2023 NCSA Spring Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2023 NCSA SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 14-18, 2023
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, FL
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2023 NCSA Spring Swimming Championships”
• Live Stream
• Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

The fourth night of racing at the 2023 NCSA Spring Championships in Orlando will feature the finals of the 500 free, 100 fly, 200 breast, and the fastest three heats of the 400 freestyle relay for both girls and boys.

Long Island Aquatic Club’s Cavan Gormsen and NOVA of Virginia’s Nathan Szobota headline the 500 free. Gormsen comes in tonight over five seconds ahead of the field,  but is still well off her own personal best. Szobata, who became the fastest 15-year-old in history in the 1000 earlier this weekend, clocked a personal best time in the 500 this morning to lead a tight field this evening.

Scotty Buff held on to his top seed this morning in the 100 fly. Buff is the defending champion and meet record holder in the event, and will look to capture his 3rd individual victory of the weekend. In the girls’ event, Levenia Sim posted the quickest time of the morning. She’ll take on Elmbrook’s Campbell Stoll, who owns the fastest PB of the field at 51.85.

15-year-old Elle Scott leads the girls’ 200 breaststroke out of prelims with the 2nd-fastest swim of her career at 2:11.01. Lucy Thomas swam the next best time this morning and will eye the breaststroke sweep, as she’s already won the 50 and 100 breast this weekend. Nate Germonprez will also go for the breaststroke sweep, but enters the 200 tonight as the 4th seed. Aquajets’ Charlie Egeland threw down a best time of 1:57.07 this morning and will swim in lane 4 tonight.

GIRLS’ 500 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 4:38.69, Becca Mann – 2013

PODIUM:

1. Cavan Gormsen (LIAC) – 4:36.34 (CR)
2. Lilla Bognar (TG) – 4:45.39
3. Lainey Mullins (SSC) – 4:45.51

Cavan Gormsen put on an absolutely dominating performance this evening to break Becca Mann’s 10-year-old NCSA record and clear the field by over 11 seconds. Gormsen, who will head to Virginia in the fall, clocked a 4:36.34 to knock over a second off her own personal best time from last year. Gormsen’s time now ranks #15 all-time for the 17-18 age-group.

Notably, Gormsen’s time would been 1st at the Division I NCAA Championships last night by three tenths of a second.

There was a tight battle behind Gormsen, as Lilla Bognar from Team Greemville narrowly edged Lainey Mullins from the Subarban Seahawks for 2nd. Bognar maintained the advantage she built throughout the race, and stopped the clock at 4:45.39 for a best time by over three seconds. Mullins also dipped below her own best time.

15-year-old Lilly Gault Abdella had a strong swim to finish 5th at 4:47.93. Abdella dropped over two seconds in prelims to move from 23rd to 6th, and took an additional 3 seconds off tonight.

BOYS’ 500 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 4:16.43, Matthew Hirschberger – 2015

PODIUM:

1. Nathan Szobota (NOVA) – 4:18.38
2. Sean Green (LIAC) – 4:20.41
3. Elliot Weisel (RCKT) – 4:21.67

After dropping over two seconds this morning, NOVA of Virginia’s Nathan Szobota knocked off another second and a half to become the fastest 15-year-old ever in the event. Szobota nearly even-split his race, with his first 250 being 2:09.18 and his back 250 coming in at 2:09.20.

This is the second event this weekend that Szobota has made history in, as he clocked an 8:50.44 in the 1000 earlier in the meet to top the rankings in that event as well.

Fellow 15-year-old Sean Green also dropped more time this evening to finish 2nd with a 4:20.41. Green’s time ranks 6th all-time for 15-year-olds, putting him behind Szobota, Trey Freeman (4:18.82), Norvin Clontz (4:19.43) and Maximus Williamson (4:19.82) and Steven Manley (4:20.37).

GIRLS’ 100 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 52.00, Janet Hu – 2014

PODIUM:

1. Campbell Stoll (EBSC) – 51.65 (CR)
2. Levenia Sim (TNT) – 51.69
3. Caroline Larson (FOXJ) – 52.22

Elmbrook’s Campbell Stoll cracked Janet Hu‘s NCSA meet record from 2014 with a personal best time of 51.65. Stoll’s previous best stood at 51.85, which she set this past November at the Wisconsin High School State Championships.

Just 0.04 behind Stoll was TNT’s Levenia Sim, who also stopped the clock in a PB. Sim held a two-tenth advantage over Stoll at the 50 mark, but was out-touched as they came to the wall.

Caroline Larsen secured bronze in a personal best time by about a second to touch at 52.22. Aspen Gersper also dropped over a second on the day as the finished 6th with a 52.93.

BOYS’ 100 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 45.40, Scotty Buff – 2022

PODIUM:

1. Scotty Buff (GTAC) – 45.03
2. Jack Madoch (VAST) – 46.80
3. Chase Swearingen (NAAC) – 47.07

Scotty Buff successfully defended his NCSA title in a new meet record time of 45.03. This swim was not a PB for Buff, as he’s been as fast as 44.87 in December.

Jack Madoch, who will be headed to Wisconsin this fall, dropped nearly a second from his personal best time to take 2nd at 46.80. Madoch’s previous best stood at 47.55 which he set just a few weeks ago.

Chase Swearingen got his hand on the wall 3rd at 47.07. The heat bunched up behind Swearingen, with the next five swimmers touching within less than a second of each other, all clocking in under 48 seconds.

GIRLS’ 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 2:08.30, Kaelyn Gridley – 2022

PODIUM:

1. Campbell Stoll (EBSC) – 2:08.23 (CR)
2. Elle Scott (NOVA) – 2:10.54
3. Grace Rabb (AQJT) – 2:11.06

Texas recruit Campbell Stoll captured her 2nd victory and 2nd meet record of the night in the 200 breaststroke. This morning, Stoll lowered her personal best time in this event for the first time in two years, and knocked another 3 seconds off tonight.

15-year-old Elle Scott finished just over two seconds back at 2:10.54. She was about half a second quicker than this morning, but still off her PB of 2:10.04 from last month.

Grace Rabb and Caroline Kramer both dropped over two seconds on the day. Rabb finished 3rd at 2:11.06, while Kramer took 6th at 2:13.18.

Lucy Thomas was notably absent from tonight’s final after qualifying in 2nd this morning.

BOYS’ 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• NCSA Meet Record: 1:52.21, Andrew Seliskar – 2014

PODIUM:

1. Charlie Egeland (AQJT) – 1:55.21
2. Toby Barnett (RMSC) – 1:55.86
3. Jed Garner (RMSC) – 1:56.96

Charlie Egeland, who will head to Yale in the fall, threw down a big best time of 1:55.21 to finish 1st. Egeland dropped more than a second this morning, and took off nearly two more tonight. He established his lead early on with the quickest opening split of the heat at 55.17.

Rockville Montgomery swept the next two spots with Toby Barnett and Jed Garner. Barnett, who won the 400 IM earlier in the meet, shaved about nearly a tenth off his PB to finish 2nd, while Garner was just shy his own to touch 3rd.

Rounding out the top-8 was Carson Ricker, who took over three seconds off his personal best time throughout the day to end at 2:00.08. Ricker was seeded 29th heading into the meet.

GIRLS’ 400 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

• NCSA Meet Record: 3:17.35, Elmbrook Swim Club – 2022

1. Elmbrook – 3:17.34
2. Nation’s Capital – 3:21.38
3. Academy Bullets – 3:22.11

Elmbrook’s team of Campbell Stoll (49.76), Maggie Wanezek (48.49), Audrey Olen (49.74), and Reese Tiltmann (49.35) combined for a 3:17.34 to shave a hundredth off their meet record from last year. They won decisively, topping the field by over 4 seconds.

Nation’s Capital grabbed 2nd at 3:21.38. Camille Spink got the team off to a quick start with the fastest split of the field at 48.12 on the lead-off.

BOYS’ 400 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

• NCSA Meet Record: 2:56.34, New Albany Aquatic Club – 2022

PODIUM:

1. New Albany – 2:57.56
2. Nation’s Capital – 2:58.69
3. Aquajets – 2:59.35

New Albany’s quartet of Tuckor Lambert (45.51), Chase Swearingen (44.43), Josh Smith (45.48), and Hudson Williams (42.14) capped the night off with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay. They got beat 2nd-place Nation’s Capital by over a second with a final time of 2:57.56.

Williams, an NC State recruit had the fastest split of the field by far. Jack Madoch also cracked 43-seconds as the anchor Verona’s 13th-place relay (42.81).