Michigan Sophomore Gal Groumi Sets Big Ten Meet Record in 100 Fly with 44.50

 2023 MEN’S BIG TEN SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS 

DAY 3 FINALS HEAT SHEET

Gal Groumi took down the Big Ten meet record in the 100 butterfly with a new lifetime best on Friday. 

The Michigan sophomore fired off a 44.50 to hold off Indiana junior Tomer Frankel of Indiana (44.66), a fellow Israeli standout who was also under Alex Quach’s previous meet record from last year (44.74). Groumi lowered his personal best from last year’s NCAA Championships, a 44.82 that placed him 10th overall as a freshman.

Ohio State senior James Ward turned first at the 50, opening the race in 20.79. Groumi and Frankel both split 20.87 on their first 50, turning just behind Ward. Groumi found another gear during the back half of the race, splitting a field-best 23.63 to reach the wall first just .16 second ahead of Frankel. Both Groumi and Frankel finished under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 44.82. 

Groumi is now only .13 seconds away from Vini Lanza’s overall Big Ten record of 44.37 that he swam to win the 100 fly title at the 2019 NCAA Championships. 

In prelims this morning, Groumi led all qualifiers with a 45.34, breaking a pool record set by Tim Phillips back in 2014. He lowered his own pool record later in the day during the final. 

The victory marked Groumi’s second of the meet after capturing the 200 IM title on Thursday evening.

100 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

  • Meet Record: 44.74, Alex Quach (2022)
  • Pool Record: 45.34, Gal Cohen Groumi (2023)
  • 2022 Champion: Alex Quach (Ohio State) – 44.74
  • NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.82
  • 2022 NCAA Invite: 45.57

Top 8:

  1. Gal Cohen Groumi (Michigan) – 44.50
  2. Tomer Frankel (Indiana) – 44.66
  3. Finn Brooks (Indiana) – 45.40
  4. Victor Baganha (Penn State) – 45.48
  5. Wyatt Davis (Michigan) – 45.60
  6. James Ward (Ohio State) – 45.74
  7. JP Khouzam (Ohio State) – 45.94
  8. Alex Quach (Ohio State) – 45.95

Groumi’s Michigan teammate, Wyatt Davis, went sub-46 for the first time en route to a fifth-place finish. Davis entered the meet with a lifetime best of 46.88 before bringing it down to 46.17 during prelims this morning.

Defending champion Alex Quach of Ohio State was more than a second slower in tonight’s final (45.95) than he was during his win last year (44.74).

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About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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