2024 Minnesota Invite: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Minnesota Invite

• December 4-7, 2024
• Prelims: 10 am CST/ Finals: 6 pm CST
• SCY (25 Yards)
• University of Minnesota
• Participating Teams: Minnesota (host), University of California- Berkley, University of Nevada- Las Vegas, Harvard, Rutgers, University of Denver
• 2025 NCAA Championship Standards
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Psych Sheets
• Prelims Live Recaps: Day 2 | Day 3
• Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Good morning! It is time for the final prelims session of the 2024 Minnesota Invite. On the schedule today is the 200 backstroke, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly. There will also be a distance session this afternoon for the 1650.

Highlighting the events today are a pair of Cal Bakstrokers. Isabelle Stadden is swimming the 200 backstroke on the women’s side and she comes in as the top seed in this morning’s session. On the men’s side we have 200 back Olympian Keaton Jones as the top seed.

Cal has also had some fast freshman swims this week with Mary-Ambre Moluh on the women’s side, and Yamato Okadome for the men. Moluh is coming in as the top seed in the women’s 100 freestyle, and Okadome is entered in the 100 freestyle and as the top seed in the 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

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Isabelle Stadden (CAL)- 1:53.92
2. Finely Anderson (CAL)- 1:55.15
3. Adriana Smith (CAL)- 1:56.55
4. Molly Hamlin (HARV)- 1:57.36
5. Shannon Meadway (RUT)- 1:58.00
6. Grace Wharton (UNLV)- 1:58.04
7. Indy Jongman (MINN)- 1:58.06
8. Elise Jacobs (MINN)- 1:58.43

Isabelle Stadden cruised to the top seed in the prelims by a second and a half in 1:53.92. This was just over a 5 second add for Stadden who was 1:48.75 at PAC-12s in February of 2023. She has also been faster this season, going 1:51.38 at a tri-meet with ASU and Stanford.

Finley Anderson from Cal took 2nd in 1:55.15. This was a season-best for Anderson who went 1:57.56 at the same ASU, Stanford tri-meet. Anderson has a lifetime best of 1:53.60 from December of 2022.

It was a Cal top 3 with Adriana Smith taking 3rd in 1:56.55, which was just barely off her best of 1:56.16 from March 2023.

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

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Keaton Jones (CAL)- 1:41.54
2. Anthony Rincon (HARV)- 1:41.76
3. Humberto Najera (CAL)- 1:42.66
4. Tommy Roder (CAL)- 1:43.75
5. Joey Tepper (MINN)- 1:43.80
6. Kai Crews (CAL)/ Dylan Wright (DU)- 1:44.01
7. —
8. Tatsuki Inoue (UNLV)- 1:44.17

Keaton Jones took the top seed in a prelims swim of 1:41.54. This was three seconds off his lifetime best of 1:38.46 from NCAAs this year. He was just ahead of Anthony Rincon from Harvard who went 1:41.76 for second. This was just over a second off his best of 1:40.76 from March of this year. 3rd went to Humberto Najera from Cal in 1:42.66

Gabriel Jett was 9th, , just 3 tenths out of the A final. Jett led off the medley relay last night in 44.54, but was missing some of that speed in his prelims swim tonight.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

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

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Mary-Ambre Moluh (CAL)- 48.76
2. Morgan Brophy (CAL)- 48.95
3. Leah Polonsky (CAL)- 49.10
4. Mina Kaljevic (MINN)- 49.24
5. Livi Wanner (MINN)- 49.48
6. Hannah Cornish (MINN)- 49.61
7. Erika Carlson (UNLV)- 49.62
8. Mia West (CAL)- 49.65

Cal took the top 3 seeds out of prelims in the women’s 100 free. Mary-Ambre Moluh is the top seed in 48.76. Her best time was earlier this season in the 100 free at 47.87 from Cal’s tri-meet with ASU and Stanford last month.

Morgan Brophy was second in 48.95. Her best time is 48.28 from NCAA in March of this year. 3rd place was Leah Polonsky in 49.10. This was at least half a second drop for Polonsky, whose previous best was 49.66 in October of this 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

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Nans Mazellier (CAL)- 42.50
2. Evan Petty (CAL)- 42.69
3. Destin Lasco (CAL)- 42.90
4. Nikolas Antoniou (CAL)- 42.97
5. Trent Frandson (CAL)- 43.20
6. Samuel Quarles (CAL)- 43.31
7. Colby Hatton (CAL)- 43.58
8. David Greeley (HARV)- 43.64

Cal took the top 7 swims in the men’s 100 free. Nans Mazellier went a new best time of 42.50 in the prelims. His previous best was 43.05 from October at the UCSD Triton Invite. Evan Petty dropped over a second to go 42.69 for 2nd, besting his 43.97 from this meet in 2022. Destin Lasco was 3rd in 42.90, a half second add from his 42.40 from February of this year.

David Greeley took the only non-Cal spot in the final with his 8th place swim at 43.64.

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

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Abigail Herscu (CAL)- 2:10.23
2. Margaux McDonald (CAL)- 2:11.95
3. Alicia Henry (CAL)- 2:12.02
4. Jessica Maeda (DU)- 2:12.50
5. Molly Urkiel (RUT)- 2:13.12
6. Leah Polonskky (CAL)- 2:13.75
7. Stephanie Ianaccone (HARV)- 2:14.25
8. Grace Drabot (MINN)- 2:14.84

Cal will take all three middle lanes in the final with lane 4 and the top seed going to Abigail Herscu from Cal. Herscu’s 2:10.23 was a second-and-a-half faster than the second seed Margaux McDonald’s 2:11.95. It was also just under a second off her best of 2:09.33 from NCAAs in March.

McDonald’s 2:11.95 was half a second shy of his 2:11.38. Alicia Henry took 3rd in 2:12.02. She was 2:07.89 at Pac-12s earlier this year.

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

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Daniel Nicusan (UNLV)- 1:55.73
2. Yamato Okadome (CAL)- 1:56.33
3. Danny Beji (UNLV)- 1:56.73
4. Jacob Soderlund (CAL)- 1:56.88
5. Joe Rudd (MINN)- 1:56.96
6. Hank Rivers (CAL)- 1:56.99
7. Michale Breitbart (UNLV)- 1:57.31
8. Carter Lancaster (CAL)- 1:57.86

UNLV transfer Daniel Nicusan won the 200 breast prelims in 1:55.73, which was just two tenths shy of his best of 1:55.58 from conference championships in February.

Last night’s 100 breast champion Yamato Okadome cruised to 2nd in 1:56.33, which was a 4 second add from the 1:52.85 at the Triton invite.

UNLV also took 3rd with Danny Beji’s 1:56.73. His best is 1:54.16 from last year’s Texas Invite.

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

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Ava Chavez (CAL)- 1:58.20
2. Lilous Ressencourt (CAL)- 1:58.28
3. Lizzy Cook (CAL)- 1:58.56
4. Claire Reinke (MINN)- 1:59.23
5. Blanka Berecz (RUT)- 2:00.38
6. Peyton Ross (MINN)- 2:00.81
7. Ava Yablonski (MINN)- 2:00.92
8. Rachel Conley (MINN)- 2:01.05

The finals women’s prelims event, the 200 fly, had another Cal top 3. Ava Chavez was 1:58.20 to win the prelims with almost a second drop from his previous best of 1:59.06 from last year’s Minnesota invite. Lilous Ressencourt took 2nd in 1:58.28, almost two-and-a-half seconds shy of her best of 1:55.94. Lizzy Cook was 3rd in 1:58.56, which was a 4 second add from her best of 1:54.70.

Minnesota also put 4 swimmers in the A final. The only non-Cal or Minnesota athlete to make the final was Rutgers swimmer Blanka Berecz.

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

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Jacob Johnson (MINN)- 1:41.56
2. Gabriel Jett (CAL)- 1:43.46
3. David Schmitt (HARV)- 1:44.06
4. Ian Belflower (UNLV)- 1:44.82
5. Tyler Kopp (CAL)- 1:45.16
6. Frank Applebaum (CAL)- 1:45.22
7. Colby Raffel (UNLV)- 1:45.44
8. August Vetsch (CAL)- 1:45.58

Jacob Johnson from Minnesota took 1st in 1:41.56. This was a 2 tenth best to drop from his 1:41.70 at a dual met vs Wisconsin in November.

After placing 9th in the 200 back, Gabriel Jett took 2nd in the 200 fly. His 1:43.46 was a 4-second add from his 1:39.27 at Pac-12s in March of 2023.

Harvard’s David Schmitt was the 3rd qualifier in 1:44.06, which was just under 2 seconds off his best of 1:42.17 from a tri-meet in February of this year.