2022 Thomas Murphy Invitational
- October 28-30, 2022
- Loyola Fitness and Aquatic Center, University of Loyola, Baltimore, Maryland
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals, four-time invite
- Full Meet Results
- Final Team Scores:
- Women: 1. Loyola 1524, 2. Towson 1466, 3. Johns Hopkins 624
- Men: 1. Loyola 1519, 2. Towson 1315, 3. Johns Hopkins 1115
Loyola hosted in-state rivals Towson and D3 Johns Hopkins in a four-team Maryland=heavy meet over the weekend. The event was scored as an invite and included prelims and finals of most individual races. Division II West Chester sent a small contingent of athletes to race one session on Saturday morning, but didn’t stick around on finals and so scored no points.
While the depth of the two Division-I opponents overwhelmed the team scoring, the top individual performer of the meet was Kristin Cornish of Johns Hopkins.
The sophomore and defending NCAA Champion in the 1650 free swam a 16:29.52 to win the women’s mile on Sunday. That time is four seconds better than the time with which she won the NCAA D3 title last season.
Her best time remains a 16:25 from her senior year of high school, and the NCAA D3 record is a 16:21.44 from Williams’ Sarah Thompson in 2015.
Cornish also picked up wins in the 500 free, with a 4:49.43 in finals, and the 200 free with a 1:50.42 in finals.
While most top D3 swimmers haven’t raced the mile yet, all three of Cornish’s swims are easily the best in the division so far this season. She is the only D3 swimmer to break 5 minutes in the 500 free this year (her teammate Meg Susil swam 5:00.56 this weekend to rank 2nd nationally). Johns Hopkins now has the top three times in the 200 free in D3 this year, along with Alex Watson (1:52.65) and Claire Han (1:52.66).
The Blue Jays were wearing technical racing suits for the meet, but sources close to the program say they were unrested for the event.
Lily Mead of Loyola had the best 200 free flat-start of the meet, splitting a new personal best time of 1:49.12 leading off the Greyhounds’ 800 free relay, but she didn’t swim that event individually. The time is a new school record, breaking Caitlin Cronin’s 2014 effort of 1:50.53. Mead now holds 8 individual school records at Loyola.
Mead did grab an individual win in the 400 IM in 4:26.56.
Besides Cornish, the only other swimmer to win three individual events at the meet was Towson’s Kathryn Nunez. She won the 50 free in a new personal best of 23.38, the 100 free in 50.99, and the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.90.
While the Loyola women won the meet, Towson had the most event victories with 12. As the host team, Loyola had many more entries than either Towson or Johns Hopkins, racking up a lot of points by filling out heats.
On the men’s side, however, Loyola took 12 out of 19 event wins. They were led by sophomore Henry Mueller, who won the 200 free (1:38.52), 500 free (4:29.54), and 200 back (1:46.68). He came within a second of the time that won him a Patriot League title in the 200 back last season as a freshman.
Johns Hopkins again acquitted themselves against their D1 opponents. Three-event NCAA A-finalist Kyle Wu won a triple this weekend: the 100 breast in 54.89, the 200 breast in 1:59.83, and the 200 IM in 1:50.51. His teammate Kellen Roddy put up a nation-leading time in the 500 free (4:30.94) to place 2nd and another to win the 1650 free (15:34.10).
A personal best and a victory in the 100 fly from Brian Benzing paced the Towson men. Last year’s CAA Champion in the 100 breast, Benzing is now the fastest in the CAA in the 100 fly this season by a second-and-a-half.
One note about Towson swimmer Brian Benzing. He was the CAA champion in the 100 yard breast stroke, not butterfly, last year. He also was a B finalist in the 100 yard breast stroke at the 2022 NCAA meet.
He’s been swimming a lot of fly and freestyle this season.
“Sources close to the program”? Are we in the NFL? Who is anonymously tipping off swimswam about hopkins tech suits LOL
“The Blue Jays were wearing technical racing suits for the meet, but sources close to the program say they were unrested for the event.”
Sources close to N. Sheldon™ say that SwimSwam should be banned from the internet for referring to tech suits as “technical racing suits.”
No one cares.
AHHAHAHAHA @Braden Keith how long have you been waiting for that one.
Well played.
We care. Thank you N. Sheldon!
This is the first time in 6 years that N. Sheldon has commented anything other than “No one cares” that’s why its funny.
Thank you for explaining the joke! Laughter will be shipped in 5-7 business days!
Mystery October tech suit meet from Hopkins
Uhhhhhhhh wrong picture
Rumor has it Taryn Wisner went 16:28 in practice
great swim.
I find it strange that they suit up for this meet at all given that they have another fall invitational in just a few weeks. I guess if you have the opportunity to do it and can afford the travel why not? Swimming in tech suits is more fun that not. Or is the idea that Cornish never has to taper again all year? She’s probably the only JHU swimmer safely under the invite line for NCAA after this meet. Maybe Roddy, also in the mile.
Can’t speak to the reason they suit up for this meet but JHU has always had an odd season schedule partially driven by their lack of a conference meet. They generally target mid season for NCAA cuts but go to last chance meets for their pre-NCAA meets. So with that in mind it makes a bit more sense to give people a few more suited swims in a potentially more hyped up environment than last chance meets.
it is crazy that they don’t have a proper conference meet. Can’t think of another D3 team like that. But It’s good to see them doing the Denison invitational this year and getting to race Denison and Emory in December, so at least they don’t have to wait until March to compete against the other good D3 teams.
It’s more likely than not that Cornish wasn’t tapered. Went home to her club team recently with stress fracture and foot in a boot. Also, didn’t swim all summer so not much to taper from. How she pulled out these races in October is beyond.
Cornish’s 500 time here just missed the winning time done at D3 nats this past year by current Denison sophomore Taryn Wisner by just under a second if both race the 5 again it should be a battle for the title next spring but Cornish is looking a lot better going into this year compared to last year.
Also no mention of Avery Clapp. At the moment he threw down the top times in the nation in the 1 and 2 fly 48.24 and 1:48.50. Looking really good starting off the season.