DIVISION III MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 15-18, 2017
- CISD Natatorium, Shenandoah, Texas
- Prelims 10 AM, Finals 6 PM – U.S. Central Time Zone (GMT -6 currently)
- Event schedule
- Real-time results – diving
- Real-time results – swimming
- Video link
- Championship Central
Andrew Wilson has been going insane for Emory, and the senior is becoming one of the fastest breaststrokers ever.
Tonight, on Emory‘s 400 medley relay (which broke the Division 3 record by over two seconds), Wilson split a ridiculously fast 50.27 swimming the breaststroke leg. He went 23.17 (!) on the first 50 and came back in 27.10, the closest swimmer behind that being almost three seconds back.
In terms of the entire NCAA landscape, Wilson would’ve out-split every breaststroke leg of any relay of any division last year, and he’s done that very same thing this year (although D1 nationals have yet to happen). In terms of overall, best-of-the-best, top breaststroke splits ever, there’s no official ranking. That’s painful, but we’ve looked through all of the NCAA results since the 2008 championships* to try to come up with an unofficial ranking– in doing so, it looks like Wilson put down the 4th-fastest* time ever tonight, and it makes him the third-best performer ever (with a relay start) in this event.
*Cal’s Damir Dugonjic is the #3 all-time performer in the 100 breast at 50.86 from 2009– nobody ever broke 51.5 flat-start other than him before 2010, so we think it’s fair to stop at 2008 (Dugonjic’s frosh year) in searching for relay splits. But, if you have found a faster split at an older NCAA meet or perhaps a mid-season invite meet, let us know in the comments!Â
Top 100y breast splits all-time (very unofficial)
- 49.56 – Kevin Cordes (Arizona), 2013
- 50.12 – Chuck Katis (Cal), 2015
- 50.16 – Kevin Cordes (Arizona), 2015
- 50.27 – Andrew Wilson (Emory), 2017
- 50.35 – Damir Dugonjic (Cal), 2009
Kevin Cordes is king– his 49.56 was pretty incredible back in 2013, and that year, Arizona obliterated the NCAA A final in this event for the title, topping even Cal (who had Tom Shields on fly) and USC (with Vlad Morozov anchoring). Cordes split a 50.16 in his senior year with Arizona, and while it doesn’t show up here, he did split a 49.95 in 2014– the only problem, though, is that he had a -.05 reaction and DQ’d the relay in prelims. 2014 was the year that six teams had DQ’s in the 400 medley relay prelims.
So, a Division 3 swimmer looks to have gone the fourth-fastest 400 medley breaststroke split ever. And, he’s been the fastest split since two years ago. Regardless of the NCAA division, Wilson has certainly made his mark on the collegiate swimming landscape, and he’ll look to join the exclusive sub-51 club in the individual race tomorrow.
Who is Kristaps Porzingas?
I witnessed the swim in person. He took a half stroke into the wall on at least two turns so a 49.xx 100 breast relay split is possible for Wilson.
Yeah– he really jammed the 50 turn…
What could he go in a 50 split?
Probably around his 23.1 opener 😉
I think he also went 23.1 on the 200 medley relay….
That swim was insane! Video game material. Wilson blasted off a body length behind, surged to even on the pullout, then launched out of the water into a full body length lead on the first stroke!! 23.1 split. He died hard the last few strokes and still nearly broke 50. Un believable,
That kind of light’s out swimming brings to mind Adam Peaty vs. Cody Miller in the Rio Men’s 400 MR breaststroke leg, which put England in the lead (temporarily, anyway). Both amazing swims.