2024 NCSA Spring Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2024 NCSA SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 19-23, 2024
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, Florida
• Short Course Yards Prelims (25 yards)/Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Live Stream
• Meet Central
• Live Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 NCSA Spring Swimming Championships”
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap

*Tonight’s finals will be contested in long course after this morning’s SCY prelims session*

The third night of the 2024 NCSA Spring Championships has arrived in Orlando, Florida, with the girls 400 IM, boys 200 free, 50 breaststrokes, girls 100 backstroke, and boys 200 butterfly on the schedule this evening.

Stay tuned for live updates below:

Note about the meet records: NCSA doesn’t apply its summer meet records, where racing is always long course, to the long course events at this spring meet. That means most of the long course meet records are from 2016, as the 2021 pre-Olympic meet was held entirely in yards.

GIRLS 400 IM – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 4:47.34, Megan Rankin, 2012
• Olympic Trials cut: 4:49.89

Top 8: 

1. Lilla Bognar (TG-SC) – 4:43.21
2. Campbell Chase (COR-NT) – 4:49.79
3. Chloe Diner (ACAD-IL) – 4:55.30
4. Kylie McMurray (GPAC-MA) – 4:55.53
5. Gemma Undercofler (SSC-MA) – 4:56.90
6. Cornelia Fox (COND-MR) – 4:57.02
7. Emma Sayers (SAC-AZ) – 4:57.88
8. Kaitlyn Gresik (ACAD-IL) – 5:04.17

Team Greenville’s Lilla Bognar annihilated the 400 IM meet record (4:47.34 by Megan Rankin in 2012) by more than four seconds with a winning time of 4:43.21.

The 17-year-old Florida commit (’25) was faster than she was at the World Championships last month in Doha, Qatar, where she placed 9th in prelims (4:44.22). Bognar owns a lifetime best of 4:40.97 from last summer’s U.S. Trials, where she placed 4th behind Leah Hayes (4:38.45), Alex Walsh (4:35.46), and Katie Grimes (4:33.80).

City of Richardson Swim Team 18-year-old Campbell Chase was the only other swimmer under 4:50 with a runner-up finish in 4:49.79. The Texas commit (’24) reached the wall a few seconds shy of her personal-best 4:46.53 from last summer.

Academy Bullets Swim Club 18-year-old Chloe Diner earned the final spot on the podium with a 3rd-place finish in 4:55.30, eking past Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club 16-year-old Kylie McMurray (4:55.53) by just a couple tenths. Diner, an Illinois commit (’24), knocked about three second off her previous-best 4:58.27 from January. McMurray, a Georgia commit (’25), shaved a second off her previous-best 4:56.79 from January.

BOYS 200 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 1:50.97 – Reed Malone, 2012
• Olympic Trials cut: 1:49.99

Top 8: 

1. Sean Green (LIAC-MR) – 1:50.08
2. William Savarese (COR-NT) – 1:51.25
3. Nathan Szobota (NOVA-VA) – 1:51.70
4. Logan Robinson (GPAC-SE) – 1:51.74
5. Martin Perecinsky (LIAC-MR) – 1:53.11
6. Maximus Goettsch (FMC-IL) – 1:53.32
7. Matthew Marsteiner (WAVE-NC) – 1:54.18
8. Devin Dilger (OLY-MI) – 1:55.23

Long Island Aquatic Club 16-year-old Sean Green posted an impressive time drop in the 200 free to lower the meet record (1:50.97 by Reed Malone in 2012) by almost a second.

The Georgia commit (’25) dropped 2.6 seconds off his previous-best 1:52.68 from last July, rocketing up to 19th in the U.S. boys’ 15-16 NAG rankings. Before today, he wasn’t even ranked in the top 100 of his age group.

City of Richardson Swim Team 18-year-old William Savarese was more than a second behind Green in 1:51.25 for 2nd place. The Michigan commit (’24) dropped almost a full second off his previous-best 1:52.18 from last summer.

Nova of Virginia Aquatics 16-year-old Nathan Szobota placed 3rd in 1:51.70, just a few hundredths ahead of Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club 17-year-old Logan Robinson (1:51.74). Szobota, a Notre Dame commit (’25), has been as fast as 1:51.22 last August. Robinson, a Florida State commit (’24), was more than a second off his personal-best 1:50.62 from last August.

GIRLS 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 31.79 – Margaret Aroesty, 2016

Top 8: 

1. Grace Koenig-Song (WILD-IL) – 31.80
2. Caroline Larsen (FOXJ-MN) – 31.86
3. Elizabeth Nawrocki (ACAD-IL) – 32.09
4. Chloe Diner (ACAD-IL) – 32.67
5. Cate Pawlaski (EDI-MN) – 32.93
6. Brooke Corrigan (ACAD-IL) – 33.05
7. Anna Keen (XEL-SE) – 34.03
8. Amy Qin (RMSC-PV) – 34.12

NASA Wildcat Aquatics 13-year-old Grace Koenig-Song (31.80) pulled out a tight victory over Foxjets Swim Team 17-year-old Caroline Larsen (31.86) in the 50 breast.

Koenig-Song crushed her best time from last summer (33.43) by more than two seconds on her way to the win. She missed Margaret Aroesty‘s meet record from 2016 (31.79) by the narrowest of margins.

Larsen, a Louisville commit (’24), also set a lifetime best in the process, dipping under 32 seconds for the first time. Her previous best stood at 32.21 from back in 2022.

Academy Bullets Swim Club 16-year-old Elizabeth Nawrocki snuck under her best time from last summer (32.13) en route to a 3rd-place finish in 32.09. Academy Bullets Swim Club 18-year-old Chloe Diner placed 4th (32.67) after taking 3rd in the 400 IM (4:55.30) to start tonight’s session.

BOYS 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 27.89 – Michael Andrew – 2016

Top 8: 

1. Jake Wang (SSC-MA) – 28.30
2. Joshua Bey (HHSC-IN) – 28.49
3. Jonathan Wang (HSC-IL) – 28.57
4. Alexandru Cucu (SWIM-LE) – 28.76
5. Brady Johnson (FMC-IL) – 28.80
6. Chase Swearingen (NAAC-OH) – 28.99
7. Samuel Wolf (VAST-WI) – 29.18
8. Abram Mueller (BAC-WI) – 29.31

Suburban Seahawks Club 18-year-old Jake Wang emerged victorious in the 50 breast with a personal-best time of 28.30, taking a couple tenths off his previous-best 28.52 from last summer. The Yale commit (’24) outdueled Highland Hurricanes Swim Club 17-year-old Josh Bey (28.49), an Indiana commit (’25) who shaved more than half a second off his previous-best 29.03 from earlier this month.

Hinsdale Swim Club 17-year-old Jonathan Wang had never been under 30 seconds in the 50 breast before, and he skipped over 29 seconds entirely with a personal-best 28.57 for 3rd place. His previous best before today was 30.22 from earlier this month.

Other sub-29 second finishers included 17-year-old Romanian Alexandru Cucu (28.76), FMC Aquatic Club 17-year-old Brady Johnson (28.80), and New Albany Aquatics Club 18-year-old Chase Swearingen (28.99) rounded out the remaining sub-29 second finishers. Johnson, an Arizona State commit (’24), dropped a second off his previous-best 29.87 from 2022. Swearingen, a Texas A&M commit (’24), crushed his best time from 2019 (31.74) by almost three seconds.

GIRLS 100 BACKSTROKE – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 1:00.02 – Rachel Bootsma, 2012
• Olympic Trials cut: 1:01.89

Top 8: 

1. Maggie Wanezek (EBSC-WI) – 59.90
2. Rylee Erisman (LAKR-FL) – 1:00.58
3. Alyssa Sagle (NCAP-PV) – 1:01.16
4. Tierney Lenahan (WILD-IL) – 1:01.78
5. Grace Rabb (AQJT-MN) – 1:02.01
6. Aspen Gersper (SAS-FG) – 1:02.07
7. Alexis Stephens (PSDN-VA) – 1:02.23
8. Ella Antoniewski (WEST-WI) – 1:02.46

Elmbrook Swim Club 18-year-old Maggie Wanezek brought the 100 fly meet record below the one-minute mark with a winning time of 59.90, erasing the standard of 1:00.02 set by Rachel Bootsma in 2012. Wanezek, a Wisconsin commit (’24), shaved .06 seconds off her best time from 2022.

Laker Swimming 14-year-old Rylee Erisman dropped more than a second off her lifetime best to earn a runner-up finish in 1:00.58, catapulting to 3rd in the U.S. girls’ 13-14 NAG rankings. Before today, she ranked 16th with her previous-best 1:01.70 from January.

Nations Capital Swim Club 15-year-old Alyssa Sagle hit her first Olympic Trials cut in the event with her 3rd-place showing in 1:01.16. She destroyed her previous-best 1:03.01 from last summer by almost two full seconds.

NASA Wildcat Aquatics 16-year-old Tierney Lenahan also picked up her first Olympic Trials cut in the 100 back with a 4th-place effort in 1:01.78, sneaking under the standard of 1:01.89. The Duke commit (’25) dropped about half a second off her previous-best 1:02.36 from earlier this month.

BOYS 200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• LCM Meet Record: 1:59.98 – Brendan Meyer, 2016
• Olympic Trials cut: 2:00.49

Top 8: 

1. Jacob Johnson (SSC-MA) – 2:00.23
2. Logan Robinson (GPAC-SE) – 2:01.61
3. Diego Balbi (SAS-FG) – 2:01.69
4. Samuel Marsteiner (WAVE-NC) – 2:01.78
5. JT Schmid (NCAP-PV) – 2:01.97
6. Ethan Silver (LIAC-MR) – 2:03.59
7. Aiden Musick (WILD-IL) – 2:05.92
8. Matthew Marsteiner (WAVE-NC) – 2:08.53

Suburban Seahawks Swim Club 17-year-old Jacob Johnson cruised to victory in the 100 fly with a time of 2:00.23, slicing more than three seconds off his best time from last summer (2:03.53). The Minnesota commit (’24) touched the wall within a few tenths of Brendan Meyer‘s meet record (1:59.98) from 2016.

After already swimming the 200 free earlier in the session, where he placed 4th in 1:51.74, Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club 17-year-old Logan Robinson snagged 2nd place in the 200 fly (2:01.61). On the back end of his double, the Florida State commit (’24) was still within a couple seconds of his personal-best 2:00.04 from last summer.

St. Andrews Aquatics 18-year-old Diego Balbi rounded out the podium with a 3rd-place finish in 2:01.69, within a second of his personal-best 2:00.92 from the World Junior Championships last September. The Peruvian USC commit was faster than he was at the World Championships last month, where he placed 29th in prelims (2:01.91).

New Wave Swim Team 16-year-old Sam Marsteiner placed 4th in 2:01.78, within a second of his personal-best 2:00.85 from last summer. His 18-year-old brother, NC State commit Matt Marsteiner (’24), placed 8th in 2:08.53.

Nations Capital Swim Club 18-year-old JT Schmid had one of the craziest drops of the day. The UNC commit (’24) took almost seven seconds off his previous-best 2:08.92 from 2022 with a 5th-place finish in 2:01.97.

Team Scores

Boys

1. Nation’s Capital Swim Club – 823
2. FMC Aquatic – 580
3. Nova of Virginia Aquatics – 554
4. Long Island Aquatic Club – 480
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 461

Girls

1. Academy of Bullets Swim Club – 744
2. Nation’s Capital Swim Club – 465
3. Nasa Wildcat Aquatics – 446
4. Aquajets Swim Team – 415
5. Waukesha Express Swim Team – 360

Combined

1.  Nation’s Capital Swim Club – 1,288
2. Nova of Virginia Aquatics – 901
3. Academy Bullets Swim Club – 835
4. Aquajets Swim Team – 806
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 805