Bjorn Seeliger Takes Down Vlad Morozov’s 100 Free PAC-12 Championship Record from 2013

2023 MEN’S PAC-12 SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, March 1- Saturday, March 5, 2023
• Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Center – Federal Way, WA
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Defending Champions: Cal (5x)
• Championship Central
• Event Schedule
• Diving Results
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Fan Guide
• Psych Sheets
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

100 FREESTYLE — PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• PAC-12 Record: 40.75, Bjorn Seeliger (Cal) — 2022 NCAA Championships
• PAC-12 Championship Record: 41.38, Vlad Morozov (USC) — 2013 PAC-12 Championships
• 2022 Champion: Bjorn Seeliger (Cal) — 41.51
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.64
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 42.34

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Bjorn Seeliger (CAL) – 41.30 (Meet Record)
2. Jack Alexy (CAL) – 41.80
3. Jack Dolan (ASU) – 41.84
4. Matthew Jensen (CAL) – 42.01
5. Andrei Minakov (STAN) – 42.03
6. Grant House (ASU) – 42.21
7. Jonny Kulow (ASU) – 42.25
8. Patrick Sammon (ASU) – 42.32

During the final prelims session of the 2023 Men’s PAC-12 Championships, Bjorn Seeliger took down one of the oldest records in the PAC-12 record books. The junior fired off 41.30 to take the top seed in the 100 freestyle, undercutting the previous record of 41.38, which Vlad Morozov swam in 2013. When Morozov logged that time, the meet was still called the PAC-10 Championships.

Seeliger is the defending champion in the 100 freestyle–in 2022, he won the event in 41.51. He holds a personal best of 40.75 from prelims of 2022 NCAAs, which also stands as the overall PAC-12 record. This marks a season best time, and vaults him from eighth in the NCAA to third, behind only Jordan Crooks and Josh Liendo.

Split Comparison: Seeliger vs. Morozov

Seeliger blasted out in 19.25 getting ahead of Morozov’s pace by over half a second. That’s where he put the time in to get the record, as Morozov came charging home in 21.60 compared to Seeliger’s 22.05 second 50 split.

The comparison between these two heats shows just how much faster men’s NCAA sprinting has gotten in the last 10 years. In the 2013 final, Morozov was the only swimmer sub-42, as Stanford’s Aaron Wayne earned silver in 42.48. It took 43.82 to qualify for the ‘A’ final.

10 years later, there were three men under 42 seconds in prelims: Seeliger, Jack Alexy, and Jack Dolan. 42.48 would have earned the 11th seed heading into finals and 43.82 is good for first alternate.

Last year, Seeliger won three PAC-12 individual event titles: the 50 free, 100 back, and 100 free. He’s still looking for his first in 2023 after finishing second in the 50 free and fifth in the 100 back. He’s seeded half a second ahead of his teammate Alexy, the #2 seed, putting him in a strong position to defend his title in the 100 free.