2018 Ohio State Invitational: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2018 OHIO STATE INVITATIONAL

• November 15-17, 2018
• Columbus, Ohio
• McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets (Updated)
• Live Streamed on BTN2GO
• Session Timelines (Tentative)
• Live Results
• Saturday Prelim Results (PDF)
• Saturday Finals Heat Sheet
• Saturday Finals Results + Team Scores (PDF)
• Full Meet Results (PDF)

The closing session of the 2018 Ohio State Invitational will feature finals in the men’s and women’s 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 fly, along with the top seeded heats in the timed final of the 1650, and the 400 free relays to close things out.

This morning, Ella Eastin tied the top time in the country in the women’s 200 fly (1:53.65), and Ali Galyer put herself alone at the top of the nation in the women’s 200 back (1:51.29).

Those two races will be amongst the highlights tonight, as will the men’s 1650 where Notre Dame sophomore Zach Yeadon will aim for the NCAA-leading time of 15:07.94 after showing great form the last two weekends.

For a full recap of this morning’s preliminaries click here. Check out tonight’s official heat sheet here.

Women’s 1650 Free Timed Final

• Meet Record: 15:03.92, Katie Ledecky (STAN), 2016

1. Megan Byrnes, STAN, 15:55.57
2. Leah Stevens, STAN, 16:02.66
3. Lindsay Stone, ND, 16:06.42

Stanford junior Megan Byrnes won the women’s 1650 in a time of 15:55.57, going 1-2 with teammate Leah Stevens. Byrnes is a full ten seconds faster than she’s ever been at a mid-season invite, and becomes just the second woman to go sub-16:00 (coming into tonight) after Phoebe Hines went 15:41.35 at Art Adamson last night.

Stevens went 16:02.66 for the 3rd-fastest time in the country and three seconds faster than she was last year at the Art Adamson Invite, while Notre Dame sophomore Lindsay Stone took 3rd in a personal best time of 16:06.42, lowering her 16:07.66 from the 2018 ACC Championships. Stone also overtakes Haley Yelle (16:06.87) of Texas A&M for 4th in the nation.

Cassy Jernberg of Indiana went 16:02.31 at the IU Invite, bumping Stevens to 4th and Stone to 5th.

Men’s 1650 Free Timed Final

• Meet Record: 14:39.05, Anton Ipsen (NCS), 2017

1. Zach Yeadon, ND, 14:39.60
2. Sadler McKeen, ND, 15:07.94
3. Nick Hogsed, OSU, 15:17.73

Notre Dame sophomore demolished the men’s 1650 field to win by almost 30 seconds in 14:39.60, his 3rd-fastest swim ever outside of the 2018 ACCs (14:34.6) and NCAAs (14:35.9). Last season at this meet he was 14:47.18. He also takes over the top time in the nation, edging what Michael Brinegar of Indiana just went in Bloomington (14:40.38). Yeadon missed the NCAA ‘A’ cut by just .04.

His teammate Sadler McKeen was less than two seconds off his lifetime best for 2nd in 15:07.94, matching what the top time in the NCAA coming into tonight was (Felipe Rizzo went it last night at the Art Adamson Invite).

Ohio State senior Nick Hogsed, who owns a best of 15:00.51 from the 2016 Pac-12s, was 3rd in 15:17.73.

Women’s 200 Back Final

• Meet Record: 1:50.55, Courtney Bartholomew (VIRG), 2013

1. Asia Seidt, UKY, 1:49.35
2. Taylor Ruck, STAN, 1:51.83
3. Ali Galyer, UKY, 1:51.92

Kentucky junior Asia Seidt crushed a new meet record to win the women’s 200 back, finishing just a tenth off her lifetime best of 1:49.24 in 1:49.35 to register the top time in the country. She also gets under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:50.50. Seidt swam her best time at last season’s NCAAs where she was the runner-up.

Stanford freshman Taylor Ruck swam her second consecutive best time to take 2nd in 1:51.83, edging Wildcat junior Ali Galyer (1:51.92). Galyer had been 1:51.25 this morning which stood as the top time in the NCAA before Seidt’s swim.

Cardinal junior Erin Voss took 4th in 1:52.79, her fastest swim ever at this point in the season, and freshman Lucie Nordmann had the 2nd-fastest swim of her career for 5th in 1:53.14. Those five, along with Notre Dame senior Alice Treuth (1:53.56), were all under what it took to get invited to NCAAs last season (1:53.64).

Men’s 200 Back Final

• Meet Record: 1:40.32, Hennessey Stuart (NCS), 2017

1. Jack Montesi, ND, 1:43.74
2. Josh Swart, UKY, 1:44.82
3. Will Cumberland, ND, 1:45.22

Notre Dame junior Jack Montesi picked up the win in the men’s 200 back, clocking 1:43.74 to post his fastest swim ever at this point in the season, surpassing his 1:44.73 from last weekend’s College Challenge. His best time stands at 1:41.95 from the 2018 ACCs.

Kentucky senior Josh Swart was less than four-tenths off his PB for 2nd in 1:44.82, and Will Cumberland of Notre Dame took 3rd in 1:45.22. His fellow sophomore teammate Sadler McKeen was the top seed out of the heats in 1:45.04, but swam this race shortly after the 1650 and finished 10th (1:49.30).

Women’s 100 Free Final

• Meet Record: 47.37, Simone Manuel (STAN), 2016

1. Bella Hindley, YALE, 48.51
2. Amalie Fackenthal, STAN, 48.63
3. Abbie Dolan, ND, 48.83

Yale senior Bella Hindley recorded a new best time to win the women’s 100 freestyle in 48.51, improving on her 48.64 from the 2017 Ivy Championships. She also snuck under the time it took to qualify for NCAAs last season (48.53).

Freshman Amalie Fackenthal took 2nd in 48.63, cracking 49 for the first time as a Cardinal, and Abbie Dolan of Notre Dame added  02 from the morning for 3rd in 48.83. Geena Freriks of Kentucky also broke 49 for 4th in 48.89.

Men’s 100 Free Final

• Meet Record: 42.45, Ryan Held (NCS), 2017

1. Ruslan Gaziev, OSU, 42.79
2. Andrew Loy, OSU, 42.82
3. Henry Gaissert, YALE, 43.32

OSU freshman Ruslan Gaziev out-touched his junior teammate Andrew Loy for the win in the men’s 100 freestyle, destroying his previous best time of 43.40 in 42.79. Loy also got under his PB of 42.96 in 42.82, as they join the elite group of men who have been sub-43 this season. The fastest time in the country thus far was set tonight by Robert Howard (41.94) of Alabama.

Henry Gaissert of Yale chopped a tenth off his best time for 3rd in 43.32, edging out Pittsburgh’s Blaise Vera (43.35) who was the top seed out of the heats in 43.18.

Women’s 200 Breast Final

• Meet Record: 2:07.60, Emma Reaney (ND), 2012

1. Bailey Bonnett, UKY, 2:08.31
2. Zoe Bartel, STAN, 2:08.65
3. Brooke Forde, STAN, 2:09.54

University of Kentucky senior Bailey Bonnett held Stanford freshman Zoe Bartel at bay down the stretch to win the women’s 200 breast in a time of 2:08.31, just about half a second slower than she was at this time last year (2:07.83).

Bartel went sub-2:10 for the first time in her college career to take 2nd in 2:08.65, and her sophomore teammate Brooke Forde was 3rd in 2:09.54, right on where she’s been the last two seasons in November (2:09.47 in 2016, 2:09.50 in 2017). The top-3 were under last season’s NCAA invite time (2:10.14).

Stanford also claimed the next four spots with Grace Zhao (2:10.35), Allie Raab (2:10.53 – her fastest in two years), Allie Szekely (2:12.01) and Kim Williams (2:12.09).

Men’s 200 Breast Final

• Meet Record: 1:54.69, Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez (FLOR), 2013

1. Jason Mathews, OSU, 1:55.96
2. Josh Bottelberghe, ND, 1:57.61
3. Andrew Winton, ND, 1:58.23

Buckeye freshman Jason Mathews further improved his best time from this morning to win the men’s 200 breast in 1:55.96, clearing his 1:57.29 from the heats. He’s now taken three seconds off on the day, as he entered the meet with a best of 1:58.98.

Notre Dame freshmen Josh Bottelberghe and Andrew Winton had both set personal bests in the prelims as well, but Bottelberghe didn’t quite match his tonight as he was four-tenths slower for 2nd in 1:57.61. Winton, who broke 2:00 for the first time this morning, chopped off another half second for 3rd in 1:58.23.

Pittsburgh junior Samy Helmbacher broke 1:59 for the first time to take 4th in 1:58.95.

Women’s 200 Fly Final

• Meet Record: 1:52.36, Christina Bechtel (UKY), 2014

1. Ella Eastin, STAN, 1:52.07
2. Katie Drabot, STAN, 1:53.38
3. Nikki Smith, ND, 1:55.23

Reigning National champ Ella Eastin dropped the top time in the nation and an NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:52.07 to win the women’s 200 fly, with her teammate Katie Drabot placing 2nd.

Eastin was just .04 off what she went at the Art Adamson Invite last season, but did overtake Grace Oglesby (1:52.64) for the leading time in the country. Oglesby and Eastin had both gone 1:53.65 in the prelims which tied for the fastest time in the NCAA heading into tonight, and then Oglesby went that 1:52.64 minutes prior to this swim at the IU Invite.

Drabot touched in 1:53.38, also getting under the ‘A’ standard of 1:53.48. She was the runner-up to Eastin at NCAAs last season in a best of 1:51.73, and was 1:51.74 last season during invite time.

Notre Dame senior Nikki Smith swam a lifetime best of 1:55.23 for 3rd, as did her freshman teammate Luciana Thomas (1:55.31) in 4th and Ohio State junior Kathrin Demler (1:55.53) in 5th. All three of them got under the 2018 NCAA invite time (1:55.99).

Kentucky freshman Izzy Gati, who was 3rd out of the heats in a best of 1:56.12, dropped down to 6th in 1:56.67 (still her 2nd-fastest ever).

Men’s 200 Fly Final

• Meet Record: 1:41.07, Andreas Vazaios (NCS), 2017

1. Aaron Schultz, ND, 1:42.90
2. David Dixon, WVU, 1:42.95
3. Marci Barta, ND, 1:44.77

Junior Aaron Schultz of the Fighting Irish outdueled WVU sophomore David Dixon to win the men’s 200 fly, recording a new personal best of 1:42.90. His previous best stood at 1:43.46 from the 2018 ACCs.

Schultz out-split Dixon on the first two 50s, holding a lead of four-tenths at the halfway mark, but Dixon gained a bit of ground back on the second 100 to make this one come right down to the wire. Dixon ultimately narrowly ran out of room, falling .05 shy for 2nd in 1:42.95, less than half a second off his best of 1:42.50.

Notre Dame freshman Marci Barta, who had that standout 400 IM last night, dropped over two seconds from his best time to take 3rd in 1:44.77 over his teammate Zachary Smith (1:45.20).

Women’s 400 Free Relay Timed Final

• Meet Record: 3:12.55, Stanford, 2016

1. Stanford, 3:12.08
2. Kentucky, 3:15.16
3. Notre Dame, 3:17.51

The Stanford women won the women’s 400 free relay by over three seconds in 3:12.08, easily hitting the NCAA Auto standard of 3:14.97 and also breaking their meet record from two years ago of 3:12.55.

They had strong legs from Amalie Fackenthal (48.73), Ella Eastin (48.40) and Ashley Volpenhein (48.74), and then Taylor Ruck anchored them in a scorching 46.21.

Kentucky took 2nd in 3:15.16, just off the auto standard, with fast splits all around from Ali Galyer (49.43), Asia Seidt (48.32), Riley Gaines (48.65) and Geena Freriks (48.76).

Notre Dame (3:17.51) edged Yale (3:18.08) and Stanford ‘B’ (3:18.09) to take 3rd, with thier top leg coming from Abbie Dolan (49.05) on the lead-off, while Yale had a quick 48.00 anchor from Bella Hindley. Stanford’s ‘B’ team had a 48.70 lead-off from Lucie Nordmann.

Men’s 400 Free Relay Timed Final

• Meet Record: 2:50.45, Florida, 2015

1. Kentucky, 2:52.23
2. Ohio State, 2:52.97
3. Pittsburgh, 2:53.55

The Kentucky men finished off the meet with an impressive win over Ohio State in the 400 free relay, clocking 2:52.23 to get under the NCAA provisional standard of 2:52.72. Peter Wetzlar led them off in 43.81, and then they had solid legs from Glen Brown (42.35), Jason Head (43.34) and John Mitchell (42.73).

Ohio State had held a lead of over seven-tenths at the halfway mark, with a pair of quick opening legs from Ruslan Gaziev (42.92) and Andrew Loy (42.48), but Head made up some ground on Matthew Abeysinghe (43.74), and then Mitchell ran down anchor Paul DeLakis (43.83) as they ended up seven-tenths behind in 2:52.97.

Pittsburgh was right in the thick of it the whole way, receiving 42.39 second leg from Blaise Vera, and ultimately were just off the pace of the top-2 for 3rd in 2:53.55. Notre Dame was 4th in 2:54.57, getting their top leg from Aaron Schultz (42.81) swimming third, and distance ace Zach Yeadon also had a notable 43.90 on the anchor.

FINAL TEAM SCORES

WOMEN

1. Stanford, 2499
2. Notre Dame, 2011.5
3. Kentucky, 1898
4. Ohio State, 1849
5. Yale, 1175.5
6. Pittsburgh, 953.5
7. Ohio, 605
8. West Virginia, 532.5
9. Kenyon, 486
10. Kentucky Aquatics, 94
11. Toledo, 27

MEN

1. Ohio State, 2653
2. Notre Dame, 2188
3. Kentucky, 1952.5
4. Pittsburgh, 1513.5
5. Yale, 1483.5
6. West Virginia, 959
7. Kenyon, 568.5
8. Stanford, 127