2019 MINNESOTA INVITATIONAL
- Wed. Dec. 4 – Sun. Dec. 8, 2019
- Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center / University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN
- Wed. Timed finals 6 PM
- Thu.-Sat. Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM / Diving 12 Noon
- Short course yards (SCY) format Wed.-Sat. (LCM format Sunday)
- Psych Sheets
- Live Stream (days 2-4)
- Live results
- Also on Meet Mobile. Search “Minnesota Invite 2019”
The Minnesota Invite is in a bit of a weird place this year, as it’s coming two weeks after most of the rest of the major college invites and is happening at the same as the U.S. Open, but the times we’re seeing here have been impressive, and that continues to be the case after this morning’s prelims.
Cal sophomore Alicia Wilson posted the fastest time of the morning in the 400 IM. 4:08.78. According to the USA Swimming database, this was only the 4th time she’s ever swum the event (she hails from Great Britain), and her time this morning was over 11 seconds faster than her previous personal best of 4:20.13, from this October. That’s over a second under last year’s invite time of 4:10.00, and she was the only woman to clear that time this morning. That puts her in line to win both IMs at this meet after tying Izzy Ivey in the 200 IM last night.
The top three men in the 400 IM were all under last year’s qualifying time of 3:43.42. Cal junior Trenton Julian led the way with a 3:41.84; that’s his 3rd-fastest swim ever, with his only faster swims coming at last year’s NCAA championships. That’s also the fastest time in the nation so far this season. Texas sophomore Braden Vines set a new personal best time with a 3:42.05, while freshman Jake Foster was just about a second off his best time with a 3:43.25 this morning. Vines moves to #2 nation-wide this season, and Foster #4.
A pair of sophomores posted the top two times in the women’s 100 fly. Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil led with a 50.58, followed by Cal’s Ivey in 51.67. MacNeil went 49.57 at Michigan’s intrasquad meet earlier this season, although that time doesn’t count in the official rollup of NCAA times. Both MacNeil and Izzy were well under last year’s invite time of 52.34.
Alvin Jiang backed up last night’s 43.8 fly split with a 44.94 in the 100 fly this morning, making him the first man under 45 in the NCAA this season. Fellow Texas transfer Chris Staka put up a 45.78 for a new lifetime best, while more established stars Ryan Hoffer (45.96) and Maxime Rooney (45.96) were close behind.
Three women were under last year’s invite time of 1:45.12 in the 200 free. Cal’s Robin Neumann was the top qualifier with a 1:44.49, followed by Iowa’s Hannah Burvill (1:44.92), and Abbey Weitzeil (1:45.03). Last night, Weitzeil became the first woman to clear 21.0 in the 50 free.
Unsurprisingly, the Texas men took four of the top eight spots in the 200 free. Sophomore Drew Kibler leads the way with a 1:32.91. Junior Sam Pomajevich continues to look strong this week with a 1:33.02 that’s a new lifetime best for him. Michigan’s Patrick Callan also put up new personal best with his time of 1:33.17. Rooney opted only to focus on the 100 fly today, but he did go 1:31.96 leading off the Longhorns’ 800 free relay Wednesday evening.
Three women were under 1:00 in the 100 breast this morning. Michigan senior Miranda Tucker led the field with a 59.14, followed by Minnesota senior Lindsey Kozelsky (59.48) and Cal sophomore Ema Rajic (59.50). All three cleared last year’s invite time by at least four-tenths of a second.
We got some fireworks in the men’s 100 breast, where Minnesota’s Max McHugh put up a nation-leading time with his 50.74. That’s his 3rd-fastest time ever, ranking only behind his two swims from March’s NCAA Championships, and that’s roughly a second faster than he was at last year’s mid-season invite. Last year, he dropped roughly 1.4s from November to March, and even half of that drop will have him threatening the 50.0 barrier come NCAAs.
This was a really deep breaststroke field, with the top six men all under last year’s invite time of 52.52. Texas freshman Caspar Corbeau knocked nearly a second and a half off his lifetime best to qualify 2nd in 51.56. Teammate Charlie Scheinfeld was also under that invite time with a 52.17, as were Michigan teammates Jeremy Babinet (51.90) and Will Chan (52.18), as well as Cal star Reece Whitley (52.29).
Similarly, six women were under last year’s invite time in the 100 back. Izzy Ivey led the way with a 51.53. Cal teammate Abbey Weitzeil qualified 2nd with a 51.66, over two seconds faster than her previous lifetime best. Texas teammates Julia Cook (51.73) and Claire Adams (51.81) took the next two spots, followed by Cal’s Keaton Blovad (52.07) and Arizona’s Aria Bernal (52.1).
The Texas men closed out the morning by sweeping the top three spots in the 100 back. Ryan Harty‘s 45.10 was just off his lifetime best of 45.05, while Jiang knocked roughly two seconds off his personal best with a 45.29. Austin Katz rounded out that group with a 45.35, while Cal’s Daniel Carr was the only other man under last year’s invite time with his 46.05.
Tonight, we’ll see finals of all of those events, plus the 200 free relays.
Good to see Jiang with a coach who can realize his potential.
Would have been interesting to see if he would’ve succeeded under gangloff
Anyone else having problems with meet mobile? It keeps closing on me when I click on Minnesota Invite 2019
Geez, Abbey will have a killer 100 IM in ISL and SCM WCs. Was Cal’s sprint breaststroker on relays, sub-21 50 free, and now a 51.6 100 back in prelims after a 200 free. If she can swim a legal 25 fly, she’s going to be the Vlad of SCM once she turns pro.
She’s 26 low in LCM 50 Fly. Back or breast is actually her worst stroke
JIAH! 🙌
By the looks of his casual pool exit, Jiang left a lot in the tank for tonight 😮
His last couple strokes looked like they were in slow motion. He definitely shut it down early.
He was pumped. But those underwaters – to do fruitloop every turn. We followed him for many years and he was always super tallented, but not this good. He was 48 fly and 49 back out of high school – good but not exceptional. Must be all that BBQ and music in Austin?
BBQ and Music? nah prob just the water down in Austin.
Maybe 44.3 tonight?
Texas had 8 total points in the Breaststroke and Butterfly last March. Anybody want to take the under if I set the number at 45 for this year?
Side eye emoji at Abbey’s sneaky 51.6 100 back! What is her fly like? She must have a beastly 200 IM in the tank!
Lifetime best of 52.71 in the 100 fly, from 2015. 1:58.13 in the 200 IM, from 2014.
I was thinking the same thing. Didn’t Cal use her as a breastroker on their medley relay a few years ago? It would be interesting to see what she could do in a 100 IM SCM.
Or scy???
What are the chances Texas takes half the spots in The A final at NCAAs in the 100 back and fly
Very high lol
As a noted Texas enthusiast, I’d say slim to none. But I’d put money on at least 5 of the combined 16 spots.
Kind of like the odds of them putting SIX into the NCAA A-final a few years back?
I hear you, name the 4 that will make the A final. Rooney, Jiang, ……
Staka
Let’s see what he drops tonight. He’s currently on the edge of the B final. 45.8 is the mean time to make the B final last 4 years. 45.3 is the mean for the A final last 4 years. He’s right in that mix.
Staka going 44.9 tonight you heard it here first
They’ll have 3 in the A final in each.
TX took either 5 or 6 spots in the A final of the 100 fly a few years ago..who knows exactly how many it was. Regardless that was impressive.