Frank Applebaum Lowers Own NCAA D3 Record in 200 Fly to 1:43.96

2023 NCAA Division III Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 15 – Saturday, March 18, 2023
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM
• Defending Champs: Kenyon women (1x) & Emory men (1x)
• Fan Guide
• Results Page
• Women’s Psych Sheet
• Men’s Psych Sheet
• Live Streaming on NCAA.com
• Live Results
• Day 1 Full Results (PDF)
• Day 2 Full Results (PDF)
• Day 3 Full Results (PDF)

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Finals

• NCAA D3 Record: 1:44.01 – Frank Applebaum, C-M-S (2022)
• 2022 Winner: 1:44.01 – Frank Applebaum, C-M-S

Podium:

1. Frank Applebaum, CMS – 1:43.96 MEET / D3 RECORD
2. Justin Finkel, Connecticut – 1:44.32
3. Jesse Ssengonzi, Chicago – 1:45.68
4. Avery Clapp, JHU – 1:46.25
5. Ethan Schrier, Tufts – 1:47.20
6. Aleksander Tarczynski, Carnegie Mellon – 1:47.89
7. Drew Scheib, RIT – 1:47.97
8. Matthew Walker, WashU – 1:48.22

Frank Applebaum of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps successfully defended his 2022 title in the 200 fly, signing a new meet and NCAA Division III record of 1:43.96 in the process.

Applebaum went out like a rocket, turning in 23.16 at the 50 to lead Chicago’s Jesse Ssengonzi by .13. He then proceeded to increase his lead to a body length at the 100, turning in 49.64. Ssengonzi and Ethan Schreier of Tufts trailed in 50.5 and 50.6, respectively. On the third 50, Applebaum maintained his one-body advantage, but this time it was Justin Finkel of Connecticut College who was in second place, as he split a massive 26.62 on his third 50 to pass Ssengonzi and Schreier. Applebaum came home in 27.2 to lock in his win with 1:43.96. Finkel came from behind to place second, while Ssengonzi finished third.

Applebaum lowered his own meet and NCAA Division III mark by .05. He had set both records a year ago when he won the 2022 title with 1:44.01. Prior to that, the D3 record was 1:44.56, set by WashU’s Brandon Lum in 2017.

This time around he was a little tighter on the front half. While his splits are very similar to last year’s, the main difference is his second 50. He went out with a more relaxed first 50, tightened up his second 50, and came home .03 faster on the back 100. It’s a very different strategy than that of Lum, who went easy up front and put his effort into the third 50.

Comparative splits:

Only a junior, Applebaum still has another year to do more damage to the record books.