NIKE CUP
WOMEN’S MEET
NC State earned two top seeds this morning, while Duke, Yale, and UNC each grabbed one top seed each.
Kayla Brumbaum took top honors in the 100 breast prelims, touching out at 1:00.58 as the sole finisher under 1:02. Alexia Zevnik, last night’s 200 IM champion and NC State school record setter, touched first in the 100 back (53.07). She’ll have company, though, tonight. Finishing up closely behind were Duke’s Maddie Hess (53.30, that’s a new school record), UNC’s Helen Moffitt (53.59), Zevnik’s teammate Ashlyn Koletic (53.41) and Duke’s Mickayla Hinkle (53.98).
Prior to this season, Jessica Sutherland held the Duke school record in the 100 back at 54.20. Hess broke that before the Nike Cup, and then now again in prelims. Hinkle, meanwhile, was also under Sutherland’s old record.
Yale’s Emma Smith finished just ahead of UNC’s Emma Nunn in the 400 IM. Smith was 4:19.61 to Nunn’s 4:20.20.
Maddie Rusch of Duke led the field in the 100 fly with a 53.17. The Blue Devils also captured the #3 and #4 seeds going into tonight.
In the 200 free, Allyn Hardesty edged out Yale’s Bella Hindley 1:47.47 to 1:47.64. Lexy Aitchison, who finished 3rd at 1:48.74, broke the Duke school record.
MEN’S MEET
NC State may not have been all too impressive yesterday, but they roared back today claiming 4 top seeds out of the 5 events.
Sophomore Ryan Held meant business, owning a 1:34.48 in the 200 free. No other swimmer touched under 1:37. Held was a big part of the Wolfpack’s 800 free relay last year. Note that he barely dipped below 1:39 in this event at the Nike Cup last season as a freshman. That’s the nation’s top time this year, according to USA Swimming rankings (which have not been updated yet through this weekend).
Anton Ipsen‘s 3:49.34 led the way in the 400 IM, as he and Wolfpack teammate Christian McCurdy (3:53.36) finished 1-2 this morning.
Hennessey Stuart and Soeren Dahl took top honors in their respective events, as well. Stuart posted a very quick 46.70 in the 100 back, followed up by teammate Andreas Schiellerup (47.95). Dahl, meanwhile, also dipped under 47 seconds. His 46.92 was the only time in the 100 fly field under 47.
Coming through with the only non-NC State win was Duke’s Peter Kropp. He finished first in the 100 breast with a time of 52.40, well ahead of NC State’s Derek Hren (53.35).
NC State is not going for the team title. They are focused on NCAAs and have an agenda in place.
Doesn’t seem like his teammates are on much — if any — rest. Maybe Held is on a slightly different amount of rest go get a time, but either way 1:34.4 is some pretty nasty in November. Looking forward to his swim tonite. NC State, wow. Has any program in the nation made such an exponential move up in the past 3-5 years? Actually hard to remember a program moving this fast in 3-5 years at any point in recent decades.
Louisville