li>\n
  7. 2:04.06,\u00a0Emma Reaney<\/strong>, Notre Dame, 2014<\/li>\n
  8. 2:04.35,\u00a0Ella Nelson<\/strong>, Virginia, 2021<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n