2025 NCAA Division I Last Chance Meets – March 1st
Several last chance meets are being held this weekend as swimmers look to improve upon their chances to make the 2025 NCAA Championships. With conference meets finishing up this weekend such as the Men’s Big Ten Championships, M&W Big 12 Championships, and Men’s Ivies, swimmers who have already had their championship meets have another opportunity to make the meets in Federal Way.
Friday saw numerous swimmers likely earn their invites including Kevin Houseman of Tennessee, PJ Foy of UNC, while relays from Army and Northwestern (Saturday morning) earned ‘A’ cuts for qualifying times as well.
Remember that the men’s meet usually invites around 30 swimmers per event and the women’s meet usually invites between 36 and 40 per event, though we won’t know the exact cutline until after the conclusion of this week’s conference meets and next week’s Last Chance meets.
Auburn
- Kalle Makinen of Auburn swam the 50 free five times and posted a 19.25 twice for his best times of the meet. He sits at t-#57 in the NCAA which is on the wrong side of the cutline. It took a 19.13 last year to make the meet, a time that fellow teammate Logan Tirheimer was under at the meet as he swam a 19.06 to sit tied for 31st in the NCAA this season, right on the line from a year ago.
- The women’s 50 free saw Lexie Mulvihill of Auburn post a 22.01, faster than the 22.11 it took last year but just off her season best of a 20.00 from SECs that sits at #38 in the NCAA this season.
- Alabama’s Liberty Williams swam a 16:09.37 in the 1650 free, a season best and a time that is #39 in the NCAA this season. It took a 16:14.82 to make the meet a year ago.
- Georgia Tech swam to an NCAA ‘A’ cut in the men’s 200 medley relay with a 1:23.39. The relay consisted of Berke Saka, Uros Zivanovic, Antonio Romero, and Leandro Odorici as the swim also marked a school record.
Tennessee Last Chance
- Virginia Tech’s Landon Gentry swam the 200 butterfly in prelims and finals, improving his chances of making NCAAs as he posted a 1:41.25 in prelims and a 1:41.10 in finals. He now sits at #24 in the NCAA this season, which is on the right side of the cutline as the line sat in line 31 a year ago with a 1:42.10 being the time to make it as well. Gentry entered this weekend with a 1:41.45 from prelims of ACCs, a time that would have him sit tied for 30th right now so dropping 0.35 seconds was huge.
- Ella Jansen of Tennessee swam to a 48.34, a huge personal best and a time that sits at #61 in the NCAA this season. Jansen is primarily an IMer and finished 2nd in the 400 IM at SECs in a 4:01.61. That swim was an NCAA ‘A’ cut meaning she already earned her spot at NCAAs so today’s swim showed off her versatility and potential to be on the team’s 400 free relay at NCAAs if they choose to switch their lineup.
- Josephine Fuller of Tennessee swam a lifetime best in the 200 free with a 1:42.67. Like Jansen, Fuller already secured her NCAA invite with ‘A’ cuts in the 100 and 200 backstroke events at SECs but showed off her versatility on Saturday. The 800 free relay was the only relay she did not swim on for the team at SECs but her time sits at #3 on the team this season.
- Pedro Sansone of Tennessee posted a 41.92 in the men’s 100 freestyle to move up in the rankings as he now sits t-#28 in the NCAA this season. It took a 42.19 last year to make the meet and he sits on the right side of the line as it fell at row 31 last year.
- The 200 breast saw Jed Garner of Tennessee post a 1:52.30, a time that sits at #18 in the NCAA this season. Garner finished 5th at the event at SECs with a 1:53.18, which had him at #30 in the NCAA so this drop was key to earn an invite.
- UNC’s Elizabeth Sowards swam to a 51.73 in the 100 backstroke, a time that is #39 in the NCAA this season. It took a 52.28 in the event a year ago but the women’s backstroke events have seen a huge improvement this season. The cutline fell at line 37 last year, a decrease from line 39 so it is too close to call the implications of the swim.
Florida
- The women’s 200 breast saw two big swims from the Gators as Grace Rainey posted a 2:09.51 and Gracie Weyant swam a 2:10.16. Rainey’s swim sits at #38 in the NCAA this season while Weyant sits at #47. Rainey will look to make her first NCAAs after missing the meet last year but with the line falling at line 37 last year, it is a close call as it took a 2:09.55 in the event last year to make the meet.
- In the men’s 200 breast, Tommaso Baravelli of Florida State posted a 1:52.37, a time that is #20 in the NCAA this season. It took a 1:53.12 to make the meet a year ago so he seems to be on the safe side of the cutline after this swim.
Georgia
- Sloane Reinstein of Georgia swam a 4:40.14 in the 500 free final, just off her season best of a 4:40.09 that sits at #41 in the NCAA this season. Abby McCulloh swam a 4:38.83 in prelims of the 500 free before scratching the final but her season best of a 4:36.18 sits at #16 in the NCAA this season.
- Luca Urlando swam his first collegiate 500 free ever posting a 4:14.97. Although he probably will not swim the event at NCAAs, assuming he opts for the 200 IM instead, it sits at #34 in the NCAA this season.
- Katie Sikes of Georgia swam the 50 free on numerous occasions and swam to a season best of a 22.03, a time that is tied for 41st in the NCAA this season. It took a 22.11 to make the meet last year but sitting at line 41 right now makes it hard to call.
- NC State’s JT Ewing posted a 1:40.29 in the men’s 200 back, a time that moves him up to #33 in the NCAA this season. He previously sat at #47 with a 1:41.04. It took a 1:40.62 to make NCAAs last year in the event. Sam Powe of Georgia posted a 1:40.47, off his season best of a 1:40.24 that sits at #31.
- Tomas Koski of Georgia swam to a 14:47.73 in a time trial of the men’s 1650 free, faster than the 14:54.92 it took to make the meet last year. He now sits at #21 in the NCAA this season and notably did not swim the event at SEC instead opting for the 100, 200, and 500 frees.
- Georgia experimented with Ruard van Renen on the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay as Luca Urlando swims the backstroke leg, and split a 20.60 which was slower than Wesley Ng‘s split at SECs.
Texas A&M
- Aviv Barzelay of Texas A&M posted a 1:53.09 in finals of the women’s 200 back, a time that sits at #38 in the NCAA this season. It took a 1:54.01 to make the meet in the event last year but like the 100 back, the 200 back has seen significant improvement this season.
Wisconsin
Mizzou
- Missouri’s Zara Zallen swam to a 47.87 in the women’s 100 freestyle which sits at #30 in the NCAA this season. Her previous season best of a 48.14 from SECs sat at #46 so she now moves onto the right side of the cutline.
Tierney went 21.74 in finals, PB for her!
Is next week going to be the last week for last chance meets?
Yep. There’s a handful of them, mostly one day meets. SMU is hosting a three-day.
So no brooks curry đź‘€
Anyone w inside info know if Cal is doing a last chance meet (and if so which one?) They have a few guys who are on the wrong side of the line, in addition to Curry if he’s eligible
Cal had a few women at the Texas A&M last chance meet, though no sign of their men’s team yet.
Georgia Tech sprint group doing a lot better since Norments departure while UGA doesn’t do any better since his arrival
These “last chance” meets should not count. I watched my 3rd one of these yesterday, and I’ve watched at three different schools over the past few years. I leave each meet more convinced that before that the times should be questioned. At each meet I see friendly officials judging familiar athletes in a familiar setting. While I don’t think there is out-in-the-open cheating, I consistently see 15M violations, lots of fly kicks in breaststroke, pace clocks running during the sessions, and questionable relay exchanges where I can only hope that they are using the electronic exchange timing system.
You might have a point on some is these areas. But pace clocks on the deck is just silly. Any semi competent coach can communicate more info about pace with signals and the counter than the clock can.
double dolphins is outright abused at last chance meets