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By Dan D’Addona.
Last year, Townley Haas burst onto the college swimming scene by winning the 200 free and the 500 free as a Texas freshman.
This year’s 200 free final at the NCAA Division I championships in Indianapolis on Friday will have another wave of youth looking to take down some experienced veterans.
Three freshman qualified for the final — Arizona State’s Cameron Craig, Florida’s Maxime Rooney and Harvard’s Dean Farris.
Craig took the fifth seed in 1:32.84, followed by Rooney (1:32.88) and Farris (1:33.05).
They are within striking distance of three veterans, not including Haas, who took the top seed at 1:31.97.
“I think Townley going 1:30 last year kind of set everybody up and showed everybody that you can go pretty fast. It is great that some young guys are coming up,” Farris said. “Hopefully we can give the old guys a run for their money.”
USC junior Dylan Carter has the second seed at 1:32.17, followed by Indiana junior Blake Pieroni (1:32.42) and NC State senior Soeren Dahl (1:32.55). Wisconsin senior Brett Pinfold took the eighth seed (1:33.21).
“I was a little nervous going into it,” Farris said. “I was next to Dylan Carter and I just tried to go out with him. The last 50 hurt a little bit, but overall, I am happy with it. I am excited I got into the finals.”
The first NCAA meet for the freshman class is always a little eye-opening.
“I am not really used to swimming all these big guys. Trials is the only time I have raced those guys. It is definitely different, going in with no expectations and just wanting to race,” Farris said.
The Harvard freshman is looking to have an impact beyond fast individual racing.
“I think we have a really solid team and I think the Ivy League can be one of the top leagues in the country, hopefully in my four years,” he said. “I kind of wanted to make a statement that you can go to one of the best schools in the world and still swim fast. There is a stigma that you have to choose one or the other, and I think it is better to have balance. Hopefully I am an inspiration to kids who will look at the Ivy League rather than just powerhouse swimming schools.”
It starts with the 200 freestyle final, which has several swimmers capable of going 1:30. But will they?
Michigan freshman Felix Auboek took the 13th seed at 1:33.45 after an All-American finish in the 500 freestyle, giving the field a fourth freshman.
The influx of freshman will help ensure this event will be an elite race top-to-bottom for years.
“This morning was a big confidence booster,” Rooney said. “I know Dean and Cameron and they have been doing some pretty outstanding things this year. It is going to be very cool to compete — and the rest of the field is packed — guys that went 1:30. It is going to take a special swim to win.”
