Destin Lasco Defends 200 Back NCAA Title With Third-Fastest Swim of All-Time

2023 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 22-25, 2023
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center | Minneapolis, MN
• SCY (25 yards)
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• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap

Destin Lasco used his patented back half to pull away from the field in the 200 backstroke final and successfully defend his NCAA title on Saturday, producing the third-fastest time in the history of the event.

The Cal junior finished in a time of 1:35.87 to undercut his previous lifetime best of 1:35.99 and inch ever closer to the seven-year-old NCAA, American and U.S. Open Record of 1:35.73 set by Ryan Murphy in 2016.

With his prelim swim ranking ninth, Lasco now owns three of the nine-fastest swims in history, and two of the top four. His Golden Bear teammate Hugo Gonzalez broke 1:37 for the first time in what was the 10th-fastest swim ever to finish second, moving the Spaniard into #6 on the all-time performers’ list.

All-Time Performances, Men’s 200 Backstroke (SCY)

1. Ryan Murphy (Cal), 1:35.73 – 2016 NCAA Championships
2. Shaine Casas (Texas A&M), 1:35.75 – 2021 NCAA Championships
3. Destin Lasco (Cal), 1:35.87 – 2023 NCAA Championships
4. Destin Lasco (Cal), 1:35.99 – 2021 NCAA Championships
5. John Shebat (Texas), 1:36.42 – 2019 NCAA Championships
6. Austin Katz (Texas), 1:36.45 – 2019 NCAA Championships
7. Shaine Casas (Texas A&M), 1:36.54 – 2020 Texas First Chance Invite
8. Shaine Casas (Texas A&M), 1:36.62 – 2020 Art Adamson Invite
9. Destin Lasco (Cal), 1:36.68 – 2023 NCAA Championships
10. Hugo Gonzalez (Cal), 1:36.72 – 2023 NCAA Championships

Lasco set his previous best time of 1:35.99 in the 2021 NCAA final, where he finished a close runner-up to Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas as a freshman.

Compared to that performance, Lasco had near-identical splits tonight:

Lasco Split Comparison

Relative to how Murphy and Casas swam the race, Lasco is much more conservative on the front end but really makes up ground coming home.

Split Comparison, Top 4 Swims All-Time

This is Lasco’s second straight title in the 200 back after winning last year in 1:37.71. It’s also Cals sixth win in the last nine championships, with Murphy having won four straight from 2014 to 2017.

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