2024 Wolfpack Elite Invite: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Wolfpack Elite Invite

• November 21-23, 2024
• Greensboro Aquatic Center – Greensboro, NC
• 9:30 am ET prelims/5:30 pm ET finals
• Participating teams: Arizona, Arizona State, Army West Point, Duke, NC State (host), Northwestern, Virginia Tech
• Live Results: “2024 Wolfpack Elite GAC Invitational” on Meet Mobile
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap

The Wolfpack Invite is back for Day 3 prelims.

ASU sophomore Ilya Kharun spotlights the action in the men’s 200 fly prelims. Kharun is coming off a fast night last night, going 18.89 in the 50 fly split on the relay, and 43.85 in the 100 fly.

The women’s 200 backstroke is fresh off a new NCAA record from last night, and it’s going to be a race here between a trio of NC State backstrokers, Freshmen Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley, who have been having a very fast meet, and Junior Kennedy Noble, who was runner-up in the event at last year’s NCAAs.

We will also see prelims for the 100 freestyle and 200 breaststroke.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.87, Claire Curzan (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:54.01

1. Leah Shackley (NCS)- 1:51.81
2. Erika Pelaez (NCS)- 1:52.63
3. Kennedy Noble (NCS)- 1:53.07
4. Carmen Weiler Sastre (VT)- 1:53.56
5. Emma Atkinson (VT)- 1:54.14
6. Caroline Bentz (ASU)- 1:54.45
7. Ali Pfaff (DUKE)- 1:54.71
8. Claire Mehok (NU)- 1:56.90

Leah Shackley won the NC State battle to be the top qualifier out of this morning’s prelims session. Her 1:51.81 was exactly a second add from her season best time of 1:50.81 that she set vs UGA earlier this month. Shackley was out a little over half a second faster than her teammates, and held on well to earn lane 4 in the final.

Freshman Erika Pelaez took second in the prelims with a time of 1:52.63. This was almost two seconds off her personal and season best of 1:50.71 from the NC State dual meet with ASU.

Kennedy Noble was 3rd, also for NC State at 1:53.07. Her time was about a second add from her season best of 1:52.04. Noble has been as fast as 1:48.43 in the event, which she went at last year’s NCAA Championships.

MEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37, Destin Lasco (Cal) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:40.62

1. Daniel Diehl (NCS)- 1:40.93
2. Will Meyers (UA)- 1:42.46
3. Jack Wadsworth (ASU)- 1:42.56
4. Simon Bermudez (NCS)- 1:42.92
5. Jacob Hills (DUKE)- 1:43.58
6. Ryan Weaver (NCS)- 1:43.95
7. Jono Adam (ASU)- 1:44.34
8. Nico Garcia (VT)- 1:44.45

NC State took the men’s 200 backstroke top seed as well. Sophomore Daniel Diehl won the men’s top seed with a time of 1:40.93. Diehl’s best time is 1:39.01 from the 2024 NCAA Championships. Diehl won the prelims by a second and a half over second place Will Meyers.

Meyers, of University of Arizona, placed second at 1:42.46. This is a new best time for him, beating his previous best of 1:42.64 from the Minnesota Invite last year.

Jack Wadsworth took third for ASU with 1:42.56. This marks a season best time for Wadsworth who had been 1:43.16 at a tri-meet with Cal and Stanford. Wadsworth was off his best of 1:40.64 from PAC-12s last year.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 44.83, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 48.34

1. Tatum Wall (DUKE)- 48.32
2. Emily Claesson (VT)- 48.61
3. Lily Christianson (NCS)- 48.95
4. Lindsay Ervin (NU)- 48.96
5. Nikki Venema (NU)- 49.07
6. Annabel Crush (NCS)- 49.14
7. Tyler Driscoll (NCS)- 49.29
8. Kyanh Truong (DUKE)- 49.43

Tatum Wall, the 50 free champion from earlier in the meet, took the top qualifying spot in the 100 this morning. Her 48.32 was a new best time for her, beating the 48.66 she swam at last year’s NCAA Championships.

Emily Claesson took second for Virginia Tech at 48.61, which is just a slight add from her current best time of 48.54 from the 2022 Ohio State Invitational

Freshman Lily Christianson from NC State took 3rd at 48.95. This was just off her best of 48.45 from her high school state meet last year.

MEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 42.19

1. Jonny Kulow (ASU)- 41.48
2. Kaii Winkler (NCS)- 42.00
3. Jerry Fox (NCS)- 42.04
4. Tomas Lukminas (UA)- 42.20
5. Patrick Sammon (ASU)- 42.39
6. Ralph Daleiden Clufferi (UA)- 42.45
7. Luke Miller (NCS)- 42.53
8. Tommy Palmer (ASU)- 42.66

Jonny Kulow took the men’s 100 free top seed from this morning. Kulow won the 50 free on the first day of the meet, and is chasing the event win in the 100 tonight. His 41.48 was just .08 off his best of 41.40, but was a new season best for him, beating his 41.89 from the tri-meet with Cal and Stanford earlier this month.

Kaii Winkler was 2nd for NC state at 42.00. This was just a smidge off his best 0f 41.96 from March of 2023. He did go faster than he has been this season, besting the 42.69 he went vs Arizona State last month.

NC State also took 3rd with Jerry Fox going 42.o4. His best time comes from March of 2024 and still stands at 41.81. Fox was just .04 behind Winkler for 2nd.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 2:09.55

1. Kaelyn Gridley (DUKE)- 2:09.38
2. Lisa Nystrand (NCS)- 2:10.81
3. Emma Gehlert (ASU)- 2:11.66
4. Zoe Summar (ASU)- 2:12.65
5. Aubree Brouwer (NCS)-2:13.31
6. Sophie Martin (NU)- 2:13.33
7. Maggie Papanicholas (NU)- 2:15.24
8. Kelsey Wasikowski (UA)- 2:15.59

Kaelyn Gridley is fresh off a win in the 100 breaststroke for Duke last night, and seems to be gearing up for a win in the 100 tonight. She won the prelims of the 200 in 2:09.38 to beat second place by almost a second and a half. This was just away from her season best of 2:09.36 from a dual meet with Northwestern earlier this month. Gridley has been 2:04.94, which she went at last year’s NCAA Championships.

2nd place went to Lisa Nystrand from NC State at 2:10.81. Her best time stands at 2:10.40 from earlier this month vs UGA.

Emma Gehlert was 3rd for ASU with a time of 2:11.66. This is an add from the 2:10.11 she went at a dual meet vs the University of Arizona in February of 2024.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:53.12

1. Carles Coll Marti (VT)- 1:54.64
2. Cale Martter (ASU)- 1:55.62
3. Oscar Bilbao (ASU)- 1:56.64
4. Tavner Wisdom (UA)- 1:56.73
5. Will Heck (NCS)- 1:56.87
6. Kalvin Hahn (ARMY)- 1:58.10
7. Arsen Kozhakmetov (NCS)- 1:58.16
8. Kalen Anbar (DUKE)- 1:58.20

Virginia Tech’s Carles Coll Marti took the top seed at 1:54.64. Coll Marti won the 100 breast last night in 51.10. He has a best time of 1:49.69 from the 2022 NCAAs but has been 1:50.77 this season at the SMU Classic.

Cale Martter from ASU is the second seed almost a full second back at 1:55.62. This exactly ties his season best from the Cal, Stanford tri-meet, but is an add from his best time of 1:52.19 from PAC-12s in 2024.

Oscar Bilbao rounded out the top 3 also from ASU. Bilbao, a freshman, went 1:55.28 earlier this month at the same tri-meet Martter went his season best at.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16, Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.47
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:55.88

1. Caroline Sheble (NCS)- 1:57.95
2. Martina Peroni (DUKE)- 1:58.22
3. Grace Monahan (NCS)- 1:58.87
4. Sonia Vaishnani (ASU)- 1:58.97
5. Kyra Sommerstad (DUKE)- 1:59.20
6. Sydney Braeger (ARMY)- 2:00.19
7. Grace Lindberg (ASU)- 2:01.13
8. Lilly Mehok (NU)- 2:01.22

NC State took first seed in the women’s 200 fly in Caroline Sheble with 1:57.95. This is a season best for Sheble who came in with 1:57.76 from a dual meet with Georgia. Sheble set her personal best of 1:55.52 back in March of 2021.

Martina Peroni of Duke took second in 1:58.22. Her best time stands at 1:53.76 from January of 2023. This was also off her season best time of 1:56.62 from the dual meet with Northwestern.

Grace Monahan went 1:58.87 to lock up 3rd for NC state. This was just over a second off of her best time of 1:57.72, but was a season best time for her as she had not been under 2:00 yet this season.

MEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas) – 2017
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.05
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:42.10

1. Ilya Kharun (ASU)- 1:40.62
2. Haakon Naughton (UA)- 1:42.09
3. Filip Senc-Samardzic (ASU)- 1:44.11
4. Joel Nace (UA)/Tona Zinn (NU)- 1:44.74
5. —
6. Yousssef Ramadan (VT)- 1:44.90
7. Jake Mason (UA)- 1:45.31
8. Diego Nosack (NU)- 1:45.33

Ilya Kharun cruised to the top seed of the 200 fly this morning in a time of 1:40.62. Kharun went 1:37.93 in January of last year to set his best time at a dual meet vs Stanford. He is the reigning 200 fly NCAA champion in 1:38.66. He has also been as fast as 1:38.74 this season at NC State vs Arizona State in October.

Haakon Naughton took second for the University of Arizona at 1:42.09. This was just off his best time of 1:41.67 from PAC-12s last season. This was a new season best for Naughton who hadn’t been faster than 1:42.72, which he went at the USC dual meet.

Filip Senc-Samardzic went 1:44.11 to take the third seed for ASU. This was an add from his personal best of 1:42.91 from the Cal, Stanford tri-meet earlier this month.