{"id":582494,"date":"2024-03-28T17:32:37","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T00:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=582494"},"modified":"2024-03-28T21:13:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T04:13:07","slug":"ncaa-mens-championships-florida-blasts-second-fastest-200-free-relay-ever-for-second-relay-win-in-indy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ncaa-mens-championships-florida-blasts-second-fastest-200-free-relay-ever-for-second-relay-win-in-indy\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Blasts Second-Fastest 200 Free Relay Ever For Second Relay Win in Indy"},"content":{"rendered":"

NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Blasts Second-Fastest 200 Free Relay Ever For Second Relay Win in Indy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day one of the NCAA Men’s Championships saw the University of Florida knock off favored Arizona State in the 200 medley relay<\/a>. Winning relays was nothing new for this group of Gators, with the likes of\u00a0Josh Liendo<\/strong>,\u00a0Macguire McDuff<\/strong> and Adam Chaney<\/strong> all returning from winning three relays at last season’s national Championships, all in NCAA-record time.<\/p>\n

“We just wanted to win,” Chaney said.<\/p>\n

Now, the streak of Florida sprint relay success continues in the 200 freestyle relay, with the same foursome that won the medley relay all swimming the same stroke this time as they knocked off the field by more than four tenths.<\/p>\n

“It is obviously really special – this is No. 5,” McDuff said. “It is really cool to do it with the same guys.”<\/p>\n

Liendo, fresh off a touch-out win over Tennessee’s\u00a0Jordan Crooks<\/strong> in the individual 50 free<\/a>, finished just behind the Volunteers’ speedster on this occasion, with Crooks going 18.14 on the leadoff leg ahead of Liendo’s 18.25.<\/p>\n

“I was just trying to go faster, but I knew they were going to take care of business,” Liendo said.<\/p>\n

Tennessee then extended the lead on the second leg as\u00a0Guilherme Santos<\/strong> clocked 18.22, quicker than the personal-best mark of 18.25 from Chaney. But the third leg was the difference as\u00a0Julian Smith<\/strong> put Florida into the lead for good.<\/p>\n

Smith, a junior, was part of only two Florida relays a season ago, but the departures of\u00a0Eric Friese<\/strong> and Dillon Hillis<\/strong> have forced Smith into a larger role, one in which he has thrived. His breaststroke leg on the Gators’ 200 medley relay was quickest in the field before he stepped up to race the 800 free relay an hour later. One day later, Smith’s 18.51 leg gave Florida a one-hundredth lead over Tennessee heading into the last leg and a lead for McDuff, who came home in 18.44 to secure the win.<\/p>\n

“I don’t really sprint that much, but when I had the opportunity, I was ready,” Smith said.<\/p>\n

Florida’s final time was 1:13.49, 14-hundredths slower than the Gators clocked last season but enough to hold off a spirited Cal team swimming in lane eight of the final heat. The Golden Bears led off with a pair of 50 free A-finalists, with\u00a0Jack Alexy<\/strong> clocking an 18.40 that was just off his individual event time (18.38) and\u00a0Bjorn Seeliger<\/strong> splitting 18.43 before the versatile pairing of Liam Bell<\/strong> (18.46) and\u00a0Destin Lasco<\/strong> (18.57) helped Cal finish second in 1:13.86.<\/p>\n