Elendt Clocks 3rd-Fastest Breaststroke Split Ever, Texas Breaks Big 12 Record in 200 MR

2023 NCAA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 15-18, 2023
• Allan Jones Aquatic Center–Knoxville, Tennessee
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Pick ’em Contest
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

DAY 1 FINALS HEAT SHEETS

Texas junior Anna Elendt tallied the third-fastest breaststroke split in history to help the Longhorns claim third place at the NCAA Championships in 1:33.22, lowering their Big 12 record from January (1:33.70).

Elendt split 25.54, tying Texas A&M’s Jorie Caneta for third all-time behind Ohio State’s Hannah Bach (25.51) and Indiana’s Lilly King (25.36).

Top Relay Splits, Women’s 50-Yard Breaststroke

1. Lilly King, Indiana – 25.36 (2019)
2. Hannah Bach, Ohio State – 25.51 (2022)
3. Tie: Anna Elendt, Texas- 25.54 (2023) / Jorie Caneta, Texas A&M – 25.54 (2018)
5. Heather MacCausland, NC State – 25.69 (2023)

After Olivia Bray led off with a 23.72 backstroke split, Elendt brought Texas back from fourth place to third, less than two-tenths behind eventual champion Virginia. NC State senior Heather MacCausland threw down a 25.69 split for the Wolfpack, who led at the midway point by half a second. MacCausland’s split ranks her as the fifth-fastest ever.

Virginia ended up fighting back and taking the title in a new NCAA-record 1:31.51, lowering its own record from last month (1:31.73). Kate Douglass fired off the second-fastest freestyle split in history on the anchor leg (20.34) to seal the victory.

WOMEN 200 YARD MEDLEY RELAY – TIMED FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:31.73, Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh , A. Cuomo, K. Douglass) — 2023
• Meet Record: 1:32.16, Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Wenger, A. Cuomo, K. Douglass) — 2022
• American Record: 1:31.73, Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, A. Cuomo, K. Douglass) — 2023
• US Open Record: 1:31.73, Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, A. Cuomo, K. Douglass) — 2023
• Pool Record: 1:33.19, Virginia (C. Gmelich, A. Wenger, K. Douglass, M. Hill) — 2019
• 2022 Champion: Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Wenger, A. Cuomo, K. Douglass) — 1:32.16

Top 8:

1. Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, A. Cuomo, K Douglass) – 1:31.51
2. NC State (K. Berkoff, H. MacCausland, K. Alons, A. Arens) – 1:32.42
3. Texas (O. Bray, A. Elendt, E. Sticklen, G. Cooper) – 1:33.22
4. Ohio State – 1:33.93
5. Louisville – 1:34.37
6. Cal – 1:34.75
7. Alabama – 1:34.83
8. UNC – Chapel Hill – 1:35.01

Heading into the meet, there was some question over whether Elendt or freshman Lydia Jacoby would swim breaststroke on the Longhorns’ medley relay teams. Jacoby split 25.82 during January’s dual meet against NC State.

At the same dual meet against NC State, Elendt posted a 24.57 split, according to official results, as Texas cruised to the old Big 12 record of 1:33.70. However, hand timing of the race video indicates there was a timing error that subtracted time from Elendt’s split and added it to Bray’s.

Splits Comparison, Big 12 Records