Nine Meet Records Fall at Louisville First Chance Invite

by Madeline Folsom 2

February 08th, 2025 ACC, College, News, Previews & Recaps, SEC

Louisville First Chance Meet

Louisville hosted a First Chance Meet this weekend, giving athletes the opportunity to qualify for NCAAs, and to earn their spot on their school’s conference teams. During the meet, nine meet records fell, and one even went a time that would have qualified them for last year’s NCAA Championships.

Louisville’s Jackson Millard went 3:42.75 in the men’s 400 IM, breaking the meet record of 3:51.09 from back in 2015 set by Jake Schultz. Last year’s 400 IM cutline was 3:42.93. This time currently ranks him 23rd in the event, which would be under the cutline before conference meets. Millard’s previous best in the event was 3:43.02 from the Ohio State Invitational in November.

Fernanda Celidonio, from Louisville, also had a strong IM swim, with her 1:57.05 200 IM time, which was an add for her, but the time ties exactly with Catherine Belyakovs first alternate time from last year’s NCAA Championships. This was a season best for Celidonio who hadn’t been faster than 1:50.50 she went in early November. It also currently sits at 37th in the Division 1 rankings, this would put her right on the line for qualifying. She did qualify for the event at last year’s meet with the 1:56.46 she went at ACCs.

On top of Millard’s record, eight other swimmers also broke meet records.

Thomas Powers-Hammond from Louisville, broke two meet records, one in each fly event. In the 200, he went a new personal best time of 1:43.36. This is four one-hundredths faster than his previous best of 1:43.40, and it was a little more than four tenths faster than the 1:43.81 Nicolas Albiero went in 2018 to set the former meet record.

He also broke the 100 fly record, swimming 46.21, two tenths faster than the 46.43 mark he set at the Ohio State Invitational in November. The meet record in the event was Abdelraham Elaraby’s at 46.23 from 2022.

Luke Shourds, another Louisville swimmer, went 52.58 in the 100 breast, a new season best time for him, but he has been as fast as 52.36 in February of 2023. His time broke Carlos Claveri’s 2015 record of 52.88 in the event.

The final men’s record breaker was Jake Eccleston, also a Louisville swimmer. He went 1:54.03 in the 200 breaststroke, breaking Aidan Kreiley’s 2022 record of 1:55.22 by over a second. This was a season best mark for Eccleston, who came in at 1:54.39 from the Indiana dual meet. His lifetime best stands at 1:52.92 from December of 2023.

University of Kentucky swimmer Paige Housman went 4:14.28, a best time by five seconds from her previous 4:19.54. Houseman did not swim at the conference meet last year, but her time this year ranks her 2nd in the event. She also broke the meet record set by Duda Sumida in 2022, by one one-hundredth of a second.

Louisville’s Summer Cardwell broke the 200 freestyle record, swimming 1:45.73. This is off her season best time of 1:45.26 from Louisville’s dual meet with Indiana. Her best time in the event stands at 1:44.94 from last year’s NCAA Championships. The record she broke was Rachel Grooms’ 1:46.88 from 2018.

Caroline Larsen, from Louisville, went 52.80 in the 100 fly, breaking the meet record of 53.81 set by Hannah Magnuson in 2018. This was a season best time for her, improving from the 52.82 she went at the beginning of January vs Mizzou. Her lifetime best in the event is 52.15 from December of 2023.

The final record went to Camille Murray in the 100 backstroke. She went 52.83, breaking the record of 53.62 set by Tatiana Salcutan in 2022. This time was faster than the 53.17 she went at the Ohio State Invitational, but is over a second off her lifetime best of 51.81 from March 2023.

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Diehard
1 day ago

Meet records for first chance meet? Really?

Fettuccine
Reply to  Diehard
1 day ago

No fun allowed!

Last edited 1 day ago by Fettuccine