Reported by Lauren Neidigh.
MEN’S 500 FREE
- NCAA record: Peter Vanderkaay (Michigan), 2006- 4:08.60
- American record: Peter Vanderkaay (Michigan), 2006- 4:08.54
- U.S. Open record: Peter Vanderkaay (Michigan), 2006- 4:08.54
- 2016 NCAA Champion: Townley Haas (Texas) – 4:09.00
If there was any doubt about it, the doubt is now gone. Clark Smith is back. Smith led the race from start to finish, taking down Peter Vanderkaay’s NCAA and American Records with a 4:08.42 to hold off a late charge from teammate Townley Haas (4:08.92) and Michigan freshman Felix Auboeck (4:08.93).
Stanford’s Grant Shoults put up a personal best 4:10.23 for 4th, while South Carolina’s Fynn Minuth rounded out the top 5 in 4:10.57. Minuth’s teammate Akaram Mahmoud touched 6th in 4:10.83, followed by Indiana’s Marwan El Kamash (4:10.87) and NC State’s Anton Ipsen (4:11.73).
Stanford’s Liam Egan turned in a 4:12.36 to win the B final, outpacing Wisconsin’s Matt Hutchins (4:13.16).
Thank you SwimSwam and Cole for interviewing Grant Shoults. Love the interview. Didn’t know that he had an accident. What a performance he put in his first year. He beat his fellow True in 1650 with a great time. The Stanford distance is on a rise. Next year they will have Matt Hirschberger next year also.
Quite an articulate athlete. A pleasure to hear about his experiences at NCAAs, and the fact that he enjoyed his fellow swimmers during the competition. Interesting to see how he is learning to improve his underwaters. His bike injury reminded me of Brian Retterer, the great Stanford backstroker/sprinter in the mid-1990s. He had an injury that forced him to do kicking only for four-five weeks. He ended up improving his sprinting as a result.
Good luck at US Worlds Trials, Grant!
YoPS:
I think you’re referring to Ben Wildman-Tobriner, who tore his pectoral muscle lifting, was relegated to kicking, and someone pulled it all together in time to with the 50 free at NCAAs. Or at least that’s my memory; maybe both stories are true. Or maybe mine is a fish tale that has gotten better with time.
Different decades.
I think Jeff Rouse (1992 silver and 1996 gold in 100 back) also had a similar situation in which he benefited from an injury that forced him to do only kicking for an extended period.
There was yet another guy from Michigan (blanking on his name), who won the 400 IM after having to just kick for long time.
Class act! Keep rising Grant!