Robert Howard: “Coach Saban was in my ear on that last 15” (Video)

2019 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, March 27 – Saturday, March 30
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (Central Time)
• Defending champion: Texas (4x) (2018 results)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Stream
• Live results

^{Reported by Jared Anderson.}

200 MEDLEY RELAY – FINALS

• NCAA Record: Texas (2017) – 1:21.54
• American Record: Cal (2017) – 1:21.88
• U.S. Open Record: Texas (2017) – 1:21.54
• Meet Record: Texas (2017) – 1:21.54
• 2018 Champion: USC – 1:21.82

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Alabama – 1:22.26
2. Cal – 1:22.43
3. NC State – 1:22.47
4. Texas – 1:22.58
5. Louisville – 1:23.23
6. Tennessee – 1:23.56
7. Florida State – 1:23.81
8. USC – 1:23.82

So far, this meet has been a four-team affair, especially in the relays. All three relays over the first two days had some permuation of Cal-Texas-Indiana-NC State in the top 4. But Alabama broke that streak with a resounding 200 medley relay win in a blazing 1:22.26.

‘Bama was outstanding. Zane Waddell staked them to a solid lead with a 20.41 backstroke split, only two tenths off the fastest split in history. Laurent Bams was 23.24 on breast, Knox Auerbach 20.30 fly and Robert Howard surged home with a clutch 18.22 anchor leg to seal the win.

It was a good thing Howard was on, too. Because Cal was soaring near the end, coming from the middle of the pack over the final two legs. Daniel Carr was 20.92 on back and Reece Whitley 23.68 on breast. (Though Whitley is a great breaststroker, his split was 7th of 8 A finalists, and he’s clearly more geared to the 200 at this point than the 50). But Pawel Sendyk blasted a field-best 19.66 on fly and handed off to Ryan Hoffer, who is becoming the foremost sprint terror in the NCAA. For the second night in a row, Hoffer blasted a massive anchor leg to lift Cal to second place. Tonight he was a field-best 18.17 as Cal went 1:22.43.