Georgia Tech Invite: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2021 GEORGIA TECH FALL INVITATIONAL

• November 18-20, 2021
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, Georgia
• SCY (25 yards)
• Psych Sheets
• Live results (and on Meet Mobile: “2021 Georgia Tech Fall Invitational”)
• Day 2 Prelims Recap

The Georgia Tech Invite continues tonight with timed finals of the 200 medley and 800 free relays, along with finals of the individual 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, and women’s 3m diving.

2021 NCAA CUT LINES

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

1. Georgia – 1:36.82
2. Florida State – 1:37.43
3. Florida – 1:38.01

The Georgia women followed up their victory in the 400 medley relay last night with a win in the shorter medley relay to start off tonight’s finals session. Gabi Fa’Amausili led off in 24.31, just a bit faster than she was leading off this relay at last season’s NCAAs. Zoie Hartman split a very fast 26.94 on breast, Dakota Luther swam a 23.65 fly leg, and Maxine Parker anchored in 21.92 for a total time of 1:36.82, a tenth faster than the Bulldogs’ overall time from NCAAs

Florida State took 2nd in 1:37.43, while Florida held off Auburn for 3rd, 1:38.01 to 1:38.25. The Bulldogs were the only team under the NCAA ‘B’ cut of 1:37.05.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

1. Florida State – 1:23.57
2. Georgia – 1:23.97
3. Florida – 1:24.10

Florida won both of last night’s relays, but Florida State countered today with a strong 1:23.57 win in the 200 medley to get the men’s competition going tonight. Mason Herbert, who had the fastest time in the 100 back this morning, led off in 21.42, then Izaak Bastian (23.50), Max McCusker (19.86), and Peter Varjasi (18.79) swam to a 1:23.57 finish, four-tenths ahead of Georgia. That appears to be a school record for FSU, breaking the mark of 1:23.63 set back in 2019.

Georgia (1:23.97), Florida (1:24.10), and Auburn (1:24.20) were all under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 1:24.22. Auburn’s relay was highlighted by a wicked-fast 22.97 breast leg by Reid Mikuta. Georgia Tech drew a DQ, and with live results not showing up, we’re not sure what the infraction was.

Women’s 400 IM – Finals

1. Mabel Zavaros (Florida) – 4:08.53
2. Hannah Ownbey (Auburn) – 4:09.44
3. Kathleen Golding (Florida) – 4:11.10

Florida’s Mabel Zavaros was a bit off of her prelims time of 4:08.30, but she still won by nearly a second with her 4:08.53 tonight. Auburn’s Hannah Ownbey took 2nd in 4:09.44 after dropping 2.58s from her time from prelims. Gator Kathleen Golding got past Georgia’s Mia Abruzzo on the final 50 to win the battle for 3rd, 4:11.10 to 4:11.26.

All four of those women, plus Georgia’s Portia Brown (4:11.93), Florida’s Rosie Zavaros (4:12.38), and Georgia Tech’s McKenzie Campbell (4:12.63) were under last year’s NCAA invite time of 4:13.19.

Men’s 400 IM – Finals

1. Kevin Vargas (Florida) – 3:42.81
2. Kieran Smith (Florida) – 3:46.95
3. Jacques Rathle (Auburn) – 3:47.41

If you had to guess that only one swimmer would be under last year’s NCAA cut, you might’ve guessed that it’d be a Florida swimmer, but most fans were probably likely to assume that it’d be Kieran Smith, and not Kevin Vargas. Nonetheless, it was Vargas who swam to a wining time of 3:42.81, a mark which would’ve made the B-final at last year’s NCAAs.

Smith finished 2nd in 3:46.95, followed by Auburn’s Jacques Rathle, who just touched out Georgia’s Ian Grum, 3:47.41 to 3:47.44.

Women’s 100 Fly – Finals

1. Dakota Luther (Georgia) – 52.58
2. Callie Dickinson (Georgia) – 52.93
3. Edith Jernstedt (Florida State) / Avery Bargeron (Auburn) – 53.17

The Bulldogs went 1-2 here, as Dakota Luther shaved 0.09s off of her prelims time to win in 52.58, the only woman in the field under last year’s NCAA invite time of 52.70. Teammate Callie Dickinson also had a small drop from the morning to take 2nd in 52.93.

Florida States’s Edith Jernstedt and Auburn’s Avery Bargeron tied for 3rd at 53.17, just ahead of Auburn’s Claudia Thamm (53.23), in a very tight race.

Men’s 100 Fly – Finals

1. Christian Ferraro (Georgia Tech) 45.61
2. Eric Friese (Florida) – 45.69
3. Max McCusker (Florida State) – 45.92

Georgia Tech earned a win courtesy of Christian Ferraro, who knocked 0.41s off of his prelims time and touched just ahead of Florida’s Eric Friese, 45.61 to 45.69. Those two, and 3rd-place finisher Max McCusker of Florida State (45.92), were all under last season’s invite time of 46.29

Luca Urlando scratched the final for this event after swimming a 45.67 in prelims for the 2nd-fastest time of the morning.

Women’s 200 Free – Finals

1. Talia Bates (Florida) – 1:44.72
2. Maxine Parker (Georgia) – 1:45.64
3. Dune Coetzee (Georgia) – 1:46.14

The Florida women picked up another win, as Talia Bates was the only woman under 1:45 tonight with her time of 1:44.72. Georgia teammates Maxine Parker (1:45.64) and Dune Coetzee finished 2nd and 3rd, while Auburn’s Emily Hetzer (1:46.24) was also faster than the 1:46.25 it took to earn a NCAA invite last season.

Men’s 200 Free – Finals

1. Trey Freeman (Florida) – 1:32.92
2. Baturalp Unlu (Georgia Tech) – 1:33.79
3. Alfonso Mestre (Florida) – 1:34.04

Florida’s Trey Freeman came within a whisker of his lifetime best of 1:32.88, touching in 1:32.92 to get another Gator win. Georgia Tech’s Baturalp Unlu, the 2021 ACC champion in this event, took 2nd in 1:33.79. Freeman’s teammate Alfonso Mestre earned 3rd with his time of 1:34.04, which matched the 2021 NCAA invite time.

Women’s 100 Breast – Finals

1. Zoie Hartman (Georgia) – 59.32
2. Nina Kucheran (Florida State) – 1:00.11
3. Angharad Eans (Georgia) – 1:00.22

Georgia’s Zoie Hartman successfully defended her top seed from prelims, going under a minute again to win in 59.23. Florida State’s Nina Kucheran took 2nd in 1:00.11, close followed by Georgia’s Angharad Evans. The Bulldog freshman nearly broke a minute this morning, going exactly 1:00, but added just a bit of time tonight to place 4th in 1:00.22.

Men’s 100 Breast – Finals

1. Reid Mikuta (Auburn) – 51.33
2. Izaak Bastian (Florida State) – 52.27
3. Dillon Hillis (Florida) – 52.37

Reid Mikuta had the fastest breast splits in both the 400 and the 200 medley relays this meet, so it’s no surprise that the Auburn sophomore won this event tonight with a 51.33. Mikuta had a personal best of 52.65 heading into today, then lowered it to 52.46 in prelims, before lowering the boom with his swim tonight.

FSU’s Izaak Bastian outdueled Florida’s Dillon Hillis in the battle for 2nd, 52.27 to 52.37, with all three top finishers under last year’s invite time of 52.40.

Women’s 100 Back – Finals

1. Ellie Waldrep (Auburn) – 52.64
2. Millie Sansome (Georgia) – 53.18
3. Gabi Fa’Amausili (Georgia) – 53.25

Auburn made it two in a row as freshman Ellie Waldrep handily won the 100 back with a time of 52.64, under last year’s NCAA invite time of 53.01.

Georgia took the next two spots, with Millie Sansome clipping teammate Gabi Fa’Amausili, 53.18 to 53.25.

Men’s 100 Back – Finals

1. Adam Chaney (Florida) – 45.90
2. Lleyton Smith (Auburn) – 46.39
3. Mason Herbert (Florida State) – 46.49

Florida’s Adam Chaney earned his second individual title of the meet, pairing tonight’s 45.90 victory in the 100 back with his win in the 50 free last night. This was his first outright title, though, as last night’s victory was actually a tie.

Auburn’s Lleyton Smith dropped 0.40s from his seed to touch out Florida State’s Mason Herbert, who had the fastest time this morning, 46.39 to 46.49.

A couple of the “bigger” names finished lower in the rankings. Kieran Smith took 4th in 46.80, while Luca Urlando tied for 7th in 47.10. Urlando missed the first day of the meet with some sort of illness, and scratched out of the 100 fly after swimming both events in prelims this morning.

Women’s 3m Diving – Finals

1. Cami Hidalgo (Georgia Tech) – 355.95
2. Elizabeth Perez (Florida) – 333.00
3. Maha Amer (Florida) – 329.80

Women’s 800 Free Relay – Timed Finals

1. Georgia – 7:06.44
2. Florida – 7:08.50
3. Florida State – 7:14.35

Florida led for 3/4s of the race, only two lose by two seconds in the end. Talia Bates  put Florida in front early on with a 1:45.25 leadoff leg, then Micayla Cronk (1:47.65) and Nikki Miller (1:47.60) preserved that lead.

Georgia, meanwhile, got a 1:47.35 leadoff from Maxine Parker, then splits of 1:48.00 and 1:46.65 from Dune Coetzee and Jillian Barcyzk. 100 breaststroke champion Zoie Hartman anchored for the Bulldogs, and she ripped a 1:44.44 split to run down Florida’s Mabel Zavaros, who split 1:48.00, as the Gators won 7:06.44 to 7:08.50.

While it proved to be an exciting race, neither team managed to finish under the NCAA ‘B’ standard of 7:05.88.

Men’s 800 Free Relay – Timed Finals

1. Florida – 6:14.99
2. Florida State – 6:23.06
3. Georgia Tech – 6:29.16

Kieran Smith led off in 1:32.66, a time which would’ve won the individual 200 free. Trey Freeman (1:33.48), Alfonso Mestre (1:33.58), and Gerry Quinn (1:35.27) followed, giving the Gators a time of 6:14.99, almost two seconds under the NCAA ‘A’ cut.

Florida was the only school under either either NCAA cut, as Florida State was the next-fastest team at 6:23.06.

Scores Through Day 2

Women

1. Georgia, University of 891
2. University of Florida 755
3. Auburn University 683
4. Florida State University 527
5. Georgia Institute of Technolog 417
6. University of Iowa 64
7. Florida Gulf Coast University 59

Men

1. University of Florida 988
2. Auburn University 772.5
3. Florida State University 622.5
4. Georgia, University of 494
5. Georgia Institute of Technolog 468