2020 MIZZOU INVITE

• Thursday, November 19-Saturday, November 21
• Teams: Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas (W)
• University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
• Format: Short Course Yards (SCY)
• Prelims/Finals
• Prelims @9AM Central, Finals @6PM Central
• 2021 NCAA Qualifying Times
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 Mizzou Invitational”
• Live Results

After cleaving over a second from his lifetime best in the 100 breaststroke in morning prelims, Missouri sophomore Ben Patton shaved another half-second from his 100 breast in the finals in Columbia to hit the wall in 51.80. Patton won the race by over a second; 2nd place went to Missouri’s Freddie Rindshoej in 53.05, which is an improvement of 1.4 seconds from his best time. Rindshoej, knowing he would make the ‘A’ final regardless (barring a DQ), coasted a 1:04.32 in the prelims, thereby taking over 10 seconds off his morning swim. Both times are NCAA ‘B’ cuts, and Patton’s was only 0.13 shy of the ‘A’ cut.

Patton also split a 23.41 on Mizzou’s 200 medley relay which just skated under the NCAA provisional time to finish in 1:24.47. Danny Kovac nearly broke 20 on his fly split, churning out a 20.13, and Kyle Leach nearly went under 19 on the freestyle, cranking a 19.16.

The Arkansas women won 200 medley relay, though they fell about half a second shy of the NCAA provisional time, finishing in 1:37.58. Kobie Melton anchored the Arkansas ‘A’ team in 21.58, though Mizzou’s Megan Keil was slightly faster on the Mizzou ‘C’ team, registering a 21.51 for a total time of 1:38.14. Kentucky’s Riley Gaines also cracked 22 on her relay split with a 21.79 to get the Kentucky ‘A’ team a total time of 1:38.23.

Kentucky’s Izzy Gati was well off her morning swim this evening in the 100 fly, but she still managed to get her hands on the wall first in 53.16, just ahead of teammate Caitlin Brooks who finished in 53.23. This swim is just 0.11 off of Brooks’s lifetime best from the 2020 SEC Champs in February. Arkansas’s Melton managed 3rd in 53.27 and Missouri’s Keil 4th in 53.74 which makes her improvement for the day nearly a second from her previous lifetime best set in February. All four women were underneath the NCAA ‘B’ cut time.

The men’s 100 fly witnessed four ‘B’ cuts of its own, though the race belonged solely to Missouri’s Danny Kovac who shaved another tenth from his new lifetime best, set this morning. Kovac won the race tonight by over a second, registering a 45.07, coming within 3 tenths of the Mizzou program record of 44.89 held by Andrew Sansoucie, and missing the NCAA ‘A’ cut by just 0.02. Micah Slaton, swimming unattached for Mizzou, was second in 46.16 and Missouri freshman Daniel Wilson was 3rd in 46.48, a new lifetime best by two tenths.

Kentucky’s Gillian Davey nearly hit her best time in the 400 IM but still managed the win in 4:09.68, just holding off Arkansas’s Peyton Palsha who finished in 4:10.05, coming within three-tenths of her lifetime best. Missouri’s Jack Dubois won the men’s 400 IM by over 3 seconds and was the only man to break 3:50 tonight with a 3:46.96, missing his lifetime best by less than a half-second. Kentucky’s Zane Rosely placed 3rd in 3:50.88, taking nearly 4 seconds off his lifetime best set in prelims and accounting for a total of nearly 8 seconds removed from his pre-meet best time in the race.

Kentucky’s Riley Gaines set a new meet record in the women’s 200 free and won by over 3 seconds, posting a 1:43.68. This is a new lifetime best for Gaines by over a second and well under the NCAA ‘B’ standard. Teammate Kaitlynn Wheeler also nabbed a ‘B’ cut to place 2nd in 1:46.69, falling just 0.29 shy of her lifetime best.

Missouri’s Katrina Brathwaite dominated the women’s 100 breaststroke, winning by a full second in 59.51. This marks Brathwaite’s first time under a minute in the race and is an NCAA ‘B’ cut. Gillian Davey from Kentucky managed 2nd in 1:00.51, just 0.03 from her best time.

Five women earned NCAA ‘B’ cuts in the 100 backstroke. Led by Kentucky’s Brooks in a 51.56, a new best time by 0.06, Mizzou’s Sarah Thompson also slipped under 52 with a 51.90 to nab second. The men’s 100 back, meanwhile, was much less exciting as it only featured three participants, two of whom, Nick Alexander (Mizzou Unattached) and Matthew Connealy (Mizzou), were under the NCAA ‘B’ standard, finishing 47.30 and 47.47, respectively.

In the women’s 800 freestyle relay, Gaines once again swam under her pre-meet lifetime best, registering a 1:44.46 on Kentucky’s lead-off leg. Gaines’s lead proved insurmountable and Kentucky’s depth on the next three legs only further distanced the Wildcat ‘A’ team from the rest of the field. The Kentucky ‘A’ team ultimately got the victory in 7:05.78, skating 0.10 underneath the NCAA provisional time. Kentucky’s ‘B’ team finished 2nd in 7:15.59, and Arkansas’s ‘A’ team 3rd in 7:17.62.

The Kentucky men also managed to win their race, registering a 6:32.28, though it was a much tighter race with the men from Missouri who finished 2nd in 6:33.44. Though Missouri was ahead by over 3 seconds at the 600-yard mark, Kentucky’s Jakob Clark reeled in Mizzou’s Joseph Gutierrez, out-splitting him by nearly 5 seconds, clocking a 1:36.62 to Gutierrez’s 1:41.42.