2023 Louisville Last Chance Meet
- February 24, 2023
- Ralph Wainwright Natatorium, Louisville, Kentucky
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals + Time Trials
- What Will It Take to Qualify?
- Live Results
Louisville kicked off their 2023 Last Chance Meet on Friday with a quiet prelims session, where two of their conference rivals improved their chances at NCAA invites.
Notre Dame freshman Tommy Janton swam 1:40.30 to lead the heats in the men’s 200 backstroke. Not only did that break a Pool Record, but it also locked up his invite to the NCAA Championships in his rookie campaign.
Janton’s previous best time was a 1:41.08 done at the pre-ACCs Tim Welsh Classic, where many Notre Dame swimmers were faster than they were at conference. He entered the day ranked 23rd in the 200 back in the NCAA; with 26-30 men usually earning invites per event, that was a precarious position with Big 12s, Big Tens, and Pac-12s yet to swim.
But he now ranks 15th nationally. While not an iron-clad lock for an NCAA invite, it would take something historic this week or next for him to get bumped out of qualifying position.
Notre Dame had a good session overall on Friday. Besides Janton, Megan Deuel, a junior at Notre Dame, swam 1:56.23 in the 200 fly prelims.
That took 1.7 seconds off her previous season-best of 1:57.93 from the pre-ACCs Tim Welsh Classic and improved her national ranking in the event. She now ranks 45th in the event nationally, with somewhere between 38 and 42 swimmers usually getting invites per event.
With the Pac-12 women still to swim this 200 fly on Saturday, she probably needs to drop another quarter-second in finals on Friday to have a chance at an invite, and another three-or-four tenths (around a 1:55.8) to feel good about her invite.
The NCAA will send out its pre-selection entry sheets for NCAAs next Tuesday, with final invites expected on Wednesday.
Deuel’s season-best time last year also came at a last chance meet (at Ohio State). Her 1:56.17 there was just-short of the 1:56.14 that ultimately earned an invite, making her one of the first-swimmers-out of the meet.
Racing will continue on Friday in Louisville with the finals session at 5:00 Eastern with a time trial session to follow. There was no morning time trial session.
what will he go in the 100 back tomorrow?