Abrahm Devine has Transformed as a Swimmer (Video)

^{Reported by Jared Anderson.}

400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – FINALS

• NCAA record: Chase Kalisz, 3:33.42, 2017
• American record: Chase Kalisz, 3:33.42, 2017
• U.S. Open record: Chase Kalisz, 3:33.42, 2017
• 2017 NCAA Champion: Chase Kalisz (Georgia)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Abrahm Devine, Stanford – 3:35.29
2. Nick Thorne, Arizona – 3:38.58
3. Andrew Seliskar, Cal – 3:38.73
4. Brandonn Almeida, South Carolina – 3:39.38
5. Jay Litherland, Georgia – 3:39.57
6. Charlie Swanson, Michigan – 3:39.93
7. Jonathan Roberts, Texas – 3:40.30
8. Gunnar Bentz, Georgia – 42.95

The 400 IM A final was a very tactical race – the top two seeds in the middle of the pool went out hard, but perhaps a little bit too hard. Stanford’s Abrahm Devine made his move at the right moment, blasting to the front of the pack during the breaststroke leg and surging home with a killer instinct on free. His 3:35.29 ultimately obliterated the field by three seconds.

Arizona’s Nick Thorne roared in for second at 3:38.56, cutting almost a second from this morning. Andrew Seliskar was the top seed. He went out very aggressive and seemed to be making a move on breaststroke, but ran out of gas badly on free and faded to just 3:38.73, eight tenths off his morning swim. Same goes for Texas’s Jonathan Roberts, who was leading the way early but faded all the way to 7th by the end in 3:40.30.

South Carolina’s monster Brazilian import Brandonn Almeida came through late, surging to fourth. Behind him was Georgia’s Jay Litherland, who moved from 7th to 5th over the course of his legendary crushing free leg. His teammate Gunnar Bentz was 8th, with Michigan’s Charlie Swanson in between them.

Cal’s Mike Thomas came out with a gutsy swim in the B final, leading through fly and back before yielding the lead to Florida’s Mark Szaranek in the breaststroke. Szaranek ultimately won in 3:37.64, but Thomas moved up to 3:37.75 – both guys moved up by big margins to help their teams in the points battle. NC State’s Anton Ipsen was third in that heat as the title-contending teams really showed up to swim in the night’s opening event.

In a crazy-fast event, the 10th and 11th place finishers in the B final went faster than any swimmer in either final did in prelims, and would have been second and third in the A final.