The Week That Was In College Swimming (Week 11) – Dual Meets Are Back

Welcome to the 11th edition of The Week That Was in College Swimming, where every week we take a look at some of the highlights from around the NCAA in all three divisions.

Coming off his Short Course World Championship victory in the 50 freestyle, Tennessee sophomore Jordan Crooks continues to impress. Back in yards, he rocked a 19.97 50 fly split and 41.61 100 free split at Tennessee’s unsuited dual against Mizzou. That Tennessee was unsuited is notable because Crooks’ fly split is faster than what he went at NCAAs last year. Combined with his sensational performances at midseason, he’s certainly set himself up to be one of the stars of the championships in two months.

His 41.61 100 free split is just the second sub-42 unsuited relay split done this year. The first was swum by his teammate, freshman Gui Caribe,in October. Certainly, their competition will be much faster in March; however, the fact that it’s only Vols who have been sub-42 unsuited is perhaps a harbinger of things to come for one of the best sprint free duos in the NCAA.

Auburn’s Big Week

Under second-year head coach Ryan Wochomurka, the Auburn Tigers have reached new heights this season. In our New Year’s edition of the power rankings, both the women and men’s teams climbed the highest they’ve been this season, with the women moving up to #22 and the men sitting at #15.

They’re still rolling in the new year, kicking off 2023 with two dual meet wins. First, Auburn swept Texas A&M, showing off their depth in backstroke and the sprints. A perfect example of their backstroke dominance is the 100 back where on the women’s side, the Tigers went 1-2-3-4. Kensley Merritt earned the win (54.40) ahead of Ellie Waldrep (54.44), Daisy Platts (54.58), and Kyla Maloney (54.71). On the men’s side, it was the Stoffle brothers taking the top two spots as Aidan Stoffle touched first in 46.98, about a half-second ahead of Nate Stoffle (47.51).

Later in the week, they swept Georgia Tech by decisive margins in both meets (Women: 218-82, Men: 213-87). Once again, their depth was on display: the women swept the top three or four spots in seven events. The men won all but three events.

The Tiger swimmers have one dual meet left this season, a rivalry matchup with Alabama on Jan. 20. The Crimson Tide should be a good challenge for Auburn before they begin to turn their focus towards the championship season. Auburn has been exceeding expectations for the better part of a year—how far will they be able to climb the standings both at SECs and NCAAs?

Pool Records Falling Across the Country

We’re still in the heart of winter training, but dual meets have picked up again and despite the serious yardage being swum, there are still records falling. Swimmers were taking down pool records at dual meets across the country.

Four pool records fell at UCLA’s dual against UC rival UCSD. The Bruins dominated the backstroke events, going 1-2 in the 100 and 1-2-3-4 in the 200. Their pool record came in the 200, with Rosie Murphy posting 1:58.98. UCLA won the meet convincingly, 193-99, but San Diego had some bright spots in their meet as well, as the other three pool records came from their athletes. Katja Pavicevic won both breaststroke events in pool record fashion, clocking 1:01.78 in the 100 and 2:13.58 in the 200. Finally, Juli Arzave broke her own pool record in the 1000 freestyle, winning in 10:03.57.

Moving east, the LSU men cracked their pool record in the 400 freestyle relay to highlight a senior day dual meet loss to FSU. The squad of Andrew Garon (44.26), Brooks Curry (42.03), Griffin Curtis (44.48), and Noah Cumby (43.99) combined for a 2:54.76, winning the previous relay and breaking the previous record.

Finally, in Division III, the Williams women matched UCLA’s total of four broken pool records over the weekend. In their dual against their rival Amherst, the Ephs took down pool records in the 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 200 medley relay.

Freshman Lily Codd was responsible for the distance freestyle records, hitting 5:04.95 in the 500 and 10:23.81 in the 1000. Neither are lifetime bests for Codd, but her 1000 time marks a season best by over three seconds. Sophomore Sophia Verkleeren continued her excellent season, winning the 100 back in a pool record time of 55.37. Verkleeren owns the fourth-fastest 100 back (54.78) time in Division III this season, and the fastest 200 back (1:58.40). That 1:58.40 is the fastest by almost a full second, setting Verkleeren up as the favorite for NCAAs.

Dartmouth added more pool records in their decisive sweep at Bates College, too.

In Case You Missed It

• The Tennessee women went without some key swimmers for the fall term. This week, we got updates on some of the absent swimmers, including three-time SEC champion Ellen Walshe, whose status for the spring is still being determined. Regan Rathwell is redshirting her freshman season after surgery to repair a torn labrum, and Jasmine Rumley is competing again after a surgery of her own.
• Tickets for the 2023 NCAA Championships go on sale later this month. Just seven percent of the total seats available are held back for public sale, leaving 126 tickets for the women’s meet and 94 for the men’s. Notably, both Division II and Division III NCAAs race at bigger venues than where Division I championships are being held. DII will race at the IU Natatorium and DIII in Greensboro.

Notable Meet Results

Tennessee vs. Mizzou

• SwimSwam Recap
• Full Results: “Mizzou vs. Tennessee” on MeetMobile
• Final Scores:
  • Women: #11 Tennessee 181, Mizzou 116
  • Men: #8 Tennessee 175, #20 Mizzou 125

Auburn vs. Texas A&M

• SwimSwam Recaps: Women, Men
• Full Results
• Final Scores
  • Women: #22 Auburn 172, Texas A&M 128
  • Men: #15 Auburn 167.5, #11 Texas A&M 132.5

UIndy vs. Denison (Swim4Nick Meet)

• SwimSwam Recap
• Full Results
• Final Scores:
  • Women: UIndy 167, Denison 133
  • Men: UIndy 207, Denison 92

UCLA vs. UCSD

• SwimSwam Recap
• Full Results
• Final Scores: UCLA 193, UCSD 99