8 Mid-Major Swimmers to Watch at Men’s NCAAs

2016 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, March 23- Saturday, March 26
• Georgia Institute of Technology- Atlanta, GA.
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Webcast
• Championship Central

Official psych sheets were released last week for Division I Men’s NCAA Championships. There will certainly be some great races and a battle for the top Division I teams to finish with the championship title. But, keep an eye on these top swimmers from mid-major schools who are expected to have stellar showings at NCAAs and will likely score points.

Chris Swanson – University of Pennsylvania

After winning the distance ”trifecta” at 2016 Ivy League Championships and setting pool, Ivy League, and Penn records in the 1650, senior Chris Swanson is ready for a big performance at NCAAs. In February Swanson won his fourth Ivy League title in the 1650 and posted a best time of 14:40.18. The Florida native and soon-to-be Wharton Business School graduate, is set up to have his best NCAA performance yet. Swanson comes in seeded 5th in the 1650 and will be looking for a top 8 finish this year. Last year, Swanson was seeded 6th at NCAAs, but added about seven seconds to his seed time and finished 11th overall. Swanson also finished 34th in the 500 free at 2015 NCAAs, but comes in this year at the 18th seed with a seed time over a second faster than last year. Despite finishing below expectations at NCAAs last year, Swanson has posted best times already this season and will likely finish his college swimming career with solid performances at 2016 NCAAs.

Jacob Taylor – Brigham Young

Brigham Young senior Jacob Taylor is looking to top last year’s 4th place finishes in the 100 and 200 backstroke events at NCAAs as he competes in his final collegiate swim season. After a phenomenal junior year, placing higher than any other mid-major swimmer at 2015 NCAAs and qualifying for 2016 Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200 backstroke events, expect Taylor to have a solid performance at NCAAs this year. The All-American comes in as the 11th seed in both backstroke events and the 15th seed in the 200 IM. Though he is seeded lower than his finishes last year in the backstroke events, he comes in with faster seed times than 2015 in the 200 back and 200 IM. Expect Taylor to finish in the top 16 in all three events. With time drops consistent with last year at NCAAs, Taylor will likely finish in the top 8 in both backstroke events and could also challenge for a spot in the top 3 in both events.

Dillon Verva – UNLV

Senior Dillon Virva, Western Athletic Conference swimmer of the meet and NCAA All-American, is no newbie to the Men’s NCAA Championship meet. In 2013, the University of Nevada swimmer participated in the 200 free relay as a freshman and in 2014 Virva swam his first individual event at NCAAs placing 13th overall in the 50 free. Last year, Virva placed 18th in the 50 free at NCAAs with a time of 19.39. This year, Virva comes in as the 5th seed in the 50 freestyle with a time of 19.09, which he posted when he won the 50 free at the 2016 Western Athletic Conference Championships in February. In the past, Virva posted best times at WAC Championships and then added a few tenths to his time at NCAAs. Virva has a shot at placing in the top 8 in the 50 free this year, but he will need to keep his time consistent to his performance at WAC’s.

Michael Barnosky – Air Force Academy

In his first NCAA Championship appearance, Air Force Academy senior Michael Barnosky comes in as the 6th seed in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 51.98. The Colorado native holds multiple school records and is the Western Athletic Conference champion in the 100 breaststroke two years in a row. Barnosky dropped almost two seconds from his best time at 2016 WAC Championships in February and will be looking to drop even more time at NCAAs in a few weeks. If Barnosky can continue his time-dropping trends, look for him to compete with the top breaststrokers in the country for a spot in the top 8.

Ilya Evdokimov – Cornell

Also making his first NCAA Championship appearance is Cornell sophomore Ilya Evdokimov. Evdokimov, a Florida high school state champion and national qualifier, saw big success as freshman at Cornell. In 2015, Evdokimov earned All-Ivy League honors in both breaststroke events after finishing first in both at championships. As a freshman, Evdokimov set school records in both events and was the first Cornellian to win an Ivy title in swimming since 2010. Building off of a successful freshman year, Evdokimov dropped even more time this season in both breaststroke events, earning him a spot at NCAAs both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Evdokimov has a shot of finishing in the top 8 in his 200 breaststroke, especially if he can drop time from his performance at 2016 Ivy League Championships.

Philipp Sikatzki – Cleveland State University

Philipp Sikatzki, junior at Cleveland State University, will be making his first appearance at the NCAA Division I Championship meet in two events, 100 back and 100 fly. Sikatzki competed at the 2014 NCAA Division II Championship meet as a freshman at Ashland University, but transferred to Cleveland after that season. Sikatzki won the Horizon League Championships for the past two years in the 100 fly and 100 back. This season, Sikatzki dropped almost a second in his 100 fly and .5 in his 100 back, qualifying him for NCAA Championships. Sikatzki is seeded 11th in the 100 fly and should make it back in the top 16 to score points in the event if he can stay consistent with his time from Horizon League Championships in February.

Payton Sorenson – Brigham Young

The sophomore from Brigham Young, Payton Sorenson, will be swimming at NCAAs for the first time in 2016. The Arizona native holds multiple school records at Brigham Young and has already qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 100 free. Sorenson posted best times in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events at 2016 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships in February, but bettered both times at American Short Course Championships a week later. Based on significant time drops in the past month at two separate meets, Sorenson is expected to score points in the 50 free and could certainly earn a spot in the top 8.

Kei Hyogo – Yale

Japanese Swimmer Kei Hyogo, a sophomore at Yale, will be competing at his second NCAA Championships. Hyogo had a successful freshman season, earning an award for scoring the most points in dual meet competition that season for Yale and was ECAC Rookie of the Week three times. Hyogo finished second in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events at 2016 Ivy League Championships behind Swanson, posting best times in both events. At 2015 NCAAs, Hyogo finished 15th in the 1650 and 42nd in the 500, adding time in both events. This year, Hyogo enters NCAAs with a seed time five seconds faster in the 1650 and two seconds faster in the 500. If Hyogo can drop time from his performances at Ivy League Championships, he has a shot at finishing in the top 8 in the 1650. If his performance is similar to 2015 NCAAs, expect Hyogo to still score in the 1650. Adding a few seconds to his seed time will still be a solid finish for Hyogo at NCAAs.