2024 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 27-30, 2024
- IUPUI Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Official Psych Sheets
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- SwimSwam Pick ‘Ems Contest
- How to Watch
- Live Results
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Live Recap
The third heats session of the 2024 Men’s NCAA Championship meet is in the books, and the 2022 NCAA Champion in the 100 butterfly did not advance in the top 16.
That swimmer is Stanford Cardinal Andrei Minakov, a junior who is the fourth fastest performer in 100-yard butterfly history. He earned the status of the fourth fastest man ever at the 2022 NCAA Championships, where he hit the wall in 43.71. Last year, Minakov placed 4th in 44.27 after posting a morning effort of 44.17 to advance in 3rd. His best time this season is 44.16, a time he produced in January.
All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 100-Yard Butterfly:
- Caeleb Dressel, Florida — 42.80 (2018)
- Youssef Ramadan, Virginia Tech — 43.15 (2023)
- Josh Liendo, Florida — 43.30 (2024)
- Andrei Minakov, Stanford — 43.71 (2022)
- Joseph Schooling, Texas — 43.75 (2017)
This morning, Minakov punched a time of 45.11 to place 6th in heat four, which earned him 20th overall. He opened his race strongly, turning through the 50 in 20.64 before closing in 24.47.
Earlier this week, Minakov featured on three Cardinal relays: the 200 medley relay (day 1), 800 freestyle relay (day 1), and 200 freestyle relay (day 2). Stanford dropped from their entry time in each of those relays, with Minakov posting the following splits:
- 200 Medley Relay: 19.57 on the butterfly leg
- 800 Freestyle Relay: 1:32.14 on the second leg
- 200 Freestyle Relay: 19.15 on the lead-off leg
His split on the 800 free relay was 1.74 seconds faster than he was at last month’s Pac-12 Championships, while his 50 free lead-off was 0.23 faster. His split on the butterfly leg (19.57) from Wednesday’s 200 medley relay represents his 3rd fastest split ever.
At the Pac-12 Championships last month, he only competed for half of the competition, before ultimately pulling out after the 100 butterfly prelims. There in Federal Way, he qualified 4th in the heats of the 100 fly (45.31), while also adding a 10th place showing in the 50 free (19.37) and splitting 1:33.88 on Stanford’s silver medal-winning relay.
Minakov is slated to swim in Saturday’s 200 butterfly, where he is ranked 2nd overall (1:38.61) on the psych sheets. ASU freshman Ilya Kharun is the fastest entry, as he clocked 1:37.93 in a dual meet versus Stanford on January 19th. The 200 fly is a brand new event for Minakov this season, and it’s turned out to be one of his best. He swam it for the first time this year against Kharun in the previously mentioned race, where he notched a time of 1:38.63. He lowered his time by 0.02 at a dual meet with Cal in late February.
He was not only 1:38+ TWICE during the season, but in the ASU meet he was :44.16 in the 100 fly, a dual meet swim faster than his 2023 NCAA races and which would have qualified 4th this morning. He is in shape.
When you add to the picture that he has a significant history of success in major competitions (NCAA individual champ, World Championships Silver) it is not likely inability to deal with major meet pressure, and 3 weeks ago he had to pull out of the conference meet half-way through,
It all suggests either illness or injury. I know not which. But unless you have personal insights on what’s up, cut the guy a break.
Schooling-Esque performance
A lot of the Pac 12 swimmers are showing added times because they had tapered for their Pac 12 championships. Most other colleges had their division championships a lot longer before and could then prepare and taper for this meet. That makes a huge difference. Give all these swimmers a break. They’re all talented to be in the ncaa championships.
Getting a bit slower at swimming but getting a Stanford degree is the tradeoff for joining that team.
Honestly I hope Minakov pulls it around tomorrow. He’s doing his best, but not in isolation.
Consider Stanford’s #2 class of 2024:
https://swimswam.com/ranking-the-2020-mens-ncaa-recruiting-classes-1-4/
Impressive recruiting class.
Minakov’s 2 interviews to Russian media https://rsport.ria.ru/20240107/plavanie-1919053988.html and https://www.championat.com/other/article-5360966-intervyu-s-rossijskim-plovcom-andreem-minakovym-otnoshenie-k-nejtralnomu-statusu-i-dopusku-na-oi-2024-zhizn-v-amerike.html Didn’t say anything about war in Ukraine but praised Russian regime saying how everything is better in Russia than in US. I wonder why continue studying in Stanford if its so awful. Also Americans and West in general are “hypocrites”, IOC and FINA criteria for Russian athletes are human right violations in his view. F*ck him.
You might be mischaracterizing what he “said.” First, we don’t even know what he said because it could have been heavily edited. If you listen to the interview(!) it’s not even him answering. The interviewer reads her questions and then reads his answers. I think what he might have been saying is that Russian athletes should have been allowed to compete as neutral athletes like they did in Japan.
I think it’s entirely possible that what he thinks is sports and politics shouldn’t mix.
Hard to blame Greg Meehan for this one…. but let’s blame Greg Meehan anyways….
Leaving Minakov out of the conversation, I will note two things:
(1) nobody from the Stanford men’s team qualified for the Finals in last summer’s US Trials for the 2023 Worlds; and,
(2) they’re not exactly sizzling in the water at Indy (18% of their points have come from diving).