In this week’s edition of the Week That Was In College Swimming, we’re covering one of the last big weeks for dual meets. The regular season is winding down and conference championships (and NCAAs) are looming for teams in all three divisions. You wouldn’t know that from looking at the times though. After last week’s fireworks it seemed like there was nowhere to go but down–that’s the opposite of what happened though. From the Texas vs NC State showdown to school records being broken, this last full week of January truly had it all.
It’s Time To Talk About the Texas Women
Emma Sticklen (photo: Jack Spitser)
Last week it was the ASU men, this week it was the Texas women. We have been treated to some truly excellent dual meets in January of all months. At their dual meet affair against NC State, the Longhorn women lit up the pool. We covered a lot of the big headlines from the two-day affair, including Lydia Jacoby‘s 17-18 100 breaststroke NAG, Erica Sullivan‘s NCAA-leading times in the 500 and 1000 freestyle, Emma Sticklen arriving as a three-event threat, and Kelly Pash‘s sensational meet. Not only did they have blazing individual swims, but their relays–which were a weak spot compared other top 5 teams last season–looked strong.
It’s not news that the Texas women are fast–they’ve never been lower than third in our Power Rankings this season–but this meet was an example of how much damage they can do when practically the whole roster is firing on all cylinders at the same time. NC State is a strong team; we ranked them #5 in our New Year’s Power Rankings and they likely move up to #4 in the next given the departures from Alabama. But Texas beat them easily both days, winning 124-62 on Friday and 93-53 on Saturday.
So, what does this meet mean in the context of the postseason? Does this mean that they’re ready to take a run against Virginia for the national title? That’s probably a long shot. But all year, we’ve been debating about whether it will be Texas or Stanford holding the national runner up trophy. What side of that debate you fell on depended on whether you valued Texas’ or Stanford’s gains more. But if returners like Pash, Sticklen, and Sullivan continue this trend, they could be the difference makers in March.
Kenyon Women Primed For National Title Defense
Alexandra White, Photo Courtesy of Brandon Herndon
In Division III, it was the defending NCAA champions lighting up the pool. Sophomore Jennah Fadely led the way for the Owls–breaking the program’s 100 breast record in 1:00.36. The time eclipses her old record of 1:00.75, which earned her third at last year’s NCAAs. 1:00.36 is the fastest time in the division this season by .73 seconds, getting under defending champion Edenna Chen‘s mark from midseason.
Fadely wasn’t done though; she clocked another personal best, this time a 2:14.34 in the 200 breaststroke. That’s good for second in D3 this season, behind her own teammate Gabby Wei. Fadely swam her previous best of 2:14.57 at 2022 NCAAs which earned her another third place.
Senior Alexandra White put up another division-leading time for the Kenyon women, this time in the 50 freestyle. White logged a personal best of 22.83, clipping five-hundredths off her best from Kenyon’s midseason invite.
They put it all together in the 200 medley relay, where Fadely and White teamed with Olivia Smith and Celia Ford to blaze 1:39.92. Their swim brought the pool record under 1:40 for the first time, as they took down the mark of 1:41.99 set in the 2016-17 season. Smith led things off in 25.37, then turned things over to Fadely (27.86 breast), Ford (24.50 fly), and White (22.19 free). Not only was their time a new pool record, but it’s the second fastest in the division this year and would have put them third at 2022 NCAAs (where they won in 1:39.59). Smith and Fadely were both faster than their NCAA splits, which helps make up the loss of Crile Hart‘s 23.57 fly split.
Mid-Major Highlights
Photo courtesy Sam O’Brien
The NC State swimmers who didn’t travel to Texas played host to UNCW this weekend. The Seahawks lost both the men’s and women’s meets, but they still had plenty to cheer about as two school records went down. First, sophomore Sam O’Brien clocked 9:08.27 in the 1000 freestyle, breaking a 14-year-old school record. It was a best by over thirteen seconds for the Virginia native, who registered his old mark of 9:21.60 during his 1650 free at last year’s CAA championships. That bodes well for O’Brien, who won the mile last year in 15:27.16.
In the next event, it was Jacob Duracinsky‘s turn. He ripped 1:36.55 in the 200 freestyle, eclipsing the record of 1:36.84 he set earlier this season. The sophomore has had a steady improvement trajectory in the event, which has continued this year. At the 2022 CAA Championships, he clocked 1:37.40, which means that he’s already knocked almost a second off his best this season, with conferences still to come.
Also in the mid-major world, the Rice women knocked off their cross-town rival Houston with a narrow 24-point win. That’s a significant result because Rice has joined the AAC, a conference title that Houston won last year by only .5 points. Rice’s addition to the conference is sure to shake things up at conferences, and them beating the Cougars now might be a hint that Houston’s streak of titles will be snapped at six.
Keep An Eye On…
- Duke Freshmen: At their dual with their rival UNC Tarheels, the freshman duo of Kaelyn Gridley and Martina Peroni set school records in back-to-back events, the 100 breast and 200 fly. In the 100 breast, Gridley took down Sarah Foley‘s record of 59.62 with a speedy 59.12 and Peroni dropped nearly two second in the 200 fly, clocking 1:53.76. Both those times would have earned a second swim at 2022 NCAAs, a great sign for Duke which has recently relied on Foley for their NCAA points.
- Ohio State Women: The Ohio State relays were on fire at the Tim Welsh Classic this weekend. The Buckeyes posted 1:26.84 in the 200 free relay and 3:10.91 in the 400 free relay, both of which are good for second-fastest time this season. The latter is also faster than they went at NCAAs last year. With Alabama losing some big sprinting power and relays like these, Ohio State has a real shot at jumping over the Tide in the standings.