COLLEGE SWIMMING ROUNDUP

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🏊‍♀️ SWIMS OF THE WEEK 🏊🏽‍♂️

World Champs, NCAA Edition - Current NCAA swimmers made a heck of a splash at the SCM World Champs this week. The obvious headliner was two-time World Record setter Maggie Mac Neil (LSU), who took her second consecutive 50 back and 100 fly titles, nipping her WR in the 50 back in 25.25 and demolishing the 100 fly record by half a second with a 54.05. Watch how controlled she swims the front half of this race, relying on her economical underwaters to accelerate through the back half. No wasted energy there.

Kate Douglass (UVA) also won two individual titles, swimming the second fastest 200 IM in history with a 2:02.12 and taking the 200 breast in 2:15.77, but her impact may have been felt even more in the relays - she anchored the WR 400 medley relay in 50.47, swam one of the fastest fly splits of all time (24.09) in the WR mixed 200 medley relay, anchored the American Record 200 free relay in 22.77, and swam legs in the AR 400 free relay and the silver medal 200 free relay. Stanford teammates Claire Curzan and Torri Huske were just as busy, with their schedules highlighted by WR and AR relays. Curzan also broke the AR in the 50 back just behind Mac Neil, while Huske tied Mac Neil for the 50 fly title and finished in second in the 100 fly.

The headliner from current NCAA swimmers on the men's side was Tennessee sophomore Jordan Crooks. The Cayman Islands native had a huge international breakout, winning the 50 free with a 20.46 (with a high mark of 20.31 in the semis). The man has some of the strongest legs in swimming, and uses them to get out in front all the way past the wake of the race.

He also took 7th in the 100 after leading the first two rounds, his semis 45.55 marking him the 11th fastest in history in the event. Texas's Carson Foster didn't win an individual title, but went best times in the 200 (1:50.96) and 400 (3:57.63) IMs to take silver in both, and topped it all off with one of the fastest 800 free relay splits in history (1:40.48) to lead the American relay to a new world record by almost three seconds.

Queens University's Matej Dusa broke Slovakian records in the 50 (21.29) and 100 (47.75) free, cracking the semifinals in the former, while D2 50 free leader Lammy Taylor broke Bahamian national records in the 50 (21.45) and 100 (47.76) free and 50 back (23.58).

Spartan Invitational - Wrapping up the midseason invites here with the University of Tampa-hosted Spartan Invite. The top performer at this meet was Tampa's Hayden Curley. The Louisville transfer popped some big times in the longer distances, with 1:36.84/4:20.77/8:56.58 frees and 3:49.25 400 IM. That 1000, which is competed at the national meet in D2, is the first sub-9:00 of the season for the division and is actually the 6th fastest time in any division thus far this year. The 200 was a leadoff in Tampa's 800 free relay - their 6:31.51 time (off 1:36.84/1:38.44/1:38.44/1:37.79 splits) sits as the #2 relay in D2 thus far. They may have more where that came from, too - anchor Santi Aguilera (also a Louisville transfer) was a 1:36.48 in the individual final, while second leg Caleb Brandon went 1:36.18 and third leg Barnabas Fluck went 1:37.90 respectively in prelims. NJCAA power Indian River State College had some outstanding swims as well - William Beckstead-Holman missed the NJCAA record in the 200 IM by an agonizing .01 with a 1:46.74, while Gina Miller came close to her division records in the distance free events with 4:53.76/9:56.79. There were a number of top-10 D2 performances on the women's side as well, led by Tampa's Mady Barnes posting a 4th-ranked 2:02.47 200 IM and St. Leo's Isabelle Sering with a 54.10 100 fly for 5th in D2. The meet finishes up Monday night.

DSU Christmas Invite, Part Two - The Delta State Christmas Invite wrapped up Monday and Tuesday last week. Incarnate Word's men's relays remained on fire, breaking an 8 year old 400 medley relay school record by almost a second with a 3:11.53 off 47.74/53.17/47.07/43.55 splits and a 400 free relay record from the same year by over a second in 2:55.28 (43.72/43.50/43.98/44.08). This team's exceptionally deep for a mid-major, showcased by putting 3 guys sub-48 in the 100 fly and another 3 sub-49. Henderson State's Kiara Pozvai continued to put up top times for the Red Wave women, adding to her 3rd-ranked 50 free from earlier in the meet with a top ranked 100 (49.03) and an 8th-ranked 200 (1:49.93).

🏊🏼 RELAY(S) OF THE WEEK 🏊‍♀️

Henderson State Men's 400 Free Relay - 2:58.26

This relay is already the 6th ranked in D2 and closing in on a school record, but is as notable for the potential for even bigger things. While this relay was swimming, aforementioned teammate Taylor, already the holder of a SCY 43.47 best time, was in Australia going an SCM best time by a second and a half and breaking the Bahamian record in the event. Further, leadoff man Jack Armstrong has been as fast as a 42.77 at his last college stop at Grand Canyon. This team has some dangerous sprint relays come March.

🏊🏽‍♂️ WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏊🏼

Nothing! Most teams taking a well-deserved rest and recharge before jumping into Christmas training and the second semester road to championships season!

Starting next week on the Roundup we'll dive into some first semester recaps and look forward to second semester storylines.

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