2021 Minnesota Invite: Day 1 Finals Live Recap (Relays)

2021 MINNESOTA INVITE

• Wednesday, December 1 – Saturday, December 4, 2021
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Prelims – 10 AM / Finals – 6 PM (CST)
• SCY (25y)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Results also on Meet Mobile as “Minnesota Invite 2021”
• Live Stream (fee)

The first round of NCAA midseason invites two weeks ago featured most of the top teams in the country, but we’ve got one more big invite this week. The Minnesota Invite, which kicks off tonight, includes not only the host Minnesota, but also Cal, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Harvard, meaning that swim fans should be in for some great swims this week.

Tonight’s action will include timed finals of the 200 medley and 800 free relays. Michigan has shown some early speed already this season, but Cal and Texas are always dangerous. Tonight we’ll also see Harvard’s Dean Farris in his first college taper meet since his stupendous 2019 NCAA Championships.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA A Cut: 1:36.40
• NCAA B Cut: 1:37.05

1. Texas – 1:34.26
2. Michigan – 1:34.91
3. Cal – 1:34.93

In the final heat, Maggie MacNeil got Michigan off to a scorching start, as she led off in 23.06, one of the fastest times ever. Texas got a 24.06 leadoff from Julia Cook, but Texas quickly closed the gap as Anna Elendt split 26.04 to Letitia Sim‘s 26.83. The Longhorns then took control when Olivia Bray hit a 22.17 fly split, putting her in the top ten all time, then Bridget Semenuk brought it home in 21.99 for a total time of 1:34.26.

That moves the Texas women to #2 in this event this season, behind only Virginia’s 1:34.16.

According to the results, Michigan got splits of 23.48 from Olivia Carter on the fly leg and 21.54 from Lindsay Flynn on the anchor, touching 2nd in 1:34.91. The Wolverines are now #4 in the nation this season.

Cal’s quartet of Isabelle Stadden (23.80), Ema Rajic (26.88), Izzy Ivey (22.70) and Elise Garcia (21.55), finished just behind Michigan, at 1:34.93, putting the Bears at #5 in the NCAA this season.

All told, those teams now how three of the fastest times in the NCAA this season. No other teams tonight finished under either NCAA standard.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA A Cut: 1:24.22
• NCAA B Cut: 1:24.83

1. Texas B – 1:23.33
2. Texas A – 1:23.35
3. Michigan – 1:23.47

Well, you don’t see a top-notch team’s ‘B’ relay beat its ‘A’ relay at a meet like this too often. And you definitely don’t see one school throw down the fastest two times in the nation this season at this point on the calendar. But…it happened.

The Longhorns’ B relay got the pool rocking with a 1:23.33 in the second heat. Cameron Auchinachie led off in 20.63, exploding off the wall at the turn. Charlie Scheinfeld split 23.57 on breast, Zach Van Zandt went 20.17 on fly, and Drew Kibler anchored in 18.96.

Next came the Longhorns’ A relay. Freshman Anthony Grimm also went sub-21 on back, leading off in 20.98. Caspar Corbeau split 23.31 on breast, Alvin Jiang went 20.28 on fly (on a 0.37s RT), and Daniel Krueger anchored in 18.78, combining for a 1:23.35.

Obviously the Texas A relay won their heat, but it wasn’t an easy victory, as Michigan battled the whole way. Wyatt Davis led off in 21.24, Will Chan split 23.20 on breast, Gal Cohen Groumi split 20.21 on fly, and Cam Peel anchored in 18.82, a combined 1:23.47.

Michigan now sits behind just Texas, Alabama, and NC State in this event this season.

The Cal quartet of Daniel Carr (21.38), Liam Bell (23.29), Robin Hanson (21.04) and Bjorn Seeliger (18.57) combined for a time of 1:24.28, just shy of the NCAA A standard of 1:24.22. However, the Cal ‘B’ had a slightly faster front half thanks to a 21.28 leadoff from Destin Lasco and a 23.25 breast leg from Reece Whitley.

Feel free to double check the math, but it looks like Texas’ best splits add up to 1:22.89, while Cal’s best splits sum up to 1:23.31.

Harvard got under the NCAA ‘B’ cut with a time of 1:24.39.

Further down the results, Minnesota’s Max McHugh continued doing what he does, rocking a 22.58 split on the breaststroke leg that ranks among the fastest few splits ever. McHugh went 22.40  at last season’s Big Ten Championships.

Women’s 800 Free Relay

• NCAA A Cut: 7:00.86
• NCAA B Cut: 7:05.88

1. Texas – 6:56.94
2. Cal – 6:59.71
3. Wisconsin – 7:02.16

The Longhorn women put together another strong showing, as they combined for the fastest time in the country this season. Kelly Pash led off in 1:43.83, Kyla Leibel went 1:44.78, Olivia Bray split 1:43.79, and Julia Cook anchored in 1:44.54. That total time of 6:56.94 is just a hair faster than the 6:56.99 Stanford put tougher two weeks ago at the NC State Invite.

Cal came in 2nd with a time of 6:59.71, meaning that they join Texas and Stanford as the only teams under 7:00 this season. The Golden Bear women were pretty consistent, as three of the four split 1:45-something. Ayla Spitz led off in 1:45.50, Robin Neumann followed in 1:45.16, Izzy Ivey cranked out a 1:43.16, then Alicia Wilson anchored in 1:45.89.

Both of those teams were under the NCAA A standard, while Wisconsin (7:02.16) and Michigan (7:03.97) were both under the B cut.

Men’s 800 Free Relay

• NCAA A Cut: 6:16.80
• NCAA B Cut: 6:21.32

1. Texas A – 6:10.14
2. Michigan – 6:11.02
3. Texas B – 6:11.72

Texas again ended up with two separate relay squads in the top three.

The Longhorns’ ‘B’ relay dominated the first heat. After hitting a lifetime best leading off the 200 medley relay earlier this evening, Cameron Auchinachie clocked another with a 1:33.70 leadoff. Freshman Luke Hobson then threw down a casual 1:31.34. His lifetime best in the 200 free is a 1:34.24, so he should be in line for a big drop in that event on Friday. Breaststroker Caspar Corbeau followed that with a 1:32.30, while the guy who you might expect to have the fastest split in this bunch, Olympic Trials finalist David Johnston, closed in 1:34.38. All told, that’s a 6:11.72, which would’ve been good for 5th at NCAAs.

In the next heat, the Texas A relay once again ended up with a battle on their hands, as Michigan had a great swim. Patrick Callan actually put Michigan in the lead after the first leg, out dueling Drew Kibler 1:32.96 to 1:33.25. Jake Mitchell, like Callan a member of the US Olympic Team, kept Michigan in the lead by matching Coby Carrozza‘s 1:32.17 split. Peter Larson regained the lead for the Longhorns with a 1:32.92 split to Wyatt Davis‘ 1:33.67, then Carson Foster brought it home for Texas in 1:31.80 to Gal Cohen Groumi‘s 1:32.22, as Texas won 6:10.14 to 6:11.02.

Arizona just missed the NCAA ‘A’ cut, going 6:16.93 thanks to a pair of 1:33s from Daniel Namir and Brooks Fail. Cal got under the ‘B’ cut with a 6:19.05; freshman Gabriel Jett had the best swim for Cal with a 1:33.84 leadoff.