Ohio State Men
After day one of the Ohio State Invitational, the Buckeyes sit in second place ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats but behind the Florida Gators.
The 200 medley relay kicked off the day’s events, and it certainly started off with a bang. Florida’s relay squad won with a time of 1:17.55, under the NCAA’s A standard and also a meet record. Caeleb Dressel’s finished his freestyle leg in 18.96, breaking the pool record in the process. Second place went to Ohio State’s foursome of Matt McHugh, Mossimo Chavez, Nathan Christian, and Andrew Appleby (1:19.34) and another Buckeye relay squad finished in fourth.
The 500 freestyle was dominated by Gators; they accounted for the top five spots in the championship heat. The top Buckeye finisher was Joey Long and his time of 4:21.20, but Long’s biggest achievement came in the prelims earlier that day: his 400 freestyle long course time of 3:57.86 put him under the cut line for 2016 Olympic Trials.
Florida earned another first place finish in the next event, the 200 IM, when Mark Szaranek (1:44.95) beat out Buckeye Ching Lim (1:45.40) for the top spot. The last individual swimming event of the evening was the 50 freestyle, during which Dressel bested his own pool record that hadn’t even stood for two hours. His time of 18.77 is the new mark for the 50 free at McCorkle, and was also well under the NCAA’s A standard to qualify for the NCAA Championships. McHugh (20.16) was Ohio State’s top finisher in third place and Chavez (20.24) wasn’t far behind him in fifth.
To cap off the day swimming-wise, the Gators won the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:06.50, yet another pool record and an NCAA A standard time. McHugh, D.J. MacDonald, Lim, and Steffen Hillmer (3:12.10) finished in second and another Buckeye relay squad- Mark Belanger, Dimitry Dolgov, Michael Salazar, and Chavez- took third place with a time of 3:14.81.
In the one-meter diving finals, Ohio State continued its spectacular season by placing five of the top six divers. Big Ten Diver of the Week Colin Zeng led the way with an incredible mark of 425.93, an OSU Invite record and another great diving performance from the sophomore. Christo Law (361.81) and Stephan Romanik (356.70) rounded out the top-three for Ohio State.
Competition will pick back up on Saturday with prelims occurring at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.
1) Florida 425
2) Ohio State 369
3) Kentucky 163
Ohio State
Day one of the Ohio State Invitational is in the books and, as it stands now, the Buckeyes sit in second place.
Friday featured the fewest numbers of events for the three day invite, but it certainly wasn’t short on great performances. The 200 freestyle relay kicked off the final heats and Florida’s relay team (1:30.16) just narrowly edged out Ohio State’s foursome of Annie Jongekrijg, Cheyenne Meek, Rachael Dzierzak, and Liz Li (1:30.20) for first place. Natalie Hinds and Li both swam the final leg and Li nearly caught up to her Gator counterpart, swimming a 21.36 to Hinds’ 21.50, but she came up just short.
The 500 freestyle followed and Lindsey Clary (4:44.03) was the top Buckeye finisher in third place. Jessica Thielmann of Florida (4:39.82) and Kendal Casey of Kentucky (4:42.58) both finished ahead of Clary and both bested the previous meet record of 4:43.52 that had stood for nearly 10 years. In the next event, the 200 IM, Meg Bailey (1:59.91) finished in third as well while finishing under the NCAA B standard for that event. Taylor Vargo (2:02.56) finished in second place in the B final for the 200 IM as well.
In the 50 freestyle Ohio State notched its first win in the best performance of the day for any swimmer on the women’s teams today. Li (21.83) outpaced the field to give the Buckeyes their only first place finish in a championship heat, and in the process broke the meet record that was set during last season’s invite. The sophomore also swam under the NCAA’s A standard for the 50 free, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships at the end of the season.
The last two events were won by Florida Gators. In the 400 medley relay, the Florida relay team (3:45.20) eked out a victory over Kentucky’s four swimmers (3:34.85), with Ohio State’s team of Camey Rabold, Vargo, Li, and Jongekrijg (3:36.92) coming in third. Gators Kahlia Warner and Delaney Dye finished first and second in the one-meter diving competition, with Ohio State divers taking third through fifth: Hannah Thek (281.85), Brittany Menninger (277.58), and Haley Allen (269.48).
Competition will pick back up tomorrow with prelims starting at 10 a.m. and finals starting at 6 p.m.
1) Florida 345.5
2) Ohio State 285.5
3) Kentucky 198
4) Washington State 171
5) Miami (FL) 128
Florida
The University of Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams got off to a fast start at this year’s Buckeye Invitational after posting eight U.S. Olympic Trial-qualifying times, three NCAA ‘A’ cut standards, 16 NCAA ‘B’ cuts, and five national top times -- all of this coming in Day One competition at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
Both squads competed in a long-course (50-meter pool) format in the preliminary session, where the Gators took 4-of-6 events. Eighteen men and 19 women swam to season-best long-course times throughout the morning session.
In the 400-meter freestyle, six Gators posted US Olympic Trial-qualifying times. Amelia Maughan (4:14.20) and Austin Manganiello (3:57.05) led the Orange and Blue with respective wins on both ends. Jessica Thielmann (4:17.94), Jan Switkowski (3:57.91), Pawel Werner (3:57.91), and Andrew Brady (3:58.15) added to the mix.
Newcomer Alex Lebed kept the momentum going with a first-place showing in the 400-meter individual medley after touching the wall at the 2:03.68 mark -- a US Olympic Trial-qualifying time for the Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, native.
In the women’s 400 IM, the Gators went 4-5-6 after gathering season-best times from Ashlee Linn (2:19.11), Sierra Kuhn (2:19.30), and Georgia-Mae Hohmann (2:19.30).
Sophomore Caeleb Dressel took the top time in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, posting the Gators’ final US Olympic Trial-qualifying time of 22.81, which was also a new pool record for the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Later in the finals, Dressel notched an NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 18.77 (top national time) for the win and an automatic big to the NCAA Championships.
Friday’s finals were swam in a short course (25-yard pool) setting where the Gators remained a constant atop the leaderboards, posting three NCAA ‘A’ and 16 ‘B’ cuts with wins in 11-of-14 events.
The UF men dominated early, going 1-5 in the 500-meter freestyle. Jan Switkowski led the group, posting the nation’s second-fastest time and Florida’s all-time seventh-fastest mark in school history (4:15.43). Jessica Thielmann also took home gold on the women’s, posting the country’s fastest time by nearly two seconds (4:39.82).
Ashlee Linn (1:58.14) and Georgia-Mae Hohmann (1:58.75) had strong showings in the 200 IM, posting the nation’s second and fourth-fastest times while finishing 1-2 at the invite.
Florida’s 200 freestyle relay team of Dressel, Main, Blyzinskyj and Szaranek swam an outstanding race in the team’s first NCAA ‘A’ cut of the season. The quartet came in with a mark of 1:17.55, which is currently the fastest time in the country and ranks sixth all-time in UF history.
In the 400 medley relay, the foursome of Blyzinskyj, Dressel, Switkowski, Main made their way into Florida’s all-time top-10 charts after posting UF’s eighth-fastest mark (3:06.50) and the country’s current fastest in 2015.
The Florida women also shined in the 400 medley relay, touching out at the 3:33.89 mark -- the country’s current second-fastest time and UF’s eighth-fastest of all-time.
The Gators took a 1-2 finish in the diving well after gathering top scores from seniors Kahlia Warner (304.65) and Delaney Dye (284.85). On the men’s side, the Orange and Blue had a chance to experiment with new dives before postseason play came around. While testing a new list of dives, newcomer Sam Smith managed to bring home a fourth-place finish (325.58) while senior Zach Hernandez finished seventh (289.20) and freshman Dalton Goss came in eighth (275.93).
Kentucky
The Kentucky swimming and diving team had a strong start to the Ohio State Invitational on Friday, as two UK records fell, 13 NCAA B cuts were recorded, and five swimmers came away with Olympic Trials cuts in the morning portion of the meet. At the end of the first day of the invitational, both team sit in third. The men have 163 points and trail Florida (425) and OSU (369), while the women have 198 points and also trail the Gators (345.5) and the Buckeyes (285.5).
The highlight of the morning session was undoubtedly Ann Davies’ school record swim in the 200 long course meters (LCM) individual medley. Davies recorded her first Olympic Trials cut in the event with the fastest finish in 2:18.09. Danielle Galyer also recorded an OT cut with the third seed in 2:18.61. Both went on to notch NCAA B cuts in the finals, as Galyer finished fourth in 2:00.12 and Davies took fifth in a personal-best 2:00.73. Additionally, Kendra Crew won the B final in 2:01.59, hitting the NCAA B standard precisely to be the third Wildcat to accomplish the feat in the event. With their swims, Davies moved up to fourth on UK’s all-time list, while Crew earned the seventh spot and Galyer retains her title as the UK record holder.
Another Kentucky record fell in the 500 freestyle, with Kendal Casey finishing second overall in 4:42.58 to break the 20-year-old record previously held by Kelly Heath. Geena Freriks and Kelly Berger finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in 4:44.35 and 4:45.68. The trio of Wildcats all earned NCAA B cuts with their respective swims, with Freriks earning the fourth spot on UK’s all-time list and Berger notching the fifth-fastest time in program laurels. Meredith Whisenhunt also made her way onto the all-time list with the seventh-fastest swim in 4:48.38. Casey, Freriks and Berger also made Olympic Trials cuts in the 400 LCM freestyle. Casey finished with the fourth seed in 4:16.33, while Freriks finished in 4:16.94 and Berger touched in at 4:17.02.
The final B cuts for the women came in the 400 medley relay. The lineup of Galyer, Crew, Haley McInerny and Freriks touched in at 3:34.85 for second overall, less than one second off the school record of 3:33.94 set last year. Galyer also notched a B cut in her leadoff, swimming a season-best 52.45, and Bridgette Alexander led off for the B relay team, which finished in 3:44.27, with a B cut of 54.11 seconds.
The women also saw strong showings in the 50 free and 200 free relay. Meghan Taylor paced the team in the 50 free, winning the C final in a personal-best 23.97 seconds. Taylor also led off for the 200 free relay, teaming up with Alexander, McInerny and Erin Hart for an eighth-place finish in 1:34.80. The mark is nearly two seconds faster than the 200 free relay time posted at the Mizzou Quad two weeks prior.
The men saw four NCAA B cuts and one Wildcat enter the all-time top-10 list. Brandon Flynn, who had already qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 200 IM, earned the third seed into the finals after finishing the LCM portion in 2:05.59. He went on to finish fourth in a personal-best 1:48.38, breaking the 1:50.00 barrier for the first time in his career. Flynn’s time is his second NCAA B cut of the season, as he accomplished the feat in the 400 IM at the Mizzou Quad, and it ranks fifth on UK’s all-time list.
Distance freestyle proved to be a strength for both the men’s and women’s teams, as three Wildcats recorded NCAA B cuts in the 500 free. Kyle Higgins led the team as the only swimmer donning the Blue and White in the A final after recording a personal-best 4:01.18 in the 400 LCM free earlier in the day. Higgins finished ninth 4:24.24, and the B final saw a 4-5 finish out of Andrew Aviotti and Scott Crosthwaite in 4:24.51 and 4:24.51, respectively. All three earned NCAA B cuts in the event, and were just shy of Olympic Trials cuts in the morning 400-meter swim.
Coming up just short of an NCAA B cut was the 400 medley relay team of Walker Thaning, Mike Summe, Higgins and Sean Gunn. The quartet touched in sixth overall in 3:17.64, just five hundredths of a second off the consideration standard. The 200 free relay team had a stronger showing in the field, placing third behind Matt Roman, Gunn, Cobe Garcia and Josh Swart, but also missed out on a cut in the event. Gunn paced the team in the 50 free, swimming a season-best 20.42 to finish seventh in an A final that saw two sub-20-second performances.
Washington State
The Washington State University swim team tallied 171 points on Friday, on the first day of the Ohio State University Invitational. The Cougars picked up two third place finishes and are currently in fourth place.
The Cougars are competing against the University of Florida, Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Miami.
“We had a great first day. It was fun for us to represent the Pac-12 and some good competition,” WSU Head Coach Tom Jager said. “This is a great pool to swim in here at Ohio State and we are taking advantage of the opportunity. We look forward to producing some more good swims tomorrow.”
Washington State opened the day with a third place finish in the 200 yard freestyle relay. The team of Haley Rose Love, Anna Rosen, Anna Brolin, and Hannah Bruggman picked up 32 points with a time of 1:31.73, a season best for the team.
The team of Rachel Thompson, Addisynn Bursch, Ciera Kelly, and Hailey Johnson picked up 24 more points for the Cougars in the 200 free relay with a seventh-place finish (1:34.64).
In the 200 IM, two Cougars swam in the ‘A’ final. Freshman Jasmine Margetts earned 13 points for WSU with a sixth place finish at 2:01.56, a personal record and the third-fastest time in school history. Senior Loree Olson finished at 2:03.39, placing her tenth and the ninth-best time in WSU history. In the ‘B’ final, senior Presley Wetterstrom tallied four points for the Cougars with a time of 2:02.73, the fifth-fastest time in WSU history. In the ‘C’ final Bursch finished at 2:01.08, the second-fastest time in WSU history.
In the 50 freestyle, Bruggman picked up 16 points for the Cougars with a third place finish (22.96), the fourth-fastest time in school history and a personal record. Junior Haley Rose Love touched the wall sixth, clocking a time of 23.34, the eighth-best time in school history. Rosen picked up five more points for the Cougars in the 50 free when she clocked a time of 23.57, a personal record.
In the 400 medley relay, the Cougars finished fourth and picked up 30 points. The team of Margetts, Wetterstrom, Brolin, and Bruggman clocked a time of 3:41.30, a season best for WSU. In sixth place was the team of Olson, Frederikke Hall, Love, and Bursch at 3:42.26, earning 26 more points for the Cougars.
In the final event of the day, the Cougars picked up one more point from junior Kendra Griffin in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:51.66, the fourth-fastest time in WSU history. Three other Cougars also broke into the top-10 list in the 500 free. Redshirt freshman Jessica Marston finished at 4:53.56, placing her sixth on the list, Sophomore Rachel Thompson clocked a time of 4:54.25, putting her eighth and junior Emma Elhoff finished at 4:55.52, placing her ninth.
