Reported by Jared Anderson.
200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS
- NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas), 2017
- American Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas), 2017
- U.S. Open Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas), 2017
- 2017 NCAA Champion: Jack Conger, Texas
Top 8 finishers:
- Andreas Vazaios, NC State – 1:38.60
- Jan Switkowski, Florida – 1:39.55
- Vini Lanza, Indiana – 1:39.75
- Mike Thomas, Cal – 1:39.95
- Justin Wright, Arizona – 1:40.16
- Zheng Quah, Cal – 1:40.70
- Trenton Julian, Cal – 1:40.81
- Gunnar Bentz, Georgia – 1:41.45
NC State’s Andreas Vazaios trailed most of the way but used a massive final kickout to swim past Florida’s Jan Switkowski for the win. Vazaios was 1:38.60 and Switkowski 1:39.55 for second place. It’s been a huge night for NC State, with two event titles already and a shot at one more in the relay, where the team set an American record in prelims.
Indiana’s Vini Lanza also closed hard and nearly caught Switkowski, taking 3rd in 1:39.75.
Cal’s trio combined to move up by two points. Mike Thomas surged from the 5th seed to take 4th, going 1:39.95 as the last man under 1:40. Freshman Trenton Julian fell from 6th to 7th, but Zheng Quah moved up from 8th to 6th.
Arizona’s Justin Wright was fifth and Georgia’s Gunnar Bentz closed out the B final in what’s quietly been a pretty good meet for the Bulldogs.
Louisville’s Nicolas Albiero won a thrilling B final, coming from behind to go 1:40.85. Towson’s Jack Saunderson was 10th in 1:40.87 and Texas’s Sam Pomajevich took 11th overall at 1:41.39.
What a swimmer, what a guy. Simply a dominant display of strength, speed, endurance, and determination.
WOLF-