D2 Swimmer Ben Sampson Rips 1:40.73 200 Back At Altitude

TYR Colorado Mesa University Invite

• November 16 -19, 2022
• El Pomar Natatorium – Grand Junction, CO
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Full Results: “TYR Colorado Mesa Univ. Invite” on MeetMobile

Men’s 200 Back – Prelims

• Pool Record: Ben Sampson (CMU) – 1:43.88
• Meet Record: Ben Sampson (CMU) – 1:43.91

1. Ben Sampson (CMU) – 1:40.73
2. Andrew Scoggin (CMU) – 1:46.56
3. Jeremy Kock (CMU) – 1:47.58
4. Jackson Moe (CMU) – 1:50.08
5. Luca Burns (CSM)/Jakson Winn (CSM) – 1:52.25
6. –
7. Luke Webster (CLUB) – 1:53.33
8. Brayden Whitmarsh (CSM) – 1:54.74

Colorado Mesa’s Ben Sampson blasted a 1:40.73 200 backstroke during prelims on the final day of the TYR Colorado Mesa Invitational. It was a new pool and meet record for the redshirt sophomore, cutting more than three seconds off each record.

Colorado Mesa is hosting the meet, which means that Sampson’s time (and all the others) was swum at an altitude of 4,583 feet. Sampson’s swim converts to 1:39.53, which is faster than the current Division II record. It also would have put him 12th at 2022 Division I NCAAs.

1:40.73 is one of the fastest 200 back times in the country this year in any division. There are other invites happening in the NCAA, but currently, Sampson’s time stands as the second-fastest in the country behind only Texas A&M’s Ethan Gogluski‘s 1:39.98. It was also only a prelims swim, so Sampson will have another chance to claim the top time in the country.

Regardless of altitude, the time is also a massive personal best for the Maverick, who’s previous lifetime best stood at 1:41.53 from his runner-up performance at 2022 NCAAs.

Split Comparison, Sampson 200 Back

It’s hard to compare a swim at altitude with a non-altitude one, but it’s clear that Sampson has worked on his back-end speed. In his prelims swim, his second 100 was 51.34 compared to 52.82 in March.

Sampson is almost six seconds clear of the rest of the field, making him almost a lock to win the event in finals tonight.