2022 Minnesota Invite: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2022 MINNESOTA INVITE

• November 30 – December 3, 2022
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Heat Sheets (when uploaded)
• Live Results
• Results on Meet Mobile: “Minnesota Invite 2022”
• Live Stream ($)
• Races to watch, all the links you need
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap
• 2023 NCAA Qualifying Times
• Originally published Dec 3, 2022

Cal is clinging to its lead atop the men’s and women’s standings of the 2022 Minnesota Invite as the meet wraps up tonight in Minneapolis.

Last night saw a girls’ 17-18 NAG record by Lydia Jacoby as well as a new Big 12 record by the Texas women in the 400 medley relay. Tonight should feature a fun battle between Cal’s Reece Whitley and Minnesota’s Max McHugh, who tied in the 100 breast on Friday night and came within .03 seconds of each other in the 200 breast during prelims this morning. Along with the 200 breast, there will also be finals in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 fly, and 400 free relay to wrap up racing this weekend.

Stay tuned for live updates from the last session below:

SCORES AFTER DAY THREE:

Women:

1. Cal — 1289.50
2. Texas — 1283
3. Wisconsin — 865
4. Minnesota — 763
5. Arizona — 538.50
6. Pitt — 440
7. Harvard — 392
8. UNLV — 105

Men:

1. Cal — 1187
2. Arizona — 1035
3. Texas — 988
4. Minnesota — 635
5. Wisconsin — 492
6. Harvard — 422
7. Pitt — 363
8. UNLV — 265

WOMEN’S 1650 FREE – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 15:52.41

Top 8:

1. Erica Sullivan (TEX) – 15:58.97
2. Paige McKenna (WISC) – 16:08.43
3. Alivia Lindorfer (WISC) – 16:11.56
4. Sarah DiMeco (CAL) – 16:17.97
5. Olivia McMurray (TEX) – 16:19.67
6. Elle Braun (WISC) – 16:22.48
7. Blair Stoneburg (WISC) – 16:24.79
8. Jacqueline Tinneny (PITT) – 16:28.93

Texas sophomore Erica Sullivan outdueled Wisconsin sophomore Paige McKenna by 10 seconds in the mile in a rematch of last year’s NCAA final. Sullivan’s time of 15:58.97 is the second-fastest time in the nation this season behind Georgia’s Abby McCulloh (15:57.08). She went more than three seconds faster than her time at the Minnesota Invite last year.

McKenna finished in 16:08.43, three second ahead of Wisconsin teammate Alivia Lindorfer (16:11.56).

MEN’S 1650 FREE – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 14:37.31

Top 8:

1. Alec Enyeart (TEX) – 14:43.39
2. Chris Nagy (MINN) – 14:52.62
3. Bar Soloveychik (MINN) – 14:53.49
4. Coby Carrozza (TEX) – 15:10.71
5. Shane Washart (HARV) – 15:13.51
6. Jack Meehan (CAL) – 15:14.43
7. William Christenson (MINN) – 15:19.62
8. Jack Leuthold (WISC) – 15:19.69

Texas freshman Alec Enyeart shaved over 13 seconds off his personal best from last December to win the men’s 1650 free in 14:43.39. It’s the second-fastest time in the nation this season behind Alabama’s Victor Johansson (14:39.63) and the 11th-fastest all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group.

The Minnesota pair of Chris Nagy and Bar Soloveychik went 2-3 about 10 seconds behind Enyeart in 14:52.62 and 15:53.49, respectively.

Enyeart’s teammate, Coby Carrozza, took fourth place 27 seconds behind Enyeart in 15:10.71. Harvard’s Shane Washart placed fifth in 15:13.51.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:50.50
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:53.97

Top 8:

1. Isabelle Stadden (CAL) – 1:50.21
2. Olivia Bray (TEX) – 1:50.71
3. Phoebe Bacon (WISC) – 1:51.22
4. Paula Rodriguez Rivero (MINN) – 1:55.35
5. Annika McEnroe (CAL) – 1:55.55
6. Claire Jansen (PITT) – 1:57.28
7. Ava Yablonski (MINN) – 1:57.48
8. Ayla Spitz (CAL) – 1:57.71

Cal junior Isabelle Stadden snuck under the NCAA ‘A’ standard with a 1:50.21 to edge Texas junior Olivia Bray (1:50.71) by half a second in the 200 back final.

Stadden’s time stands as the third-fastest this season behind Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller (1:50.12) and Stanford’s Claire Curzan (1:48.50). She was less than a second slower than her personal best 1:49.45 from NCAAs last season. NCAA runner-up Phoebe Bacon of Wisconsin placed third in 1:51.22.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:39.13
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:40.92

Top 8:

1. Chris O’Connor (TEX) – 1:40.65
2. Jake Newmark (WISC) – 1:41.59
3. Colby Mefford (CAL) – 1:41.69
4. Ziyad Salem (CAL) – 1:42.33
5. Gunner Grant (HARV) – 1:42.41
6. Panos Bolanos (UNLV) – 1:42.72
7. Anthony Rincon (HARV) – 1:43.10
8. Ethan Harder (TEX) – 1:44.40

Cal’s Destin Lasco cruised a bit too much in the prelims this morning and qualified for the B-final, but he still swam the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season with a 1:39.09. Only Georgia senior Ian Grum has been faster so far this season (1:38.84).

In the A-final, Texas junior Chris O’Connor dropped four seconds off his season-best to claim victory in the men’s 200 back. His time of 1:40.65 appears to be the third-fastest in the nation this season, just off his personal best 1:40.47 from March.

Wisconsin junior Jake Newmark touched less than a second after O’Connor in 1:41.59, a couple seconds off his personal best from Big Tens last season. Cal senior Colby Mefford placed third as the only other swimmer in the field sub-1:42 at 1:41.69.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 47.18
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 48.44

Top 8:

1. Grace Cooper (TEX) – 48.51
2. Kyla Leibel (TEX) – 48.68
3. Maddy Burt (ARIZ) – 48.81
4. Hannah Cornish (MINN) – 48.90
5. Bridget Semenuk (TEX) – 49.01
6. Eloise Riley (CAL) – 49.04
7. Emma Davidson (CAL) – 49.31
8. Ella Mazurek (CAL) – 49.44

Texas junior Grace Cooper clocked the second sub-49.00 100 free of her career after dipping under that mark for a 48.65 during prelims. She was even faster here in the final, going 48.51 to edge teammate Kyla Leibel by .17 seconds. Arizona’s Maddy Burt and Minnesota’s Hannah Cornish also finished sub-49 in the final.

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 41.64
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 42.34

Top 8:

1. Bjorn Seeliger (CAL) – 41.68
2. Daniel Krueger (TEX) – 42.23
3. Peter Larson (TEX) – 42.54
4. Hunter Ingram (ARIZ) – 42.61
5. Jack Alexy (CAL) – 42.67
6. Robin Hanson (CAL) – 42.71
7. Matthew Jensen (CAL) – 42.92
8. Andrew Benson (WISC) – 42.96

Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger was less than a second off his personal best with his first-place finish in the 100 free (41.68) in Minneapolis. Seeliger’s time of 41.68 appears to be the second-fastest in the NCAA this season behind Tennessee sophomore Jordan Crooks (41.17).

A pair of Texas teammates went 2-3 here as Daniel Krueger (42.23) and Peter Larson (42.54) were separated by just a few tenths of a second.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 2:06.18
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 2:09.15

MEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:51.54
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:53.23

1. Reece Whitley (CAL) – 1:52.16
2. Max McHugh (MINN) – 1:52.77
3. Braden Vines (TEX) – 1:53.96
4. Cooper Van Der Laan – 1:55.25
5. Adnan Beji (UNLC) – 1:56.41
6. Jerry Chen (PITT) – 1:57.39
7. Paul DeGrado (TEX) – 1:57.45
8. Dylan Rhee (HARV) – 1:58.20

Fifth years Reece Whitley of Cal and Max McHugh of Minnesota are no stranger to head-to-head battles, having faced each other numerous times through their respective careers. In what could be one of their last duels in this event (at least in yards), Whitley got the best of McHugh after going out 0.76s faster than him over the first 100. McHugh closed a bit on the last lap, but it wasn’t enough as Whitley touched first, 1:52.16 to 1:52.77.

Whitley’s time looks to be the 5th-fastest in the nation so far this season, while McHugh’s ties him with Texas’ Caspar Corbeau for 8th.

Corbeau’s Longhorn teammate Braden Vines was the only other man to get under 1:55 tonight, taking 3rd in 1:53.96.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:52.86
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:56.14

Top 8:

1. Kelly Pash (TEX) – 1:51.96
2. Dakota Luther (TEX) – 1:52.58
3. Rachel Klinker (CAL) – 1:54.44
4. Leah Polonsky (CAL) – 1:54.50
5. Emma Sticklen (TEX) – 1:54.76
6. Megan Van Berkom (MINN) – 1:55.38
7. Julia Heimstead (ARIZ) – 1:55.57
8. Lizzy Cook (CAL) – 1:56.02

Texas senior Kelly Pash clocked a new personal best with her first career sub-1:52 swim, a 1:51.96 that placed her ahead of teammate Dakota Luther. It’s the fastest time in the NCAA this season, quicker than she was at NCAAs last season when she placed fourth in 1:52.01.

The Cal pair of Rachel Klinker (1:54.44) and Leah Polonsky (1:54.50) went 3-4 less than a tenth of a second apart.

MEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:40.20
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:42.42

Top 8:

1. Dare Rose (CAL) – 1:41.01
2. Cole Crane (TEX) – 1:42.25
3. Kaiser Neverman (MINN) – 1:42.96
4. Sam Artmann (TEX) – 1:43.01
5. Haakon Naughton (ARIZ) – 1:43.51
6. Brooks Taner (ARIZ) – 1:44.05
7. Gabriel Jett (CAL) – 1:44.77
8. Adam Mahler (PITT) – 1:45.68

Cal junior Dare Rose won the 200 fly by over a second with a personal best 1:41.01. His previous best was a 1:41.06 he swam in prelims at NCAAs last season before taking 12th in the final with a 1:41.23.

Second-place finisher Cole Crane of Texas was just .04 seconds off his personal best while third-place finisher Kaiser Neverman took down a Minnesota school record with a 1:42.96. The previous mark belonged to Kyle Van Swol (1:43.37) from 2014. Neverman also set the 200 IM record on Thursday.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard — 3:14.10
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time — 3:14.50

Top 8:

1. Texas – 3:12.06
2. Cal – 3:14.98
3. Arizona – 3:14.98
4. Texas – 3:14.99
5. Minnesota – 3:16.85
6. Wisconsin – 3:17.50
7. Cal ‘B’ – 3:17.74
8. Cal ‘C’ – 3:20.88

The Texas quartet of Kelly Pash (47.35), Kyla Leibel (47.87), Grace Cooper (48.44), and Bridget Semenuk (48.40) combined for a 3:12.06 to lift the Longhorns to victory over Cal by nearly three seconds.

Just a couple events after recording a new personal best in the 200 fly, Pash posted the fastest opening split in the field. Semenuk tied for the quickest swinging split in the field along with Texas ‘B’ relay swimmer Emma Sticklen.

Cal flexed its depth by placing three relay teams in the top 8, highlighted by the ‘A’ team’s second-place finish in 3:14.98.

MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard — 2:50.52
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time — 2:51.11

Top 8:

1. Cal – 2:48.63
2. Cal ‘B’ – 2:49.00
3. Texas ‘A’ – 2:49.32
4. Arizona  – 2:50.47
5. Arizona ‘B’  – 2:52.27
6. Wisconsin – 2:53.27
7. Cal ‘C’ – 2:53.94
8. Harvard – 2:54.31

Cal opted for a bit of a hybrid approach instead of just swimming their four fastest men on the ‘A’ relay, leading to the Golden Bears putting up the fastest two times of the night.

In the final heat, the ‘A’ relay of Jack Alexy (42.50), Robin Hanson (42.37), Matthew Jensen (42.02), and Destin Lasco (41.74) combined for a 2:48.63, which puts them at #4 in the nation this season.

One heat earlier, the ‘B’ relay got a 42.00 leadoff from individual 100 free champ Bjorn Seeliger, then Liam Bell (42.63), Dylan Hawk (42.56), and Dare Rose (41.81) finished off for a 2:49.00.

These things are never definite, but the math suggests that moving Seeliger and Rose on the ‘A’ relay would’ve been the Bears something in the neighborhood of Tennessee’s nation-leading 2:47.27.

The Texas men finished 3rd in 2:49.32. Peter Larson nearly matched Alexy on the leadoff, going 42.54 and exactly replicating the lifetime best he swam in the individual 100 free earlier in the session, and Daniel Krueger had the fastest split in the field at 41.28.

Arizona also got under the NCAA ‘A’ standard with a 2:50.47.

Final Team Scores

Women

1. Texas – 1,836
2. Cal – 1,816
3. Wisconsin – 1,259
4. Minnesota – 1,123.50
5. Arizona – 771.50
6. Pittsburgh – 626
7. Harvard – 571
8. UNLV – 187

Men

1. Cal – 1,778
2. Texas – 1,497
3. Arizona – 1,410.50
4. Minnesota – 917.50
5. Wisconsin – 726.50
6. Harvard – 689
7. Pitt – 502
8. UNLV – 394.50