Caeleb Dressel Does it Again! 17.63 to win the 50 Free

2018 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Florida’s Caeleb Dressel has once again made history. Dressel, owner of the 10 fastest times in history, successfully defended his 50 free title at the 2018 NCAA Championships as he raced to the wall in 17.63. That makes him 4-for-4 in the 50 free throughout his NCAA career. His individual swim tonight comes after he split a 17.81 on the leadoff split of the 200 free relay to kick off the session.

Dressel literally won the race by a second, as NC State’s Ryan Held was very fast to take 2nd in 18.64. Minnesota’s Bowen Becker, the 8th fastest man ever, was just shy of his best to take 3rd tonight. Cal freshman Ryan Hoffer, the 9th fastest man ever, tied for 5th with Auburn’s Zach Apple in 18.97.

ALL-TIME TOP PERFORMERS: MEN’S 50 YARD FREE

  1. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 17.63
  2. Cesar Cielo, Auburn- 18.47
  3. Matt Targett, Auburn- 18.52
  4. Ryan Held, NC State- 18.58
  5. Vlad Morozov, USC- 18.63
  6. Kristian Gkolomeev, Alabama- 18.64
  7. Nathan Adrian, Cal- 18.66
  8. Bowen Becker, Minnesota- 18.69
  9. Ryan Hoffer, SAC- 18.71
  10. Adam Brown, Auburn- 18.72

ALL-TIME TOP PERFORMANCES: MEN’S 50 YARD FREE

  1. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 17.63
  2. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 17.81
  3. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.11
  4. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.20
  5. (T-5) Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.23
  6. (T-5) Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.23
  7. (T-5) Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.23
  8. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.24
  9. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.29
  10. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 18.32

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Jshahehen
6 years ago

SWIMS only has 2 18.23s on dressel

Lauren Neidigh
Reply to  Jshahehen
6 years ago

There are 3. In 2017 he did 2 (individual 50 and relay leadoff). In 2016 he did 1.

Rafael
6 years ago

Got a little Race Analysis data.. and based on that I Think it is much more likely for Dressel to Break the 100 fly/free record than ever breaking the 50 free.. not only because of it being farther.. but also based on this Data:

Comparison between Cielo and Dressel time on 50 Yards:

Cesar Cielo, NCAA 2008
18.47
1st 25 10 Strokes 8.50 and 2nd 25 14 Strokes 9.97
Total 24 Strokes 18.47

Caeleb Dressel, NCAA 2018
17.63
1st 25 8 Strokes 8.48 and 2nd 25 11 Strokes 9.15
Total 19 Strokes 17.63

Dressel biggest advantage compared is not the dive or the Swimming part itself and exactly but much more the Underwaters.. and… Read more »

Ethan
6 years ago

Absolutely unbelievable. Can’t wait to see what this guy can put together the next two days…

He’s raised the bar so high, there are no limits on what he can do in this sport.

Hmmmm
6 years ago

@GoldMedalMel I’d like to remind you of your promise to either shave your head or grow a mustache if Dressel went 17 in the 50.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Hmmmm
6 years ago

Since Troy said he is not shaving his stache , that could be great ?

Eddie Reese's glasses
6 years ago

Think about it … this dude just went 17.63, obliterated the field, made the 18-second barrier look soft

Oh yeah, he’s also the fastest ever in the 200 IM

and the 100 breast

and the 100 fly

I don’t even know what to say.

iLikePsych
Reply to  Eddie Reese's glasses
6 years ago

The 100 free?

Honest observer
6 years ago

The only way to look at this is to say, Caeleb Dressel just devalued swimming. Seriously, the best comparison to that 50 is when George Soros attacked the British pound back in 1992. After Soros did his damage, everybody in great Britain was suddenly just a little bit poorer, at least in terms of what their money could buy abroad.

And now, after that 17.63, everybody who swims is…..just a little bit lousier of a swimmer.

Think about poor Ryan Held. Anybody who can swim a 50 in 18.64 is an incredible stud. And sure enough, Held is built like a bull, has a great start, great underwaters, a great stroke, and a fierce competitive instinct. He’s a… Read more »

Swimgeek
6 years ago

I think 17.63 is faster than any SPLIT in history – including his own. Think about that.

Swim2winnn
6 years ago

17.6!! Yes, 0.4 below 18.0, but you do realize this is not like going 0.4 below 19.0, 20.0, 21.0, etc. when dealing with such a small base dropping from 18.0 to 17.6 (-0.4) is the equivalent of dropping an entire second from 20.0 to 19.0.

I never in my life thought 16.99 would be possible but I may see it in my lifetime at some point maybe!!

outside smoke
Reply to  Swim2winnn
6 years ago

i think 18.0–>17.6 is like 20.0–>19.56; still, point taken, what he did is nuts
also, 18.11–>17.63 is like 20.00–>19.47, which is also nuts

About Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh is a former NCAA swimmer at the University of Arizona (2013-2015) and the University of Florida (2011-2013). While her college swimming career left a bit to be desired, her Snapchat chin selfies and hot takes on Twitter do not disappoint. She's also a high school graduate of The …

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