GT’s Ferraro Punches Ticket to NCAAs, Kibler Posts 1:32 2FR in Austin

2018 AMERICAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 1-3, 2018
• Austin, TX
• Live results

Editor’s note: to avoid confusion for some of our readers less familiar, or who are internationals, this meet is an American Championship largely in name only, and is not sanctioned by USA Swimming, the NCSA, or the YMCA that we’re aware of as an actual national championship meet.

Several NCAA swimmers are using this meet as a last chance meet, of sorts, to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Championships later this month. Many came close to cracking the top 30 and probably making the meet, including Texas A&M’s Adam Koster in the 100 free (42.78), Mizzou’s Luke Mankus in the 50 free (19.49), and Mizzou’s Micah Slaton in the 100 fly (46.15). Ultimately, they all ranked outside of the top 30, and likely won’t be invited for those swims.

One swimmer definitely punched his ticket to NCAAs, as Georgia Tech freshman Christian Ferraro raced to a 1:41.26 in a 200 fly time trial. That rockets him to #12 in the national rankings, and with only Pac-12s and last chance meets left, he’s pretty safe for an NCAA invite with that high of a ranking.

The high school-aged swimmers this meet were quite impressive, too.

Drew Kibler, the Carmel standout who just last weekend competed at the Indiana HS Championships, swam a huge 1:32.66 in the 200 free. Racing with many of his future Texas teammates on deck watching, he took over six tenths off of his previous best 1:33.30. He now ranks 2nd all-time in the 17-18 U.S. national age group, with only Maxime Rooney ahead of him with a 1:32.18 from his freshman year NCAAs (he was still 18). Kibler and Rooney are the only two in the age group to have broken 1:33.

For some more context, Kibler’s time is just .12 off of the NCAA ‘A’ cut, a standard hard to achieve in its own right, but all the more impressive coming from a high school senior. His time would be tied for 7th with NC State’s Justin Ress in the NCAA rankings, were he in college today.

KIBLER’S SPLITS

21.32        44.73 (23.41)
1:08.85 (24.12)     1:32.66 (23.81)

Kibler’s Carmel club teammate Kelly Pash won another event tonight, clocking a 4:13.22 to win the 400 IM. She was the only finisher under 4:20.

Austin Swim Club had two winners tonight, with Dakota Luther going 52.89 to take the 100 fly and Quinn Schaedler posting a 1:46.02 to win the 200 free. Austin Swim Club’s Diana Dunn wasn’t far behind Schaedler in 1:46.56.