UNC Invite Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2020 JANIS HAPE DOWD INVITATIONAL

• Thursday, December 3-Saturday, December 5
• Teams: University of North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, Duke, Wolfpack Elite
• Koury Natatorium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Format: Short Course Yards (SCY)
• Prelims/Finals
• Prelims @9AM Central, Finals @5PM Central
• 2021 NCAA Qualifying Times
• Results on Meet Mobile: “UNC ‘Janis Hape Dowd’ Invitational”

The final session of the UNC Janis Hape Dowd Invitational is set to kick off featuring the 1650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and 400 freestyle relay. 

Women’s 1650 Freestyle 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 15:52.41
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 16:30.59
• 2020 Invite Time – 16:17.45

Top 3:

1. Yara Hierath (NCS) – 16:07.92
2. Chase Travis (Virginia Tech) – 16:09.30
3. Kay Foley (NC State) – 16:33.02

NC State’s Yara Hierath and Virginia Tech’s Chase Travis battled each other for the top spot, touching over 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Travis closed just a bit over the final 100, but Hierath held her off to win 16:07.92 to 16:09.30. That’s a new lifetime best for Hierath, a German national who trained in New York before committing to UCSD and then NC State. Her only other 1650 time in the USA Swimming database comes from February of 2019, when she went 16:33.00. Travis was only about 4 seconds shy of her lifetime best. NC State’s Kay Foley led the rest of the field with a 16:33.02.

Men’s 1650 Freestyle

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 14:37.31
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 15:26.19
• 2020 Invite Time – 14:57.07

1. Eric Knowles (NC State) – 14:48.06
2. Ross Dant (NC State) – 14:49.72
3. James Plage (NC State) – 15:03.32

It was a similar story on the men’s side, where NC State distance stars Eric Knowles and Ross Dant were way ahead of everyone else. Knowles touched first in 14:48.06, less than two seconds away from his personal best time of 14:46.35 from 2019 NCAAs. Dant took 2nd in 14:49.72, about 12 seconds off of his lifetime best from 2020 ACCs. Teammate James Plage took 3rd in 15:03.32, as the Wolfpack swept the top six spots.

Women’s 200 Backstroke 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:50.50
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:57.11
• 2020 Invite Time – 1:53.99

Top 3:

1. Katharine Berkoff (NC State) – 1:50.20
2. Kate Moore (NC State) – 1:52.24
3. Sophie Lindner (UNC) – 1:52.85

NC State’s Katharine Berkoff came within 0.07 of her lifetime best as won the 200 backstroke tonight, clearing the NCAA ‘A’ cut and shaving nearly a second from her prelims time. The Wolfpack made it a 1-2 finish with Kate Moore touching in 1:52.24 behind Berkoff. Moore was slightly faster this morning but both swims cleared her previous lifetime best. UNC’s Sophie Lindner beat out two-time ACC Champion Emma Muzzy who finished 4th for NC State. Katey Lewicki finished in 6th giving the Wolfpack one more top-8 finisher.

Men’s 200 Backstroke 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:39.16
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:45.04
• 2020 Invite Time – 1:41.49

Top 3:

1. Mikey Moore (NC State) – 1:42.66
2. John Healy (NC State) – 1:43.22
3. Chris Thames (UNC) 1:43.82

Mikey Moore, younger brother of Kate Moore, won the men’s 200 backstroke moments after his sister’s 2nd-place finish. Moore hit the wall in 1:42.66. Before today, Moore’s best time was a 1:44.94 from March. Teammate John Healy finished 2nd in 1:43.22, shaving 0.07 from his prelims time. UNC’s Chris Thames rounded out the top-3 with a 1:43.82 and was one of only two non-NC State swimmers in the heat. His teammate Kevin Childs finished 4th in 1:43.98.

Women’s 100 Freestyle 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 47.18
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 49.51
• 2020 Invite Time – 48.51

Top 3:

1. Kylee Alons (NC State) – 48.97
2. Sarah Shackelford (Virginia Tech) – 49.05
3. Quinn Scannell (Duke) – 49.26

NC State’s Kylee Alons was out fast, flipping at the 50 in 23.22, though VT’s Sarah Shackelford nearly reeled her in on the second half of the race and ultimately finished just 0.08 behind her. Duke’s Quinn Scannell got in for 3rd in 49.26, giving her a 0.53 improvement from her prelims swim for an overall 1.14-second improvement from her previous lifetime best that had stood since 2017.

Men’s 100 Freestyle 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 41.71
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 43.80
• 2020 Invite Time – 42.57

Top 3:

1. Michael Chadwick (UNC – Unattached) – 41.96
2. Tyler Hill (UNC) – 42.78
3. Hunter Tapp (NC State) – 42.99

Michael Chadwick came within nearly a second of his best time this evening to win the men’s 100 free in 41.96, shaving 0.04 from his previous swim. Chadwick is a relatively new addition to the training group at UNC under the guidance of coach Mark Gangloff. Tyler Hill, also representing the Tar Heels, finished 2nd in 42.78, clearing the NCAA ‘B’ cut by over a second. NC State’s Hunter Tapp also slipped under the ‘B’ cut as well as under the 43-second barrier with a 42.99 to finish 3rd. Youssef Ramadan placed 5th for Virginia Tech in 43.66–before today, Ramadan’s lifetime best stood at 44.31.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 2:06.84
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 2:13.97
• 2020 Invite Time – 2:10.12

Top 3:

1. Andrea Podmanikova (NC State) – 2:06.99
2. Abby Arens (NC State) – 2:08.21
3. Sally Foley (Duke) – 2:08.96

NC State’s Andrea Podmanikova was close to her lifetime best in the 200 breaststroke tonight but missed it by just 0.33 and just missing the NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 2:06.84. Even so, she was more than a second ahead of runner-up and teammate Abby Arens who also nearly went a best time, hitting the wall in 2:08.21. Duke’s Sally Foley got in for 3rd, beating UNC veteran Julia Poole who finished 4th in 2:10.13. All of the top-3 finishers were under the 2020 NCAA Invite Time, and Poole was only 0.01 off of it. Every single woman in the ‘A’ final finished with NCAA ‘B’ cut times with 8th-place finisher Olivia Calegan (NC State) hitting the time exactly with a 2:13.97. Adding to the pile of ‘B’ cuts was NC State’s Olivia Fisher who won the ‘B’ final in 2:13.73.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:52.61
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:58.43
• 2020 Invite Time – 1:54.03

Top 3:

1. Valdas Abaliksta (UNC) – 1:55.19
2. AJ Pouch (Virginia Tech) – 1:56.75
3. Jack Moranetz (NC State) – 1:57.35

UNC’s Valdas Abaliksta sliced nearly 4 seconds from his prelims time to win the men’s 200 breaststroke by a wide margin, finishing in 1:55.19, just 0.04 off his lifetime best. VT’s AJ Pouch finished 2nd in 1:56.75, about 2/10ths off his season-best from the VT intrasquad meet in October. NC State’s Jack Moranetz got to the wall 3rd in 1:57.35, a new lifetime best. The top-6 finishers in the ‘A’ final all scored NCAA ‘B’ cuts, though none of them were under the 2020 invited time.

Women’s 200 Butterfly

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:53.20
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:59.23
• 2020 Invite Time – 1:56.06

Top 3:

1. Bailey Nero (UNC – Unattached) – 1:55.72
2. Cabell Whitlow (Duke) – 1:57.33
3. Reka Gyorgy (Virginia Tech) – 1:57.73

Bailey Nero nearly equaled her lifetime best as she won the women’s 200 fly in 1:55.72 tonight, well ahead of runner-up Cabell Whitlow from Duke who touched in 1:57.33. Duke teammates Catherine Purnell and Lucy Callard also competed in the ‘A’ final, finishing 4th (1:58.23) and 6th (1:59.68), respectively, the former notching an NCAA ‘B’ cut. Duke’s Reka Gyorgy, a redshirt senior from Hungary who attends Virginia Tech, finished 3rd in 1:57.73. Gyrogy is a past ACC Champion and NCAA finalist in the 400 IM who seems to have only ventured into the 200 fly this season.

Men’s 200 Butterfly

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:40.76
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:46.69
• 2020 Invite Time – 1:43.18

Top 3:

1. Justin Wright (UNC – Unattached) – 1:41.42
2. Antani Ivanov (Virginia Tech) – 1:41.73
3. Zach Brown (NC State) – 1:42.57

Justin Wright, the 2018 US National champion in the long course version of this event, won the 200 fly tonight in Chapel Hill in 1:41.42, a little more than a second off his lifetime best from the 2018 NCAA Championships. VT’s Antani Ivanov was just 7/10ths from his best time with a 1:41.73 to finish 2nd, while NC State’s Zach Brown hit the wall 3rd in 1:42.57, just 3/10ths from his lifetime best from the 2020 ACC Championships. Seven of the eight men in the ‘A’ final scored NCAA ‘B’ cuts, though for post-grads Wright and Wolfpack Elite’s Jack Saunderson (5th, 1:44.7) the time is little more than a measuring stick.

Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 3:14.61
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 3:16.35

Top 3:

1. NC State ‘A’ – 3:14.34
2. UNC ‘A’ – 3:16.07
3. Virginia Tech ‘B’ – 3:16.50

Katharine Berkoff led off the NC State ‘A’ team with a new best time of 48.58, taking a slight lead over Virginia Tech’s Sarah Shackelford who put up a 48.87. Kylee Alons dove in for NC State next and produced a 48.25 split which ended up being the fastest in the field. Heather MacCausland (48.75) and Julia Poole (48.76) finished it off for the Wolfpack ‘A’ team, making for a total time of 3:14.34. VT, meanwhile, held on for 3rd but was out-done by the ‘A’ team from UNC who produced a 3:16.07 to VT’s 3:16.50.

Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay 

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 2:51.11
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 2:52.46

Top 3:

1. NC State ‘A’ – 2:52.03
2. UNC ‘A’ – 2:52.77
3. Virginia Tech ‘A’ – 2:53.80

Hunter Tapp produced yet another new lifetime best in the 100 freestyle with a 42.70 to lead off NC State’s ‘A’ team. Prior to today, Tapp’s best time was a 43.16 from 2019. Tapp handed over to Luke Miller who put up a 42.86, the Luke Sobolewski who produced a 43.50, and finally Eric Knowles who brought it home in 42.97. NC State has a history of dominance in this event at bot the conference and national level, but UNC managed to keep it close and finished 2nd in 2:52.77, though the only swimmer on UNC’s ‘A’ squad to break 43 was Tyler Hill who anchored in 42.87.