2025 Wolfpack Elite Invite: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2025 WOLFPACK ELITE INVITE

• November 20-22, 2025
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center — Greensboro, NC
• When: 9:30 am ET prelims/5:30 pm ET finals
• Participating Teams: NC State, Virginia Tech, Army, Duke, Arizona, Auburn, George Washington, BYU
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2025 NCSU Invite”
• Live Stream
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

The 2025 Wolfpack Elite Invitational continues this morning from the Greensboro Aquatic Center, with the 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle, and 50 freestyle on tap.

As a reminder, this meet follows the new NCAA event lineup, which is why today’s events may seem different from last year’s order.

Stay tuned for live updates below.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 48.10, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 52.65
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 51.68

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Leah Shackley (NCS) – 50.78
2. Ali Pfaff (DUKE) – 51.49
3. Kennedy Noble (NCS) – 51.87
4. Lora Komoroczy (AUB) – 51.94
5. Carmen Weiler Sastre (VT) – 52.52
6. Cassie Moses (NCS) – 52.90
7. Tierney Lenahan (DUKE) – 53.07
8. Teia Salvino (NCS) – 53.24

After cracking 51 seconds to win the 100 fly last night, NC State’s Leah Shackley continued her momentum on Day 3 in Greensboro, posting the quickest prelim time in the 100 back.

The Wolfpack sophomore touched in 50.78 to narrowly miss her season-best of 50.73, set earlier in the month at the Raleigh Rumble. Her best time remains the 50.06 she produced for sixth at the 2025 NCAA Championships.

Ali Pfaff of Duke notched 51.49 to claim the second-fastest time of the morning, clipping her season best by three one-hundredths. That puts the junior within striking distance of her 51.11 from last season’s ACC Championships, where she finished 7th.

Shackley’s senior teammate, Kennedy Noble, dipped under her season-best time by a few tenths, touching in 51.87 to claim the third seed.

Auburn sophomore Lora Komoroczy also cracked 52 with a time of 51.94, earning herself the fourth seed just shy of her 51.65 season-best from the Georgia Tech Dual Meet Tournament last month.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 43.20, Hubert Kos (Texas) – 2025
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 46.29
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 45.26

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Hudson Williams (NCS) – 44.65
2. Ivan Tarasov (AUB) – 45.65
3. Johnny Crush (ARMY) – 45.72
4. Sohib Khaled (AUB) – 45.80
5. Daniel Diehl (NCS) – 46.04
6. Aiden Hayes (NCS) – 46.08
7. Simon Bermudez (NCS) – 46.32
8. Samuel Empey (AUB) – 46.48

The men’s 100 back prelims were all about NC State and Auburn, as the two teams will comprise seven of the eight spots in tonight’s ‘A’ final.

NC State junior Hudson Williams broke 45 seconds for the first time in his career to claim the top seed, touching with a time of 44.65 to lead the rest of the field by a full second. His former personal best was 45.13, which he swam last month at the Georgia Tech Dual Meet Tournament.

Auburn freshman Ivan Tarasov swam 45.65 to advance 2nd, slicing over half a second off his entry time of 46.17.

Army sophomore Johnny Crush, the lone qualifier not from NC State or Auburn, touched in 45.72, just seven one-hundredths behind Tarasov. He was three tenths shy of his 45.41 season-best from a dual meet versus Penn State two weeks ago.

Crush has been as fast as 44.52 in this event, which he recorded at last season’s NCAA Championships prelims to make the ‘A’ final. If he can get near that time tonight, it will be a great race with Williams, but if he’s waiting for later in the season to show all his cards, then it may be Williams versus the clock.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 2:11.27
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 2:09.58

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Kaelyn Gridley (DUKE) – 2:08.33
2. Eneli Jefimova (NCS) – 2:09.85
3. Zoey Zeller (AUB) – 2:10.59
4. Lisa Nystrand (NCS) – 2:10.71
5. Olivia Dinehart (AUB) – 2:12.98
6. Audrey Crawford (AUB) – 2:13.08
7. Nichelly Brano Lysy (VT) – 2:13.39
8. Julie Rose (NCS) – 2:13.49

The women’s 200 breast prelims were a bit subdued, with just two women dipping under the 2:10 barrier. Duke senior Kaelyn Gridley led the way at 2:08.33, while NC State freshman Eneli Jefimova (2:09.85) and Auburn junior Abby Zeller (2:10.59) rounded out the top three qualifiers.

Gridley shattered her 2:09.96 season-best and will likely be attempting to get closer to her 2:04.94 best time once the final rolls around.

For the NC State freshman, it was only her fourth-ever time swimming this race in the short course yards pool, as the Estonian native has swum in short course meters and long course meters for most of her career. This morning’s swim was the slowest of her four swims; her best remains the 2:07.38 from last month’s Georgia Tech Dual Meet Tournament.

Zeller’s time this morning checks in as a new lifetime best, undercutting the 2:10.84 she produced to take 19th at the SEC Championships last February. This PB swim was foreshadowed last month when she logged 2:10.86 at the GT tournament.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:54.95
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:52.89

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Eli Martin (VT) – 1:54.35
2. Ian Stutts (NCS) – 1:55.14
3. Maston Ballew (AUB) – 1:55.29
4. Kalen Anbar (DUKE) – 1:56.49
5. Hudson Schuricht (NCS) – 1:56.54
6. Peter Etzold (BYU) – 1:56.85
7. Jack Smith (DUKE) – 1:57.11
8. Tavner Wisdom (ARIZ) – 1:57.14

Virginia Tech sophomore Eli Martin (1:54.35) was the only man to break 1:55 in the men’s 200 breast prelims, while NC State’s Ian Stutts (1:55.14) and Auburn’s Maston Ballew (1:55.29) were the only others to break 1:56.

Martin’s swim is his second time breaking 1:55 this season, and undercuts his personal best of 1:54.67 from the 2025 ACCs where he hit the wall 15th.

For the freshman duo of Stutts and Ballew, Stutts crushed his 1:56.60 PB from a club meet last March, while Ballew’s personal best remains the 1:54.98 he clocked at the GT tournament last month.

Though they were the only three under 1:56, slots #5-8 are closely bunched heading into the final as 65 hundredths separate the final four qualifiers.

WOMEN’S 500 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 4:24.06, Katie Ledecky (Stanford) – 2017
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 4:43.70
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 4:39.47

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Katherine Helms (NCS) – 4:45.77
2. Erika Pelaez (NCS) – 4:46.77
3. Ava Topolewski (GW) – 4:47.21
4. Sammie Hamilton (AUB) – 4:47.27
5. Maggie McGuire (AUB) – 4:48.12
6. Kate Anderson (VT) & Emma Hastings (NCS) – 4:48.41
7. N/A
8. Keelen Cotter (NCS) – 4:48.58

The NC State Wolfpack made their presence known in the women’s 500 free prelims, taking four of the top eight spots, including the top two qualifiers for the ‘A’ final.

Senior Katherine Helms led the way at 4:45.77, exactly one second ahead of her sophomore teammate Erika Pelaez. Helms has been on fire this year, having already gone a best time of 4:42.96 at the GT tournament, and that time may be in danger tonight.

Pelaez is not known to swim the 500 much, but she has taken it up this season, and whether that’s due to a shift in training focus or the new NCAA lineup remains to be seen. Her 4:46.77 checks in as her second fastest of the season and her third fastest ever, with her PB resting at the 4:42.21 she swam at the tournament last month.

George Washington senior Ava Topolewski rounded out the top three qualifiers at 4:47.21, slicing 12 hundredths off her season best from the GT tournament. Her best time in this event is 4:44.44, which she logged to take silver at the 2024 A-10 Championships.

MEN’S 500 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 4:02.31, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 4:18.07
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 4:14.13

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Lance Norris (NCS) – 4:16.12
2. Mikolaj Filipiak (NCS) – 4:16.23
3. Max Carlsen (NCS) – 4:16.47
4. Tanner Nelson (BYU) – 4:18.92
5. Daniel Krichevsky (AUB) – 4:19.27
6. Mack Schumann (AUB) – 4:19.90
7. Ben Butler (ARIZ) – 4:20.18
8. Abdalla Youssef Nasr (AUB) – 4:20.97

The NC State trio of Lance Norris (4:16.12), Mikolaj Filipiak (4:16.23), and Max Carlsen (4:16.47) posted the three fastest times of the men’s 500 prelims and go into the final separated by just 35 hundredths.

Norris, a senior, was just under a second shy of his 4:15.12 season best from the dual meet tournament, while Carlsen narrowly missed his 4:15.74 from the same competition. Filipiak, a Polish native, smashed his 4:19.04 PB in his second time swimming this race. He swam his first meet for NC State earlier this month at the Raleigh Rumble.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 20.37, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 22.28
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 22.01

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Lisa Klevanovich (AUB) – 21.91
2. Cassie Moses (NCS) – 21.95
3. Tatum Wall (DUKE) – 21.98
4. Riley Botton (ARIZ) – 22.06
5. Lily Christianson (NCS) – 22.14
6. Tyler Driscoll (NCS) – 22.22
7. Julia Wozniak (ARIZ) – 22.23
8. Lily King (NCS) – 22.38

Auburn sophomore Lisa Klevanovich recorded her fifth 21-point 50 free swim of the season to claim the middle lane in tonight’s final.

Klevanovich touched in 21.91, just shy of her personal-best 21.80 from the Lousiville, Auburn, Tennessee tri-meet in late October. The Russian native has been a tear this season as she entered with a best time of 22.25 from last season’s NCAAs.

NC State’s Cassie Moses broke 22 for the first time in her career, clocking 21.95 to land the second seed. She had been 22.02 on two occasions in her life, first in January of last year before tying the mark at the GT tournament last month.

Duke senior Tatum Wall, the defending champion, was the third-quickest this morning and the final woman under 22 at 21.98. She just missed her season best of 21.93, and given that her PB of 21.79 stems from this meet last year.

It took 22.38 to make the ‘A’ final in what so far has been one of the deeper events at the meet.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 17.63, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 19.43
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 19.02

Top 8 Qualifiers:

Results still unavailable