Forde, Seidt Put Up #2 Times In NCAA At Day 2 Prelims Of OSU Invite

2018 OHIO STATE INVITATIONAL

Brooke Forde and Asia Seidt registered the 2nd-fastest swims so far this NCAA season at day 2 prelims of the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, doing so in the women’s 400 IM and 100 backstroke respectively. Read all about this morning’s action below.

Women’s Events

100 Fly

A pair of freshmen in Amalie Fackenthal and Izzy Gati put up the top-2 times in the women’s 100 fly, with the Cardinal going a season-best 52.77 and the Wildcat a lifetime best 52.98. Gati’s swim eclipsed her previous best of 53.63 from the 2018 NCSAs in March, while Fackenthal holds a PB of 52.09 also from March.

Notre Dame senior Nikki Smith also broke 53 seconds in 52.99, improving on her season-best from last weekend’s ACC/B1G Challenge of 53.25. Stanford’s Katie Drabot was a notable DFS in the event.

400 IM

Forde, a Stanford sophomore, took the top seed in the women’s 400 IM in 4:05.20, moving her past Bailey Andison‘s 4:05.56 from last weekend to put her #2 in the nation behind only Sydney Pickrem (4:01.73) of Texas A&M. Her senior teammate Ella Eastin, the three-time defending NCAA champ in the event, qualified 2nd in 4:07.12 in what was her first 400 IM of the season. Eastin also holds the meet record of 4:00.36 from 2016.

Their junior teammate Allie Szekely qualified 3rd in 4:08.65, and Ohio State’s Kathrin Demler (4:10.08) and Kentucky’s Lauren Edelman (4:11.10) were 4th and 5th. Demler had her fastest swim ever outside of an NCAAs or Big Tens, while Edelman was just over a tenth off her lifetime best from the 2018 SECs (4:10.98).

200 Free

Taylor Ruck of Stanford qualified 1st in the women’s 200 free in a time of 1:44.83, the 6th-fastest time in the country coming into today and also less than half a second off her lifetime best from 2015 (1:44.39). It also puts her under last year’s invited time to NCAAs (1:44.90).

Notre Dame junior Abbie Dolan improved her season-best from the ACC vs B1G meet by half a second for the 2nd seed in 1:45.11, her fastest ever time during invite season, and Kentucky senior Geena Freriks (1:45.54) and Stanford junior Katie Drabot (1:46.81) were 3rd and 4th. Another Cardinal freshman Morgan Tankersley had her fastest swim since December of last year to qualify 5th in 1:46.91.

100 Breast

Stanford freshman Zoe Bartel leads a tightly bunched field into the final of the women’s 100 breast, as the top-6 qualifiers were all within eight-tenths of each other. Bartel’s 1:00.16 improves her season-best from their dual with Washington State by over two seconds.

Behind her, OSU sophomore Hanna Gresser took 2nd in 1:00.53, under her 1:01.21 from last year’s invite, and Cardinal senior Kim Williams was just a tenth off her fastest ever invite swim for 3rd in 1:00.67. Also under 1:01 this morning was Stanford’s Grace Zhao (1:00.85), Kentucky’s Bailey Bonnett (1:00.93) and Notre Dame’s Meaghan O’Donnell (1:00.96).

100 Back

Asia Seidt of Kentucky was a very impressive 51.25 to take the top spot in the women’s 100 back, putting her 2nd in the country behind Beata Nelson (50.86). She is well within reach of the NCAA ‘A’ cut (50.99) and what she went here last year (51.17) in the final. Her best time stands at 50.86.

Ruck hit a personal best by over a second for the #2 seed, touching in 51.78 to knock off her 52.95 from 2014 and rank her 5th fastest in the NCAA. Rebekah Bradley of OSU was four-tenths off her best for 3rd in 52.91, her first time sub-53 outside of B1Gs or NCAAs, and Kentucky’s Ali Galyer was only two-tenths off her best from last year’s invite in 53.08 for 4th.

Men’s Events

100 Fly

Notre Dame junior Aaron Schultz swam his fastest ever at a mid-season invite to qualify 1st in the men’s 100 fly, clocking 46.95 to edge Pittsburgh sophomore Blaise Vera (46.96) who went a best time by nearly two seconds (previously 48.83 in December of 2017). At this meet last year, Vera was only a 51.02.

Jack Montesi of the Fighting Irish qualified 3rd in 47.34, his best swim ever outside of the 2018 ACCs, and Ohio State seniors Michael Salazar (47.35) and Henrique Painhas (47.51) were 4th and 5th.

400 IM

Notre Dame freshman Marci Barta set a big lifetime best last weekend in 3:45.95, and had his 2nd best swim ever this morning to qualify 1st in the men’s 400 IM in 3:48.65. Pittsburgh’s Samy Helmbacher, who posted the top time in the country at the ACC/B1G meet in 3:44.43, qualified 2nd in 3:49.54 as they were the only two sub-3:50.

200 Free

Buckeye freshman Ruslan Gaziev lowered his PB by two seconds to qualify 1st in the men’s 200 free, registering a 1:35.98 to lead a close field that saw six men go under 1:37. Notre Dame’s Sadler McKeen was next up in 1:36.11, just off his best of 1:35.89, and Gaziev’s teammate Andrew Loy was 3rd in 1:36.63 to make him faster than he was here last year. Loy owns a personal best of 1:33.42.

100 Breast

Pittsburgh senior John Fauteux broke 54 seconds for the first time to qualify 1st in the men’s 100 breast, clocking 53.86 to improve on his 54.01 from March of 2017. WVU’s Tristen DiSibio (54.03) and Kentucky’s Wyatt Amdor (54.11) were both faster than they’ve ever been at invite time for 2nd and 3rd.

100 Back

Jack Montesi of Notre Dame slashed two-tenths off his best time for the top seed in the 100 back, touching in 46.43 to improve on his 46.66 from last season’s ACCs. Painhas (47.58) and Loy (47.82) sit 2nd and 3rd, with Loy’s swim his first time ever under 48.

In This Story

1
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

1 Comment
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Johnson
5 years ago

Former Lakeside Seahawks teammates!

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

Read More »