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Watch: NC State Goes 6:05.31 in 800 Free Relay

Braden Keith
by Braden Keith 18

March 21st, 2018 News

2018 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJrA6rqF4Ug

Courtesy of Anthony Preda

Originally reported by Jared Anderson

800 FREESTYLE RELAY

  • NCAA record: NC State (Held, Vazaios, Ress, Dahl), 2017, 6:06.53
  • American record: Texas (Conger, Newkirk, Smith, Haas), 2017, 6:08.61
  • U.S. Open record: NC State (Held, Vazaios, Ress, Dahl), 2017, 6:06.53
  • 2017 NCAA Champion: NC State (Held, Vazaios, Ress, Dahl), 6:06.53

Indiana’s Blake Pieroni led off against reigning American record-holder Townley Haasfinishing with the two fastest 200 frees in history along with the first-ever swim under 1:30 – relay start or flat start. Pieroni went 1:29.63 to crush the field, blowing almost a full second off of Haas’s old American record. Haas was 1:30.41 to just sneak under his old national record of 1:30.46 set last year.

But while those two staked their teams to big leads, it was NC State that had the guns left at the end, overtaking IU for the win in the final leg.

That was courtesy of a blazing 1:30.77 from Justin Ress on the anchor leg. Andeas Vazaios led off in 1:31.32, Ryan Held was 1:31.09 and Jacob Molacek 1:32.13 as NC State defended its event title from last year and broke their own NCAA and U.S. Open records with a 6:05.31.

Indiana was also under the old NCAA and U.S. Open records, going 6:06.01, getting a 1:31.9 from Mohamed Samy and a pair of 1:32.2s from Vini Lanza and Ian Finnerty.

Texas, meanwhile, broke the American record – the top two teams each had international swimmers – in 6:07.59. That came courtesy of Haas, Jeff Newkirk (1:32.58), Jonathan Roberts (1:32.36) and Austin Katz (1:32.24).

Florida elected not to use Caeleb Dressel, settling for fourth in 6:09.52 with a 1:31.98 leadoff from Jan Switkowski. Khader Baqlah was also 1:31.64 on his leg.

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GLEE
6 years ago

imagine the time if the pool was only 20 Yards long …..

running start to touch backstroke flags
6 years ago

Thanks for the video! After day 1, it is clear this meet is bigger than the Olympics for real swimming fans. Americans and the many foreign nationals who swim in America are raised on SCY. We relate to it. It’s what we do. Then we beat the world with SCY roots, in LCM (medal count). Not to mention all the other international medalists who swim SCY at American unis. Stoked for the rest of this meet!

Bon Jovi

false.

Kev

I see it more as a really awesome distraction in the middle of the Olympic cycle.

PVK
6 years ago

Seliskar on fire too. Expecting big things from him.

Bon Jovi
Reply to  PVK
6 years ago

love that kid

Cmon
6 years ago

No full race video?

running start to touch backstroke flags
Reply to  Cmon
6 years ago
Swimmer!
6 years ago

The leadoff leg is a pretty interesting race. Pieroni went the new record (obviously), but Haas went basically went the old record time, and Seliskar essentially went the Simon Burnett time that stood for so long.

Steve Nolan
6 years ago

Is that Sam Kendricks that reflexively stands up and fist pumps after Pieroni’s swim? (He seems to be holding a mic, down at the bottom right hand side of the screen.)

Pretty fantastic.

DCSWIM
Reply to  Steve Nolan
6 years ago

I’d pay Sam Kendricks to say my name over a PA system

Pvdh
6 years ago

More like – “watch Blake Pieroni go 1:29.6….and then some other dudes swim”

Bon Jovi
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

fax but i heard schooling went 1:28 in practice

Swammer
6 years ago

I feel like Pieroni’s leadoff is the real attraction here haha

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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