Indiana Dominates Relays, But Ohio State Holds Edge After Day 1 of OSU Invite

2022 Ohio State Invite

• November 17-19, 2022
• McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, Columbus, OH
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Watch
• Live Results or MeetMobile

TEAMS:

• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Kenyon (diving)
• Yale
• Lindenwood
• Notre Dame
• Ohio State
• Ohio
• Navy (women only)
• Cincinnati
• UCLA
• Pitt (women only)
• Miami (FL) (diving only)
• Virginia Tech

Indiana dominated the relays on Thursday, but it was Ohio State that came away with the lead by 30-plus points on both the men’s and women’s sides at the 2022 Ohio State Invite.

The Buckeyes only boasted one individual event winner — Amy Fulmer in the 50-yard freestyle (21.95) — and one first-place relay team — the women’s 400 medley relay (3:30.05), which Fulmer was also a part of. However, they showcased their depth by tallying a dozen top-six finishes to top the standings after the first day of action in Columbus.

The meet features five ranked women’s teams (No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 Indiana, No. 22 Kentucky, No. 23 UCLA, and No. 25 Virginia Tech) and four ranked men’s teams (No. 7 Indiana, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 18 Virginia Tech, No. 22 Notre Dame), according to the latest CSCAA poll.

Hoosiers Hit All Four Relay ‘A’ Cuts

Indiana kicked off the evening session with a 1:27.75 in the women’s 200 free relay courtesy of sophomore Anna Peplowski (22.53), senior Ashley Turak (21.85), junior Elizabeth Broshears (22.09), and freshman Kristina Paegle (21.28). The combined time was six tenths of a second faster than the previous program record, which Turak also helped break during the 2020 Big Ten Championships. Paegle posted the fastest split of the field with a 21.28 anchor this time around.

The Ohio State quartet of Katherine Zenick (22.49), Teresa Ivan (22.08), Tristan Harrison (22.25), and Fulmer (21.43) also snuck under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:28.43 with a total time of 1:28.25.

In the men’s 200 free relay, Van Mathias anchored with the only sub-19 split of the night (18.61) to clinch another relay victory for Indiana in 1:16.71. Finn Brooks is approaching the 19-second barrier (19.11), while Gavin Wright (19.30) and Rafael Miroslaw (19.69 leadoff) are not far behind.

The Hoosiers lost their lone relay of the day by less than a second in the 400 medley relay, but they still secured an automatic bid to NCAAs by dipping below the ‘A’ cut of 1:17.07. The Buckeyes stole the crown thanks in large part to Fulmer’s 46.97 freestyle anchor, the fastest in the field.

Indiana bounced back during the last event of the evening, the 400 medley relay final, where Brendan Burns seized an early lead that the Hoosiers never relinquished. Indiana clocked a 3:03.98 behind Burns’ 45.36 back, Josh Matheny’s 51.11 breast, Tomer Frankel’s 45.96 fly, and Miroslaw’s 41.55 free.

The battle for second place was tight as Virginia Tech held off Ohio State by just .13 seconds. Both squads are less than a second away from the ‘A’ cut of 3:05.47.

Overall, Indiana added 29 NCAA qualifying times to the tally during the evening session after recording 23 NCAA qualifying marks during prelims.

Ramadan, Hoagland Continue Hot Streaks

Virginia Tech junior Youssef Ramadan stretched his undefeated streak to nine individual finals in a row to start this season with a 19.19 50 free. It’s a new season best for the Egyptian standout, about half a second faster than his previous performances against George Washington, Ohio, and Ohio State. It only seems like a matter of time before he slips under the 19-second barrier again. Ramadan has also notched wins in the 100 fly, 100 free, and 100 back.

After a scooter crash derailed his junior season, Notre Dame’s Jack Hoagland has returned to action without missing a beat so far this year. He picked up his sixth individual victory of the season with a 4:14.24 500 free, more than nine seconds faster than his season best from last week. His lifetime best in the event is a 4:11.26 from last February. Hoagland has also earned wins in the 1000 freestyle and 400 IM this season.

Knight Breaks 18-Year-Old Kentucky Record

Fifth-year diver Kyndal Knight took down a Kentucky program record that had stood untouched for 18 years.

Knight totaled 382.3 points to best the previous mark by nearly 20 points. Junior Sam Duncan made it a diving sweep for the Wildcats with his 381.3-point win in the 1-meter springboard, which vaulted him into fourth place in school history.

After setting a personal best in prelims, Kentucky senior Kaitlynn Wheeler again lowered her lifetime best by almost a second in the 500 free finals with a first-place finish in 4:40.56. That time ranks as the fourth-fastest in program history. Also securing a victory along with a personal best was fellow senior Lauren Poole, who went 1:55.33 in the 200 IM final. She remains second in the all-time program rankings behind Asia Seidt (1:53.04).

TEAM SCORES

Women

1. Ohio State – 711
2. Indiana – 673.50
3. Kentucky – 583
4. Virginia Tech – 439
5. UCLA – 374
6. Notre Dame – 285.50
7. Yale – 264
8. Ohio – 170
9. Navy – 136
10. Cincinnati – 124
11. Lindenwood – 124
12. Miami – 32
13. Pittsburgh – 20

Men

1. Ohio State – 746
2. Indiana – 702.50
3. Virginia Tech – 476
4. Notre Dame – 458
5. Yale – 313
6. Kentucky – 306
7. Cincinnati – 283.50
8. Lindenwood – 206
9. Miami – 68
10. Pittsburgh – 59
11. Kenyon College – 22

Two days of competition remain. Friday’s slate features the 200 medley relay, 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 800 free relay, 1-meter dive (women) and 3-meter dive (men).