2019 Art Adamson Invitational: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2019 ART ADAMSON INVITE

• Thursday, November 21 – Saturday, November 23, 2019
• Texas A&M Natatorium, College Station, Texas
• Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (U.S. Central Time)
• Prelims Long Course Meters (LCM) format
• Finals Short Course Yards (SCY) format
• Live results

Texas A&M sophomore Shaine Casas has emerged as the star of the 2019 Art Adamson Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University. After swimming the fastest-ever 200 yard IM by a teenager during Thursday’s finals session, in Friday morning’s prelims session, he swam 52.34 in the 100 fly and a 53.14 in the 100 back in long course meters.

Other headliners for Friday’s finals are defending 100 and 200 fly NCAA Champion Louise Hansson of USC, who swam a 58.14 in the 100 fly on Friday morning in meters; and USC sophomore Alexei Sancov, who swam 1:48.56 in the 200 meter free on Friday morning.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• 2020 NCAA Invite Time – 1:36.40
• 2020 NCAA Provisional Time – 1:37.05

1. USC – 1:36.57
2. Stanford – 1:37.43
3. Texas A&M – 1:37.95
4. Stanford ‘B’ – 1:39.87

After an initial DQ, the USC Trojans’ first-place women’s 200 medley was reinstated, giving them an event victory.

The Trojans’ relay included a 22.18 difference-making  fly split from Louise Hansson. Laticia Transom (24.80), Isa Odgers (27.89), Hansson, and Jemma Schilcht (21.70). Hansson’s split would’ve been .02 seconds behind Duke’s Alyssa Marsh as the fastest fly split at last year’s NCAA Championship meet.

The top Stanford relay of Alex Crisera (25.20), Allie Raab (27.25), Amalie Fackenthal (23.27), and Anya Goeders (21.71) combined for a 1:37.43. Stanford actually wound up splitting their relays a little (intentionally or otherwise) because they used Lucie Nordmann, their NCAA leadoff leg last year, split 25.09 on the backstroke leg for the ‘B’ relay.

The A&M women got out to a lead thanks to a 24.57 leadoff split from Raena Eldridge, but lacked the anchor leg to hold onto that league at the end of the race. Golf Sapianchai finished the relay in 22.57, as the Aggies again struggle with sprint depth this season.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• 2020 NCAA Invite Time – 1:24.30
• 2020 NCAA Provisional Time – 1:24.97

1. Texas A&M – 1:24.44
2. Hawaii – 1:25.83
3. Texas A&M ‘B’ – 1:26.20

The Aggie men continued their hot run at this meet with a 1-3 finish. That was in part due to a Stanford DQ’ed ‘A’ relay, but Texas A&M’s top 2 relays both still beat out USC’s top squad in the race.

The A&M men’s relay included Shaine Casas (21.07), Ben Walker (23.72) Adam Koster (20.74), and Mark Theall (18.91), for a combined 1:24.44. That swim is already .44 seconds faster than their 14th-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championship meet, with 3 of those legs returning. Walker’s split was actually identical to what he went at NCAAs last year.

Casas’ split, faster than he swam at NCAAs last year, would have been 7th-best at last year’s NCAA Championship.

Hawaii’s 2nd-place relay included a 23.45 breaststroke split from Olli Kokko and a 19.23 free anchor split from ‘aukai Lileikis.

Women’s 400 IM – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 4:03.62
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 4:17.30
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 4:10.00

1. Brooke Forde, Stanford – 4:03.86
2. Allie Szekely, Stanford – 4:05.91
3. Hannah Kukurugya, Stanford – 4:10.10

The Stanford women went 1-2-3 in the women’s 400 IM, led by Brooke Forde, who was 3rd at last year’s NCAA Championships. Her winning time of 4:03.86 is a full second faster than she was mid-season last year. Her regular-season best time actually came in a dual meet in late January before dropping at Pac-12s and then again at NCAAs.

Szekely followed a very similar pattern last season, but her time on Friday is even more encouraging: it’s better than her season-best time from last year’s NCAA Championship meet.

Men’s 400 IM – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 3:39.16
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 3:51.46
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 3:43.42

1. Andres Puente, Texas A&M – 3:46.75
2. Hudson Smith, Texas A&M – 3:49.13
3. Ivan Puskovitch, USC – 3:52.09

There were 2 freshmen in the top 3 of the men’s 400 IM, with Mexican-born freshman Andres Puente winning in 3:46.75, and USC freshman Ivan Puskovitch finishing 3rd in 3:52.09.

For each of the top 3 finishers, the result is a new lifetime best. For Puente, this is his first season racing in yards. For the runner-up Smith, it cut just over 3 seconds off his previous best time from the 2018 SEC Championships. For Puskovitch, that’s a lifetime best by more than 2 seconds – which he did almost 2 years ago.

4th-place finisher Mark Schnippenkoetter of Texas A&M (3:52.90) and 5th-place finisher Adam Grimm of the Air Force (3:54.38) both also swam lifetime bests.

Women’s 100 Fly – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 50.92
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 53.76
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 52.34

1. Louise Hansson, USC – 50.05
2. Jemma Schlicht, USC – 51.64
3. Amalie Fackenthal, Stanford – 52.54

USC’s Louise Hansson, the defending NCAA Champion and fastest-ever swimmer in this event, won on Saturday night by more than a second-and-a-half, swimming a 50.05. That put her ahead of teammate Jemma Schlicht, who took 2nd in 51.64.

Stanford’s top finisher was sophomore Amalie Fackenthahl, who was 3rd in 52.54, while A&M’s best placing came from Emma Carlton in 4th in 52.86.

Men’s 100 Fly – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 45.05
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 47.43
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 45.90

1. Shaine Casas, Texas A&M – 45.26
2. ‘aukai Lileikis, Hawaii – 46.59
3. Alex Liang, Stanford – 47.24

Texas A&M sophomore Shaine Casas continued his hot hand this weekend, swimming a 45.26 in the men’s 100 fly final. That’s his 2nd of an anticipated 4 races on Friday evening.

His swim is a new lifetime best, undercutting the 45.91 that he swam at a pre-NCAA Championship Sectionals meet last season. As a freshman, he swam the 100 and 200 backstroke at the SEC Championships before shifting to the 100 and 200 fly at NCAAs. While it looks like his future internationally is backstroke, this fly time will keep it in contention for his end-of-season schedule.

Hawaii redshirt junior ‘aukai Lileikis, who took a meandering path to the Rainbow Warriors’ roster this season after swimming for a semester at Cal and taking 2 years off, finished 2nd in 46.59. That’s just .13 seconds away from the Hawaii school record in this event. It’s also the fastest that he’s been at a collegiate meet.

Women’s 200 Free – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 1:42.98
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 1:47.12
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 1:45.12

1. Laticia-Leigh Transom, USC – 1:43.27
2. Katie Drabot, Stanford – 1:44.38
3. Lauren Pitzer, Stanford – 1:45.02

USC sophomore Laticia-Leigh Transom knocked almost a full second from her previous lifetime best in the 200 free. Transom, who as a sophomore is still only 18, represents New Zealand internationally.

The Stanford women went 2-3-5 in the race with Katie Drabot touching in 1:44.38, Lauren Pitzer touching in 1:45.02, and sophomore Morgan Tankersley placing 5th in 1:46.35. For both Drabot and Tankersley, this is faster than they were mid-season last year.

Texas A&M’s top finisher was senior Katie Portz in 1:47.10.

Men’s 200 Free – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 1:32.05
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 1:36.32
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 1:34.21

1. Alexei Sancov, USC – 1:32.95
2. Mark Theall, Texas A&M – 1:32.96
3. Will Macmillan, Stanford – 1:35.15

USC sophomore Alexei Sancov has lived up to expectations this week in College Station after a freshman season where he missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships. After a 2-second lifetime-best improvement to finish in 2nd-place in the 200 IM on Thursday (1:43.92), on Friday he won the men’s 200 free in 1:32.95. That’s the fastest that he’s been in college by over a second, and just-missed his highs school best time of 1:32.80.

This was the battle-of-the-night between he and Texas A&M junior All-American Mark Theall, who was 2nd in 1:32.96. Theall led most of the race, but Sancov overcame a half-second deficit over the final 50 yards to take the win – an ironic outcome given that Theall’s best race is the 500 free, indicating that he should have more endurance than Sancov.

Stanford’s Will Macmillan (1:35.15) and Grant Shoults (1:35.37) finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. USC’s top finisher was freshman Max Saunders in 6th place with a time of 1:37.12, followed by his teammate and classmate Dom Margarino in 1:37.28.

Women’s 100 Breast – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 58.60
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 1:01.84
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 59.93

1. Anna Belousova, Texas A&M – 59.79
2. Zoe Bartel, Stanford – 1:00.01
3. Allie Raab, Stanford – 1:00.28

Texas A&M senior Anna Belousova was the only swimmer to break a minute in the women’s 100 breaststroke final, swimming 59.79 to win the race. She beat out Stanford sophomore Zoe Bartel, who had the best long course time in the morning. That time for Belousova is almost half-a-second slower than she swam at this meet last season, but that might not be all bad news – last year, she entered the NCAA Championships with big times and big expectations, but came up well short of her season bests in all 3 of her individual races. This could indicate a different approach to the 2020 championships.

Men’s 100 Breast – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 51.67
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 54.27
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 52.52

1. Hank Poppe, Stanford – 52.05
2. Olli Kokko, Hawaii – 52.23
3. Andres Puente, Texas A&M – 52.49

Satnford senior Hank Poppe won the men’s 100 breast in 52.05, just-missing his lifetime best of 51.93 from last year’s NCAA Championship meet. In 2019, he had to use a Pac-12 time trial swim to qualify for the NCAA Championships, but this year, his time on Friday should safely advance him through to nationals.

Hawaii senior Olli Kokko took 2nd in 52.23, which broke his own school record of 52.61 set in 2018. Hawaii, which has a new head coach this season in the form of promoted assistant Elliott Ptasnik, hasn’t missed a beat through their first semester of the season.

Texas A&M’s Andres Puentes, on his third swim of the session and after winning the 400 IM, impressed again with a 52.49 in the 100 breaststroke. That’s the fastest time by an Aggie freshman ever by more than half-a-second. The previous fastest freshman was Tanner Olson, now a junior, who was 4th on Friday in 52.68.

Women’s 100 Back – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 50.93
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 53.94
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 52.46

1. (TIE) Erin Voss, Stanford/Emma Carlton, Texas A&M – 52.77
3. Alex Crisera, Stanford – 52.78

The win in the women’s 100 backstroke went the way of a tie, with Stanford senior Erin Voss and Texas A&M sophomore Emma Carlton swimming matching 52.77s. That’s a new lifetime best for Carlton, though neither swimmer’s time is likely enough to earn an invite to the NCAA Championships on its own merit.

Men’s 100 Back – Finals

• 2020 NCAA “A” Cut – 44.95
• 2020 NCAA “B” Cut – 47.77
• 2019 NCAA Invited Time – 46.06

1. Shaine Casas, Texas A&M – 44.48
2. Isaac Gwin, Air Force – 47.11
3. Jack Kirby, USC – 47.46

Texas A&M sophomore Shaine Casas crushed the school record in the men’s 100 backstroke, posting a 44.48 in the men’s 100 back. The old record of 45.64 was set in 2019 by Brock Bonetti. Casas’ previous best was 45.94.

Casas now ranks as the 7th-fastest 100 yard backstroker in history, one spot ahead of 4-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers.

Air Force school record holder Isaac Gwin finished 2nd in 47.11.

Women’s 3 Meter Diving – Finals

• NCAA Zone Qualifying Standard – 280 points

1. Mia Paulsen, Stanford – 346.85
2. Aimee Wilson, LSU – 345.75
3. Daria Lenz, Stanford – 327.45

In a battle of NCAA qualifiers from last season, it was Stanford’s Mia Paulsen who came out on top of the women’s 3-meter final.

Men’s 1 Meter Diving – Finals

• NCAA Zone Qualifying Standard – 300 points

1. Kurtis Mathews, Texas A&M – 395.10
2. Max Burman, Hawaii – 357.60
3. Conor Casey, Stanford – 356.90

Texas A&M junior Kurtis Mathews won the men’s 1-meter diving event with a score of 395.10. A springboard specialist, Mathews was only 2nd on the 3-meter on Thursday, but won the 1-meter on Friday. He was 14th at NCAAs last season on the 3-meter.

Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• 2020 NCAA Invite Time – 7:00.86
• 2020 NCAA Provisional Time – 7:05.88

1. USC – 6:58.06
2. Stanford – 7:00.51
3. Texas A&M – 7:12.92

The USC women finished a sweep of the day’s two relays with a 6:58.06 in the women’s 800. That gives them 3 relay wins in 4 offered events so far. The team of Louise Hansson, Laticia-Leigh Transom, Jemma Schlicht, and Tatum Wade combined for a 6:58.06 on Friday. THat easily puts them under the NCAA automatic qualifying time in the race.

Stanford’s 2nd-place relay also snuck under the invite time with a finishing marker of 7:00.51.

The Texas A&M women, who finished erd, still don’t have even a Provisional Qualifying Time in a relay yet at this meet. For the 4-time defending SEC team champions, this is indicative of the team’s challenges especially in the short freestyle events this season.

Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• 2020 NCAA Invite Time – 6:17.18
• 2020 NCAA Provisional Time – 6:21.85

1. Texas A&M – 6:15.71
2. USC – 6:26.71
3. USC ‘B’ – 6:34.00

Led off by sophomore Shaine Casas on his 4th swim of the session, the Texas A&M men ran away with the win in the 800 free relay by exactly 11 seconds ahead of runners-up USC. Casas split a lifetime best of 1:33.67 on the team’s leadoff leg, and he was followed by Mark Theall (1:33.47), Adam Koster (1:34.07), and Coco Bratanov (1:34.05) en route to a 6:15.71. That’s easily under the NCAA automatic invite time in the event, and is just .12 seconds shy of the school record that was set last season.

Team Scores After Day 2:

Women:

1. Stanford – 894
2. Texas A&M – 769.5
3. USC – 518.5
4. Hawaii – 275
5. LSU (diving only) – 56

Men:

1. Texas A&M – 942
2. USC – 448
3. Hawaii – 423
4. Stanford – 359
5. Air Force – 328
6. LSU (diving only) – 58