2020 Texas Hall of Fame Invite: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2020 TEXAS HALL OF FAME SWIMMING INVITE

• December 2-5, 2020
• Lee and Joe Jamal Texas Swimming Center, Austin, TX
• Short course yards (SCY)
• Results Link

WOMEN’S 500 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 4:35.76
• NCAA “B” cut: 4:47.20

1. Evie Pfeifer (Texas) – 4:35.73
2. Mary Smutny (Texas) – 4:48.23
3. Miranda Heckman (Texas) – 4:52.11

After dominating in prelims with a 4:38, senior Evie Pfeifer broke through with a lifetime best and an NCAA ‘A’ cut of 4:35.73 to win the 500 free tonight. She gets under her old best of 4:36.04 and just does enough to go faster than the ‘A’ cut. While there was no 2020 NCAA Championships due to the pandemic, Pfeifer’s time tonight would’ve been the #3 time in the nation last season, and she hops ahead of Georgia senior Courtney Harnish for the #2 time this season behind only UVA senior Paige Madden (4:33.09).

Pfeifer was only 4:38.44 last season, which ranked her 18th.

Longhorn sophomores Mary Smutny and Miranda Heckman trickled in at second (4:48.23) and third (4:52.11), respectively.

MEN’S 500 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 4:11.82
• NCAA “B” cut: 4:23.34

1. Drew Kibler (Texas) – 4:09.18
2. Coby Carrozza (Texas) – 4:14.31
3. David Johnston (Texas) – 4:14.38

Drew Kibler charged home for the win in another sub-4:10 performance, almost surpassing his huge October swim where he clocked a 4:08.26 to become the #4 performer of all-time. If we pretend Kibler never swam that 4:08, his 4:09.18 from tonight would’ve still made him the #10 performer ever (he’s #11 if you count his 4:08).

No collegiate swimmer has been under 4:10 this year besides Kibler, who has now done so twice.

Freshmen rounded out the podium, both in best times. Coby Carrozza sliced another couple of tenths off of his prelims best, which was a small drop from his pre-college 4:14.95 best. David Johnston had a huge swim for third, going from 4:19.07 pre-college to 4:18.43 this morning and now a 4:14.38, nearly beating Carrozza.

WOMEN’S 200 IM FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 1:53.66
• NCAA “B” cut: 1:59.94

1. Kelly Pash (Texas) – 1:55.40
2. Kaeleigh Rice (TCU) – 2:01.58
3. Marlene Hirschberg (TCU) – 2:05.17

Only four women swam the final in the 200 IM, and Texas sophomore Kelly Pash blew the field out of the water, clocking a 1:55.40. That’s a .51 drop from her old best, a 1:55.91 from the 2020 Big 12 Championships. She now sits #6 nationally with that swim.

TCU’s Kaeleigh Rice dropped 1.83 seconds from prelims to go 2:01.58 for second, a one-second drop.

MEN’S 200 IM FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 1:41.34
• NCAA “B” cut: 1:46.77

1. Carson Foster (Texas) – 1:41.98
2. Jake Foster (Texas)  – 1:42.59
3. Andrew Koustik (Texas) – 1:45.18

We saw some sibling action in the men’s 200 IM, as Texas freshman Carson Foster won the battle against older brother and sophomore Jake Foster, 1:41.98 to 1:42.59. It’s a lifetime best for both brothers; Carson went under his old best of 1:42.43, while Jake dropped down from a previous PR of 1:43.18.

They now rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the NCAA standings this season.

Andrew Koustik also set a new personal best with a 1:45.18 for third, slicing about a half-second off of his old one.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 21.66
• NCAA “B” cut: 22.76

1. Olivia Bray (Texas) – 22.25
2. Emma Sticklen (Texas) – 22.50
3. Kyla Leibel (Texas) – 22.62

Texas’s young sprint group made up the podium in the 50 free, led by freshman Olivia Bray at 22.25, just off of her morning swim of 22.13. That swim in prelims was a huge best, lopping six-tenths off of her old best.

Freshman Emma Sticklen was second in 22.50 and sophomore Kyla Leibel third (22.62), and another freshman, Grace Cooper, was fourth (22.63). Sticklen went under her old best by .04, and Leibel dropped two-tenths.

MEN’S 50 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 18.96
• NCAA “B” cut: 19.96

1. Daniel Krueger (Texas) – 19.14
2. Alvin Jiang (Texas) – 19.51
3. Jake Sannem (Texas) – 19.88

Daniel Krueger emerged victor here in the 50 free, posting a 19.14 for the win. He improves upon his season-best (and lifetime-best) 19.16 from the October First Chance meet, and he now holds the #2 time in Division I for this season.

Longhorns Alvin Jiang (19.51) and Jake Sannem (19.88) were the only other swimmers to break 20 seconds tonight.

WOMEN’S 400 MEDLEY RELAY FINAL

• NCAA qualifying cut: 3:31.66
• NCAA provisional cut: 3:33.78

1. Texas ‘A’ – 3:26.86
2. Texas ‘B’ – 3:36.63
3. TCU ‘B’ – 3:43.64

The Texas women looked incredible in this 400 medley relay, triumphantly taking the #1 time in the country by more than two seconds, laying waste to the former #1 time of 3:29.16 done in November by Virginia. They notched a school record here, taking down the 2017 mark of 3:27.74 done by Tasija Karosas, Madisyn Cox, Lauren Case and Rebecca Millard.

Junior Julia Cook was the oldest swimmer on the relay, hitting a 51.15 lead-off, a lifetime best. The freshmen class is really making a difference for the Longhorns, though: Anna Elendt blazed to a 57.83 breaststroke split, the only breast split under 1:01 in the field, and then Olivia Bray split a 50.33 on the fly leg.

Pash brought it all home with a 47.55 split. Their time tonight is also faster than any team went in the 2019-20 season.

TCU’s B relay was their fastest one, and Ashleen O’Brien had a strong 53.84 best time leading off, just .01 off of the TCU school record.

MEN’S 400 MEDLEY RELAY FINAL

• NCAA qualifying cut: 3:05.95
• NCAA provisional cut: 3:07.74

1. Texas ‘A’ – 3:04.64
2. Texas ‘B’ – 3:06.56
3. Texas ‘A’ – 3:11.99

Texas’s top two relays held their own the first half of the race, as Chris Staka led off the ‘A’ in 46.18 and Ethan Harder the ‘B’ in 46.71. Charlie Scheinfeld was 51.92 on the ‘A,’ but Indiana transfer Andrew Couchon edged him on the ‘B,’ splitting a 51.68.

Alvin Jiang set things straight for the ‘A’ relay with a 44.66 fly split, while Daniel Krueger was 41.93 coming home.

On the ‘B,’ Zac Van Zandt swam fly (46.18), and Luke Bowman charged home with a 41.99 anchor. That’s a massive split for Bowman, who’s personal best in the flat start 100 free is well back at 42.96.