Disclaimer: BlueSeventy Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The BlueSeventy Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
As with the women, we’ll give fans a little extra this week, coming up with a Bonus Blueseventy Swim of the Week to chart the best swim from men’s NCAAs.
While there were other American and NCAA records that were arguably more impressive historically (how can you argue against a 40.00 100 freestyle?), the race of the meet without a doubt has to go to the mile.
In a final heat of 8 swimmers, 4 went under the fastest time previously recorded. The race was back-and-forth, with multiple lead changes and a whole lot of shuffling of the crowd. The superlatives from fans, announcers and writers were glowing. Renowned meet announcer Sam Kendricks called it “the greatest race [he’s] ever witnessed.” Several commenters annointed it the greatest race in history.
It started with Clark Smith, who went out like a rocket. Smith was coming off of a gutsy 500 free win that broke American and NCAA records, but was also visibly limping after that race and took a scratch in the 200 free the next day. There was no telling if Smith could hold on for fourteen and a half minutes.
Smith led to the 600, but then Michigan junior PJ Ransford made his move, dropping splits of 26.0 and 25.9 to take over the lead. Meanwhile his freshman teammate Felix Auboeck crept up on Smith as well.
Ransford started to push out to a big lead, but at the same time, Open Water Olympian Jordan Wilimovsky started to find a second gear for Northwestern, closing the gap on Auboeck and Smith, who were locked stroke-for-stroke for several hundreds.
At the 1000-mark, Ransford became the 7th-fastest man ever in the 1000 free, but started to tighten up as his early effort started to set in. At the same time, South Carolina’s Akaram Mahmoud started to make his move. Mahmoud made a similar push in 2016 to pass up Smith and take the lead, but was run down late in the event by eventual champ Chris Swanson of Penn. The question lingered whether Mahmoud would find the right timing for his push this season or not.
By 1300, it was Auboeck and Wilimovsky pressing the pace. That duo had caught Ransford, with Smith on their heels and Mahmoud rapidly reeling in the pack with the field’s best splits.
At 1400, with just under 300 yards to go, everyone’s racing arc converged on 12:15. The field order at that turn:
- Wilimovsky, 12:15.08
- Auboeck, 12:15.52
- Mahmoud, 12:15.68
- Smith, 12:15.93
- Ransford, 12:16.15
From there, it was a wild dash to the finish. Smith accelerated from 26-mids to 25.8s to rocket to the lead. Wilimovsky and Auboeck started to tighten. Suddenly, Mahmoud looked like Smith’s biggest challenger.
The last 100 was a battle of guts. Smith dropped his splits to 25.4, then to an absurd 23.7. Auboeck found an even faster surge, splitting 23.2 over the final 50. Mahmoud and Wilimovsky split 24.2 and 24.1 and somehow went backwards.
At the touch, it was Smith in 14:22.41, four tenths ahead of the hard-charging rookie Auboeck (14:22.88). Mahmoud (14:22.99) followed, along with Wilimovsky (14:23.45) as all four men went faster than any recorded swim in history. A look at the updated record books in the 1650 free, with swimmers from the 2017 NCAA final bolded:
ALL-TIME TOP 10 PERFORMERS: MEN’S 1650 FREE
| PLACE | SWIMMER | TIME |
| 1 | Clark Smith | 14:22.41 |
| 2 | Felix Auboeck | 14:22.88 |
| 3 | Akaram Mahmoud | 14:22.99 |
| 4 | Jordan Wilimovsky | 14:23.45 |
| 5 | Connor Jaeger | 14:23.52 |
| 6 | Martin Grodzski | 14:24.08 |
| 7 | Chad La Tourette | 14:24.35 |
| 8 | Chris Thompson | 14:26.62 |
| 9 | Larsen Jensen | 14:26.70 |
| 10 | Sebastien Rouault | 14:26.86 |
Bonus: Race video courtesy of UGA Swim & Dive on YouTube!
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I missed seeing this race and have been waiting to see it posted. You can read about it, but you HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! All four swimmers can be proud of putting on a race for the ages. Clark Smith – well deserved win and just raw desire was evident! Not to mention the patience to know when to go – and how to get to the wall at THE END OF A MILE! Jaw dropping!!!
Took my college bound swimmer to see some racing. Had some discussion about arriving late. No big deal if we miss the mile. OMG this was the best race we have ever witnessed. Every 50 after 1000 was edge of your seat. Classic display of guts, skill, will, and desire. Every age group swimmer needs to watch this race from start to finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHnmQhglxU
I simply can’t wrap my head around how absurd Auboeck’s final 50 split is. 23.2 for the last 50 of a MILE?! If you were average that for a 200 we’re looking at a 1:32.8 give or take. Enough to qualify for finals. scary…
No Videos of the race on you tube any more. I guess we will have to wait and buy the dvd.
u just waited a few hours ,…..haha
I admire ledecky and her long distance records and exploits but oh my this is what we call a distance “RACE”. Ledecky,s races over the 200 distace are not really races but damn her 200 free tie with mallory comerford was a RACE. Exciting stuff indeed.
I wish she had someone to race in the long distances to see how fast she could really go!
I think she,s already going as fast as she posibly can. She always wants to break records and when she doesn’t she,s unhappy. Watch her after the 1650 free at the interviews , not happy at all. She,’ll probably still break records tho. But I don’t think she,’ll be taking big chunks off records.
Now I wonder what Clark Smith would have swum without the injury. I don’t think a 14:20 would be over the top to assume.
Can someone please post a video link? Missed the race and now I can’t help but want to watch this. 🙁
check yutube – someone posted it
Honestly, one could argue that was the greatest race in NCAA History, that race was simply incredible.