Andrei Minakov To Take On Kharun, Race 200 Fly At NCAAs For The First Time

2024 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 27-30, 2024
• IUPUI Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Pre-Selection Psych Sheets

For the first time in his collegiate career, Andrei Minakov is diverting course in his individual event lineup.

Minakov, who has only raced the 100 free and 100 fly individually in each of his two NCAA appearances, has entered the 200 fly for the 2024 championships.

The redshirt junior at Stanford only has only raced the 200 fly in short course yards four times, but has shown he is capable of challenging for the national title.

Minakov swam a time of 1:38.63 in January in a dual meet against Arizona State, and went even faster, 1:38.61, last month in a dual with Cal.

Those two swims are faster than what was required to win the 2023 NCAA title (1:38.79), and both crack the top 10 all-time performances list:

All-Time Performances, Men’s 200 Butterfly (SCY)

1. Jack Conger (Texas), 1:37.35 – 2017 NCAA Championships
2. Nicolas Albiero (Louisville), 1:37.92 – 2022 ACC Championships
3. Ilya Kharun (Arizona State), 1:37.93 – 2024 Stanford vs ASU
4. Joseph Schooling (Texas), 1:37.97 – 2016 NCAA Championships
5. Jack Conger (Texas), 1:38.06 – 2016 NCAA Championships
6. Trenton Julian (Cal), 1:38.53 – 2021 Pac-12 Championships
7. Andreas Vazaios (NC State), 1:38.57 – 2019 NCAA Championships
8. Andreas Vazaios (NC State), 1:38.60 – 2018 NCAA Championships
9. Andrei Minakov (Stanford), 1:38.61 – 2024 Cal vs Stanford
10. Andrei Minakov (Stanford), 1:38.63 – 2024 Stanford vs ASU

He also went 1:40.00 against USC at the beginning of February, and prior to this season, had only raced the event once, clocking 1:42.57 against Arizona in January 2023.

The 21-year-old enters NCAAs seeded 2nd in the event, only trailing Arizona State freshman Ilya Kharun, who he went head-to-head with in that January dual. In that race, Kharun pulled away from Minakov on the last 50 to touch first in a time of 1:37.93, one of the fastest in history to put him as the top seed for nationals.

Minakov has also entered the 50 free and 100 fly at NCAAs. The 2022 national champ in the 100 fly, the Russian native has entered and then scratched the 50 free in both of his NCAA Championship appearances to be used on all five of the Cardinal relays.

He may scratch one of his events again, but it stands to reason the 50 free will be the one on the chopping block given he’s seeded 2nd in the 200 fly, 3rd in the 100 fly and 38th in the 50 free.