Bach, McSharry Split 25.68 50 Breast And Other Swims You Might Have Missed (Night 1 NCAAs)

2024 WOMEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 20-23, 2024
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

With only two relays on night 1, we will go in event order for these highlights.

On the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay, two swimmers had historic splits. Tennessee’s Mona McSharry and Ohio State’s Hannah Bach both split a 25.68. Bach has been faster before as she swam a 25.51 in 2022 but tonight’s swim was still one of the all-time top performances.

Top Relay Splits, Women’s 50-Yard Breaststroke

1. Lilly King, Indiana – 25.36 (2019)
2. Lilly King, Indiana – 25.38 (2018)
3. Jasmine Nocentini, Virginia – 25.49 (2024)
4. Hannah Bach, Ohio State – 25.51 (2022)
5. Tie: Anna Elendt, Texas- 25.54 (2023) / Jorie Caneta, Texas A&M – 25.54 (2018)
6. –
7. Hannah Bach, Ohio State, Mona McSharry, Tennessee – 25.68 (2024)
8. –
9. Heather MacCausland, NC State – 25.69 (2023)

Virginia’s Jasmine Nocentini was not far behind McSharry and Bach as she split a 25.72.

Stanford’s Amy Tang anchored on the freestyle leg in a 21.23. Tang’s best time is a 22.03 in the flat start version of the event and she has a season best of a 22.15. With usually about half of a second difference between the relay start and flat start (Tang notably had a reaction time of 0.15), she is well within the possibility of dipping below the 22 second mark, she easily could move up from the #38 seed to being a potential scorer. The 16th seed is currently a 21.84.

Despite a fifth place finish as a team, Indiana’s Anna Peplowski led off in a 1:41.16 200 freestyle, a new best time by almost a second. Peplowski has dropped over a second in the event this year already as she swam a 1:42.86 leading off the team’s relay a year ago. She is the #4 seed on the psych sheets coming into the meet but her swim tonight would have made her the #2 seed behind only Bella Sims, who was slightly faster than Peplowski tonight leading off in a 1:41.03.

The #13 seed in the 200 free Stephanie Balduccini of Michigan has a flat start best of a 1:43.30 but swam a 1:42.38 tonight. Like Tang, the difference between a relay start (Balduccini had a reaction time of a 0.12) is usually about half of a second which could bring Balduccini under the 1:43 mark. It took a 1:42.36 to win the 200 free a year ago but the field is much stronger this year but Balduccini is certainly a threat to make the A final.