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
- Event Page
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Official Psych Sheets
- Virtual Championship Program
- SwimSwam Pick Em’s Contest
Night one of the NCAA Championships started off with a bang, with four of the five fastest 200 medley relays of all time coming in tonight’s finals.
Leading the way for many of those relays were some of the fastest 50 backstroke splits of all time, including the THREE fastest 50 backs of all time and six of the top 12 performers of all time.
The first fireworks came in the second to last heat, with Cal’s Bjoern Seeliger leading off in a 20.08, and NC States Kacper Stokowski leading off in a 20.16, the two fastest of all time. Cal and NC State ended up tying for third in 1:21.69, the fourth fastest 200 medley relay of all time. In the final heat, Florida sophomore Adam Chaney led off in 20.19, the now-third fastest 50 back of all time to help lead the Gators to the NCAA title in 1:21.13, breaking the NCAA and US Open Records in the process.
In total, five of the fastest 10 men’s 50 backstrokers of all time put up their top times this evening. Behind the aforementioned Seeliger, Stokowski and Chaney, Harvard’s Dean Farris led off Harvard’s 9th place 200 medley relay in 20.36, making him the 7th fastest performer in history. Lousiville’s Nicolas Albiero led off in a 20.59, making him the 11th fastest performer ever and Alabama’s Matthew Menke led off in 20.60, now the 12th fastest performer of all time.
All Time Top 10 Performers 50 backstroke (bolded swum this evening):
- Bjoern Seeliger (Cal): 20.08
- Kacper Stokowski (NC State): 20.16
- Adam Chaney (Florida): 20.19
- Ryan Murphy (Cal): 20.20
- Zane Waddell (Alabama): 20.22
- Junya Koga (Club Wolverine): 20.35
- Dean Farris (Harvard): 20.36
- Connor Olsin (Alabama): 20.39
- Hunter Armstrong (Ohio State): 20.45
- Anthony Grimm (Texas): 20.55
- Nicolas Albiero (Louisville): 20.59
- Matthew Menke (Alabama): 20.60
I might be able to do a 25 that fast…
Bjorn’s gonna have a hell of a meet…
are all possible
If you just jinxed it I’m gonna kick your ass.
🙁 I hope not, I’m really rooting for Cal to take this
Except Dean’s already done that
Connor Olson is the 🐐
Oslin *
It’s weird who have a guy on our team that is faster than Murph in the 50 and 3 weeks ago most of us didn’t even know he could swim backstroke. #BackstrokeU
I’m split 50/50
Really jazzed Seeliger is a legitimate threat in 3 events
Really wondering wtf Durden was thinking last year
According to Coleman on the SwimSwam breakdown, Bjorn didn’t even know how to do a backstroke start until 3 weeks ago. Murph had to teach him.
That’s freaking urban legend freaky.
OK that sounded too good to be true so I was curious.
According to Wikipedia, he holds the Swedish record for 50 m backstroke.
I haven’t researched further than this.
and I thought the womens 50 back leadoffs were impressive
I wonder if we’ll see the same story play out in the 100 back with Murphy’s SCY record being shattered like Regan Smith’s was
Albiero?
I don’t want stroke 50’s at ncaas just the 50back
You’re missing Matt Menke from Alabama in your list. He went 20.60 tonight. Also, Connor Oslin from Alabama went 20.3 years ago
20.39 from 2017 NCAAs