2019 Minnesota Invitational: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2019 MINNESOTA INVITATIONAL

• Wed. Dec. 4 – Sun. Dec. 8, 2019
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center / University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN
• Wed. Timed finals 6 PM
• Thu.-Sat. Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM / Diving 12 Noon
• Short course yards (SCY) format Wed.-Sat. (LCM format Sunday)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream (days 2-4)
• Live results
  • Also on Meet Mobile. Search “Minnesota Invite 2019”

This morning, Texas’s Daniel Krueger (100 free – 41.82) and Minnesota’s Max McHugh (200 breast – 1:52.07) shot to nation #1 times in their respective events. Meanwhile, an on-fire Abbey Weitzeil of Cal will take aim at the nation-leading 100 free time of 46.15, Longhorn Sam Pomajevich will vie with teammate Maxime Rooney for his third sub-1:40 performance of the week, and Arizona’s Brooks Fail will try to avenge his narrow 500 free loss in the mile.

WOMEN’S 1650 FREE TIMED FINAL

1. Sierra Schmidt (Michigan) – 15:49.90
2. Kaitlynn Sims (Michigan) – 15:51.06
3. Evie Pfeifer (Texas) – 16:03.97

As the swimmers settled into the race, it was Michigan’s Kaitlynn Sims who took the early lead, with teammate Sierra Schmidt and Texas’s Evie Pfeifer right on her hip to make up the lead pack. Schmidt moved in front around the halfway mark as Pfeifer fell off the pace, with Sims still with Schmidt.

Sims fought to stay in it, but Schmidt dropped into 28-mid splits down the final few 50s, and she powered home to touch in 15:49.90 with Sims second in 15:51.06. Those times check-in at #2 and #3 in the nation this season, just behind Florida’s Leah Braswell (15:47.85), while they both hit NCAA ‘A’ cuts.

Pfeifer came in third at 16:03.97, while Cal freshmen Sarah Dimeco (16:11.14) and Anna Kalandadze (16:12.01) locked in fourth and fifth, respectively.

MEN’S 1650 FREE TIMED FINAL

1. Brooks Fail (Arizona) – 14:37.60
2. Felix Auboeck (Michigan) – 14:42.29
3. Jack Collins (Texas) – 14:45.83

Texas’s Chris Yeager got out to the early lead, but Arizona’s Brooks Fail began making his move at the start of the second half of this race. His lead ballooning, it was Yeager, Jack Collins of Texas, and Felix Auboeck of Michigan who battled in the group behind.

Fail charged ahead, and finished first with a nation #2 time of 14:37.60. Auboeck, the defending national champion, left the second pack behind to hammer home with a 14:42.29, and Collins settled for third at 14:45.83. Yeager was fourth at 14:48.69.

Also slipping under 15 minutes were Michigan’s Will Roberts (14:54.04) and Cal’s Sean Grieshop (14:57.26).

WOMEN’S 200 BACK FINALS

1. Julia Cook (Texas) – 1:52.72
2. Chloe Hicks (Michigan) –  1:53.12
3. Tevynn Waddell (Minnesota) – 1:53.28

Julia Cook of Texas took this one after a burst on the third 50, clocking a 1:52.72 to improve on her morning swim. Closing hard were Michigan’s Chloe Hicks (1:53.12) and Minnesota’s Tevynn Waddell (1:53.28). Harvard’s Felicia Pasadyn, who got out to an early lead, hung on to take fourth (1:53.96) with Cal’s Keaton Blovad (1:54.02) right behind her.

Cal’s Courtney Mykkanen dominated the B-final with a 1:55.23.

MEN’S 200 BACK FINALS

1. Austin Katz (Texas) – 1:37.35
2. Ryan Harty (Texas) – 1:40.06
3. Daniel Carr (Cal) – 1:40.55

There was no denying Austin Katz here as he overtook the nation-leading position from Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas (1:38.21). His time was 1:37.45, coming home in a 24.9 on the final 50, which took out his own pool record and is exactly one second from his lifetime best of 1:36.45. His pool record was done at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Ryan Harty improved on his morning swim with a 1:40.06, while Cal’s Daniel Carr moved up from prelims to break up the Texas dominance to placed third with a 1:40.55, while the Longhorns still finished 4-5-6 led by Jason Park (1:40.90).

Arizona senior Thomas Anderson rocked a 1:41.74 to claim the B-final win.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE FINALS

1. Abbey Weitzeil (Cal) – 46.52
2. Daria Pyshnenko (Michigan) – 48.12
3. Claire Adams (Texas) – 48.40

Flipping at 22.08, Abbey Weitzeil didn’t have quite the show-stopping performance as in her 50 free, where she became the first woman under 21.0 in history. Still, she moves to the #2 time in the country and checked in just a couple of tenths back from her lifetime best of 46.29 from 2014.

Two other women broke 48.50, albeit well back of Weitzeil. Daria Pyshnenko of Michigan got to the wall in second, going 48.12, and Texas’s Claire Adams rounded out the podium in third at 48.40. Texas freshman Bridget Semenuk broke 49 for the first time ever to take fourth in 48.51.

MEN’S 100 FREE FINALS

1. Daniel Krueger (Texas) – 41.45
2. Drew Kibler (Texas) – 42.16
3. Ryan Hoffer (Cal) – 42.42

Daniel Krueger was impossible to stop here, hitting a lifetime best of 41.45 to improve his nation-leading position. That swim moves him to the #16 performer in the event, all-time.

Krueger’s teammate Drew Kibler got to the wall for second, clocking a 42.16, with Cal taking third and fourth. Ryan Hoffer was there for third in 42.42 while Pawel Sendyk was 42.56 for fourth. Arizona’s Marin Ercegovic (42.56) and Cal’s Michael Jensen (42.98) were also able to break 43 seconds.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST FINALS

1. Miranda Tucker (Michigan) – 2:08.01
2. Ema Rajic (Cal) – 2:08.23
3. Lindsey Kozelsky (Minnesota) – 2:09.46

The same top three from this morning, the order was shuffled, as Michigan’s Miranda Tucker churned out a 2:08.01. That slots her with the #3 time in the country.

Second went to Cal’s Ema Rajic in, by far, the best 200 breast of her life. Coming in with a best of 2:10.47, Rajic crushed that mark, finishing second in 2:08.23 which should easily get her into the NCAA meet. Minnesota’s Lindsey Kozelsky was 2:09.46 for third, while nobody else was under 2:10.

MEN’S 200 BREAST FINALS

1. Reece Whitley (Cal) – 1:51.02
2. Max McHugh (Minnesota) – 1:51.62
3. Caspar Corbeau (Texas) – 1:52.06

Reece Whitley took this one, becoming the new national leader this season. He nearly went under 1:51, winning at 1:51.02 with Minnesota’s Max McHugh taking second in 1;51.62 and Texas freshman Caspar Corbeau again going a lifetime best for third (1:52.06).

Braden Vines of Texas was 1:52.28 for fourth, followed closely by Michigan seniors Tommy Cope (1:52.31) and Jeremy Babinet (1:52.52). All top six finishers went under the NCAA ‘A’ cut.

Michigan’s Charlie Swanson clocked a 1:53.57 to claim the B-final.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY FINALS

1. Kelly Pash (Texas) – 1:54.54
2. Rachel Klinker (Cal) – 1:55.07
3. Vanessa Krause (Michigan) – 1:55.93

Notching a personal best was Kelly Pash, the Texas freshman. Her time of 1:54.54 got her the win, moving her to the #5 spot in the nation. This is now her fourth time going a PR in the 200 fly in her debut semester with the Longhorns.

Cal freshman Rachel Klinker also hit a huge best, coming down from her PR from high school of 1:56.90 by nearly two full seconds to clock a 1:55.07 for second place. Michigan senior Vanessa Krause also got under 1:56, clocking a 1:55.97 for third. Harvard took the next two spots, with senior Miki Dahlke (1:56.21) and another freshman, Felicia Pasadyn (1:56.86). Both went best times.

MEN’S 200 FLY FINALS

1. Sam Pomajevich (Texas) – 1:39.35
2. Trenton Julian (Cal) – 1:41.14
3. Brooks Fail (Arizona) – 1:42.13

Taking his swim out with a 21.8 leading 50, Sam Pomajevich looked like a greyhound, loping through the race with long, low, powerful strokes. He got to the wall well ahead of the field, and ended up tying his personal best and nation-leading time of 1:39.35 that he’d done on Wednesday night in a time trial.

Cal’s Trenton Julian swooped in for second, going 1:41.14 to claim the #3 time in the nation this year, just two-tenths off of Maxime Rooney‘s 1:40.94 from this morning, which is the #2 time. That gives context to how far ahead Pomajevich is right now; no other NCAA swimmer has been within 1.5 seconds of him in this event.

After winning the mile at the beginning of tonight’s session, Brooks Fail got back in for another grueling race and managed to race to third in 1:42.13, just a tenth off of his morning swim. Those two swims are his only sub-1:46 performances in history. Michigan’s Miles Smachlo was also under 1:43, going 1:42.74 for fourth.

Rooney (and Alvin Jiang) were both qualified to swim the A-final here (Jiang went 1:43.89 in prelims), but they both scratched the race tonight.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY TIMED FINAL

1. Cal – 3:10.99
2. Texas – 3:13.06
3. Michigan – 3:13.85

Maggie MacNeil had a huge 47.16 lead-off to put Michigan briefly into the lead, just .12 off of her lifetime best. Cal shot back into the lead, though, and set-up Abbey Weitzeil with a sizable lead to let her take things home. Weitzeil split 47.11 on the end, a bit out of gas after the weekend of racing.

Cal’s winning time of 3:10.99 pushes them past Tennessee’s 3:11.27 to the number one spot in the country this year. Izzy Ivey was 47.88 leading off, followed by Keaton Blovad (47.66) and Robin Neumann (48.34).

For second-place Texas, who now rank fifth in the nation, it was freshman Bridget Semenuk leading off in 48.68, followed by Julia Cook (48.34), freshman Kelly Pash (48.01), and Claire Adams (48.03).

Michigan couldn’t quite hang on after MacNeil’s lead-off, but Daria Pyshnenko was 48.83, followed by Miranda Tucker (48.71) and Chloe Hicks (49.15).

Cal’s B relay wound up fourth, getting a 48.55 third leg from Alicia Wilson and a 48.91 from Maddie Murphy as they clocked a 3:16.75 to get ahead of Harvard (3:16.98), Texas B (3:17.44), and Arizona (3:17.86). Harvard got a 49.05 lead-off from Miki Dahlke and a 48.85 anchor from Kennedy Quist, Texas B got a 48.84 anchor from Evie Pfeifer, and Arizona was led by Kayla Filipek‘s 48.41 split.

MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY TIMED FINAL

1. Texas – 2:46.57
2. Cal – 2:50.59
3. Arizona –

The Texas men led off with two fresh swimmers; Maxime Rooney (41.91) and Alvin Jiang (41.97). This race really went to Texas, as the Longhorns left the field in the dust as the race went on. Drew Kibler turned in a 41.36 split and Daniel Krueger finished it off with a 41.33 as Texas posted a nation-leading time of 2:46.57.

They’re well ahead of the rest of the country, with only Arizona State and Texas A&M having been under 2:50; both have hit 2:49.9’s.

Meanwhile, Cal and Arizona were locked in a duel for second, with the Golden Bears just prevailing by one hundredth. Cal had Michael Jensen lead off in 42.89, followed by Pawel Sendyk (43.07), Daniel Carr (42.56), and Ryan Hoffer (42.07). Arizona was out much faster, with Marin Ercegovic (42.56) and Noah Reid (41.94) out front, but the Wildcats came back to the field and rounded out with splits from Hunter Ingram (43.25) and Thomas Anderson (42.85).

Texas’s B relay out-touched Michigan, with names unavailable on Meet Mobile. Three men split 42’s, including a 42.96 lead-off and a 42.33 anchor. Michigan was led by Gus Borges‘ 42.70 lead-off and Charlie Swanson‘s 42.72 third leg.