2023 Georgia Invite: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2023 GEORGIA INVITATIONAL

• November 16-18, 2023
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Prelims start at 9:30AM Eastern, Finals at 5:30 PM Eastern
• Participating teams: #3M/#6W Florida, #13M/#25W Auburn, #17M/#15W Michigan, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Wisconsin (diving)
• Live Stream Links (different per session)
• Meet Results (not updated as of 11/16 evening)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “UGA Fall Invitational 2023”

WOMEN’S 200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 1:31.73, Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, L. Cuomo, K. Douglass) (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:36.24

Top 8:

1. Florida ‘A’ (Sims, Mayne, Peoples, Ivey) — 1:34.18
2. FSU ‘A’ (Evans, Huggins, Halden, Muzito) — 1:36.53
3. Michigan ‘A’ (Chung, Kan, Kendall, Flynn) — 1:36.65
4. Auburn ‘A’ — 1:36.70
5. Auburn ‘C’ — 1:37.82
6. Georgia ‘A’ — 1:38.04
7. Auburn ‘B’ — 1:38.09
8. Florida ‘B’ — 1:38.68

Florida’s quartet of Bella Sims (23.92), Molly Mayne (26.66), Olivia Peoples (22.41), and Izzy Ivey (21.18) wasted no time getting things started this finals session. They posted a combined time of 1:34.18 for the win, easily clearing the NCAA ‘A’ cut and beating the rest of the field by over two seconds.

The time was a school record for the Gators, improving on the time they went last season at SECs by six-tenths (they were disqualified at NCAAs, but would have been in the 1:35 range). As we mentioned yesterday, improved relays are one of the reasons that the Florida women’s stock has risen so much over the last year and it was a major reason they won the SEC title for the first time since 2009 last season. 1:34.18 would have placed 5th at 2023 NCAAs, and what’s helping this relay make such quick strides isn’t just adding Sims and Ivey to the roster, but having Mayne and Peoples at their best as well.

Breakout breaststroker Maddy Huggins split 26.99, helping FSU hold off a charging Lindsay Flynn from Michigan and take 2nd in 1:36.53. Flynn split 21.23 on the anchor for the Wolverines, grabbing 3rd five-hundredths ahead of Auburn’s ‘A’ relay.

MEN’S 200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 1:20.67, NC State (K. Stokowski, M. Hunter, N. Korstanje, D. Curtiss) (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:23.71

Top 8:

1. Florida ‘A’ (Chaney, Savickas, Liendo, McDuff) — 1:23.02
2. FSU ‘A’ (Herbet, Baravelli, Schulrath, Varjasi) — 1:23.91
3. Florida ‘B’ (Marshall, Smith, Buff, Fullum-Hout) — 1:24.11
4. Michigan ‘A’ — 1:24.18
5. Georgia Tech ‘A’ — 1:25.03
6. FSU ‘B’ — 1:25.22
7. Auburn ‘B’ — 1:25.93
8. Georgia ‘C’ — 1:26.29

Like the women’s race, the Florida men ran away with this one and were the only team to get under the NCAA ‘A’ cut. After not swimming this morning, Chaney produced a 20.73 lead-off, followed by Aleksas Savickas splitting 23.85, Josh Liendo going 19.57, and Macguire McDuff bringing them home in 18.87.

Behind them, there were many disqualifications. Auburn’s ‘A’ relay was disqualified, as were both Georgia’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays.

It’s Florida State who comes away in 2nd, thanks to safe starts from Mason Herbet (20.95), Tommaso Baravelli (23.69), Tobias Schulrath (20.38), and Peter Varjasi (18.89). They joined the Gators under the 1:24-mark with a time of 1:23.11. Florida’s ‘B’ relay of Jonny Marshall (21.32), Julian Smith (23.33), Scotty Buff (20.33), and Ed Fullum-Hout (19.13) rounding out the podium with a 1:24.11. Marshall broke 46 seconds in the 100 backstroke for the first time this morning and he just dropped a personal best 50 backstroke as well.

Notably, Dillon Downing split an 18.52 on Georgia’s ‘C’ relay, powering them to an 8th place finish. It’s the only Georgia relay that wasn’t disqualified.

WOMEN’S 400-YARD IM – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60, Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:03.62
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 4:11.36

Top 8:

1. Bella Sims (FLOR) — 4:01.47
2. Emma Weyant (FLOR) — 4:03.65
3. Zoe Dixon (FLOR) — 4:06.25
4. Hannah Ownbey (AUB) — 4:08.55
5. Hannah Bellard (MICH) — 4:10.29
6. Julia Podkoscielny (FLOR) — 4:10.32
7. Kathryn Ackerman (MICH) — 4:11.87
8. Anna Auld (FLOR) — 4:12.24

Sims led off Florida’s winning medley relay, then quickly switched gears to the 400 IM. She used a strong front half of the race to establish a lead too big for her teammate Emma Weyant to overcome in order to secure her second individual win of the meet. Sims dropped 7.40 seconds from prelims to blast a new season-best time of 4:01.47.

Sims went out in 53.50/59.95 on the front of the race, then came split 1:12.13/55.89 on breaststroke/freestyle. Weyant outsplit her on both breaststroke and freestyle (1:10.51/55.66) but let Sims get too far ahead of her with 55.94/1:01.54 splits on the first half of her race.

Fellow Gator Zoe Dixon made it a 1-2-3 finish for Florida. She clocked 4:06.25, less than a tenth off her personal best. Auburn’s Hannah Ownbey was the first non-Gator to finish, taking 4th in 4:08.55. That’s a new personal best for Ownbey, improving on her previous mark of 4:08.81 from 2021 SECs.

MEN’S 400-YARD IM – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82, Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:38.90
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 3:42.99

Top 8:

1. Ian Grum (UGA) — 3:40.41
2. Danny Schmidt (AUB) — 3:42.33
3. Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) — 3:42.60
4. Jake Magahey (UGA) — 3:44.04
5. Jacques Rathle (AUB) — 3:44.68
6. Eitan Ben-Shitrit (MICH) — 3:45.16
7. Mason Laur (FLOR) — 3:47.38
8. Nils Bognar (GT) — 3:51.56

Bounce back complete–after missing the 200 IM ‘A’ final on night 1, Ian Grum claimed the win here in the 400 IM on night 2. He established himself as the man to beat early on, jumping out with a 49.35 100 fly. He continued to build his lead over the backstroke leg thanks to a 54.39 split. He clocked 1:05.02/51.66 on the back-half for a season-best 3:40.41.

Behind him, Giovanni Linscheer almost completed a big comeback for 2nd place, but ran out of room to track down Auburn’s Danny Schmidt. Schmidt–who swam a personal best 3:42.33–used the front half of his race to put himself in a strong position, splitting 50.48/56.38. Linscheer relied on his back half, out-splitting Schmidt with a 1:02.56/50.65 close to almost get the better of him. But Schmidt had just enough left and Linscheer settled for 3rd in 3:42.60.

And then there’s Jake Magahey who continues to post intriguing times in his non-traditional events. He dropped a tenth from prelims for 4th with a 3:44.04.

WOMEN’S 100-YARD FLY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 48.46, Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.69
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 52.20

Top 8:

1. Izzy Ivey (FLOR) — 50.60
2. Olivia Peoples (FLOR) — 51.72
3. Meghan Lee (AUB) — 51.91
4. Anna Boemer (MICH) — 52.37
5. Brady Kendall (MICH) — 52.40
6. Jenny Halden (FSU) — 52.65
7. Morgan Carteaux (AUB) — 52.85
8. Aris Runnels (FLOR) — 53.00

Ivey and Peoples maintained their hold on the top two spots from prelims, but this time it was Ivey who touched the wall first. She took the win in 50.60, setting a new personal best; her first yards PB since training in Gainesville. Ivey took eight-hundredths off her best, going on in a 23.55 and coming back in 27.05.

Peoples added .13 seconds after setting a personal best of 51.59 in prelims. She took 2nd with a 51.72, about two-tenths ahead of Auburn’s Meghan Lee. Lee was the third and final swimmers to break 52 seconds in the field, posting a season best of 51.91.

Behind her, Michigan’s duo of Anna Boemer and Brady Kendall were separated by just three-hundredths for 4th and 5th. Michigan’s female freshman continue to impress. Boemer lowered her PB for the second time today with a 52.37, dropping from the 52.44 she swam in prelims. Coming into today, her best was a 52.77 from March 2023 and now she’s right on the edge of the NCAA invite bubble.

MEN’S 100-YARD FLY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 42.80, Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.64
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 45.57

Top 8:

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR) — 44.39
2. Gal Cohen Groumi (MICH) — 44.83
3. Tyler Ray (MICH) — 46.19
4. Scotty Buff (FLOR) — 46.25
5. Sohib Khaled (AUB) — 46.27
6. Mason Herbet (FSU) — 46.38
7. Kalle Makinen (AUB) — 46.50
8. Tobias Schulrath (FSU) — 47.13

Liendo continues to roll in Athens, picking up the win in the 100 butterfly. After his dominant showing in prelims, it was less a question of if he would win and more what his time would be. The answer is a 44.39, improving on his season-best time by another .28 seconds. He was out in 20.80, and came back in 23.59.

Unlike this morning, he wasn’t alone under the 45 second mark. Gal Cohen Groumi joined him under the barrier with a new season-best time of his own: 44.83, which is about three-tenths off his PB. There was a gap between him and the rest of the field though, with his teammate Tyler Ray earning 3rd place in 46.19.

Auburn’s pair Sohib Khaled and Kalle Makinen set new personal bests in prelims and both lowered their time again here in the ‘A’ final. Khaled started the meet with a PB of 46.98 but has lowered that all the way to 46.27, taking another .24 off his time from prelims. He finished 5th, just two-hundredths behind Florida freshman Scotty Buff.

Meanwhile Makinen, who appears to have just swum the 100-yard fly for the first time in prelims, shaved .11 seconds off with a 46.50 for 7th place.

WOMEN’S 200-YARD FREE – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 1:39.10, Missy Franklin, Cal (2015)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.84
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:45.31

Top 8:

1. Stephanie Balduccini (MICH) — 1:43.30
2. Dune Coetzee (UGA) — 1:43.70
3. Sloane Reinstein (UGA) — 1:44.16
4. Katie Crom (MICH) — 1:44.30
5. Ekaterina Nikonova (FLOR) — 1:44.32
6. Rachel Stege (UGA) — 1:45.07
7. Shea Furse (UGA) — 1:45.20
8. Polina Nevmovenko (AUB) — 1:45.82

And again with the Michigan female freshmen. Stephanie Balduccini backed up her top seed from prelims by taking the win. She did it to the tune of a new personal best, dropping .66 seconds from the mark she swam this morning for a 1:43.30.

It was Ekaterina Nikonova who turned first at the halfway mark, splitting 50.04 on the way out. But she began to fade during the third 50, allowing Balduccini and the rest of the field to catch her. Balduccini split 26.64 on the third 50, then 26.22 on the final 50 to swim away from the field for the win. Sloane Reinstein was running closest to Balduccini with 50-yards to go, but her teammate Dune Coetzee put in a 26.21 on the final 50 to pass her for 2nd place.

Along with Balduccini, all four of the Georgia women in this heat swam a personal best. Coetzee broke 1:44 for the first time, dropping .95 seconds. Reinstein knocked a tenth off her best from February’s Bulldog Qualifying Meet. Further back, Rachel Stege and Shea Furse dropped time from the bests that they swam in prelims as well. Stege dropped another six-tenths with a 1:45.07 for 6th, and Furse dropped .39 seconds for 7th place with a 1:45.20.

MEN’S 200-YARD FREE – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 1:29.15, Dean Farris, Harvard (2019)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.74
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:32.85

Top 8:

1. Tomas Koski (UGA) — 1:32.75
2. Macguire McDuff (FLOR) — 1:33.14
3. Jake Mitchell (FLOR) — 1:33.17
4. Yordan Yanchev (FSU) — 1:33.77
5. Michael Bonson (AUB) — 1:34.05
6. Ryan Husband (AUB) — 1:34.49
7. Mason Mathias (AUB) — 1:35.08
8. Sean Sullivan (FLOR) — 1:35.45

Top seeded Liendo scratched (presumably to focus on the 100 fly). In that vacuum, it was freshman Tomas Koski who stepped up. Koski swam a best time in prelims of 1:33.40, just a hundredth behind Liendo. He hacked even more time off his best to earn the win in the ‘A’ final, dropping another .65 seconds for a new best time of 1:32.75. That puts him on the inside of the 2023 NCAA invited time, and just outside what it took to earn a second swim at last year’s NCAAs.

Macguire McDuff won a tight race with teammate Jake Mitchell for 2nd. McDuff is the sprinter of the two, while Mitchell drops down for the 200 free. And like Liendo passing him in prelims, this time it was McDuff who came from behind to beat Mitchell. McDuff was ahead of him at the 50-yard mark, but Mitchell took over the lead in the middle 100 with 23.43/24.12 splits.

Then on the final 50, McDuff clocked 23.42 ahead of Mitchell’s 23.87, which allowed him to pull even with Mitchell and pip him at the wall by three-hundredths, 1:33.14 to 1:33.17.

Florida State’s Yordan Yanchev joined the top three under the 1:34 mark, setting a new personal best of 1:33.77. His previous best was 1:33.92 from 2023 ACCs.

WOMEN’S 100-YARD BREAST – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 55.73, Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.02
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 59.73

Top 8:

1. Molly Mayne (FLOR) — 58.68
2. Maddy Huggins (FSU) — 58.76
3. Sabyne Brisson (GT) — 59.08
4. Stasya Makarova (AUB) — 59.62
5. Grace Rainey (FLOR) — 1:00.86
6. Clarissa Sabin (GT) — 1:01.33
7. Claudia Butterfield (GT) — 1:01.62
8. Olivia Peoples (FLOR) — 1:01.69

Mayne wrote her name into the Florida record book with her win here in the 100 breaststroke. Mayne earned the win in 58.68, holding off Florida State’s Maddy Huggins for the win. Coming into today, Mayne hadn’t been under 1:02 before, much less under a minute. But she blew by the 1:00 barrier in prelims and just took another six-tenths off her PB.

Mayne was out in 27.48 and came back in 31.20, which was just enough to hold off Huggins, who closed in 30.91. Huggins time is a new PB as well, bettering her mark from prelims. Neither she nor 3d place Sabyne Brisson had been under 1:00 before this season, both cracking the mark for the first time at early season dual meets, then resetting their marks in prelims. Now, Huggins has gone under 59 seconds for the first time, touching in 58.76.

Brisson dropped another .41 seconds from prelims to finals, just missing going sub-59 with a 59.08. They were the only three under 1:00 this morning but here, Stasya Makarova joined them, grabbing 4th place with a 59.62.

MEN’S 100-YARD BREAST – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 49.69, Ian Finnerty, Indiana (2018)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.10
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 51.90

Top 8:

1. Peter Varjasi (FSU) — 52.10
2. Julian Smith (FLOR) — 52.15
3. Henry Bethel (AUB) — 52.16
4. Aleksas Savickas (FLOR) — 52.51
5. Leandro Odorici (GT) — 52.76
6. Tommaso Baravelli (FSU)/Alejandro Flores (AUB) — 53.44
7. —
8. Joao Caballero (GT) — 53.50

After prelims, it looked like this was going to be one of the closest races of the night and it certainly lived up to expectations, with the top three separated by six-hundredths. At the touch, it was Varjasi who got the win with a 52.10. Like Mayne in the women’s 100 breast, this has been a big day for Varjasi in the 100 breast. He came into the meet with a best of 54.01, which he lowered to 53.17 in prelims.

Now, he’s dropped almost two seconds on the day thanks to his 52.10. It was Henry Bethel who led at the halfway point, getting his hands on the wall in 24.07, ahead of Varjasi’s 24.23 and Smith’s 27.82. Bethel couldn’t match Varjasi and Smith’s charges on the back half and ended up third in 52.16, just a hundredth behind Smith.

On the final 50, Varjasi split 27.82, just enough to hold off Smith, who closed in 27.82 and took 2nd with a 52.15.

Florida sophomore Aleksas Savickas, who has the fastest PB of the field and qualified first after prelims, did not go out with the top three and wasn’t able to make up the distance. He took fourth in 52.51.

WOMEN’S 100-YARD BACK – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 48.26, Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.88
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 52.36

Top 8:

1. Ellie Waldrep (AUB) — 51.98
2. Casey Chung (MICH) — 52.35
3. Aris Runnels (FLOR)/Catherine Choate (FLOR) — 52.45
4. (tie)
5. Kyla Maloney (AUB) — 52.68
6. Carly Meeting (FLOR) — 52.96
7. Millie Sansome (UGA) — 53.25
8. Jenny Halden (FSU) — 53.60

Ivey scratched out of this event after qualifying first in prelims. Ellie Waldrep jumped on the opportunity and earned the win. Waldrep was the only swimmer in the field who went under 52 seconds, hitting 51.98 for her first sub-52 swim of the year. She was just over two-tenths off her PB 51.74.

Michigan’s Casey Chung kept the party going for the Michigan women. She earned 2nd with a personal best 52.35, dropping .18 seconds and moving up from 4th after prelims. Meanwhile, Gator teammates Aris Runnels and Catherine Choate tied for 3rd in 52.45, a tenth behind Chung. Choate turned at the halfway point ahead of Runnels, but Runnels came back at her with a 27.01 on the back-half, outsplitting Choate and hitting the wall at the same time as her.

MEN’S 100-YARD BACK – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 43.35, Luca Urlando, Georgia (2022)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.71
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 45.70

Top 8:

1. Ruard van Renen (UGA) — 44.50
2. Nate Stoffle (AUB) — 44.93
3. Aidan Stoffle (AUB) — 44.98
4. Max Wilson (FSU) — 45.32
5. Jonny Marshall (FLOR) — 45.57
6. Mason Herbet (FSU) — 45.91
7. Wesley Ng (UGA) — 45.95
8. Jack Wilkening (MICH) — 46.43

Transfer Ruard van Renen continues to have strong early returns from his time in Georgia. He took the win here in the 100 back with a new best time, knocking .17 seconds off the 44.67 he swam at 2023 NCAAs to win the ‘B’ final. The South African native flipped in 21.41, then came home in a 23.09 for the win.

The Stoffle brothers finished 2nd and 3rd, both joining van Renen sub-45. Nate Stoffle, who’s the 100 back specialist of the two, nearly broke his own school record (44.89) with a 44.93. The time matches what he posted in prelims at NCAAs to qualify for the ‘A’ final in 8th. Aidan Stoffle, the 200 back specialist, took 3rd in 44.98, getting under 45 for the first time in his career.

Further back in the final, Jonny Marshall also dropped a new personal best. The Florida freshman broke 46 for the first time in prelims with a 45.99, then lowered his standard again here in finals with a 45.57 for 5th.

WOMEN’S 800-YARD FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 6:45.91, Stanford (Manuel, Neal, Eastin, Ledecky) (2017)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 7:00.86

Top 8:

1. Florida ‘A’ (Ivey, Sims, Nikonova, Cronk) — 6:56.49
2. Georgia ‘A’ (Jones, Reinstein, Coetzee, Stege) — 7:00.14
3. Michigan ‘A’ (Bellard, Crom, Liang, Balduccini) — 7:02.23
4. Georgia ‘B’ — 7:03.82
5. Florida ‘B’ — 7:09.38
6. Michigan ‘B’ — 7:09.38
7. Georgia ‘C’ — 7:16.73
8. FSU ‘A’ — 7:16.76

The Florida women once again cruised to a dominant victory, closing out the night with a win in the women’s 800 free relay. They loaded up with Ivey and Sims on the front, who clocked 1:43.21 and 1:43.34, respectively. Then, Nikonova split 1:45.52 and Micayla Cronk anchored in 1:44.52. They combined for a total time of 6:56.49, setting a new school record. It’s their 4th school record of the night and their 2nd relay record as they broke the 200 medley record to kick off the session.

Georgia put together a strong relay as well, using three of their 200 freestyle ‘A’ finalist. The newcomer was Helena Jones, who led off in 1:45.64. Reinstein (1:44.49), Coetzee (1:45.37), and Stege (1:44.64) added their splits for a total time of 7:00.14, which is over three seconds faster than they were at this point last season.

Michigan rounded out the podium, with Hannah Bellard (1:46.34), Katie Crom (1:44.85), Christey Liang (1:46.63), and Balduccini (1:44.41) combining for a 7:02.23. Like Georgia, they made a big jump from this point last season, when they clocked 7:04.51.

MEN’S 800-YARD FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 6:03.42, Texas (Hobson, Carrozza, Larson, Foster) (2023)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 6:16.02

Top 8:

1. Florida ‘A’ (Liendo, Mitchell, Smith, McDuff) — 6:17.82
2. Michigan ‘A’ (Ben-Shitrit, Groumi, Kalafat, Zucker) — 6:19.08
3. Georgia ‘A’ (Koski Magahey, Hils, Dunham) — 6:19.99
4. Florida ‘B’ — 6:24.42
5. FSU ‘A’ — 6:25.57
6. Georgia ‘C’ — 6:26.09
7. Florida ‘C’ — 6:28.65
8. FSU ‘B’ — 6:28.94

The Florida men put it all together for the win in the 800 free relay. He scratched the individual event, but Liendo led off the ‘A’ relay, improving his PB from this morning with a 1:32.96, his first sub-1:33 swim. Mitchell followed up with a 1:33.19, Smith swam 1:33.46, and McDuff anchored in 1:38.21. McDuff ran out of steam on the back half, splitting 25.82/27.26.

The Gators had built up enough of a lead that it didn’t matter for the win though, as Michigan finished over a second back in 6:19.08. Eitan Ben-Shitrit led off in 1:33.99, with Groumi (1:33.20), Kalafat (1:36.30), and Zucker (1:35.59) following him. They touched .91 seconds ahead of Georgia’s ‘A’ relay. The Dawgs put 200 free winner Koski on the lead-off, opting not to get a flat start time on Magahey. Koski swam 1:35.79, with Magahey splitting 1:33.99 on the 2nd leg. Zach Hils (1:35.18) and Bradley Dunham (1:35.03) closed it out for Georgia.

Team Scores Thru Day 2

Women

1. Florida — 710.5
2. Auburn — 524.5
3. Michigan — 447
4. Georgia — 431
5. FSU — 274
6. Georgia Tech — 211

Men

1. Florida — 760
2. Georgia — 494
3. Auburn — 455
4. FSU — 433.5
5. Michigan — 341.5
6. Georgia Tech — 240
7. Wisconsin (diving only) — 27