2020 Men’s Ivy League Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2020 MEN’S IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 26 – Saturday, February 29
• Blodgett Pool – Boston, MA (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Harvard (3x – results)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cuts
• Estimated NCAA Invite Times
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Record Book
• Championship Central
• Live Results

The 2020 men’s Ivy League Championships continue tonight in Boston with finals of the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 1-meter diving, and 200 free relay. Princeton’s Raunak Khosla (200 IM) and Columbia’s Albert Gwo (50 free) each set Pool Record to lead prelims. Khosla looks to defend his title in the 200 IM. Harvard freshman Cole Kuster leads the way into finals in the 500 free.

MEN’S 500 FREE

• Meet Record: Brennan Novak (Harvard), 2018, 4:13.34
• 2019 NCAA Invited: 4:16.04
• 2019 Champion: Brennan Novak (Harvard), 4:15.96

1. GOLD: Cole Kuster, Harvard, 4:18.17
2. SILVER: Connor LaMastra, Dartmouth, 4:18.68
3. BRONZE: Levy Nathan, Princeton, 4:21.11

Harvard freshman Cole Kuster wasn’t done dropping time after he lowered his best by 4 seconds in prelims. Kuster raced to a 4:18.17 to win his first individual Ivy League title, dropping another 2 seconds. He battled closely with Dartmouth’s Connor LaMastra throughout the race as Lamstra also broke 4:20 for the first time. With a 4-second drop from his best ahead of this meet, LaMastra took the silver in 4:18.68. That’s a big improvement from his 8th place finish in 2019.

There were 4 men bunched into the 4:21-range in a tight race for bronze. Princeton’s Levy Nathan came from behind to take 3rd in a lifetime best 4:21.11 ahead of freshman teammate Nicholas Lim, who dropped over 10 seconds today to finish 4th in 4:21.55. Penn’s Will Kamps was just 2 hundredths behind in 4:21.57, though he’d swum a lifetime best 4:20.65 in prelims. Brown freshman Lukas Scheidl also swam a best, dropping over 3 seconds at this meet with a 4:21.79 for 6th place.

Harvard’s Corban Rawls was just a tenth shy of his best from last season, winning the B final in 4:23.46. Brown’s Michael Lincoln was even faster from the C final with a lifetime best 4:22.36.

NOTE: Live results are not currently functioning, but meet mobile is still working.

MEN’S 200 IM

• Meet Record: Raunak Khosla (Princeton), 2019, 1:42.80
• 2019 NCAA Invited: 1:43.82
• 2019 Champion: Raunak Khosla (Princeton), 1:42.80

1. GOLD: Raunak Khosla, Princeton, 1:43.01
2. SILVER: Paige Dacosta, Cornell, 1:44.50
3. BRONZE: Michael Zarian, Harvard, 1:44.51

Though he was a couple of tenths shy of his Meet Record from last season, Princeton’s Raunak Khosla repeated as champion. Khosla lowered his Pool Record from prelims as he won in 1:43.01. Cornell freshman Paige Dacosta battled with Harvard’s Michael Zarian for silver, charging home on the final 50 to out-touch Zarian by a hundredth. That was Dacosta’s first swim under 1:45 and a lifetime best for Zarian.

Brown’s Coley Sullivan was just 2 hundredths shy of a best in 1:45.11, outpacing Penn’s Sean Lee on the back half. Lee was 5th in 1:45.38 after setting a lifetime best and school record in prelims at 1:44.65.

MEN’s 50 FREE

• Meet Record: Alex Righi (Yale), 2009, 18.90
• 2019 NCAA Invited: 19.35
• 2019 Champion: Raphael Marcoux (Harvard), 19.38

1. GOLD: Albert Gwo, Columbia, 19.37
2. SILVER: Umit Gures, Harvard, 19.54
3. BRONZE: Joseph Page, Yale, 19.73

Columbia’s Albert Gwo was just off his Pool Record from this morning, winning the title in 19.37. His 19.32 from this morning is slightly under what it took to make NCAAs in 2019.

Harvard’s Umit Gures was just a tenth shy of his best for silver in 19.54. Yale freshman Joseph Page out-touched teammate Philippe Marcoux, 19.73 to 19.91, for the bronze. Marcoux is the younger brother of Harvard’s 2019 champion Raphael Marcoux, who is currently taking an Olympic year redshirt. Another Yale sprinter, Henry Gaissert, was just 2 hundredths back in 19.93. He was about half a second faster in prelims at 19.48.

Columbia’s Jonas Kistorp was the only other swimmer under 20 tonight with a 19.96 for 6th place. Harvard’s Mahlon Reihman swam a lifetime best 20.10 as he won the B final.

MEN’S 1-METER DIVING

• Meet Record: Michael Mosca (Harvard), 2013, 387.05
• 2019 Champion: Jonathan Suckow (Columbia), 377.10

1. GOLD: Christian DeVol, Yale, 363.80
2. SILVER: Charlie Minns, Princeton, 356.50
3. BRONZE: Colten Young, Princeton, 330.10

Yale took their first gold of the night as Christian DeVol won the 1-meter title. Princeton got a big boost here, with Charlie Minns and Colten Young rounding out the podium. They also had Griffin Brooks place 7th.

MEN’S 200 FREE RELAY

• Meet Record: Princeton, 2015, 1:17.35
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:17.17
• 2019 Champion: Harvard, 1:17.73

1. GOLD: Yale, 1:18.09
2. SILVER: Columbia, 1:18.50
3. BRONZE: Harvard, 1:19.43

Yale made it 2 in a row as they won the 200 free relay in 1:18.09. Henry Gaissert led off with a 19.96, handing off to Philippe Marcoux (19.54). Joseph Page had their fastest split with an 18.96 on the 3rd leg. Michael Blank anchored to seal the win with a 19.63. Columbia nabbed the silver with a 19.54 leadoff from Albert Gwo. Nianguo Liu (19.50), Kevin Dang (19.96), and Jonas Kistorp (19.50) followed.

Harvard’s Umit Gures led off with a 19.56 as they took bronze in 1:19.43. They were nearly run down by Cornell (1:19.51), who got back half splits of 19.46 from Trevor Lake and 19.83 from Paige Dacosta.

TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 2

1. Harvard 489
2. Princeton 450
3. Yale 333.5
4. Brown 318.5
5. Columbia 297
6. Cornell 291.5
7. Penn 273.5
8. Dartmouth 237