A Long Time Coming, Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez Wins 400 IM With NCAA Record of 3:32.88

2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 23-26, 2022
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
• Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Live Results
• Championship Central
• Official Psych Sheets
• Friday night finals heat sheet

Men’s 400 Individual Medley – Finals

• NCAA Record: Chase Kalisz, Georgia – 3:33.42 (2017)
• NCAA Meet Record: Chase Kalisz, Georgia – 3:33.42 (2017)
• American Record: Chase Kalisz, Georgia – 3:33.42 (2017)
• US Open Record: Chase Kalisz, Georgia – 3:33.42 (2017)
• Pool Record: Carson Foster, Texas – 3:33.79 (2022)

Podium:

1. Hugo Gonzalez, SR California – 3:32.88N
2. Leon Marchand, FR ASU – 3:34.08
3. Carson Foster, SO Texas – 3:35.69
4. Bobby Finke, SR Florida – 3:36.83
5. Jake Foster, JR Texas – 3:38.24
6. Brooks Fail, 5Y Arizona – 3:38.55
7. David Johnston, SO Texas – 3:40.05
8. Sean Grieshop, 5Y California – 3:40.12

Cal senior Hugo Gonzalez became the first swimmer in history to break the 3:33 barrier in the 400-yard individual medley on Friday night in Atlanta. He dominated the final from start to finish and took down the NCAA, meet, U.S. Open, and pool records with his 3:32.88 winning time.

It has been a long road for Gonzalez. He spent his freshman season at Auburn, where he set school records in the 200 back (1:39.05), 200 IM (1:40.67) and 400 IM (3:35.76). He won the 400 IM, with what was then the third-fastest time in history, at 2018 SECs and was named SEC Freshman of the Year. At NCAAs that year, he swam a 3:46.19 in prelims and placed 30th.

Gonzalez announced he would be transferring to Virginia Tech for his sophomore year, following Sergio Lopez who had taken over as head coach. However, a couple of weeks into the 2018-19 school year, he left Virginia Tech to train at home in Spain. In December 2018 he announced he would be joining the Cal team mid-season in January. However, because he had been enrolled as a full-time student at VT before he left for Spain, the NCAA deemed him ineligible until the fall of 2020.

At 2021 NCAAs, Gonzalez added 3.6 seconds in prelims to finish 10th with 3:41.91. He won the B final with a pool record 3:36.73, a time that would have won the A final by .17 (Bobby Finke won in 3:36.90).

This is the race Gonzalez had in him all alone. He has tightened up the middle of his race significantly, and although his freestyle was a full second slower than last year, his butterfly was 1.5 seconds faster, which more than made up for the finish.

Compared to Chase Kalisz, who had owned the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open record since 2017, Gonzalez was out 1.3 seconds faster on the fly, swam a comparable backstroke leg, and gave up .8 on the second half (.3 on the breast and .5 on the free).

Comparative running times: