Thomas Askew Sets National Record on Day 1 of the Collegiate Club Swimming Championships

2024 COLLEGE CLUB SWIMMING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• April 5-7, 2024
• IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Meet Central (including LiveStream link)
• Qualifying Times
• Meet Program/Heat Sheets
• 2023 Results
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

A pair of Collegiate Club Swimming records fell, several swimmers repeated as champions, and one upset went on the board in a busy timed-finals session on Friday evening at the CCS National Championships.

Georgia’s Thomas Askew won the men’s 200 fly in 1:48.26, successfully defending his title from last year’s meet. That swim was almost two seconds better than his winning time from last season and a second better than his lifetime best that was set at a regional meet last year.

The other Meet Record came in the 400 medley relay, where Purdue’s quartet of Zack Crowe (50.43), Fenry Zhou (55.56), Kellen Reese (47.34), and Bebe Wang (45.07) combined for a 3:18.40. That broke the old Meet Record of 3:19.23 that was set by Liberty last year.

The biggest upset of the day came in the 400 IM, where Michigan’s Katherine Blake out-touched Michigan State’s Sydney Kelly in the 400 IM 4:35.17 to 4:35.31.

Kelly, the two-time defending champion, was a member of Michigan State’s varsity team before the program was cut. Blake, meanwhile, comes from the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club and was an NCSA Junior National qualifier in high school.

Kelly would bounce back later in the session to cruise to a win in the 200 fly in 2:07.45, almost three seconds ahead of the field.

Other Day 1 Winners:

• The defending champion Virginia women opened their meet with a dominant 7:53.71 in thee 800 free relay. That relay included Ciara Graves, Marlee Reinhard, Elizabeth Miller, and Anna Sheng, with Sheng anchoring in 1:52.76. The Cavalier women bookended their session with a win in the 400 medley relay in 3:58.08 – albeit in a much-tighter battle. This time, Ohio State was just behind in 3:58.41. Virginia’s relay included Elizabeth Miller, Ciara Graves, Gabriela Belsol, and Anna Sheng.
• The Georgia Tech men won the 800 free relay won in 6:44.68 with a relay that included Ryan Altera, Louis Cardot, Grant Goding, and Vojtech Kupka. Altera, a former finalist at the USA Swimming Futures Championships and Georgia High School State Championships, led off in 1:39.89.
• Grand Canyon’s Tim Koza successfully defended his title in the 400 IM, touching in 3:59.70 – just .2 seconds shy of his CCS Record from last season. Altera was 2nd in 3:59.89.
• Rachel Soubier, swimming in her first College Club Championship after a season with the Panthers varsity, won the 200 back in 2:04.00. That was more than five seconds clear of the field.
• Liberty’s Drew Baxter won a nailbiter in the men’s 200 back, touching in 1:48.18. He held-off a big final 50 split of 28.14 from Penn State’s Ryan Strotheide, who touched a tenth behind in 1:48.28.
• Grand Canyon’s Isabella Parish, who entered the meet as a big favorite in both breaststroke events, won the 200 in 2:21.07 on Saturday. That’s a new lifetime best, shaving .16 seconds off her time from the Arizona Swimming LSC Senior Championships in March.
• Another nailbiter race came in the men’s 200 breaststroke between Cal teammates John Sita and Joaquin Jamieson. Sita, primarily a distance freestyler for most of his career, dropped five seconds off his best time to win in 2:01.73; Jamieson was just behind in 2:01.85.

Team Scoring After Day 1

Men’s Top 5:

1. Georgia Tech – 237
2. Cal – 236
3. Purdue – 223
4. Liberty – 220
5. Grand Canyon – 160

Women’s Top 5:

1. Virginia – 218
2. Michigan State – 166
3. Michigan – 157
4. Cal – 132
5. Northeastern – 130