2023 MIT Winter Invitational
- December 1-3, 2023
- Zesiger Center Pool, Cambridge MA
- Short Course Yards (25 Yards)
- Meet Mobile: MIT Winter Invite 2023
- Full Results
The 2023 MIT Invite is in the books. The final day saw four more top NCAA Division III times posted as the 200 medley relay, 500 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 breaststroke, 100 freestyle, 200 IM, and 400 freestyle relay were contested.
After swimming the fastest D3 time this season in the 50 free by 13 one-hundredths and contributing key legs to MIT’s women’s relays, first-year Ella Roberson was back in action Sunday morning. She only swam the 100 free in prelims, hitting 50.12 for an MIT school record and overtaking the #1 spot in the country by just four one-hundredths of a second.
Tobe Obochi followed suit just a few heats later, where he clocked 43.49 to break the Zesiger Pool record and become the fastest man in D3 this season by exactly half a second. That’s the fastest Obochi has been at midseasons in his collegiate career. Leading up to his 2022 NCAA title, he was just 44.89 at this meet before dropping to 43.33 in Indianapolis. He scratched the last day of NCAAs last March due to illness and was unable to defend his title, but dropped his fastest relay split of 42.65 anchoring MIT’s 400 medley relay earlier in the meet. Now a senior, Obochi has set himself up well to claim another NCAA title this season.
Both Roberson and Obochi added time in finals, but still easily won their events. They also led off MIT’s 400 free relays, clocking slightly faster times than they swam in the individual events but still behind their prelims times.
Sunday’s final session kicked off with the 200 medley relay. The quartet of Kate Augustyn (25.98), Edenna Chen (28.09), Kathy Zhao (24.56), and Roberson (22.37) combined (1:41.00) to give the Tech ladies another #1 relay time, adding to their 400 medley from Saturday.
The men’s medley was an exciting race that came down to the last leg. Tufts got out to a fast start with Eric Lundgren (22.73), Emmett Adams (24.23) and Soeren Euvrard (21.62) putting 0.76 seconds between them and MIT’s team of Theo Chen (22.94), Jaden Luo (24.73), and Arnold Su (21.67). Peter LaBarge and Obochi hit the water for their respective teams, who set the #2 and #1 times in the 50 free this season the day before. LaBarge split 19.83, but he couldn’t hold off a charging Obochi who scorched an anchor of 19.06 to give MIT the win by just one one-hundredth of a second (1:28.40).
Kate Augustyn set the last top time of the meet in the women’s 200 back (1:58.68), clearing the field by over five seconds. Augustyn placed 3rd in the event at NCAAs as a first-year and 2nd as a sophomore. She also won the 200 IM (2:05.17) after swimming 2:04.35 in prelims.
Other Highlights:
- MIT sophomore Sonia Seliger won the women’s 500 free with the second-fastest performance of her career (5:00.17).
- Brian Li (MIT) won the men’s 500 free (4:33.94).
- Eric Lundgren (Tufts) completed his sweep of the men’s backstroke events with a win in the 200 (1:46.55).
- Lauren Levy (MIT) won the women’s 100 fly (56.19).
- Soeren Euvrard (Tufts) set a personal best en route to the win in the men’s 100 fly (48.27).
- Edenna Chen (MIT) won the women’s 200 breast (2:17.75) after setting the top time in the 100 breast earlier in the meet.
- Roderick Huang (MIT) won the 200 breast (2:01.60).
- Jaden Luo (MIT) clocked 1:47.88 in the 200 IM, less than a second off his best time he swam en route to a runner-up finish last March.
- Fiora Beratahini (MIT) won women’s 1-meter diving, scoring 505.40 points.
- Jay Wilkinson (Tufts) won men’s 3-meter diving, scoring 500.70 points.
Team Scores
Women:
- MIT, 1939.5
- Tufts, 1348.5
- RPI, 836
- Wellesley, 635
- Keene State, 272
- Simmons, 169
- Emory (divers only), 85
Men:
- Tufts, 1875
- MIT, 1567.5
- RPI, 877.5
- Keene State, 346
- Emory (divers only), 40