2021 NCAA MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- When: Wednesday, March 24 – Saturday, March 27, 2021
- Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center / Greensboro, NC (Eastern Time Zone)
- Prelims 10 AM/ Finals 6 PM (Local Time)
- Short course yards (SCY) format
- Defending champion: Cal (1x) – 2019 results
- Streaming:
- Championship Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
Reported by Nick Pecoraro.
400 IM – FINALS
- NCAA Record: Chase Kalisz (Georgia), 3:33.42 — 2017
- American Record: Chase Kalisz (Georgia), 3:33.42 — 2017
- U.S. Open Record: Chase Kalisz (Georgia), 3:33.42 — 2017
- Meet Record: Chase Kalisz (Georgia), 3:33.42 — 2017
Pool Record: Carson Foster (Texas), 3:37.79 — 2021- 2019 Champion: Abrahm DeVine (Stanford), 3:36.41
- 2020 Top Performer: Hugo Gonzalez (Cal), 3:36.60
Top 3:
- Bobby Finke (Florida)- 3:36.90
- Carson Foster (Texas)- 3:38.25
- Sean Grieshop (Cal)- 3:38.73
Dropping five seconds from this morning to win the B-final was Cal junior Hugo Gonzalez, nailing a solid swim of 3:36.73. That takes down the Greensboro pool record from this morning. Virginia junior Casey Storch touched out Notre Dame sophomore Jack Hoagland by two-tenths for second in the consolation final. At the conclusion of the championship final, Gonzalez’s time would have won the 2021 title.
Into the championship final, freshman Carson Foster flexed his front-half skills with a 1:44.08 fly/back to hold a body-length lead over the field. Foster would continue to hold on to that lead until Florida junior Bobby Finke hit the freestyle. Finke brought his last 50 free home in a mind-boggling 23.83 to quickly pass Foster on the last turn, repeating his 2019 US National title performance when he did the same move on Foster.
Finke touched in with a time of 3:36.90, good enough for the NCAA title yet not the fastest time of the day. Foster settled for second place at 3:38.25, gaining from his morning swim of 3:37.79. Finke’s 400 IM tonight is the 19th-fastest performance in history, as well as sealing his name as the 12th-fastest performer all-time and the 10th-fastest US performer all-time.
200 FREE – FINALS
- NCAA Record: Dean Farris, Harvard (2019) – 1:29.15
- American Record: Dean Farris, Harvard (2019) – 1:29.15
- U.S. Open Record: Dean Farris, Harvard (2019) – 1:29.15
- Meet Record: Dean Farris, Harvard (2019) – 1:29.15
- Pool Record: Kieran Smith, Florida (2021) – 1:29.66
- 2019 Champion: Andrew Seliskar, Cal – 1:30.14
- 2020 Top Performer: Kieran Smith, Florida – 1:30.11
Top 3:
- Kieran Smith (Florida)- 1:30.10
- Drew Kibler (Texas)- 1:30.39
- Trenton Julian (Cal)- 1:31.55
Texas’ Drew Kibler took the early lead at the 100-mark at 43.29, a half-second ahead of Florida’s Kieran Smith (43.79). Into the final turn, Kibler had the slightest advantage over Smith, setting up a dogfight to the wall for the 2021 title. Closing in a 23.16, it was Smith who took over Kibler 1:30.10 to 1:30.39.
After three years and one cancelled championships, junior Smith is finally an NCAA champion. Kibler settled for second at 1:30.39, setting a lifetime best and remaining the 7th-fastest performer in history. Taking third place was Cal senior Trenton Julian, clocking in a 1:31.55.
So does “6k” mean 6,000 a practice or are we talking Florida and does “6k” mean 60,000 a week and these guys call it taper?
CT Swimming represent!!!!
Great interview! Love how candid these guys were with their responses.
This is unbelievable! They’re sitting right next to each other and in violation of COVID protocol! Unacceptable! Disqualify them from the meet!
They’re probably roommates
Oh my god they were roommates
Between practices, meets, travel, and school they probably spend more time together than you do with your own family. If you’re so worried about them wearing a mask, I hope that you’re wearing one while watching this video in case the Rona comes through the screen and gets you!
Bro chill lol
It’s a bubble methodology, same one the NBA and other sports use. And they still get tested everyday.
So that means we need to kick out all the swimmwers on the relays since they stand next to each other at the blocks,or when on the podiums. You also have the relay interviews after the win. These guys have been in a bubble pretty much all year—and the continue testing for COVID. You are not going to have many swimmers left.
I hope this was posted in sarcasm.
If they were truly in a bubble as people have said, then why are they still spacing out relays? If it’s really a bubble and people are isolated and tested theres no need for that
So everyone can be as safe as possible. If everyone knows how to swim at a pool–do you get rid of the lifeguard?
Because the bubbles were largely inside each team or training pod. My son was allowed to get together “unmasked” with roommates who were also training partners. They were told they would get kicked off the team if they had social gatherings outside of their “pod” or “bubble”.
Congrats to all these athletes for what has been a tough year maintaining these protocols. They work so very hard and it’s great that they actually got NCAAs this year.
I can’t wait to see what next year brings!