Baqlah Posts 1:34 200, 9:04 1000 as Florida Sweeps Ohio St & Kentucky

Florida vs Ohio State vs Kentucky

TEAM SCORES

WOMEN

  • Florida 403, Ohio State 178
  • Florida 300.5, Kentucky 280.5
  • Kentucky 375, Ohio State 206

MEN

  • Florida 317.5, Ohio State 263.5
  • Florida 389.5, Kentucky 191.5
  • Ohio State 336, Kentucky 245

Florida hosted a double dual meet with Ohio State and Kentucky on Friday & Saturday, January 4th & 5th. Each day of the meet consisted of almost the exact same events, with the exceptions of the relays, and swapping the 1650 on Friday for the 1000 on Saturday, and the 200 IM on Friday for the 400 IM on Saturday. Florida swept the men’s and women’s meets, winning all 4 meets by 20+ points.

Khader Baqlah blasted out of the gates to start the new year. Baqlah won the 200, 500, and 1000 free. In the 200, he posted a 1:34.33. Florida also won the 200 free on Saturday, with Maxime Rooney swimming a 1:35.64. Baqlah went on to win the 500 on Friday, posting a time of 4:21.98, good for the win by about 3 seconds. His final individual win came on Saturday, when he took the 1000 free in 9:04.74, just 2 seconds off his season best. Baqlah also came in 2nd in the 100 free on Saturday, posting a 44.00.

Ohio State’s Molly Kowal blasted a 16:15.88 1650 to open up the individual events on Friday, finishing 14 seconds ahead of Taylor Ault, the runner-up. Kowal was incredibly consistent, keeping her last 15 100 splits between 59.11 and 59.52. Kowal did not win the 1000 on Saturday, instead coming in 3rd with a 9:56.86. Kentucky’s Geena Freriks won the 1000, posting a 9:49.15 to win by 4 seconds over Taylor Ault. Florida freshman Robert Finke threw down a 15:o3.14 to win the men’s mile, touching just 8 seconds off his season best and winning by 33.

Asia Seidt won 5 of her 6 individual events, but was off her season bests by a bit. Seidt only lost her first individual event, the 100 back on Friday, where Sherridon Dressel swam a 52.79 to Seidt’s 53.08. Seidt then won the 100 back on Saturday, but was actually slower than Friday, swimming a 53.76. Seidt went on to win the 100 fly (53.84), 200 IM (1:58.61), 200 fly (1:58.99), and the 100 fly again (53.81).

Dressel went on to win the 100 free twice, the 50 free, and come in 2nd in Saturday’s 100 fly. On Friday, Dressel swam a 49.81 to claim victory in the 100 free, which she then followed up with a 49.33 lead-off on the 400 free relay. Then on Saturday, Dressel won the 100 free again, posting a 49.04. She won Saturday’s 50 free with a 22.97, being the only swimmer in the field to break 23 seconds. She then capped off her meet with a 22.81 lead-off in the 200 free relay.

 

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Aquajosh
5 years ago

Baqlah’s 200 was impressive, but I’d say Fink’s 15:03 was more so. How often do you see anyone come close to 15:00 at an in-season dual meet? He lapped everyone by a full 50. This is a deep team.

Sherridon Dressel is going to be really good at the end of the season. She destroyed everyone on the third wall of that 100 free. Her underwaters are fantastic. Florida’s women look great in general. Kelly Fertel went straight from swimming a 4:10 400 IM to busting out a 22.7 anchor to narrowly win the 200 free relay, and they went 3:39.0 in the 400 MR without Dressel. They’re really stepping up across the board.

200 SIDESTROKE B CUT
5 years ago

I did do a double take when the headline said “Dressel” placed 2nd in the 100 fly. Just sayin’.

Swimmerj
5 years ago

This is so random but I think Alex Sumner transfered from Cal to Yale