South Carolina Gets Another Possible 200 IM Qualifier for NCAAs – Patrick Groters

2023 BULLDOG NCAA QUALIFYING MEET

• February 25-26, 2023
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals/Time Trials
• Live Results

After South Carolina’s Victoria Kwan earned a probable ticket to NCAAs in prelims, two more Gamecocks improved their chances of qualification for the NCAA Championships in the evening session.

Patrick Groters of the men’s team swam 1:43.22 in the 200 IM, which improved his 1:44.09 from SECs. That jumps him to 26th in the NCAA through the conclusion of this week’s conference championship meets. With between 28 and 32 swimmers usually invited, and the men’s Pac-12 Championships yet to swim next week, that puts him squarely on the bubble for NCAA qualifying.

That would be his first NCAA invitation.

In the women’s 100 fly final, Nicholle Toh swam 52.26. That jumps her to a tie for 45th in the country through the end of this week’s conference championship meets (not counting all Last Chance meets). That’s probably on the wrong side of the bubble, but it has an outside chance of an invite.

Both Groters’ and Toh’s times would have been invited last year, but most cut lines will be a little faster this season.

Elsewhere, Henry Bethel from Auburn swam 51.93 in the 100 breaststroke. That’s .05 seconds faster than he swam at the SEC Championships. While that doesn’t seem like a ton, it could make a world of difference: pending Pac-12s and other Last Chance meets, that climbs him from 30th in the country to 26th. With between 28 and 32 usually taken in each men’s event, that four spot jump could be crucial, depending on where the cut-line falls.

While none of the close-swims from prelims seem to have improved their chances, there were some more near-misses in the evening that have a chance if things break right, or they find one last swim for a time trial on Sunday.

Near-Misses from Saturday:

• Auburn sophomore Lexie Mulvihill swam 22.24 in the 50 free final, and later time-trialed a 22.28.Lexie Mulvihill 50 free 22.24 – auburn (probably not). 22.28 in a time trial later. It took 22.16 for an invite last year (which was Mulvihill’s time last year), and this year she ranks 53rd in the 50 free. That means she’ll have to take a crack at the 100 (season best of 48.77) on Sunday to earn an individual return trip to NCAAs.
• Pitt’s Marcin Goraj swam 1:41.01 in the 200 back, which improved him from 28th to 23rd in the NCAA. While the Pac-12 is a good backstroking conference, that should get him to his first NCAA Championship meet.
• George Washington’s Djurdje Matic swam 45.68 in the 100 fly. That jumps him into a three-way tie for 32nd nationally, which is at the very extreme edge of the bubble.
• It wasn’t a flat-start swim, but NC State’s Meghan Donald split 21.99 on a 200 free relay. She wasn’t on the team’s roster at ACCs and her best time this season was 23.00, so that’s a huge split for her.