2021 NCAA Men’s Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2021 NCAA MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• When: Wednesday, March 24 – Saturday, March 27, 2021
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center / Greensboro, NC (Eastern Time Zone)
• Prelims 10 AM/ Finals 6 PM (Local Time)
• Short course yards (SCY) format
• Defending champion: Cal (1x) – 2019 results
• Streaming: ESPN3
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

Night 2 Finals Preview

Night 2 Finals Heat Sheet

The action continues in Greensboro with the second night of finals of the 2021 Men’s NCAA Championships. After the 800 free relay, Texas holds the current lead over Cal, Texas A&M, Florida, NC State, and Georgia. The night will kick off with the 200 free relay, where Florida holds the top seed yet a strong Cal spring crew will be aiming to defend their 2019 title.

Into the individual events, Georgia’s Jake Magahey and Arizona’s Brooks Fail both went under the Greensboro pool record to score the middle lanes in the 500 free. However, American record holder Kieran Smith of Florida will be on the prowl. In the 200 IM, Cal freshman Destin Lasco impressed in the first prelims heat with a pool record swim of 1:40.61 to score the top seed. Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas will swim next to Lasco with his lifetime best of 1:38.95, ahead of Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez and Texas’ Carson Foster. Cal senior Ryan Hoffer, who became the 2nd-fastest 50-yard free performer in history this morning, leads the splash-and-dash over Georgia’s Dillon Downing and Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger.

After the 1-meter diving finals, the 400 medley relay will close out the evening, where Texas, Indiana, Cal, and Florida will compete in the top-seeded heat.

TEAM SCORES (THROUGH DAY ONE)

1. Texas 40
2. California 34
3. Texas A&M 32
4. Florida 30
5. NC State 28
6. Georgia 26
7. Stanford 24
8. Louisville 22
9. Indiana 18
10. Virginia Tech 14
11. Michigan 12
12. Arizona 10
13. Virginia 8
14. Ohio St 6
15. Missouri 4
16. Notre Dame 2

200 Free Relay – TIMED FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:14.08, Auburn — 2009
• American Record: 1:14.50, NC State — 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 1:14.08, Auburn — 2009
• Meet Record: 1:14.08, Auburn — 2009
• Pool Record: 1:15.34, NC State — 2018
• 2019 Champion: Cal, 1:14.46
• 2020 Top Performer: Cal, 1:15.54

Top 3: 

1. Cal- 1:14.36 *Pool Record
2. Florida- 1:14.48
3. Alabama- 1:15.62

Cal put their two fastest guys on the front end of the relay, with Swede Bjorn Seeliger leading the Cal Bears off in 18.72, the second-fastest freshman lead-off ever. Then, senior Ryan Hoffer whipped out an 18.06 to further propel Cal into the lead. Daniel Carr was next in the water at 18.51, handing it off to 19.07 anchor Nate Biondi (son of Olympian Matt Biondi) to win the title at 1:14.36. However, Florida’s Eric Friese nearly caught N. Biondi at the finish with his powerful 18.38 anchor.

• Read more on Cal’s third-fastest 200 free relay performance here.

Florida placed second to Cal at 1:14.48, featuring lead-off Adam Chaney (18.81), Will Davis (18.59), and Kieran Smith (18.70). Placing third overall were the Alabama Crimson Tide at 1:15.62, featuring an all sub-18 crew of Matt King (18.99), Sam Disette (18.91), Jonathan Berneburg (18.79), and Colton Stogner (18.93).

UGA freshman Luca Urlando opted out of the 200 IM today, where he was seeded 11th. The fly specialist anchored the Bulldogs in a valiant 19.14 behind teammates Dillon Downing (18.97), Javi Acevedo (18.61), and Jake Magahey (18.98) to finish fourth at 1:15.70 out of heat five of six.

Out of heat two, USC was disqualified due to an early start on swimmer #3. Their total time of 1:17.36 would have placed 17th.

In the team scores, Cal now has 74 points, holding an 8-point lead over Texas (66), Florida (64), and Texas A&M (60).

500 FREE – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 4:06.32, Kieran Smith (Florida) – 2020
• American Record: 4:06.32, Kieran Smith (Florida) – 2020
• U.S. Open Record: 4:06.32, Kieran Smith (Florida) – 2020
• Meet Record: 4:08.19, Townley Haas (Texas) – 2019
• Pool Record: 4:09.36, Jake Magahey (Georgia) – 2021
• 2019 Champion: Townley Haas (Texas), 4:08.19
• 2020 Top Performer: Kieran Smith (Florida), 4:06.32

Top 3:

1. Jake Magahey (Georgia)- 4:07.97 *Meet/Pool Records
2. Kieran Smith (Florida)- 4:08.07
3. Brooks Fail (Arizona)- 4:09.54

Cal senior Trenton Julian was out fast after the Bears’ win in the 200 free relay, challenging American record pace for the first 350 yards of the race. However, catching up to him was Georgia freshman Jake Magahey. In a meet loaded with high powered freshmen, one of the best classes we’ve seen in years, Magahey was the only freshman in the top 16 of the 500 free. Magahey then caught Julian as Florida junior Kieran Smith began to make up ground from his previous race deficit.

While Smith massively accelerated to a photo finish with Magahey, it was the freshman who took the title at 4:07.97. That takes down his Greensboro pool record (4:09.36) from this morning and the 2019 NCAA meet record from Texas’ Townley Haas (4:08.19). Settling for second place was Smith at 4:08.07. In third place was Arizona’s Brooks Fail at 4:09.54 after entering the meet with a lifetime best of 4:10.77 and going 4:09.41 in this morning’s prelims.

• Read more on Magahey’s 500 free NCAA meet record here.

Early leader Julian faded to fourth place at 4:09.78, holding off Texas’ Drew Kibler. Cal teammate Sean Grieshop placed seventh at 4:11.82, sandwiched between sixth Bobby Finke of Florida (4:11.11) and eighth Ross Dant of NC State (4:12.37).

Out of the consolation final, Cal’s Zach Yeadon took the 9-point win at 4:11.37, dropping 1.59 seconds from this morning. Notre Dame’s Jack Hoagland finished second at 4:12.13, followed by Trey Freeman of Florida (4:12.21) and Grant Shoults of Stanford (4:13.20).

200 IM – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:38.13, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• American Record: 1:38.13, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 1:38.13, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• Meet Record: 1:38.14, Andrew Seliskar (Cal) – 2019
• Pool Record: 1:40.61, Destin Lasco (Cal) – 2021
• 2019 Champion: Andrew Seliskar (Cal), 1:38.14
• 2020 Top Performer: Shaine Casas (Texas A&M), 1:39.91

Top 3:

1. Shaine Casas (Texas A&M)- 1:39.53 *Pool Record
2. Hugo Gonzalez (Cal)- 1:39.99
3. Destin Lasco (Cal)- 1:40.01

Texas A&M senior Shaine Casas was on Dressel’s American record pace during the first 100, taking the race out in 21.13/24.89 (46.04). Casas maintained his lead into the breaststroke, yet his 29.16 did not match Dressel’s 28.3 record split. Only Cal senior Hugo Gonzalez challenged Casas in the breast leg with his strong 29.13 split. Heading into the freestyle, Casas was able to hold off Gonzalez Cal freshman Destin Lasco for his first NCAA 200 IM title at 1:39.53, breaking Lasco’s morning pool record of 1:40.61. Casas’ record is also the first NCAA title in Texas A&M swimming program history.

Both Gonzalez and Lasco finished 2-3 for the Bears, a 33-point snag. Gonzalez set his lifetime best with a 1:39.99, becoming the 8th person to break 1:40 in the 200-yard IM. Lasco took a tight third place with his closing 23.80 free split, dropping six-tenths from this morning at 1:40.01. Lasco is now the 7th-fastest US performer in history, 9th all-time, and the fastest NCAA freshman ever.

Placing fourth for Texas was freshman Carson Foster, swimming a lifetime best of 1:40.99. He is now the 22nd-fastest performer in history, 14th in US history.

Cal’s Bryce Mefford took the early lead in his first NCAA 200 IM consolation final, keeping it to the finish at 1:41.86. Taking second place was Texas’ Jake Foster followed by Ohio State’s Paul DeLakis. Cal also picked up points from 5th place Daniel Carr and 6th place Reece Whitley. Texas also earned B-final points from 4th Braden Vines and 7th Caspar Corbeau.

50 FREE – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 17.63, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• American Record: 17.63, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 17.63, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• Meet Record: 17.63, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• Pool Record: 18.43, Ryan Hoffer (Cal) – 2021
• 2019 Champion: Ryan Hoffer (Cal), 18.63
• 2020 Top Performer: Ryan Hoffer (Cal), 18.87

Top 3:

1. Ryan Hoffer (Cal)- 18.33 *Pool Record
2. Bjorn Seelinger (Cal)- 18.71
3. Adam Chaney (Florida)- 18.88

Cal’s Ryan Hoffer was out like a rocket, flipping to a 8.90 at the feet off of the first 25. Hoffer couldn’t be stopped, defending his NCAA 50 free title by 0.38 seconds with a new Greensboro pool record time of 18.33. Hoffer shaved a tenth off his lifetime best of 18.43 from this morning, remaining the second-fastest swimmer ever in the 50-yard free behind Caeleb Dressel (17.63). Hoffer’s 18.33 tonight cracks the top-10 performances in history, which were all formerly held by Dressel, ranking 10th all-time.

• Read more on Hoffer’s historic 50 free swim here.

Repeating Cal’s 1-2 finish from 2019 (with Pole Pawel Sendyk) tonight was freshman Bjorn Seeliger, affirming his second-fastest freshman performer spot by one one-hundredth and moving him up to 11th all-time. Finishing in third place was Florida freshman Adam Chaney, touching in at 18.88. Chaney ranks 14th all-time with his 18.76 lifetime best when he won the 2021 SEC title. Also breaking 19 seconds was 4th place Dillon Downing of Georgia (18.94).

After his 18.38 anchor during the 200 free relay, Florida’s Eric Friese took the only sub-19 time in the B-final at 18.90. LSU’s Brooks Curry took second at 19.08, ahead of Virginia freshman Matt Brownstead (19.21).

Here is a quick update on the top five team scores before the 1-meter diving final and the 400 medley relay timed finals.

Current Top Five Teams (after 50 Free)

1. Cal- 196
2. Florida- 129
3. Texas- 125
4. Georgia- 102
5. Texas A&M- 80

1-Meter Diving – FINALS

• Meet Record: 473.75, Kristian Ipsen (Stanford) — 2013
• Pool Record: 443.15, Nick McCroy (Duke) — 2014
• 2021 Prelims Leader: Juan Hernandez (LSU), 380.55

Top 3:

1. Jordan Windle (Texas)- 435.60
2. Noah Duperre (Texas)- 405.45
3. Juan Hernandez (LSU)- 405.25

During the middle rounds of the 1-meter diving final, Indiana’s Andrew Capobianco and LSU’s Juan Hernandez had a slight edge over Texas teammates Jordan Windle and Noah Duperre. However, both Windle and Duperre began to out-perform Capobianco and Hernandez, setting the Longhorns up for a 1-2 diving finish, worth 37 points. Windle took Texas’ first 1-meter diving NCAA title since Michael Hixon won in 2014.

Duperre took second place with 405.45, just two-tenths of a point ahead of prelims leader Hernandez, locking in 37 points for Texas. Capobianco took fourth with 393.35 points.

Kentucky senior Chase Lane won the consolation diving final with 354.25 points. In the same final, Texas’ Brendan McCourt finished 16th overall and picked up an extra diving point to total 38 points added to Texas total score heading into the relay.

Cal remains in the team lead with 196 points, yet Texas distanced themselves from Florida with 163 points. The Gators are now in third with 129 points ahead of Georgia (102) and Texas A&M (80).

400 Medley Relay – TIMED FINALS

• NCAA Record: 2:59.22, Texas — 2017
• American Record: 3:01.51, Cal — 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 2:59.22, Texas — 2017
• Meet Record: 2:59.22, Texas — 2017
• Pool Record: 3:02.80, Louisville — 2020
• 2019 Champion: Indiana, 2:59.70
• 2020 Top Performer: Texas, 3:01.51

Top 3: 

1. Texas- 3:00.23 *Pool Record
2. Cal- 3:00.73
3. Florida- 3:01.51

Leading off the Indiana relay for the early lead was prospective 200 flyer Brendan Burns, nailing 44.84 on the 100 back, moving up to #19 in US history and #25 all-time. Florida’s Dillon Hillis powered the Gators with his 50.27 breast split. Heading into the fly leg, Texas, Cal, Florida, and Indiana were all nearly neck-and-neck. Texas’ Alvin Jiang surged the Longhorns into the lead with his 44.05 leg. However, Cal’s Ryan Hoffer put up a swift 43.80 leg, which is the 6th-fastest 100 fly relay split in history. Yet it was all Daniel Krueger who carried the Texas divers’ momentum to take the 400 medley relay title with his anchor split of 40.80 (19.11/21.69), which would rank in the top-40 100 free relay splits in history.

Texas held off Cal by a half second to win the NCAA title and break the pool record with a time of 3:00.23, the third-fastest 400 medley relay in history. Along with Jiang’s 44.05 fly and Krueger’s 40.80 free, the Longhorns were accompanied by backstroker Chris Staka (45.02) and breastsroker Caspar Corbeau (50.36).

Cal settled for second place with a 3:00.73, breaking their 2016 program record of 3:01.28. Florida settled for third place at 3:01.51, also a program record. Out of heat five, Louisville put up a monster 3:01.52 to place fourth overall, out-swimming 5th place Indiana (3:02.38).

The American record stands at 3:01.51 from the 2017 Cal relay of Ryan Murphy, Connor Hoppe, Matthew Josa, and Michael Jensen, all US citizens. Texas sophomore Caspar Corbeau represents the Netherlands internationally along with Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger (Sweden), Florida sophomore Eric Friese (Germany), and Louisville’s Evgenii Somov (Russia) and Haridi Sameh (Egypt). Therefore, Texas, Cal, Florida, and Louisville’s relays tonight were not eligible for the American record.

Of note, Georgia freshman Luca Urlando led the Bulldogs off in a 44.99 100-yard back after hitting 19.14 on the 200 free relay instead of swimming the 200 IM finals. Georgia placed 10th overall at 3:04.60.

Out of heat five, Ohio State suffered a disqualification amid many questionable exchanges throughout the six timed final heats. The Buckeyes’ total time of 3:04.00 would have tied in sixth place with Michigan, a possible 25 points. The Buckeyes bumped down from 15th to 16th after their DQ.

The Cal Bears still maintain the team lead after tonight’s session with 230 points. Texas’ 400 free relay win boosted the Longhorns’ score to 203 points, just 27 points behind Cal. Florida remains comfy in third place with 161 points, followed by Georgia (116) and Texas A&M (88).

Current Team Scores (After 400 Medley Relay)

1. Cal 230
2. Texas 203
3. Florida 161
4. Georgia 116
5. Texas A&M 88
6. NC State 87
7. Indiana 84
8. Louisville 64
9. Michigan 63
10. Virginia 56
11. Arizona 51
12. Stanford/Mizzou 42
13. (tie)
14. Virginia Tech 39
15. Alabama 38
16. Ohio State/Purdue 28
17. (tie)
18. LSU 23
19. Miami 19
20. Florida State 18.5
21. Georgia Tech 14
22. Pittsburgh 12
23. Kentucky/Notre Dame 9
24. (tie)
25. Penn State 8
26. Tennessee 6
27. Wisconsin 5
28. UNC 4
29. Utah 2.5