2024 Men’s Big Ten Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2024 MEN’S BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Dates: February 28 – March 2, 2024
• Location: McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion – Columbus, Ohio
• Defending champions: Indiana (2x)
• SCY (25 yards)
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap

DAY 4 (SATURDAY) PRELIMS HEAT SHEETS/1650 HEAT SHEET

TEAM SCORES (AFTER DAY THREE)

1. Indiana University — 996 points
2. Ohio State University — 820 points
3. University of Michigan — 770.5 points
4. University of Wisconsin — 734.5 points
5. University of Minnesota — 560.5 points
6. Penn State University — 498 points
7. Northwestern University — 469 points
8. Purdue University — 427.5 points

It’s now the fourth and final day of the 2024 Men’s Big Ten Championships. This morning’s session includes prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and platform diving. The 1650, a timed finals event, will also take place today, with the early heats getting underway later this afternoon and the top seeded heat swimming with finals.

Indiana’s Brendan Burns will once again take on the 200 back/200 fly double, events that he has swept the last three years. He comes in as the top seed in the 200 back with a season best time of  1:40.04, which put hims nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

In the 200 fly, Burns is entered 2nd behind Michigan junior Gal Cohen Groumi. Groumi has been as fast as 1:40.54 this year, which is just off his personal best of 1:40.21 that he set at this meet last year. Burns on the other hand comes in with a 1:40.78, but owns a best time of 1:38.71 from NCAAs 2022.

Purdue junior Brady Samuels leads the way in the 100 free with an entry time of 42.40. Samuels was 5th in this event a year ago (42.41), and holds a best time of 41.99 from last March.  Indiana’s Rafael Miroslaw and Michigan’s Bence Szabados round out the top three entries with seed times of 42.54 and 42.57, respectively.

Indiana is poised to have a strong showing in the 200 breast, as they come in with the top three entry times. Senior Jassen Yep leads the way with a season best of 1:50.71, while his teammates Josh Matheny (1:51.13) and Max Reich (1:51.89) are just behind.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:35.73 – Ryan Murphy, Cal (2016)
• Big Ten Record: 1:37.58 – Tyler Clary, Michigan (2009)
• Big Ten Championship Record: 1:38.22 – Brendan Burns, Indiana (2023)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:39.13
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:40.62

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Brendan Burns (Indiana) – 1:40.88
2. Kai Van Westering (Indiana) – 1:40.91
3. Cooper Morley (Penn State) – 1:41.16
4. Jacque Wenger (Michigan) – 1:41.20
5. Jake Newmark (Wisconsin) – 1:41.43
6. Dylan Burau (Purdue) – 1:41.53
7. Eitan Ben Shitrit (Michigan) – 1:42.16
8. David Gerchik (Northwestern) – 1:42.27

Indiana’s Brendan Burns and Kai Van Westering recorded the top two times of the morning at 1:40.88 and 1:40.91, respectively. While Burns was nearly a second off his entry time, Van Westering knocked nearly a second of his personal best from last month.

Penn State sophomore Cooper Morley had a phenomenal prelims swim to move up from 15th to 3rd heading into finals. Morley dropped over four seconds this morning, as came in to the meet with a personal best of 1:45.14 from the Big Al Invite in December.

Michigan put up two A finalists with Jacque Wenger in 4th and Eitan Ben Shitrit 7th out of the morning. Wenger improved on his entry time by four and a half seconds, as well as set a personal best by over a second. Ben-Shitrit hit a season best, but was just a few hundredths shy of his personal best from NCAAs last spring.

Happy Brendan Burns Dirty Double Day to all who celebrate!

200 back top seed timed to perfection. pic.twitter.com/oxeObeqVne

— Indiana Swim & Dive (@IndianaSwimDive) March 2, 2024

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• Big Ten Record: 40.83 – Bowe Becker, Minnesota (2019)
• Big Ten Championship Record: 41.38 – Ruslan Gaziev, Ohio State (2023)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.50
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 42.32

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Bence Szabados (Michigan) – 42.31
2. Brady Samuels (Purdue) – 42.46
3. Victor Baganha (Penn State) – 42.48
4. Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (Wisconsin) – 42.49
5. Mikkel Lee (Indiana) – 42.53
6. Gavin Wight (Indiana)/Tomas Navikonis (Ohio State) – 42.89
7. —
8. Davis Harabagiu (Minnesota) – 42.96

Michigan senior Bence Szabados topped the field this morning with a personal best time of 42.31. He was 6th in this event last year, and came into the meet with a best time of 42.57 from the Georgia Invite.

Indiana was the only school to get multiple swimmers in the championship final. Freshman Mikkel Lee clocked a best time of 42.53 en route to a 5th place finish, while senior Gavin Wight stopped the clock at 42.89 to record a season best time. Wight tied with Ohio State’s Tomas Navikonis, who notched a personal best with his swim.

Wisconsin’s Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, the 50 free champion from earlier in the meet, had a phenomenal swim this morning. He took off almost a second from his best time from last spring to take the 4th spot out of prelims.

Indiana’s Rafael Miroslaw, the 2nd seed coming into the meet, was 9th this morning with 43.09.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.91 – Leon Marchand, Arizona State (20232)
• Big Ten Record: 1:48.76 – Max McHugh, Minnesota (2022)
• Big Ten Championship Record: 1:49.45 – Max McHugh, Minnesota (2022)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:51.09
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:52.94

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Josh Matheny (Indiana) – 1:52.06
2. Jassen Yep (Indiana) – 1:52.70
3. Toby Barnett (Indiana) – 1:54.02
4. Max Reich (Indiana) – 1:54.17
5. Coleman Modglin (Purdue) – 1:55.17
6. William Regan (Ohio State) – 1:55.22
7. Joseph Rudd (Minnesota) – 1:55.29
8. Mariano Lazzerini (Penn State) – 1:55.32

As anticipated, the Hoosiers dominated this event this morning, picking up the top four spots as they look to tonight’s final. Josh Matheny, the runner-up in this last year, posted a 1:52.06 to lead his teammates with split of 53.93 and 58.13. Jassen Yep was less than a second back at 1:52.70, while freshman Toby Barnett and senior Max Reich clocked in at 1:54.02 and 1:54.17, respectively. Matheny, Yep, and Reich were well off their season bests, but Barnett’s performance marked a personal best by over a second.

Breaststroke U posts the top four seeds in the 200!

Josh Matheny leads with a 1:52.06. pic.twitter.com/D3fSuT0On7

— Indiana Swim & Dive (@IndianaSwimDive) March 2, 2024

Also setting personal best times this morning was Ohio State’s William Regan and Minnesota’s Joseph Rudd. Both improved by about a second, with Regan recording a 1:55.22 and Rudd coming in at 1:55.29.

Purdue’s Coleman Modglin and Penn State’s Mariano Lazzerini round out tonight’s A-final in 5th and 8th, respectively. Modglin notched a season best time of 1:55.17, while Lazzerini added about half a second to his entry for a 1:55.32.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35 – Jack Conger, Texas (2017)
• Big Ten Record: 1:38.71 – Brendan Burns, Indiana (2022)
• Big Ten Championship Record: 1:39.22 – Brendan Burns, Indiana (2021)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.16
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:42.57

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Tyler Ray (Michigan) – 1:41.33
2. Brendan Burns (Indiana) – 1:41.57
3. Gal Cohen Groumi (Michigan) – 1:41.81
4. Colin Geer (Michigan) – 1:41.87
5. Tomer Frankel (Indiana) – 1:42.40
6. Charles Gustafson (Ohio State) – 1:42.61
7. Dominik Mark Torok (Wisconsin) – 1:42.82
8. Diego Nosack (Northwestern) – 1:42.89

Michigan had a phenomenal morning with three swimmers advancing to the championship final. Sophomore Tyler Ray knocked off nearly two seconds from his best time to take the top spot in 1:41.33. Gal Cohen Groumi, who entered the meet as the top seed, snagged 3rd (1:41.81), while freshman Colin Geer dropped over a second to take 4th (1:41.87).

Indiana also secured multiple spots in the A-final, led by defending champion and Big Ten record holder Brendan Burns. Burns stopped the clock at 1:41.57, which is a few tenths short of his season best from early February. He’ll be joined by senior Tomer Frankel, who was 5th this morning in 1:42.40.

Another notable swim came from Northwestern freshman Diego Nosack, who moved up from 11th to take the last spot in tonight’s final. Nosack posted a 1:42.89, which is over a second and a half under the personal best that he set at midseason.