KEVIN CORDES – 100 BREASTSTROKE
On winning so many NCAA titles in his career: It never gets old. It’s what you work for the whole year. the team works for it. I’m really excited to bring another one back to Arizona.
On breaking his American record twice today: I’m pretty excited so far. It’s not over. We still have a lot of work to do but it’s really a good feeling.
On his race: I tried to take it out faster and it really worked with the speed in my turns.
As reported by SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson. Video edited by Coleman Hodges.
Kevin Cordes broke his American record in prelims, but he was clearly still saving something for finals. The Arizona junior went 50.04 to chop another half-second off that mark and place himself right on the edge of the first 49-second breaststroke swim in history.
Most of that drop came in the front half for Cordes, who went out in 23.5 after going 23.9 this morning. He also closed in 26.4, easily the best of the field in both early speed and closing burst.
Georgia’s Nic Fink shot up to the 2nd spot, going 51.48. That’s still a few tenths off his best time coming in, but was enough to grab runner-up honors. Fink was also out in under 24, going 23.99 on his first 50.
Richard Funk had to win a swim-off just to get into this heat, but he put together a great race in his third crack at the event today. The Michigan junior went 51.96 to take third, the last guy under 52. He was 51.7 in the swim-off, but then again swim-offs and time trials can often be faster because of the lack of waves to fight.
California’s Chuck Katis dropped another tenth and got oh-so-close to 51 seconds, taking fourth in 52.02. He had to win a touchout of Missouri’s Sam Tierney to get that spot, as Tierney was 52.07 for fifth place.
Indiana senior Cody Miller wasn’t able to get back under 52 in his last 100 breast of his college career, settling for sixth in 52.09. His Big Ten rival Bruno Ortiz went 52.12 for seventh and Western Kentucky’s German freshman Fabian Schwingenschlogl closed out the heat in 52.25.
Louisville had a great push in the B final, with Tom Dahlia going 52.08 to grab 9th and Kameron Chastain taking 11th in 52.51. Florida’s Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez got in between them at 52.35 for 10th.
With Texas lacking a point-scorer in this event, the team scores have become frighteningly close – the Longhorns lead with 249.5, but Cal is just a single point back at 248.5. In addition, Florida sits at 244 after scoring two men in that race, and Michigan’s two A-finalists brought them to 195, a roughly 50-point margin that is significant, though not insurmountable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op8Ggqlaz6U
I predict he will swim between 59.00 and 59.20 next summer.