2022 Wolfpack Invitational: Day 3 Prelims (LIVE RECAP)

2022 NC STATE/GAC INVITATIONAL

• November 17-19, 2022
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• SCY (25 yards)
• Live Results on MeetMobile
• Live Results
• Full Results
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Finals Recap
• Teams:
  • NC State
  • Stanford
  • Arizona State
  • Duke
  • Penn State
  • Army
  • George Washington (diving only)
  • UNC Asheville (diving only)

The third and final day of the Wolfpack Invitational in Greensboro will feature the 200 yard stroke events (back, breast, fly), the 100 free, and later in the day timed finals of the 1650 free and and 400 free relays.

Among the highlights there will be Stanford freshman Claire Curzan in her first suited collegiate 200 back, plus a big showdown between national title contenders in the 100 free with Torri Huske and Katharine Berkoff (though Berkoff, also racing the 200 back, will do so on a tough back-to-back double).

US National Teamer Charlotte Hook will also race her specialty event, the 200 fly, and Arizona State’s Leon Marchand is entered in both the 200 fly and 200 breast, back-to-back.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:50.50
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:53.97
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Claire Curzan, Fr, Stanford – 1:50.20
  2. Taylor Ruck, Sr, Stanford – 1:53.45
  3. Natalie Mannion, Fr, Stanford – 1:53.81
  4. Kennedy Noble, Fr, NC State – 1:53.97
  5. Emma Muzzy, Sr, NC State – 1:54.03
  6. Katharine Berkoff, Sr, NC State – 1:56.18
  7. Katey Lewicki, Jr, NC State – 1:56.28
  8. Easop Lee, R-Sr, Duke – 1:56.29

In a field loaded with big-name talent, Stanford freshman Claire Curzan cruised to the top seed in the women’s 200 back prelims. She swam 1:50.20, which is her best collegiate time in the event so far, and is about nine-tenths off her lifetime best from high school.

That swim put her three seconds ahead of Stanford All-American Taylor Ruck (1:53.45), the 2019 NCAA runner-up, and a field of freshmen.

Curzan’s freshman teammate Natalie Mannion qualified 2nd in a time of 1:53.81. That’s a drop of four-tenths of a second for her. Drops from swimmers like Mannion, a US National Junior Teamer, will be crucial for Stanford in March. The superstars and Olympians like Curzan, Ruck, and Huske will score their points, but points from support swimmers like Mannion will ultimately decide whether they can push back for a top two finish at NCAAs this year.

Another freshman, Kennedy Noble of NC State, qualified 3rd in 1:53.97 – she has been two seconds better.

The top seven qualifiers in prelims are all from Stanford or NC State.

MEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:39.13
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:40.92
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Leon MacAlister, Sr, Stanford – 1:41.09
  2. Hunter Tapp, Sr, NC State – 1:41.52
  3. JT Ewing, Fr, NC State – 1:42.43
  4. Owen McDonald, Fr, Arizona St – 1:42.88
  5. Jack Wadsworth, So, Arizona St – 1:43.39
  6. Aaron Sequeira, So, Stanford – 1:44.46
  7. Hayden Kwan, Fr, Stanford – 1:44.74
  8. Kyle Ponsler, Fr, NC State – 1:45.50

Stanford got another top seed on Saturday for finals when senior Leon MacAlister led the prelims field in the 200 back in 1:41.09. That put him half-a-second ahead of NC State senior Hunter Tapp (1:41.52).

MacAlister was both an NCAA Championship and US Nationals finalist in this event last season. While he has the better lifetime best (1:38.95), Tapp’s 1:39.30 isn’t far behind.

NC State freshman JT Ewing (1:42.43) just missed a best time in prelims, as did Arizona State freshman Owen McDonald (1:42.88). In total, a young A-final will have four freshmen and two sophomores; while most of them were right-at their lifetime bests, only Arizona State’s Jack Wadsworth actually hit one. The Ithaca College transfer swam 1:43.39, which lops seven-tenths of a second off his previous best time.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 47.18
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 48.44
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Torri Huske, So, Stanford – 47.96
  2. Katharine Berkoff, Sr, NC State – 48.50
  3. Lillie Nordmann, So, Stanford – 48.95
  4. Kylee Alons, Sr, NC State – 49.05
  5. Abbey Webb, Jr, NC State – 49.13
  6. Anna Shaw, So, Stanford – 49.14
  7. Morgan Tankersley, Sr, Stanford – 49.16
  8. Kayla Wilson, Fr, Stanford – 49.26

Another NC State v. Stanford battle royale was set up in this women’s 100 free, with the top 11 finishers all coming from one of those two schools. That was led by Olympian Torri Huske in 47.96, which is already faster than she was in prelims at this meet last year.

Katharine Berkoff handled the tough double nicely, qualifying 2nd in 48.50. She didn’t swim the 100 free mid-season last year, but a 48.00 relay leadoff was sort of the first sign that she had a future in this race in addition to her specialty backstroke events.

On aggregate of prelims swims, NC State adds up to a 3:16.21 and Stanford adds up to a 3:15.21, a full second faster – the 400 free relay will be raced in the finals session on Saturday. Both teams finished top four in this event at last year’s NCAA Championship meet. Both teams will also have non-100 freestylers to swap in, if they choose to: for NC State, that’s junior Abby Arens, and for Stanford, that’s freshman Claire Curzan. On paper, both swimmers make their relays better.

MEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 41.64
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 42.34
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Max McCusker, Sr, Arizona St – 42.44
  2. Grant House, R-Sr, Arizona St – 42.60
  3. Jack Dolan, Sr, Arizona St – 42.64
  4. Bartosz Piszczorowicz, Sr, NC State – 42.84
  5. Luke Maurer, Jr, Stanford – 42.91
  6. Victor Baganha, So, Penn State – 42.96
  7. Patrick Sammon, So, Arizona St – 43.04
  8. Jonny Kulow, Fr, Arizona St – 43.05

After youth stole the show early in this session, the veterans retook control in the men’s 100 free. The top four seeds out of prelims were all seniors, led by a 1-2-3 from Arizona State.

This meet features two of the top five teams in the 400 free relay from last year’s NCAA Championships: the Sun Devils were 2nd and the Wolfpack were 5th. Both teams return most of those swimmers this year, but if Arizona State is able to 1-2-3 this race in finals, that will be a huge momentum lift for them as they look to move up into the top 4 at NCAAs this year.

Max McCusker (42.44), Grant House (42.60), and Jack Dolan (42.64) occupied the top three slots, while NC State’s lone A finalist Bartosz Piszczorowicz qualified 4th in 42.84.

Of note, 50 free winner David Curtiss qualified 9th and into the “B” final in 43.10.

Victor Baganha gave the Penn State men a fifth individual finals swim this week by qualifying through in this 100 free. Expect more evening swims for the Nittany Lions later in the session in the 200 beast: they had three in the A-final of the 100 breast alone.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 2:06.18
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 2:09.15
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Andrea Podmanikova, Sr, NC State – 2:09.19
  2. Sarah Foley, Jr, Duke – 2:10.63
  3. Kaelyn Gridley, Fr, Duke – 2:11.33
  4. Sam Tadder, So, Stanford – 2:12.46
  5. Aurelie Migault, Jr, Army – 2:12.84
  6. Emma Gehlert, So, Arizona St – 2:12.90
  7. Heather MacCausland, Sr, NC State – 2:12.99
  8. Aubree Brouwer, Fr, NC State – 2:13.14

It was a measured preliminary round of the women’s 200 breaststroke, led by NC State senior Andrea Podmanikova in 2:09.19 and Duke junior Sarah Foley in 2:10.63. Both All-Americans, the pair each have personal bests of 2:05, but without much fire in this event, they both chose to keep their powder dry for finals.

Kaelyn Gridley, the next-best swimmer coming into the event at 2:08, was 3rd in prelims in 2:11.33.

Aurelie Migault of Army earner her second A-finals appearance of the meet. After finishing 8th in the 100 breast, she qualified through in 5th place in this 200 breast in 2:12.84 – a best time by more than two seconds. She is the only Army woman to qualify for an A-final so far this week. That time is also faster than the winning time from last season’s Patriot League Championships.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:51.54
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:53.23
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Dan Raisanen, Sr, Penn State – 1:55.36
  2. Cale Martter, Fr, Arizona St – 1:55.77
  3. Mariano Lazzerini, Fr, Penn State – 1:55.90
  4. David Schlicht, Sr, Arizona St – 1;55.95
  5. Zhier Fan, Fr, Stanford – 1:56.41
  6. Ethan Dang, Jr, Stanford – 1:57.05
  7. Evan Yoo, So, Army – 1:57.32
  8. Ethan Hansen, So, Arizona St – 1:57.49

The Penn State men’s breaststroke crew is on fire this week, After going 2-4-8 in the 100, they took the 1st and 3rd qualification slots in the 200 on Saturday. That was led by senior Dan Raisanen, the top qualifier, in 1:55.36. He was an NCAA qualifier last year, where he swam 1:53 to finish 27th overall.

The Swede is joined by his freshman teammate Mariano Lazzerini of Chile in the A-final. Lazzerini qualified 3rrd in 1:55.77.

They sandwiched Arizona State freshman Cale Martter, who was 2nd in 1:55.77. The freshmen roared back in this race, with three of the top five qualifiers being collegiate rookies. That includes National Teamer Zhier Fan, who has the fastest personal best of anyone in this field, qualifying 5th in 1:56.41 (he has been 1:52).

Leon Marchand, the top seed entering the race, scratched prelims of this event to focus on the 200 fly. He is the defending NCAA Champion in the 200 breaststroke.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:52.86
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:56.14
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Charlotte Hook, Fr, Stanford – 1:54.62
  2. Lindsay Looney, Jr, Arizona St – 1:55.22
  3. Abby Arens, Jr, NC State – 1:56.27
  4. Lucy Bell, Fr, Stanford – 1:56.61
  5. Mia Leko, Gr, Duke – 1:57.41
  6. Catherine Purnell, Jr, Duke – 1:57.44
  7. Jade Foelske, Sr, Arizona St – 1:57.50
  8. Grace Sheble, So, NC State – 1:57.94

Charlotte Hook, a former US National Team member and current Junior National Team member in the 200 fly, led the prelims heats with a collegiate-best of 1:54.62. She is one of two Stanford freshmen, along with Lucy Bell, who will swim in the A-final.

Bell came to Stanford with a lot of talent in a lot of events, but so far she’s been focusing on the butterfly and IM events in her young Stanford career.

This 200 fly will be one of the most diverse finals of the evening session, with four different schools qualifying two swimmers each: Stanford, Duke, Arizona State, and NC State.

MEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA ‘A’ Standard – 1:40.20
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time – 1:42.42
• Top 8 Qualifiers:
  1. Leon Marchand, So, Arizona St – 1:42.33
  2. Alexander Colson, Sr, Arizona St – 1:42.87
  3. Andrew Gray, Sr, Arizona St – 1:43.89
  4. Aiden Hayes, So, NC State – 1:44.01
  5. Matt Fenlon, So, Stanford – 1:44.26
  6. (TIE) Luke Miller, Jr, NC State/Jonny Affeld, Jr, Stanford – 1:44.82
  8. Noah Bowers, Sr, NC State – 1:44.84

Arizona State’s rising superstar Leon Marchand scratched the 200 breaststroke, an event where he’s the defending NCAA Champion, to focus on this 200 fly instead. That might be giving us a hint as to where the versatile Frenchman might be leaning for March’s NCAA Championships. He did swim the 200 fly mid-season last year, though, so we can’t read too far into the choice.

From a team perspective, that puts him at the top of a loaded Arizona State 200 fly group that includes First Team All-American Alexander Colson and mid-season addition Huberto Kos from Hungary.

The Sun Devils took the top three qualification slots on Saturday, led by Marchand in 1:42.33 and Colson in 1:42.87. Andrew Gray was 3rd in prelims in 1:43.89 before NC State’s Aiden Hayes broke the run with a 1:44.01 for 3rd.

There are several guys in that field, including the ACC 3rd-place finisher from last season Hayes, who would like to contend for an NCAA title in this event. The NCAA champion Brendan Burns is the only of the top 5 finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships who returns this season.