The NC State/GAC Invitational continues to feature some strong swims across the board.
NC State Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C.- The No. 1 and 6 NC State swimming and diving teams continued to excel in the water on Friday at the GAC Invitational inside the Greensboro Aquatic Center, picking up another nine event wins on the second day of competition.
Through two days of racing the Wolfpack men continue to hold a lead in the team standings with 1,288 points, while the women remain in second place with 1,258. On the men's side No. 21 Notre Dame (1,045) and Duke (858) round out the top three of the team leaderboard while No. 20 UNC-Chapel Hill's women remain in first with 1,277.5 points.
The Wolfpack had another 34 performances that bettered the NCAA 'B' standard time and one relay race that tabbed the team's second NCAA 'A' cut of the year.
Wolfpack Relays
NC State finished first in all four relays contested and posted as many top five national marks in the process.
The women's 200 medley relay team of Elise Haan, Kayla Brumbaum, Krista Duffield and Ky-Lee Perry managed to notch a NCAA 'A' cut after winning the event in 1:36.80, while the 800 freestyle relay of Alexia Zevnik, Rachel Muller, Christine Kerr and Hannah Moore finished with a time of 7:06.83 (B cut). Zevnik's 200 free leadoff split of 1:45.57 was enough for a NCAA 'B' cut.
On the men's side the 200 medley relay squad of Hennessey Stuart, Derek Hren, Soren Dahl and Ryan Held swam a time of 1:25.33 (B cut), while the 800 free relay of Held, Anton Ipsen, Mark McGlaughlin and Dahl touched the wall at 6:23.26 (B cut).
Top Individual Performances
Ipsen picked up a second-place finish in the 400 IM standings with a career-best time of 3:45.40 (B cut) while Jack McIntyre won the B final in 3:51.73 (B cut), shaving more than six seconds off of his seed time. In the women's 400 IM Jessica Horomanski placed third with a mark of 4:14.80 (B cut), while Moore finished fourth in 4:15.86 (B cut).
Held captured his second individual event win of the meet in the 100 butterfly as he stopped the clock at 46.06 (B cut). His performance stands as the second-fastest in program history.
Kerr was the top performer for NC State in the women's 200 free as she placed second with a career-best mark of 1:47.28 (B cut), which stands as the No. 6 time in program history. In the men's 200 free Dahl touched the wall at 1:35.13 (B cut) to win his second individual event this weekend.
Brumbaum cruised to a first-place finish in the women's 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:00.10, while her prelim time of 59.55 (B cut) stands as a school record and is the only mark that was under 1:00 in the event. Emmie Barnhill additionally won the B final after tabbing a career-best time of 1:02.53, which stands as the fifth-fastest time in program history.
In the men's 100 breast Hren and Zack Warner finished third and fifth with times of 53.13 (B cut) and 54.30 (B cut), in respective order. Warner's prelim performance of 53.97 marks the third-fastest time in NC State's record book.
In the women's 100 backstroke the Pack had five finish in the top eight of the event standings. Haan, Alexia Zevnik and Courtney Caldwell led the team by sweeping the podium with NCAA 'B' cut times of 52.08, 52.77 and 52.78, respectively. Haan's performance is additionally the No. 2 all-time mark at NC State.
Stuart tabbed a win in the men's 100 back after stopping the clock at 46.78 (B cut) while Coleman Stewart touched the wall at 47.12 (B cut) for the fourth-fastest time in program history.
Diving
The Pack shined on the springboards on day two, as four divers managed to advance to the finals. In the women's one-meter dive Madeline Kline finished seventh with a score of 254.50 while Rachel Burston finished 12th with a mark of 228.75.
In the men's three-meter dive James Brady captured a fourth-place finish with a career-best mark of 360.85, while Harrison Mitchell finished 11th overall with a score of 286.40.
Duke Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Blue Devil women broke school records in three events and the men featured an individual event winner in senior Peter Kropp as the squads continued competition at the NC State GAC Invite Friday.
Both Duke teams remain in third place in the team standings with one full day of competition remaining at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
“The first day was a really great day for us – probably the best first day of results that we’ve had in quite some time,” said head coach Dan Colella. “It’s tough a lot of times coming off a high like that, but they did a great job this morning and we got a lot of people back this evening. They just really came in and built off of that. It seems like they’re just getting a little bit quicker and a little bit sharper every session.”
In the opening event of the evening, Duke’s 200-yard medley relays both raced to second-place finishes. Sophomore Mickayla Hinkle, senior Ashleigh Shanley, freshman Alyssa Marsh and senior Maddie Rusch posted the third-fastest time in the history of the women’s program at 1:38.49 before seniors Kaz Takabayashi, Kropp and Joey Maginnis teamed with sophomore Yusuke Legard to clock the second-fastest mark on the men’s all-time performance list at 1:26.27.
After senior Liza Bragg and freshman Roger Kriegl turned in a pair of 14th-place showings in the 400 IM, the Blue Devil women boosted their team score with four swimmers in the 100 butterfly ‘A’ final. Junior Leah Goldman broke her second individual school record in as many nights, taking second overall at 52.22. Marsh was right behind her to the wall in third (52.79), while junior Isabella Paez was sixth (53.48) and freshman Kylie Jordan seventh (53.95). All four swims surpassed the NCAA provisional standard in the event.
Senior Joey Maginnis paced the men with a seventh-place finish in the 100 butterfly (48.92) after matching his career best of 48.43 in the event preliminaries.
The Duke women saw another record fall in the 200 freestyle, as senior Brittany Friese took down the benchmark for the second time on the day. After going 1:47.78 in preliminaries, Friese returned to the water for a 1:47.67 clocking, which placed her third overall. Sophomore Hunter Aitchison also earned a spot in the ‘A’ final, taking fifth (1:48.69), and Shanley and sophomore Alyssa Arwood followed with top-seven finishes in the 100 breaststroke ‘A’ final.
Kropp and senior classmate Dylan Payne swept the top two spots in the men’s 100 breaststroke, with Payne notching a career-best 53.09 performance. Sophomore Max St. George then finished third (47.43) and Takabayashi fifth (48.01) in the men’s 100 backstroke, while Hinkle took 11th in the same event on the women’s side.
In diving, senior Kirby Quinn led the women for the second-straight night, taking fourth on the 1-meter board (272.40), and freshman Nathaniel Hernandez was fifth for the men at the 3-meter height (351.20).
The Blue Devil women took down a third school record at the end of the evening, surpassing the benchmark set last season in the 800 freestyle relay. Junior Verity Abel, Aitchison, Goldman and Friese combined for a time of 7:12.73 to touch second overall. In the men’s race, freshman Miles Williams, sophomore Sean Tate, freshman Sheldon Boboff and senior Michael Miller were seventh with the ninth-fastest mark in program history at 6:39.25.
“It’s a long day and a lot of racing, and to finish with the 800 free relay is always a real test,” Colella said. “They did a great job and the women were able to break the school record to finish out the evening. Very, very excited about where we stand right now and we’re just looking forward to tomorrow’s events and continuing what they started.”
West Virginia Press Release
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (November 18, 2016) – The West Virginia University swimming and diving team completed the second day of competition at the NC State GAC Invitational with freshman Morgan Bullock earning an NCAA B qualifying time and sophomore Merwane El Merini claiming a top-seven finish on Friday, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
On the second day of competition at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, Bullock earned an NCAA B qualifying time in the 100 butterfly and El Merini advanced to the A finals in the 100 backstroke, his second A final finish of the weekend. Friday’s A, B and C finals featured 13 West Virginia swimmers – one A finalist, three B finalists and nine in the C finals.
“It was a very good day today,” said coach Vic Riggs. “I thought our morning session was about as strong as we could have made it. We had several lifetime-best times and 24 final swims, which was great. Taylor (Gill) started the night with a strong 400 individual medley, followed by our butterfliers, led by Morgan (Bullock) with an NCAA B cut. Jack (Portmann) had the best finish for the men with a 50.00. Our ladies did a great job in the 200 freestyle, led by Amelie (Currat). Ryan (Kelly) and Drew (Damich) had very good swims as well. After winning a swim-off for 15th with a 1:03.33, Emma (Harris) had a great swim along with Marah (Bieger) and Loren (Williams). Drew (Riebel) and Jake (Armstrong) had solid swims. Amelie (Currat) came back and had a strong 100 backstroke as did Julia (Miranda), Taylor (Gill) and Maggie (Miller). Merwane (El Merini) had our only top-eight final tonight with a great 100 backstroke in 48.99.
“Our relays weren't as strong as last night but all did improve. We have a strong day tomorrow to finish our weekend, but so far considering how young we are, I'm very pleased with how we are swimming and competing.”
NC State men’s team leads the nine-team event with 1,406 points, followed by Notre Dame (1,145), Duke (938), UNC (841), Air Force (694), Tennessee (617) and West Virginia (392). For the women, UNC leads with 1,277.5 points, followed by NC State (1,258), Duke (1,062.5), Notre Dame (897.5), Tennessee (598.5), WVU (389), Marshall (377) and Miami (377).
In the A final of the men’s 100 backstroke, El Merini placed seventh with a season-best time of 48.99, just 0.10 seconds away from matching his career-best time. Freshman Luke Hene swam a season-best time of 50.20 in the prelims to advance to the C finals, where he placed 22nd overall.
Bullock advanced to the B Finals in the women’s 100 butterfly, placing 10th overall with an NCAA B-qualifying and season-best time of 54.01. Freshman Julia Miranda placed 20th overall in the C final with a time of 55.66 after advancing with a season-best time of 55.31 in the prelims.
Sophomore Emma Harris swam a season-best 1:03.33 in the B final of the women’s 100 breaststroke to place 15th overall.
On springboard for the Mountaineer men, juniors Michael Proietto and Alex Obendorf advanced to the finals on 3-meter. Proietto placed ninth overall in the finals with a score of 312.30 after a 313.60 in the prelims. Obendorf advanced to the finals and placed 12th after a prelim score of 303.80.
In the women’s 100 backstroke, junior Amelie Currat placed fifth in the B final and 13th overall with a time of 54.76. Miranda advanced to the C final of the 100 backstroke, placing 19th overall with a season-best 55.16.
For the WVU men, freshman Jack Portmann placed fourth in the C final and 20th overall in the 100 butterfly. He touched the wall in a season-best 50.00.
Junior Taylor Gill advanced in the C final of the women’s 400 individual medley, finishing in 21st overall with a time of 4:28.83 after a season-best time of 4:26.01 in the prelims.
In the C final of the women’s 200 freestyle, Currat placed 19th overall with a season-best time of 1:50.05. Sophomore Morgan Carr placed 24th overall with a time of 1:52.75 after a season-best time in the prelims of 1:51.40.
Freshman Ryan Kelly advanced to the C final in the men’s 200 freestyle, placing 21st overall with a time of 1:39.28 after a season-best time of 1:39.26 in the prelims.
Sophomore Jake Armstrong swam a season-best time of 56.25 in the prelims to advance to the C final of the men’s 100 breaststroke, where he placed 24th overall.
In the women’s 200 medley relay, a team of sophomores Maggie Miller and Harris and freshmen Bullock and Miranda placed 11th with a time of 1:43.13.
On the first day, three Mountaineers earned NCAA B qualifying times while numerous swimmers posted career-best and season-best times. WVU had five swimmers punch their tickets to Thursday evening’s A, B and C finals in their respective events, with two A finalists, one B finalist and two in the C final. Additionally, three divers advanced to the finals and earned top-11 finishes.
The final day of the NC State Invite commences on Saturday with prelims starting at 9:30 a.m. and finals at 5:30 p.m.
Air Force Press Release
GREENSBORO, NC. – With an impressive mix of under-classmen breaking through and upper-classmen blazing the way, the Falcons continued with strong performances on day two of the GAC Invitational on Friday, Nov. 18. After 28 events, N.C. State is in first place with 1406 points, followed by Notre Dame (1145), Duke (938), North Carolina (841), Air Force (694), Tennessee (841) and West Virginia (392). With the men’s diving team competing at the Northwestern Invitational, the above score reflects the efforts of Falcon swimmers alone, minus the help of the diving team.
Out of the seven events on day two, the Falcons had 28 swims in the finals and came away with 11, Top-10 event finishes.
Getting the night started in the 200 Medley, the A Relay comprised of Joey Gebhart, Zach Knoche, Steffen Mount and Jordan Dahle, secured a fifth-place finish with a time of 1:27.46. Just over two seconds behind was the team of Cole McAnany, Kevin Fanter, Kevin Pollard, and Lars Knutson of the Falcon-B relay taking 10th in 1:29.50.
In the consolation heat of the 400 IM, Andrew Faciszewski and Garrett Glaudini led the way with 10th and 13th place finishes coming in at 3:52.48 and 3:55.19. Derek Brecht (3:56.02) and Zach Nelson (3:56.25) took 19th and 20th, placing all four Falcons in the Top-20.
Mount once again demonstrated his speed and strength, this time in the 100 Fly. Claiming fourth overall with a time of 47.72, he also posted the third fastest time in Academy history. Also impressive was Pollard’s personal best swim of 48.90, which secured 11th place. He was followed closely by Gebhart (19th, 49.62), Grant Temple (21st, 50.02), Devon Davis (24th, 51.76) and McAnany (50.41)
In the 200 freestyle, Dahle raced to a seventh-place finish (1:37.50) and Michael Hannigan took ninth, winning the consolation heat in 1:38.07. In the same heat was Ben Brockman, claiming 11th (1:38.46), followed by Knutson for 29th (1:41.16).
Knoche also posted a lifetime best in the 100 breast stroke with a time of 54.41 for a sixth place finish. Less than two tenths behind was Fanter finishing eighth in 56.41. Swimming in the same heat, Brecht (25th, 56.20), Nelson (26th, 56.41), and Andrew Weiss (32nd, 57.66) finished their race with respectable performances as well.
The 100 backstroke was the first event where everyone who swam in prelims returned for finals. Leading the Falcons with a ninth-place finish was Cole McAnany, who won the consolation race. McAnany tied 2014 grad, Angus MacDonald, for the fourth fastest 100 backstroke time in school history at 48.34. Right behind in 10th place was Joey Gebhart with a 49.04. Making up the remaining backstrokers racing in finals was Devon Davis (24th, 53.77), Kris Tillery (25th, 49.35) and Grant Temple (31st, 51.44).
Claiming their third, fifth- place relay finish of the meet, Faciszewski, Brockman, Hannigan and Dahle each swam a strong 200 freestyle leg for a combined time of 6:32.38 in the 800 free relay. The Falcon “B” team, comprised of Mount, Knutson, Glaudini, and Riley Delahoyde, represented the Falcons with an 11th place finish in 6:45.25.
“It was a great night for us.” head coach Rob Clayton. “We had such a good mix of new, young guys stepping up and demonstrating they’re ready to swim at this level, especially Brockman, Nelson and McAnany, who tied for the fourth- fastest time in school history. Their swims are going to put them right in there at the conference level. Our usual mix of older guys were out there leading the way. Knoche and Pollard doing lifetime bests, Mount posting the third fastest time in school history, Dahle swimming great 200’s and relays, and, of course, our 400 IMers starting us off with great swims by Faciszewski and Glaudini. We’ve got some guys coming back from injuries, specifically Davis, who made some steps forward tonight. Overall, we went by Tennessee and we have North Carolina in our sights, so hopefully we can run them down tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of momentum and it certainly was a positive night for the Falcons.”
