Vater Drops Nearly 4 Seconds in 100 Back on Day 1 of Yellow Jacket Invite

YELLOW JACKET INVITE

• February 14-15, 2020
• Hosted by Georgia Tech
• Short Course Yards
• Live Results

Georgia Tech gathered for their Yellow Jacket Invite as their final meet ahead of the ACC Championships. In the 100 free, Darren Lim cleared 44 seconds, winning in 43.99. Behind him, teammates Tyler Branscombe (44.53) and Jonathan Vater (44.98) broke 45 for the first time. Vater also swam a 100 back time trial in prelims, blowing away his best by nearly 4 seconds in 51.53. That’s his first best time in the event since 2016.

Freshman Josh Cohen set a lifetime best in the 500 free on day 1 of the Yellow Jacket Invite. Cohen clipped his former best by a few tenths, clocking a 4:23.43 in finals. Fellow freshman Jackson Harvin set a collegiate best in the 200 IM prelims with his 1:50.57. Leon Warnakulasuriya was within half a second of his best with a 1:47.09 in 200 back prelims.

On the women’s side, Amanda Hoejberg won the 100 free in 52.67. That’s a little over a second shy of a lifetime best, which she set at the 2019 Pac-12 meet. She was slightly faster in prelims with a 52.56. Hoejberg is in her first season with the Yellow Jackets after transferring from Oregon State. Tamir Gonen swam her fastest time of the season in the 200 fly, clocking in at 2:06.81.

Freshman Abby Cohen was just 3 tenths shy of a best in her 200 free time trial with a 1:51.73. She also put up a 4:29.12 in a prelims 400 IM time trial.

PRESS RELEASE – GEORGIA TECH

The Flats – Georgia Tech swimming and diving set multiple personal records during the first day of the Yellow Jacket Invite on Friday afternoon at McAuley Aquatic Center. The Yellow Jacket Invite is Tech’s last meet before heading to ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C., next week.

Men’s Highlights

Tech started the day off with freshman Jackson Harvin earning a new PR in the 200 IM during the preliminary round, as he finished first with a time of 1:50.57. Fellow freshman Josh Cohen’s time of 4:23.43 in the men’s 500 free also earned him a first-place finish.

Junior Leon Warnakulasuriya took the individual crown in the 200 back finals, posting a time of 1:47.41, putting him just ahead of second-place Tech finisher AJ Carroll (1:48.72).

Sophomore Darren Lim was the top finisher in the 100 free clocking in at 43.99, only milliseconds short of his current PR (43.39). Sophomore Tyler Branscombe (44.53) and junior Jonathan Vater (44.98) would each earn new personal bests in that event as well as they came in second and third, respectively.

Women’s Highlights

The women were led in the 100 free by Amanda Hoejberg’s first-place performance of 52.67.  Freshman Imane El Barodi clinched silver with a time of 52.85, followed by Macleary Moran, (53.32) in third.

And Tamir Gonen posted her best 200 fly time of the season, with a time of 2:06.81.

Georgia Tech will return for day two of the Yellow Jacket Invite tomorrow morning for another preliminary round at 10 a.m., followed by finals at 4:30 p.m.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.   

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