2018 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 21 – Saturday, March 24
- Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (Central Time)
- Defending champion: Texas (3x) (results)
- Psych Sheet
- Championship Central
- Event-by-Event Previews
- Team Power Rankings: Final Edition
- Saturday prelims heat sheets
- Live Stream
- Live Results
Wow, we knew NC State had a great chance of breaking the 400 free relay U.S. Open Record at some point this week, and it was knew it was increasingly likely after the Wolfpack put three men into the 100 free A-final this morning, but still, we just weren’t expecting it in prelims. Assured of an easy route to the A-final, it would’ve been easy for NC State to cruise through prelims, but holding nothing back, the squad of Ryan Held, Jacob Molacek, Mark McGlaughlin, and Justin Ress scorched the pool for a time of 2:44.75, becoming the first team to ever break 2:45.
Swimming in lane four of the final heat of this morning’s preliminaries session, Held lead off in 41.09, becoming the 6th-fastest performer ever in that event, improving on his 41.26 time from the individual 100 free this morning, which makes the #3 seed heading into this evening’s final.
Here’s how Held now stacks up agains the all-time top performers:
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Caeleb Dressel | 40.00 |
| 2 | Vlad Morozov | 40.76 |
| 3 | Cesar Cielo | 40.92 |
| 4 | Michael Chadwick | 40.95 |
| 5 | Nathan Adrian | 41.08 |
| 6 | Ryan Held | 41.09 |
Molacek swam 2nd, registering a 41.07, before handing off to McGlaughlin, who kept NC State well in the lead. Ress anchored in a blistering 40.35. While there’s no official list of fastest relay splits, Ress’s time appears to be one of fastest ever, just behind some lightning fast splits by Nathan Adrian and Vladimir Morozov, and of course, behind Caeleb Dressel’s 40.15 just a few minutes before in the previous heat. It is doubly noteworthy as Ress sat out yesterday’s session with a back injury.
The Texas Longhorns set the previous U.S. Open & NCAA Records in the finals of last year’s NCAA championships, where they became the first team to break the 2:46 mark. Meanwhile, NC State put that record on notice when they broke the American Record and swam the 2nd-fastest time ever at last month’s ACC championships.
Here’s at look at the splits from the three fastest relays ever:
| NC State 3/2018 | Texas 3/2017 | NC State 2/2018 | |||
| Held | 41.09 | Ringgold | 42.06 | Held | 41.45 |
| Molacek | 41.07 | Conger | 41.3 | Ress | 40.87 |
| McGlaughlin | 42.24 | Haas | 41.01 | Molacek | 41.71 |
| Ress | 40.35 | Schooling | 41.02 | Stewart | 41.66 |
| Total | 2:44.75 | 2:45.39 | 2:45.69 |
What stands out is that the Wolfpack set this morning’s mark without Coleman Stewart, who swam the 200 back earlier today, but split 41.66 last month. Sub in his mark for McGlaughin’s, and NC State could (in)conceivably toy with breaking the 2:44 mark tonight.
This is NC State’s 2nd U.S. Open and 2nd American Record of the meet. The Wolfpack opened up the competition Wednesday night with the fastest time ever in the 800 free relay, and finished 2nd in the 200 free relay Thursday with an American Record.
In terms of team race, NC State is probably down too many points to take the team title, but depriving Cal, Indiana, and Texas of a relay win this evening could affect the balance of power in what projects to be a very close points battle for those three teams.
Bobby has made his mark as the best sprint coach in the country!
Dressel is the bomb, but look at Molacek… all 5 relay A finals, swimming 50-200 free, 50 fly, 100 br.
What does NISCA mean in the results?
Refers to NISCA (National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association) points. Kind of like FINA or USA Swimming power points, but only for high school events. It is a bit funny to see them showing up in the results for a college meet, though.
BOBBY GUNTORO THE MYTH THE LEGEND
Regardless of how you feel about NC State, you have to give the coach and the swimmers some credit. They lost their head sprint coach but are able to produce these results thanks to Guntoro and the swimmers stepping up
Let get real here…you have to give credit still to DeSorbo as Guntoro was under him. He wouldn’t be able to take that hand off with out him. Also, lets see how he does when he gets his “own” swimmers and sustains the current level. No knock, but you still have to credit the teacher here.
Jacob Molacek, Giovanni Izzo, Cobe Garcia are all new comers.
Justin Ress was not training under DeSorbo all year last season.
Ryan Held hit personal best.
Mark McGlaughlin was not a factor last year under DeSorbo.
NC State went 2:48 last year? So technically he did it with all of his ‘own’ swimmers.
You can say technically all you want….Desorbo recruited those guys. I guarantee you that his practice schedule was correlated (kept a log book??????????????????) to Desorbo’s…. Let’s see about the coming years when he is standing on his own two feet….
@WHAWHA You salty about UVA only scoring 19 points under “Desorbo effect?”
Remember when people think DeSorbo had all the magic for NC State? It seems like he gave the magic to Guntoro when he left. Gotta give some credits to the new sprint coach. Congrats Bobby!
40.23 Adrian anchor in 2009 is definitely a faster split and I coulda swore Targett or Morozov was also in the 40.3 range
I know it sounds crazy but I think Florida has a chance to win tonight. Dressel, Switkowski, Baqlah, and Szaranek/Rooney will be pretty fast. Dressel and Switkowski could touch at 1:20 at the 200. Baqlah went 42.2 in his individual 100 so I think he could be 41 mid from a rolling start. Rooney has been two 42.0 relay starts, but my gut is telling me Szaranek with his guts and pride could be 41 mid to high
Szaranek has been on 4 relays already, so they cannot use him tonight unfortunately.
Disregard, thought he was on the 4 medley which he was not
I don’t think they used him on 400 medley
Vlad Morozov split 40.28 on USC winning 400 free relay in 2013, so Ress would #3.
Plus Adrian’s 40.2 in ’09 on the 400 Medley.
Thanks! Updated.