2024 NCSA Spring Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 NCSA SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 19-23, 2024
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, Florida
• Short Course Yards Prelims (25 yards)/Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Live Stream
• Meet Central
• Live Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 NCSA Spring Swimming Championships”

**Tonight’s finals will be contested in long course after this morning’s SCY prelims session**

The second night of the 2024 NCSA Spring Championships looks to be a fast one, with the girls 200 freestyle, boys 400 IM, girls 100 breaststroke, boys 100 breaststroke, girls 200 butterfly, boys 100 backstroke, girls 200 freestyle relay, and boys 800 freestyle relay on the docket.

Timed finals for relays are being contested in the short course pool, and since finals are held in long course, those swims take place in the morning session only. You can read about those results in our prelims recap.

Note about the meet records: NCSA doesn’t apply its summer meet records, where racing is always long course, to the long course events at this spring meet. That means most of the long course meet records are from 2016, as the 2021 pre-Olympic meet was held entirely in yards.

GIRLS 200 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 1:43.00, Simone Manuel — 2014
• LCM Meet Record: 1:59.32, Katie Drabot — 2016

Podium: 

1. Rylee Erisman (LAKR) – 2:00.19
2. Marie Landreneau (COLA) – 2:01.61
3. Andrea Dworak (RMSC) – 2:02.11

After posting the swiftest 200-yard freestyle prelim time (1:46.32), 14-year-old Rylee Erisman snagged the finals win in the long course pool. She put her hand on the wall in 2:00.19, a new best time by 0.08. Her time also undercuts the Olympic Trials standard of 2:00.89, but she already achieved that marker earlier this season. Erisman split the race similarly to her old best time, but roared home in a sub-30 effort on the final 50 tonight.

Splits Comparison:

Erisman became the fastest 15-year-old American since 2009 during Tuesday’s 100 free final (55.09). She is entered to compete in the 100 back, 100 fly, 50 free, and 400 free later in the competition. 

18-year-old Marie Landreneau from City of Lafayette Aquatics was the only other competitor to swim under 2:02, as she touched the wall in 2:01.61 for runner-up status. The Georgia commit held a previous lifetime best of 2:02.25, so she’s inching closer to the 2:00.89 Olympic Trials cut.

Rockville Montgomery’s Andrea Dworak, 17, finished in 2:02.11 for 3rd. Dworak, who has committed to swim with the Wisconsin Badgers, dipped under her previous best time of 2:02.66.

BOYS 400 IM – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 3:43.28, Toby Barnett – 2023
• LCM Meet Record: 4:19.93, Charlie Swanson — 2016

Podium: 

1. Sean Green (LIAC) – 4:18.81 *Meet Record*
2. Ryan Erisman (LAKR) – 4:19.35
3. William Savarese (COR) – 4:22.74

A fun battle unfolded during tonight’s 400 IM final, where Sean Green and Ryan Erisman fought to the very end. Erisman used a strong butterfly leg to take the early lead, before Green increased the tempo on backstroke to take a slight advantage. They split about even on the breaststroke, but Erisman regained the lead by a slight margin.

Over the final 100, 16-year-old Green sprinted home in 57.47, overtaking Erisman at the touch in 4:18.81. Green just missed his lifetime-best 4:18.62, which he recorded back in August. Erisman recorded the first sub-4:20 swim of his career at 4:19.35, demolishing his previous time of 4:22.12. Erisman has committed to swim at Cal in the class of 2025.

Of note, the time by Green is a new meet record, overtaking Charlie Swanson‘s 2016 time of 4:19.93.

Splits Comparison:

Behind the exceptional performances from both Green and Erisman, William Savarese (4:22.74) and Evan Mackesy (4:25.10) both checked-in under the Olympic Trials cut of 4:25.19.

Savarese’s previous best time was from last July, where he just missed the Trials cut with a time of 4:25.37. Mackesy owned a lifetime best of 4:27.25 before today, so he dropped over two full seconds to slide under the Trials cut by 0.09.

GIRLS 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 58.65, Lucy Thomas – 2023
• LCM Meet Record: 1:09.25, Margaret Aroesty — 2016

Podium: 

1. Elizabeth Nawrocki (ACAD) – 1:09.33
2. Grace Koenig-Song (WILD) – 1:09.97
3. Chloe Diner (ACAD) – 1:10.67

Illinois was well represented in the girls 100 breast, as they swept the top three spots. 16-year-old Elizabeth Nawrocki of Academy Bullets led the way, finishing in 1:09.33 to secure victory. She missed her personal best by just 0.06, which she recorded last July (1:09.27) at the NCSA Summer Championships.

Her 18-year-old teammate, Chloe Diner, clocked-in at 1:10.67 to collect bronze. Diner’s swim is her first ever sub-1:11 performance, but narrowly misses the Olympic Trials cut of 1:10.29. She is committed to swim at the University of Illinois, where she will join the team in the fall of 2024.

Grace Koenig-Song, only 13-years-old, finished between the two ACAD teammates. Koenig-Song broke the elusive 1:10-barrier for the first time in her young career, finishing in a final time of 1:09.97. She opened in 32.93 before closing in 37.04, eclipsing her previous best time of 1:10.53 from July and qualifying for Olympic Trials in the process.

BOYS 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 51.78, Andrew Seliskar – 2015
• LCM Meet Record: 1:01.01, Michael Andrew — 2016

Podium: 

1. Joshua Bey (HHSC) – 1:01.45
2. Jake Wang (SSC) – 1:01.90
3. Jeffrey Hou (FMC) – 1:02.20

Indiana commit Joshua Bey smashed his lifetime best en route to gold tonight, hitting the wall in 1:01.45. His former best time was 1:02.42, which he put on the books just two weeks ago at the Westmont Pro Swim Series.

18-year-old Jake Wang, who will join Yale in the fall, posted a new best time to garner silver. He stopped the clock in 1:01.90, clipping his previous best time of 1:02.35 to qualify for Olympic Trials. Wang represents the Suburban Seahawks Club.

Jeffrey Hou of FMC Aquatics was 3rd tonight, recording a time of 1:02.20. It was a huge best time for the Penn commit, who owned a previous best of 1:04.54 prior to today. He just missed the Olympic Trials cut by 0.01, as the mark stands at 1:02.19.

Bey and Hou both represent the same high school team in Illinois, Hinsdale Central, where they helped the team secure their 2nd-striaght IHSA state title on February 24th.

GIRLS 200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 1:52.88, Tess Howley – 2022
• LCM Meet Record: 2:10.89, Taylor Pike — 2016

Podium: 

1. Lilla Bognar (TG) – 2:13.85
2. Lainey Mullins (UN) – 2:14.93
3. Maria Webb (RMSC) – 2:15.44

17-year-old Lilla Bognar, who represented Team USA at the recent Doha World Championships, hit the wall in a new best time of 2:13.85 to win the 200 fly. Her previous lifetime standard stood at 2:14.21, which she put up on the board back in July. Bognar narrowly missed the Olympic Trials cut of 2:13.69, but she is qualified in a variety of other events.

Bognar was 9th in the 400 IM and 10th in the 200 back at the World Championships last month, and was 4th in the 400 IM at World Juniors back in September. She is committed to swim at the University of Florida starting in the fall of 2025.

Lainey Mullins punched an effort of 2:14.93, securing 2nd place in tonight’s final. The 18-year-old was consistent through the entire race, opening in 31.08 before posting splits of 34.42, 34.51, and 34.92 on the final three 50s. The UVA freshman has been as quick as 2:10.99 in this race.

16-year-old Maria Webb rounded out the podium in 2:15.44, beating her previous best time of 2:17.05 in the process. Webb will feature in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 100 fly later this week.

BOYS 100 BACKSTROKE – FINALS

• SCY Meet Record: 45.60, Anthony Grimm – 2019
• LCM Meet Record: 56.43, Dean Farris — 2016

Podium: 

1. Martin Perecinsky (LIAC) – 56.00 *Meet Record*
2. JT Schmid (NCAP) – 56.05
3. Kyle Peck (RAYS-VA) – 56.23

Long Island Aquatic Club’s Martin Perecinsky was victorious in the boys 100 back, sprinting to the wall in 56.00. It was a close race with NCAP’s JT Schmid the whole way, as the pair touched just 0.05 apart at the finish. Schmid was out faster through the first 50 (26.97), but Perecinsky kicked home in 28.70 to clip him at the finish.

Both Perecinsky and Schmid lowered their personal records by a few tenths.

Texas commit Kyle Peck, who rocketed to a 45.68 this morning in the 100-yard back, touched 3rd at 56.23. The swim marks a new best time for Peck, meaning he clocked a best time in both yards and meters on the same day.

The top three swimmers all broke Dean Farris’ meet record of 56.43 from 2016, but only Perecinsky will get credit.

Team Scores After Day 2

Top 5 Combined Teams:

1. NCAP – 1,172
2. Nova of Virginia – 786
3. Academy Bullets Swim Club – 711
4. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 709
5. Aquajets Swim Team – 674

Top 5 Boys’ Teams:

1. NCAP – 725
2. Nova of Virginia – 494
3. FMC Aquatic – 484
4. Long Island Aquatic Club – 434
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 409

Top 5 Girls’ Teams:

1. Academy Bullets Swim Club – 638
2. NCAP – 447
3. NASA Wildcat Aquatics – 370
4. Aquajets Swim Team – 339
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 300