Florida State vs. Harvard
- Jan. 9, 2024
- Morcom Aquatics Center
- Tallahassee, Florida
- SCY (25 yards)
- PDF results
- Team scores
- Men: No. 20 Florida State 168, Harvard 132
A trio of international swimmers helped the No. 20 Florida State men hold off Harvard, 168-132, in their first meet of 2024 on Tuesday in Tallahassee.
Italian sophomore Tommaso Baravelli led the way for the Seminoles (5-0, 1-0 ACC) with three individual wins in the 100-yard breaststroke (55.35), 200 breast (2:00.33), and 200 IM (1:49.88). He added a 25.34 breast split on FSU’s victorious 200 medley relay (1:28.58).
Bulgarian senior Yordan Yanchev prevailed in the 200 freestyle (1:37.02) and 500 free (4:27.04). His season-best times in the 200 free (1:33.77) and 500 free (4:13.35) rank 28th and 7th in the NCAA this season, respectively. Yanchev placed 3rd in the 500 free with a personal-best 4:12.97 at ACCs last year.
German fifth-year Peter Varjasi showed off his versatility with 1st-place finishes in the 100 free (43.21) and 100 fly (48.26), the latter in a new lifetime best. His previous-best 100 fly time was 48.50 from two years ago. Varjasi is ranked 15th in the NCAA this season in the 100 free with a season-best 42.30 and 12th in the NCAA in the 100 breast with a 52.10, nearly two seconds faster than his best time before this season. He placed 4th in the 200 IM (1:43.37) at ACCs last year before placing 30th at NCAAs (1:43.43).
Varjasi also placed 2nd in the 50 free (20.34) behind Harvard freshman Sonny Wang (20.29) while leading off the Seminoles’ triumphant 200 free relay (1:20.08) with a 20.00. FSU ranks 6th in the NCAA this season in the 200 free relay with a 1:16.54 from November’s Georgia Invitational.
“Today was about our seniors,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “Harvard is a great team. We had some bright spots today and I thought we competed hard.”
Harvard senior Will Grant was a bright spot for the Crimson (3-1, 3-0 Ivy League). The Ivy League champion triumphed in the 100 back (48.68) while earning runner-up finishes in the 200 back (1:47.56) behind Harvard junior Anthony Rincon (1:47.30) and 200 IM (1:50.16) behind Baravelli (1:49.88). Grant’s season bests in the 100 back (45.95), 200 back (1:40.68), and 200 IM (1:44.26) rank 28th, 22nd, and 36th in the NCAA this season, respectively.
Crimson senior Cole Kuster took the 1000 free title in 9:14.93 while freshman teammate David Schmitt claimed the 200 fly crown in 1:48.76. Schmitt’s season-best 1:43.69 ranks 30th in the NCAA this season. He also placed 3rd in the 100 fly (49.13) and added a 22.05 split on Harvard’s 200 medley relay ‘B’ team. Wang swam fly (21.29 split) on the Crimson’s 200 medley relay ‘A’ team that placed 2nd just .34 seconds behind FSU in 1:28.91.
On the diving boards, Harvard’s Adam Wesson won the 1-meter (333.75) while FSU’s Darwin Nolasco notched a career-best score on the 3-meter (405.15) en route to the victory.
The Crimson return home to Cambridge to host Brown on Tuesday.
Women’s Recap
North Florida could not attend Tuesday’s meet due to weather conditions, so the Seminole women competed in an exhibition while the FSU divers faced off against Harvard.
Gloria Muzito highlighted the Seminole women’s performance with wins in the 200 free (1:53.65) and 50 free (23.47). The junior from Sweden also split 23.10 on FSU’s 200 free relay ‘A’ team that placed 1st in 1:33.93.
FSU’s Hailey Heldenbrand won the 100 back (57.38) while teammate Sydney Cole took the 200 back (2:03.48). Edith Jernstedt captured the 100 breast (1:05.05), and Julia Mansson placed 1st in the 200 breast (2:22.00). Other individuals wins came from Jenny Bird in the 100 fly (57.03), Reese Hinnerichs in the 200 IM (2:10.61), and Maysa Ratiu in the 500 free (5:01.70).
In the Seminoles’ diving matchup against the Crimson, Harvard topped the podium in both events as Nina Janmyr scored a season-best 322.50 on the 1-meter and Amy Wotovich followed with a season-best 324.15 on the 3-meter.
The Seminoles are back in action on Saturday at Georgia against the No. 9/No. 13 Bulldogs and Vanderbilt.
