Emory Breaststrokers Hit Best Times to Open Denison Invite

2023 Denison Invitational 

• November 29-December 2, 2023
• Trumbull Aquatics Center, Granville Ohio
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 10:00am (EST)
  • Finals: 6:00pm (EST)
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Long Course Time Trials Results

The 2023 Denison Invitational kicked off Wednesday with a session of long course time trials.

Sophomore Henri Bonnault (1:01.77), senior Jake Meyer (1:02.23), and junior Liyang Sun (1:02.56) were the only athletes sub-1:03 in the men’s 100 breaststroke. They slot in as 6th, 2nd, and 10th fastest performers in Emory’s team history in the yards version of the event.

The Emory team record is held by Andrew Wilson, the first and so far only D3 swimmer to ever make the U.S. Olympic Team. Wilson holds three NCAA D3 records in the 100 breast (50.94), 200 breast (1:50.80), and 200 IM (1:44.18). He qualified to swim the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the 2020 Olympic Games, and earned a gold medal as a prelims swimmer on the United States’ 400 medley relay.

With their swims, Bonnault, Meyer, and Sun continue Emory’s trend of breaststroke excellence in D3. For reference, it took 1:00.71 to qualify for the A final at last summer’s U.S. Nationals.

Bonnault was the only one of the three to swim under the Olympic Trials cut (1:02.19), but he represents France internationally. He dropped nearly a second from his previous best, set in semifinals of the 2023 LEN European Junior Championships. He went on to finish 8th in finals.

Meyer is the 2023 D3 NCAA champion in the 100 breast, where he swam 52.87 to become Emory’s second fastest performer in the event. On Wednesday Meyer dropped over two seconds from his previous best in the long course version, which stood at 1:04.39 from 2021. Sun dropped exactly 0.5 seconds in his swim to round out the top three.

There were a handful of other Trials cuts achieved during the time trial session, though like Bonnault they were also swum by international athletes. All three are German athletes who attend D2 UIndy: Cedric Buessing in the 400 IM (4:20.87), his brother Silas Buessing in the 200 back (2:01.62), and Celina Schmidt in the 200 breast (2:29.79). Those appear to be best times for S. Buessing and Schmidt, while C. Buessing has been as fast as 4:14.74.

The Denison Invite continues Thursday with the 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, and 400 medley relay.