2015 Women’s NCAA DI Championships: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2015 WOMEN’S NCAA DI CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, March 19 – Saturday, March 21
• Greensboro Aquatic Center – Greensboro, NC
• Prelims 11AM/Finals 7PM (Eastern Time)
• Defending Champion: Georgia (2x) – results
• NCAA Championship Central
• Live stream: All prelims & Thursday finals (Other sessions will be on ESPN3)
• Live results

The first day of the meet features the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, and 1 meter diving individually, as well as the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay.

A three way race is setting up between Leah Smith, Brittany Maclean, and the new NCAA record holder, Cierra Runge, in the 500 freestyle. It will be a very fast final, and it should take a new NCAA record to win tonight.

The 200 IM will be a duel between Cal teammates Missy Franklin and Liz Pelton. Both swimmers are seeded several seconds ahead of the third place qualifier with 1:52’s. They are also within striking distance of Caitlin Leverenz’s American/US Open record of 1:51.77.

Stanford’s Simone Manuel is the favorite to win the 50 freestyle at her first NCAA Championship meet. The 50 will be very tight with 12 swimmers seeded under 22 seconds.

Based on the psych sheet scoring, California is expected to have the lead after the first day of the meet with 163 points. UVA is expected to be second at 121, and Georgia is expected to be sitting in third with 116.

200 Freestyle Relay – Prelims

• NCAA Record – 1:26.20, Arizona – 2009
• Championship Record – 1:26.20, Arizona – 2009
• American Record – 1:26.20, Arizona – 2009
• US Open Record – 1:26.20, Arizona – 2009
• 2014 Champion: Stanford, 1:26.23

Ivy Martin lead Wisconsin to the top seed in the 200 freestyle relay with her lead-off split of 21.62. The Badgers posted the fastest time of the country this year with their time of 1:26.86. Georgia finished just behind them as the only other team under 1:27. They finished with a time of 1:26.94. Stanford qualified third at 1:27.24 and California qualified fourth at 1:27.60.

Joining them in the A final will be Auburn, Texas A&M, NC State, and Louisville. It took a time of 1:28.05 t0 make the A final and a 1:28.79 to make the B final.

The fastest splits of the morning came from Louisville’s Kelsi Worrell. She went second for the Cardinals and split 21.04. Chantal Van Langdham also had a fast split for Georgia with a 21.23. Wisconsin’s Martin had the fastest lead off split at 21.62.

500 Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA – 4:31.90 – Cierra Runge, California – 2015
• Championship – 4:32.53 – Brittany MacLean, Georgia – 2014
• American – 4:26.58, Katie Ledecky – 2014
• US Open – 4:26.58, Katie Ledecky – 2014
• 2014 Champion: Brittany Maclean, UGA – 4:32.53

Virginia’s Leah Smith broke the NCAA Record with her time of 4:30.37 in the second to last heat of the prelim to earn the top seed going into tonight’s final. Her approach to this race is much different that it was last year. Smith had a bad prelim swim last year, putting herself in the B final. She ended up finishing 9th but had she been in the A final, she would have finished third.

Smith may be the top seed, but the Georgia Bulldogs are the ones that put themselves on top in this event with four swimmers in the A final. Amber McDermott qualified second at 4:35.17, Brittany MacLean is fifth at 4:37.01, Hali Flickinger is sixth at 4:37.13, and Rachel Zilinskas snuck in to claim the final spot in the A Final with her time of 4:38.32.

California’s Cierra Runge cruised through her prelim swim to qualify third at 4:35.28. Texas A&M’s Sarah Henry finished with the fourth fastest time of 4:36.13 with a two second drop. Florida also put one swimmer into the final with a 4:37.17 from Jessica Thielmann that was good for seventh.

It took a time of 4:38.32 to make the A final and a 4:40.38 to make the B final.

200 IM – Prelims

• NCAA – 1:51.77 – Caitlin Leverenz, California – 2012
• Championship – 1:51.77 – Caitlin Leverenz, California – 2012
• American – 1:51.77 – Caitlin Leverenz – 2012
• US Open – 1:51.77 – Caitlin Leverenz – 2012
• 2014 Champion: Maya DiRado, Stanford – 1:52.50

California responded to Georgia’s big 500 freestyle by sweeping the prelims of the 200 IM. Missy Franklin claimed the top seed with a new pool record time of 1:53.62, Liz Pelton qualified second at 1:54.08, and Celina Li qualified third at 1:54.84.

Madisyn Cox posted the fourth fastest time of the morning for Texas at 1:54.88. Notre Dame’s Emma Reaney powered through the back half with an impressive 32.74 breaststroke split to qualify fifth at 1:55.20.

Courtney Bartholomew qualified sixth for Virgnia at 1:55.29 and Tanja Kylliainen was seventh for Louisville at 1:55.68.

Ashley Vance from Ohio State and Annie Zhu from Georgia tied for 8th in the 200 IM at 1:56.16. A swim off is required to determine who will swim up and who will swim down.

**UPDATE: Annie Zhu won the swim-off with her time of 1:56.71. She will be the final swimmer in the A final. Ohio State’s Ashley Vance finished second with her time of 1:57.01. She will be in lane 4 for the B final of the 200 IM tonight.

It took a 1:56.16 to make the A final and a 1:56.98 to make the B final.

50 Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA – 21.27 – Lara Jackson, Arizona – 2009
• Championship – 21.27 – Lara Jackson, Arizona – 2009
• American – 21.27 – Lara Jackson – 2009
• US Open – 21.27 – Lara Jackson – 2009
• 2014 Champion: Olivia Smoliga, UGA – 21.59

Wisconsin’s Ivy Martin broke her own pool record from the prelims of the 200 freestyle relay with her time of 21.57 for the second fastest time of the prelim. In the final heat, however, Stanford’s Simone Manuel broke Martin’s pool record with her time of 21.54.

Farida Osman qualified third for California with her time of 21.63, and Louisville’s Kelsi Worrell posted a time of 21.70 for fourth.

Georgia is making a statement this morning! Chantal Van Landeghem lead Madeline Locus and Olivia Smoliga to a 5-6-7 finish to put all three swimmers into tonight’s A final. All three swimmers finished between 21.78 and 21.96.

NC State’s Riki Bonnema earned the final spot in the A final with her time of 21.97. Penn State’s Carolyn Fittin was .01 away from an A final swim with her ninth place time of 21.98.

It took a 21.97 to make the A final and a 22.14 to make the B final. There was also a three way tie for the second alternate position between Stanford’s Lia Neal, Cal’s Kaylin Bing, and Florida’s Natalie Hinds at 22.14.

400 Medley Relay – Prelims

Records:

• NCAA – 3:28.10 – California – 2012
• Championship – 3:28.10 – California – 2012
• American – 3:28.31 – Arizona – 2009
• US Open – 3:28.10 – California – 2012
• 2014 Champion: Stanford – 3:27.51

Virginia looked strong through their morning swim to earn the top seed in the 400 medley relay with their time of 3:28.27. They were under NCAA/American/US Open pace for a majority of the race. Courtney Bartholomew lead off with the fastest backstroke time of the morning at 50.88. Laura Simon also had the fastest split of the day with a 57.33 in the 100 breaststroke.

Louisville had the second fastest time of the session at 3:28.90. We are looking to confirm if Kelsi Worrell’s 100 fly split was the fastest in history, but if it isn’t the fastest, it is one of the fastest. She took it out in 22.68 to finish with a time of 49.56.

Stanford qualified third with their time of 3:29.28. Their line up was much different at the Pac-12 Championships, where they were more than a second faster. Simone Manuel also cruised the anchor leg with her time of 47.72. She split 45.8 at her mid-season championship meet.

Georgia qualified fourth with their time of 3:29.98 and California was fifth at 3:30.63. Missy Franklin had the fastest freestyle split with her time of 46.61 on the anchor leg.

Tennessee is seeded just behind California in seventh at 3:31.12.

The final A final spot went to Missouri with their time of 3:31.20.