2016 MEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 23 – Saturday, March 26
- McAuley Aquatic Center – Atlanta, GA
- Prelims 10AM/Finals 6PM (Eastern Time)
- Defending Champion: Texas (results)
- Championship Central
- Live stream: Wednesday/Thursday prelins & finals, Friday/Saturday prelims / Friday/Saturday finals on ESPN3
- Live results
The 2016 men’s NCAA Championships open up tonight in Atlanta, Georgia with the 800 free relay. For the first time in NCAA history, that event will open the meet on Wednesday night, allowing fresher swimmers and upping the unpredictability factor in the NCAA’s longest relay event.
USC picked up the win last year and returns last year’s hero anchor Reed Malone and Michael Domagala.
They’ll be hard-pressed to repeat in 2016, though, with some major challengers slated in ahead of them on the psych sheets.
NC State is looking for the NCAA relay title that has eluded them for two years straight, and comes in with the nation’s fastest time and a gauntlet of great freestylers. Texas should be in the mix along with SEC champs Florida and Big Ten champs Michigan.
Stay tuned to this page for a live recap of the action as it happens, and follow us at @SwimSwamLive on Twitter for even more breaking updates.
800 FREEÂ RELAY
- NCAA record: 6:09.85 – Michigan (A Nielsen, M Wynalda, J Glanda, C Jaeger, ) – 02/26/14
American record: 6:10.16 – Texas (D Walters, R Berens, S Jostes, M Klueh) – 03/27/09- U. S. Open record: 6:09.85 – Michigan (A Nielsen, M Wynalda, J Glanda, C Jaeger, ) – 02/26/14
- 2015 Champion: 6:11.64 – USC (C Quintero, D Carter, M Domagala, R Malone)
- Texas: 6:08.03
- NC State: 6:09.58
- Florida: 6:09.84
- California: 6:11.30
- Georgia: 6:12.54
- Michigan: 6:13.94
- Louisville: 6:15.86
- Auburn: 6:16.11
The University of Texas smashed the NCAA Championship, NCAA, American, and U.S. Open records with a blazing 6:08.03. Junior Jack Conger‘s leadoff leg, a 1:31.89 that would have won the individual championship last year, put him into the top 10 all-time for the individual 200 free.
However, it was freshman wonder Townley Haas who put up the fastest split in history, a flying start 1:30.52 in the second leg of the Longhorn race. His swim took down the previous fastest ever, a 1:30.60 from Michigan’s Michael Wynalda at 2014 Big Tens.
Junior Clark Smith and sophomore Joseph Schooling rounded out the Texas relay with 1:33.28 and 1:32.34, respectively.
Both NC State and Florida also came in under the U.S. Open Record, but, despite late surges from both teams, they weren’t fast enough to catch the Longhorns. Senior Simonas Bilis clocked the second-fastest relay split of the field, outswimming all but three flying- start swimmers in the pool with 1:32.02. His lead-off would have won last year’s NCAA 200 free championship by .01, and is a new ACC Record. Sophomore Ryan Held and freshman Justin Ress went very respectable times as the middle two legs: 1:32.06 and 1:33.64, but it was junior Soeren Dahl who won the team second place with a very quick anchor 1:31.86.
Notably: nobody broke the American Record in this race, as each of the top three teams had at least one international swimmer on their relays.
Florida sophomore Jan Switkowski‘s second-leg swim was the fastest of his relay, a 1:31.33. Senior Pawel Werner led off the Gators in 1:33.11, junior Mitch D’Arrigo went third in 1:32.69, and sophomore Mark Szaranek anchored a 1:32.71.
Cal’s Long Gutierrez (1:32.74), Trent Williams (1:32.77), Andrew Seliskar (1:32.42), and Jacob Pebley (1:33.37)  swam a consistent race to take the fourth slot in 6:11.30. Their time would have won last year’s championship.
The Georgia team made a huge move out of the second heat for fifth with 6:12.54. Matias Koski clocked the third-fastest lead off of the field with 1:32.31. That time also would have taken the individual silver at last year’s championships. Pace Clark and Jay Litherland swam the middle legs, and Gunnar Bentz anchored a quick 1:32.36.
Michigan took sixth in 6:13.94, with lead-off senior Anders Nielsen clocking a quick 1:32.50. Louisville nabbed seventh in 6:15.86, and Auburn took the eighth slot in 6:16.11.
Notably, last year’s champions, USC, finished ninth, with junior anchor Reed Malone swimming the fifth-fastest split of the field, a 1:31.94.
Men – Team Rankings – Through Event 1
1. Texas: 40
2. NC State: 34
3. Florida: 32
4. California: 30
5. Georgia: 28
6. Michigan: 26
7. Louisville: 24
8. Auburn: 22
9. Southern Cali: 18
10. Indiana: 14
11. Missouri: 12
12. Wisconsin: 10
13. Stanford: 8
14. Tennessee: 6
15. South Carolina: 4
16. Alabama: 2
None of the top three teams qualify for the American record, but I think Florida set a European record.
Poland, Poland, Italy, Scotland… sure enough!
I don’t think there are European records for yards swims.
Unofficial, of course, DMSwim. 🙂
I just came to say that Mizzou’s best breaststroker showing up as “Schwingenschlogbian” on the Hy Tek results is funny.
Very fast relay. 3 teams under the NCAA and US Open record!
Texas once again knows how to peak at the right time. Nobody forces a team to taper 3 weeks or 1 month earlier. Swim fast when it counts the most.
Haas at the level we expected. Except swimswam. 😉 Relay swims and individual swims are well different and he’ll have a very tough 500 free on day 2 but we can at least hope a sub 1.32 from him in individual this week. Anyway he shows he’s on track for a US relay spot in Rio.
Great lead-off leg by Jack Conger. As a longtime believer in his freestyle abilities, I’m very pleased to see him… Read more »
I’m sure if you put any of these other teams in a 3-team conference that they can sleepwalk through and win easily, they would also be at their absolute best come NCAAs. That’s not meant to take anything away from Eddie Reese, he’s one of (if not THE) greatest of all time. But a lot of these other schools actually have to try (i.e. taper a bit) in order to compete at their conference champs.
I think it’s less about the conference titles and more about having almost a full NCAA roster early in the season. In other words, Texas has a lot of guys who can make the A cut without tapering in conference season. If there are other teams out there who are sacrificing national titles to win conference titles, they’re foolish.
Whats up with texas swimmers and mizunk suits? Where the heck do they get them?
I think a couple of guys, including Conger, fell in love with the suits on a trip to Asia and decided to stick with them.
I knew my team Texas would win! Monster splits from all the guys, I’m especially glad that I picked Haas in the 200 Free. 🙂
Where’s that guy who asked me if I was sure that NC State would lose to Texas?
Texas, NC State and Florida… but especially Townley Haas… SMASH!!!
Townley Haas is the real deal, at least when it comes to yards, for the moment. He is also a pretty strong long course swimmer. If he improves in LC as much as he did in SC this year, the 200 and 400 at trials could be quite a show.
I think the 500 with Haas and Clark Smith will be quite a show.
Haas is a beast in LCM. Made major drops while dominating Jrs. Extremely tough competitor regardless of the format.
I filmed the race on my screen since I know it will be impossible to find footage later
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c-uJB7bkxI
Wow, Haas breathes to both sides. Rowdy will be pleased.
you can also watch it on the live stream website that is linked in the article. they record the whole sessions and you can review them.