Army Men Capture ‘A’ Standard In 400 Medley Relay With 3:04.51 At ECACs

2025 ECAC Open Championships

• February 28- March 2, 2025
• Annapolis, Maryland
• SCY (25 yards)

Highlighting the first night of competition at the ECAC Championships was the Army men as they earned an NCAA ‘A’ cut in the 400 medley relay posting a 3:04.51 in finals. That got under the cut of a 3:04.96.

Earning the ‘A’ cut means the team has earned an invite at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The relay consisted of Johnny Crush, Kohen Rankin, Daniel Verdolaga, and Thomas Hadji. The four had teamed up just last week at the Patriot League Championships, earning the conference title in a 3:05.20.

Split Comparison

The biggest difference today came on the breaststroke and butterfly legs as Rankin and Verdolaga were over half a second faster than they were last week. Rankin will make his return to the NCAA Championships after qualifying for the meet individually a year ago as he became Army’s first swimmer to qualify since 1987.

The Army men notably ended Navy’s winning streak at the conference level last week as the Black Knights took home the Patriot League title, knocking off Navy for the title and winning Army’s first title since 2001.

How To Qualify Relays for NCAAs:

• • The simplest way to qualify relays for NCAAs is to hit the ‘A’ cut, formally known as the “Qualifying Standard” in a relay.
  • Once a team has an ‘A’ standard relay, they can also enter all relays where they’ve earned the ‘B’ standard, formally known as a “Provisional Standard.”
  • Teams with four individual swimmers qualified can swim relay events in which they have at least a ‘B’ standard and bring up to four uninvited relay swimmers.
  • Relays are qualified “to the team”, not the individual swimmers so teams can take whichever swimmers they want to use on the relay.
  • Teams with an ‘A’ standard relay but no individual invites can swim that relay–but not any where they’ve swum a ‘B’ cut–and bring four uninvited relay swimmers to compete in that relay.

Other ECAC highlights:

• Women’s 200 free relay: Lily Mead of Loyola-Maryland swam to a 22.54 on the lead off leg, a time that would have won the Patriot League title last week although Mead opted for the 200 IM on night 2 instead.
• Men’s 50 Free: Navy’s Austin Lockhart won the 50 free in a 19.88, breaking the 20-second barrier for the first time in his career. That time would have been 6th at the Patriot League Championships last week.