2018 Texas Invite: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

TEXAS HALL OF FAME INVITE

• Nov 28-Dec 1, 2018
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, TX
• Prelims 10am CT, Finals 6pm CT
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Schedule

Day 3 finals from the Texas Hall of Fame Invite will feature five individual events in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast and 100 back, along with the 200 medley relay to finish off the night.

Among the highlights from the prelims was USC’s Louise Hansson equalling the NCAA-leading time in the women’s 100 fly, clocking 50.09 to tie Michigan freshman Maggie MacNeil. MacNeil, who went 50.88 this morning, dropped the new top time in the nation tonight in 49.97.

Another marquee event tonight will be the men’s 200 free, where six men went sub-1:35 this morning including three of them going 1:33. American Record holder and three-time defending national champ Townley Haas comes in seeded 5th after going 1:34.91 in the prelims.

Women’s 400 IM Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:04.16

1. Evie Pfeifer, TEX, 4:09.11
2. Hannah Cox, UA, 4:10.74
3. Maxine Wolters, TEX, 4:13.72

Evie Pfeifer of Texas led wire-to-wire to win the women’s 400 IM in a time of 4:09.11, about six-tenths slower than she was a this meet last season (4:08.48), but under what it took to get invited to NCAAs (4:09.75).

Arizona’s Hannah Cox took 2nd in 4:10.74, moving up from 4th at the 300 with a big final 100 of 56.44. She was 4:10.00 here last year. Maxine Wolters made it a 1-3 for Texas in 3rd in 4:13.72, her 3rd fastest swim ever.

Men’s 400 IM Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:39.37

1. Alex Liang, STAN, 3:42.90
2. Braden Vines, TEX, 3:45.76
3. JohnThomas Larson, TEX, 3:46.48

Stanford’s Alex Liang initially touched 2nd in the men’s 400 IM, clocking 3:42.90, but ends up with the win after his teammate Abrahm DeVine was disqualified. His swim falls just .05 short of his lifetime best set at the 2018 NCAAs.

Reigning NCAA champion DeVine was disqualified for a stroke infraction, but had initially touched in a time of 3:41.39.

Longhorn freshman Braden Vines, who set a massive personal best in the morning in 3:44.79, took 2nd tonight in 3:45.76, holding off his hard charging teammate JohnThomas Larson who further improved his best time down to 3:46.48 for 3rd.

Top seed from prelims Will Licon, the 2015 NCAA champ in this event who is now a Texas post-grad, scratched the final.

Women’s 100 Fly Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.03

1. Louise Hansson, USC, 49.80
2. Remedy Rule, TEX, 51.71
3. Caitlin Tycz, USC, 52.21

Not long after Michigan freshman Maggie MacNeil became the first swimmer to go sub-50 this season in the women’s 100 fly at the UGA Invite, Louise Hansson of USC answered with a monstrous swim of 49.80 to overtake the top spot in the country. That ties her best time which ranks her 2nd all-time behind Kelsi Dahlia (49.43). Hansson had tied MacNeil’s NCAA-leading time of 50.09 in the prelims.

Remedy Rule of Texas, who broke 52 seconds for the first time this morning in 51.78, lowered her best time once again to take 2nd in 51.71. Caitlin Tycz (52.21) led a 3-4-5 finish for USC as they claimed four of the top-5 positions, as her swim takes out her previous best of 52.43 from 2016.

In the B-final, Grace Ariola of Texas set a new best time by eight-tenths in 52.68.

Men’s 100 Fly Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 45.24

1. Tate Jackson, TEX, 45.78
2. Chatham Dobbs, UA, 45.85
3. Alex Valente, USC, 45.95

Tate Jackson unloaded a lifetime best of 45.78 to win the men’s 100 fly, as he breaks 46 for the first time. He was out like a shot with an opening 50 of 20.64, and then managed to hold off Arizona’s Chatham Dobbs (45.85) and USC’s Alex Valente (45.95) down the stretch. Valente also broke 46 for the first time, with his old best of 46.00 coming all the way back in 2015. Jackson’s old best was a 46.24 from the 2018 Big 12s.

Daniel Ramirez of Oklahoma was right there as well for 4th in 46.04, and Texas’ Sam Pomajevich hit a lifetime best of 46.20 for 5th.

Women’s 200 Free Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:43.17

1. Joanna Evans, TEX, 1:43.94
2. Allison Schmitt, FORK, 1:43.95
3. Tatum Wade, USC, 1:44.37

Allison Schmitt of Pitchfork Aquatics was the early aggressor in the women’s 200 free final, turning at the 100 in 49.72 to lead Joanna Evans of Texas by four-tenths. Schmitt extended her lead on the third 50, but Evans charged home in 26.97 to run down the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and win the race by .01 in 1:43.94. This marks Evans’ first time under 1:44, previously having been 1:44.22 at the 2017 NCAAs. Schmitt’s 1:43.95 marked her fastest swim since 2015.

Tatum Wade of USC slipped under her best time for 3rd in 1:44.37, using the fastest final 50 in the field (26.40) to take out her old PB of 1:44.44 from this meet two years ago.

Men’s 200 Free Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:32.12

1. Townley Haas, TEX, 1:33.24
2. Dean Farris, HARV, 1:33.53
3. Jeff Newkirk, TEX, 1:33.57

Townley Haas attacked the men’s 200 free final as he’s become known to do, as he was the only led the pack by over half a second at the 100 mark in 44.80. He was out-split on the last two 50s by both Dean Farris of Harvard and Texas teammate Jeff Newkirk, but still managed to hold on for the win in 1:33.24. The swim is one-tenth faster than he split on the anchor leg of the 800 free relay, but over eight-tenths off his time from this meet last year (1:32.40).

Farris jumped up from 5th at the 150 to take 2nd in 1:33.53, thanks to the fastest closing 50 in the field of 23.84. Last year he was 1:33.27 here.

Farris just overtook Newkirk, who had his fastest swim ever outside of the 2018 NCAAs or Big 12s in 1:33.57, and his teammate Jake Sannem, the top seed out of prelims in 1:33.65, clocking 1:33.78 for 4th.

Women’s 100 Breast Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.79

1. Kennedy Lohman, TEX, 59.86
2. Riley Scott, USC, 59.99
3. Maggie Aroesty, USC, 1:00.31

Kennedy Lohman of Texas out-split USC’s Riley Scott by half a second on the third 25 of the women’s 100 breast final, and then ended up being the difference as she held her off for the win in a time of 59.86. This was Lohman’s 6th time breaking a minute and her 4th fastest swim ever.

Scott also snuck under a minute in 59.99, four-tenths off her season-best of 59.55 from the SMU Classic. Her teammates Maggie Aroesty (1:00.31) and Kirsten Vose (1:00.33) took 3rd and 4th.

Men’s 100 Breast Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.73

1. Carsten Vissering, USC, 50.88
2. Charlie Scheinfeld, TEX, 51.41
3. Matt Anderson, STAN, 52.16

Carsten Vissering of USC broke 51 seconds for the first time to win the men’s 100 breast in 50.88, and also becomes the first man to do it this season as he takes down Ian Finnerty‘s NCAA-leading 51.22 (and gets under the ‘A’ cut for the first time this season after being .02 off in prelims). Previously his best was 51.28 from the 2018 NCAAs.

Texas freshman Charlie Scheinfeld, who earned an ‘A’ cut this morning in a best of 51.61, further improved his best down to 51.41 to put him 3rd in the country behind only Vissering and Finnerty.

Stanford’s Matt Anderson swam a lifetime best for 3rd in 52.16, lowering his 52.37 from the 2018 Pac-12s.

Women’s 100 Back Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.99

1. Beata Nelson, WISC, 49.67
2. Claire Adams, TEX, 50.95
3. Julia Cook, TEX, 51.70

Beata Nelson of Wisconsin threw down the fastest swim in history in the women’s 100 back final, erasing Ally Howe‘s NCAA, American and U.S. Open Records of 49.69 in 49.67. Nelson had previously been a best of 49.78, which was the 3rd fastest swim ever (with Howe also going 49.70), at the 2018 Big Tens.

Claire Adams got under the ‘A’ cut of 50.99 in 50.95 for 2nd, tying her best time from the 2017 NCAAs.

Men’s 100 Back Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 45.12

1. Dean Farris, HARV, 45.26
2. Ryan Harty, TEX, 45.35
3. Chatham Dobbs, UA, 45.85

Farris followed up his 200 free showing with a big win in the men’s 100 back, touching in a time of 45.26 to edge out Ryan Harty of Texas. Farris was 45.00 leading off Harvard’s medley relay last night.

Harty led off the Texas relay in a lifetime best of 45.67, and lowers it down to 45.35 tonight. Chatham Dobbs of Arizona and Patrick Mulcare of USC also cracked 46 for 3rd and 4th in 45.85 and 45.90 respectively, while last season’s NCAA runner-up John Shebat was 5th in 46.44.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay Timed Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:36.75

1. Wisconsin, 1:36.17
2. Texas, 1:36.19
3. Texas ‘B’, 1:37.98

Shortly after her record swim in the 100 back, Nelson was back in the water swimming fly on Wisconsin’s 200 medley relay, throwing down a massive 22.68 split as the Badgers narrowly held on for the win by .02 over Texas in 1:36.17. Both teams got under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:36.75.

Also swimming for Wisconsin was Jess Unicomb (24.30), who had the fastest back leg, and Kelsi Artim (27.41) and Emily Sehmann (21.78) on breast and free.

Grace Ariola made up over six-tenths for Texas on the anchor leg with a 21.14 split, but fell just shy as they settled for 2nd. Joining Ariola on the relay was Adams (24.33), Lohman (27.59) and Rule (23.13) on the opening three legs.

Texas ‘B’ (1:37.98) snuck by Arizona (1:38.43) for 3rd, with the difference coming on the backstroke where Julia Cook of the Longhorns split 24.41.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay Timed Final

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:24.56

1. USC, 1:23.84
2. Texas, 1:24.97
3. Stanford, 1:25.25

A blistering 22.95 breaststroke split from Carsten Vissering led USC to a big win in the men’s 200 medley relay, as they topped Texas by over a second and got under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:24.56 in a time of 1:23.84. They also move into #2 in the nation behind Cal (1:23.42). Vissering is the only remaining member from USC’s national title winning relay last season.

Along with Vissering, USC had fast splits all-around from Mulcare (21.58), Kyle Grissom (20.37) and Nikola Miljenic (18.94). Texas was only faster on fly, where Tate Jackson split 20.16, and they also had Shebat (21.79), Scheinfeld (23.75) and Luke Bowman (19.27).

Stanford was 3rd in 1:25.25, with a 20.26 fly leg from Abrahm DeVine, and 4th place Arizona (1:25.76) had the fastest back lead-off from Chatham Dobbs (21.29).