College Swimming League Championship: Virginia Favored for Inaugural Title; Tennessee, N.C. State and Indiana Hunting (Live Recap)
By Brendan Oswald & Adam Denn
The inaugural season of the College Swimming League (CSL) has reached its conclusion, with Virginia, Tennessee, the North Carolina State and Indiana battling for the championship trophy on Friday night at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis. The title match is the eighth in what has been a highly successful campaign designed to bring together many of the top collegiate programs in the country, and to provide fans of the sport with an engaging and high-energy format.
Virginia (6-0) locked up the top seed for the final with an undefeated regular season and was joined as an automatic qualifier for the championship by Tennessee (5-1) and North Carolina State (5-1). Indiana secured the final spot in the championship by winning the wildcard match in dominant fashion on Thursday night. The Hoosiers overwhelmed Louisville, Stanford and Cal, and will try to maintain their momentum with the title on the line.
Here is an event-by-event recap of the action from the College Swimming League’s championship match:
- Match 1 Recap
- Match 2 Recap
- Match 3 Recap
- Match 4 Recap
- Match 5 Recap
- Match 6 Recap
- Wildcard Recap
- CSL Standings
- CSL Instagram
Women’s 200 Backstroke
Claire Curzan started this meet off with a bang. The defending NCAA champion swam to a new CSL record time of 1:46.56. With Curzan’s first-place finish and Teagan O’Dell’s sixth-place finish, Virginia picked up 15 total points. The favourites in this final start the meet off with a commanding lead. Charlotte Crush from Tennessee finished second in a time of 1:48.79. She led the race at the 50-yard mark. Leah Shackley finished in third with a time of 1:48.98. N.C State picked up 11 points.
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Miroslav Knedla built on a strong performance in the CSL’s Wild Card Match, to earn yet another win in the 200 backstroke. The Hoosier finished in 1:37.80, a CSL record. Between Knedla and David Kovacs, Indiana claimed 14 total points. N.C State’s Daniel Diehl finished in second with a time of 1:39.40, and Virginia’s David King in third with a time of 1:40.64.
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Eneli Jefimova of N.C State took this race out fast and did not fade. The sophomore led wire to wire, winning in a time of 2:05.70. Jefimova took home nine points, and her teammate Morgan Cope scored three points. This gives N.C State the lead in the meet. McKenzie Siroky gave Jefimova her toughest challenge. She finished in second place with a time of 2:06.02. Sophia Umstead came on too late, taking third in a time of 2:06.47.
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Despite the absence of Indiana star breaststroker Josh Bey, the Hoosiers still got it done. Junior Toby Barnett finished in 1:52.21, earning his team nine points. Tennessee were perhaps the biggest winners, though, earning 13 total points from Gabe Nunziata(1:53.03) and Drew Eubanks(1:53.50) taking second and third. The Volunteers sit in second place in the meet.
Women’s 500 Freestyle
The Virginia women came up big once again. Katie Grimes finished first in a time of 4:34.85, and her teammate Cavan Gormsen finished second in a time of 4:35.15. Virginia scored 16 points, putting them back into first place in the team rankings. Ella Jansen of Tennessee finished third in a time of 4:37.43. Noticeably the N.C State swimmers finished in seventh and eighth, dropping their team from first to third.
Men’s 500 Freestyle
N.C. State’s Max Carlsen earned a comfortable win, finishing first in 4:13.25. It was the battle for second that became a thriller, as Tennessee’s Koby Bujak-Upton(4:15,02), Indiana’s Gabriel Manteufel(4:15.53), and the Wolfpack’s Mikolaj Filipiak(4:15.68) finished in second, third, and fourth. The 14 points earned by the Wolfpack helped them keep pace with the field, after dropping to third.
Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay
The 200 freestyle relay is always a must-win in the CSL because the winner gets to pick the skins. The Virginia women started off strong with Sara Curtis leading off in a time of 21.06, but it was Tennessee who dominated in the end. The team of Jillian Crooks, Camille Spink, Leah Tigert, and Charlotte Crush took the win in a time of 1:24.76. Tennessee scored a total of 24 points and has chosen breaststroke in the skins. This now gives them a five-point lead over N.C State for first place. With Virginia’s second and fourth place finishes, they also scored 24 total points in this event.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay
The N.C State men scored a crucial victory in the 200 free relay, an event that has been a strength all CSL season. Kaii Winkler and Quintin McCarty went out with blazing speed, helping Jerry Fox and Wells Walker hold on to earn a win in 1:15.13. Virginia’s team of Maximus Williamson, Thomas Heilman, Spencer Nicholas, and David King took second(1:16.83). The Wolfpack earned 20 total points, and selected freestyle for the skins race.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
With Indiana sitting Alex Shackell, the women’s 200 fly was a wide-open race. Miranda Grana from Indiana took the race out fast, touching in a time of 53.4 at the halfway point. Ultimately, it was Emily Brown of Tennessee who won the race in a time of 1:52.18, out touching Grana by 0.05. Brown had an incredible last 50 to just get the touch in the end. Tess Howley of Virginia finished in third (1:52.59). Tennessee now leads by nine points over Virginia.
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Indiana’s Raekwon Noel pulled off one of the meet’s biggest upsets, defeating olympic butterflyer Thomas Heilman to win the 200 fly. The Hoosiers continue to swim strong, as Noel’s time of 1:40.29 earned their team the jackpot, and 14 total points after David Kovacs’ fifth-place finish. N.C State also gained 11 points, as Wolfpack swimmers Max Buff(1:43.71) and Alan Vergine(1:43.94) took third and fourth
Women’s 100 IM
The 100 IM is one of the most fun races in the CSL, and this one did not disappoint. The difference between first and eighth was only 1.5 seconds. Mizuki Hirai took the race out fast at the 50-yard mark, but it was Teagan O’Dell who took over on the breaststroke leg. O’Dell would hold on for the win in a time of 52.76. N.C State swimmers Erika Palez (52.94) and Lily Christianson (53.14) finished in second and third, respectively. With O’Dell’s win, Virginia now leads by three points.
Men’s 100 IM
N.C State’s Kaii Winkler didn’t disappoint in his first individual event, taking an exciting win. Winkler(46.37) earned the jackpot for his team, with a blazing-fast fly/back split of 20.6. Combined with Daniel Diehl, the Wolfpack earned 18 points. Indiana’s Miroslav Knedla continued his strong meet to take second for the Hoosiers in 46.53.
Women’s 100 Backstroke
After a second place in the 200 back, Charlotte Crush would not be denied in the 100 back. The Tennessee freshman won the race in a new CSL record time of 49.06. Crush dominated the field and took home 19 points for her team. Leah Shackley of N.C State finished second (50.39), and Madison Kryger of Tennessee finished third (51.22). Tennessee took a total of 25 points in this race. A huge event for the Volunteers.
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Tennessee swimmer Ulises Saravia continued the lightning-fast swims in the sprint events, finishing with a jackpot time of 44.99 and the win in the 100 back. With Saravia’s ten points and five from Ben Bricca, the Volunteers earned fifteen points and took the lead from the Wolfpack. N.C State’s Isaiah Aleksenko took second in 45.41, and Noel took third(46.02).
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Camille Spink of Tennessee took this race out in a blistering time of 22.1, 0.9 faster than anyone else. Spink would go wire-to-wire to dominate the race in a time of 46.36. Lily King of N.C State finished second (47.62), and Leah Tigert of Tennessee finished third (47.71). Spink would jackpot two swimmers, giving her team 12 points. Tennessee scored 18 points total in this event to extend their lead to 12.
Men’s 100 Freestyle
Virginia’s Maximus Williamson engineered yet another jaw-dropping comeback on the back half of the 100 freestyle, earning the win for the Cavaliers in 41.77. N.C. State’s Quintin McCarty finished second in 42.36, while Indiana’s Mikkel Lee took third in 43.99. At the break, the Volunteers still hold the lead.
Women’s Skins
After the win in the 200 freestyle relay, Tennessee chose breaststroke. Eneli Jefimova of N.C State took the win in round one in a time of 26.55. McKenzie Siroky of Tennessee took second (26.95), and Annitta Bottazzo of Indiana finished third (27.32). It was more of the same in round two with Jefimova winning in a time of 26.83. Bottazzo finished in second place (27.26) and Siroky third in a time of 27.38.
Round three is where things got interesting as one of Jefimova, Siroky, or Bottazzo had to get eliminated. Jefimova won her third straight round in a time of 26.61. Siroky finished second in a time of 26.98 to advance to the final. In the final, Jefimova saved her best for last. She touched in a time of 26.55, which was a second faster than Siroky. Jefimova broke 27 in all four rounds. With the win in every round, Jefimova helped put N.C State back into first place.
Men’s Skins(Freestyle)
N.C State selected freestyle, after a win in the 200 freestyle relay. Jerry Fox and Kaii Winkler started off the first round with a win, finishing in 19.73 and 19.75, with Nikoli Blackman taking third(19.83). In the second round, Winkler and Fox essentially switched places, as Winkler placed first(19.83) and Fox second(20.0), and Blackman third(20.20).
The third round was set to be the biggest test for the Wolfpack, as they looked to starve off competitors and get two Wolfpack swimmers in the final. The goal was accomplished, as Winkler retook first in 19.79, and Fox second in 20.04, allowing both to advance to the final. Winkler(20.0) defeated Fox(20.82) in the final, but the event was a win for the entire team, as they now take a 24-point lead over second-place Tennessee.
Women’s 200 IM
The 100 IM champion, Teagan O’Dell, showed her IM dominance again in the 200 IM. Like the 100 IM, she showcased an incredible breaststroke leg to win the race in a CSL record time of 1:53.63. O’Dell led from start to finish. 200 fly winner Emily Brown finished in second (1:54.71), and her Tennessee teammate Ella Jansen finished third (1:55.68). They picked up 13 total points for Tennessee. N.C State still has a commanding lead in this meet.
Men’s 200 IM
The defending NCAA champ in this event took his second win of the meet, as Maximus Williamson finished in 1:42.44, a CSL record. The star pulled away from N.C State’s Daniel Diehl(1:43.79) and Raekwon Noel(1:44.90) to take victory. His time was good for a jackpot, giving his team 13 points, and helping Virginia attempt to work their way back into this meet.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
In a skins rematch, it was Eneli Jefimova who was the winner again. She led from start to finish and touched in a time of 58.13. Her time was good enough to jackpot one extra point, scoring her 10 total in this event. Anita Bottazzo of Indiana finished second (59.04), and Smilte Plynykaite of Virginia finished third (59.46). After four rounds of skins, McKenzie Siroky of Tennessee finished in fifth place.
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Jan Gajda surged in the final ten meters to continue an incredible night for N.C State, winning in 52.02. The win, combined with a finish from teammate Nusrat Allahverdi, gave the Wolfpack 12 points. Tennessee swimmer Gabe Nunziata finished in second(52.14) and Indiana’s Toby Barnett in third(52.28).
Women’s 50 Freestyle
The 50 free was an incredibly close race with Sara Curtis of Virginia taking the win in a CSL record time of 21.03. Curtis had an excellent last five yards to take down the 100 free champion, Camille Spink. Curtis would jackpot one swimmer to ultimately take 10 points total. Spink of Tennessee finished in a time of 21.13. Lily Christianson of N.C State finished third (21.79).
Men’s 50 Freestyle
Maximus Williamson continued his strong meet for the Cavaliers, as he took his third individual win. Williamson finished in 19.23, outtouching N.C State sprint star Quintin McCarty, who had just placed second in the 50 Free skins. Williamson’s skins partner Jerry Fox placed fourth in 19.65, and Nikoli Blackmon taking third(19.40).
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Claire Curzan wasted no time in this race, leading from start to finish. She finished in a time of 49.71, which was good for a CSL record. This is the second CSL record of the meet for Curzan. After an incredible U.S. Short Course Trials, it is no surprise to see Curzan dominate the CSL final. Charlotte Crush of Tennessee has had an incredible meet as well. She finished second in a time of 50.29, and her teammate Mizuki Hirai finished third (50.85). Tennessee would finish with 13 total points, which helps them close the gap to N.C State.
Men’s 100 Butterfly
N.C State built on their already-large advantage, taking one-two in this event. Winkler(45.50) and Isaiah Aleksenko(45.88) out-touched favorite Thomas Heilman of Virginia(46.02), to score 17 key points for the Wolfpack. Their lead continues to balloon, and Winkler now has two impressive individual events on the meet
Women’s 200 Freestyle
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Women’s Super Skins
Men’s Super Skins