NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Edges Cal For 400 Freestyle Relay Title As Both Squads Shatter NCAA Record

florida-400-free-relay-ncaa
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Left Sidebar

NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Edges Cal For 400 Freestyle Relay Title As Both Squads Shatter NCAA Record

The outcome of the team-championship race was already decided heading into the final event of the NCAA Men’s Championships, the California Golden Bears repeating as titlists. But the 400-yard freestyle relay still offered up plenty of drama, as Florida and Cal each cracked the NCAA record and were separated by the slimmest of margins at the finish.

Fending off a late charge by Destin Lasco, the Gators’ Maguire McDuff got his hand on the wall first, enabling Florida to set an NCAA standard of 2:44.07, with Cal right behind in 2:44.08. It was a fitting finish for a meet that flashed speed throughout its four-day length, and the triumph marked Florida’s third of the competition – complementing earlier victories in the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay.

“I hit the last turn and I was like, ‘Holy s—, he’s gonna get me,” McDuff said. “I just wanted to win. That is all training. I just had to get it done. I just put my head down and finish. I am so nervous behind the blocks. It could be a 20-man relay and I could be 14th and I would be nervous. But it works.”

All three produced NCAA records.

“It was definitely something,” Florida’s Josh Liendo said. “I knew how capable Maguire was. I was watching them and see him hit that wall and get it done, it was amazing.”

After claiming the individual crown in the 100 freestyle earlier in the session, Liendo led off for the Gators in 40.66 and was followed by Adam Chaney and his split of 41.10. Meanwhile, Cal was jumpstarted by Bjorn Seeliger and his effort of 41.50, which was followed by a 40.51 performance from Jack Alexy.

“The 400 free relay is special to us, especially after last year,” Chaney said. “We focused each relay on getting it done for the seniors.”

Julian Smith kept the Gators in front on the third leg, thanks to a split of 41.26, but the Bears’ Matt Jensen went 41.12 to slightly cut into Cal’s deficit. On the anchor leg, McDuff’s 41.05 was just enough to secure gold for Florida, as Lasco – who enjoyed a superb meet – closed in 40.95 and nearly pulled off an epic comeback.

“Last year I was a relay alternate. I just wanted to add to it and give it my best,” Smith said.

The former NCAA record was held by North Carolina State, which clocked 2:44.31 during the final event of the 2018 NCAA Champs.

Arizona State, which finished runner-up to Cal in the team standings, took third in the relay, with the Sun Devils going 2:45.12. The star of the meet, Leon Marchand clocked 40.55 on the second leg.

 Event 21  Men 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
         NCAA: N 2:44.31  3/24/2018 NC State
                          R Held, J Ress, J Molacek, C Stewart
         Meet: M 2:44.31  3/24/2018 NC State
                          R Held, J Ress, J Molacek, C Stewart
     American: A 2:44.31  3/24/2018 NC State
                          R Held, J Ress, J Molacek, C Stewart
   U. S. Open: O 2:44.31  3/24/2018 NC State
                          R Held, J Ress, J Molacek, C Stewart
         Pool: P 2:44.31  3/24/2018 North Carolina State
                          Held, Ress, Molacek, Stewart
    School                                 Seed     Finals Points 
==================================================================================
  1 Florida                             2:46.42    2:44.07N  40  
     1) Liendo, Josh FR               2) r:0.14 Chaney, Adam JR       
     3) r:0.29 Smith, Julian SO       4) r:0.08 McDuff, Macguire SO   
    r:+0.61  19.14        40.66 (40.66)
        1:00.17 (19.51)     1:21.76 (41.10)
        1:41.13 (19.37)     2:03.02 (41.26)
        2:22.39 (19.37)     2:44.07 (41.05)
  2 California                          2:45.67    2:44.08N  34  
     1) Seeliger, Bjorn JR            2) r:0.17 Alexy, Jack SO        
     3) r:0.21 Jensen, Matthew JR     4) r:0.05 Lasco, Destin JR      
    r:+0.69  19.62        41.50 (41.50)
        1:00.71 (19.21)     1:22.01 (40.51)
        1:41.47 (19.46)     2:03.13 (41.12)
        2:22.64 (19.51)     2:44.08 (40.95)
  3 ASU                                 2:46.14    2:45.12   32  
     1) Kulow, Jonny FR               2) r:0.29 Marchand, Leon SO     
     3) r:0.16 House, Grant 5Y        4) r:0.30 Dolan, Jack SR        
    r:+0.62  19.70        41.89 (41.89)
        1:01.39 (19.50)     1:22.44 (40.55)
        1:41.84 (19.40)     2:03.57 (41.13)
        2:22.79 (19.22)     2:45.12 (41.55)
  4 NC State                            2:47.32    2:47.09   30  
     1) Henderson, Noah SR            2) r:0.10 Piszczorowicz, tosz SR
     3) r:0.31 Korstanje, Nyls SR     4) r:0.23 Izzo, Giovanni 5Y     
    r:+0.62  19.86        42.31 (42.31)
        1:01.74 (19.43)     1:23.36 (41.05)
        1:42.94 (19.58)     2:05.39 (42.03)
        2:24.55 (19.16)     2:47.09 (41.70)
  5 Texas                               2:49.15    2:47.15   28  
     1) Krueger, Danny 5Y             2) r:0.18 Hobson, Luke SO       
     3) r:0.27 Corbeau, Caspar SR     4) r:0.33 Larson, Peter SR      
    r:+0.68  20.14        42.19 (42.19)
        1:01.64 (19.45)     1:23.62 (41.43)
        1:43.00 (19.38)     2:05.34 (41.72)
        2:25.10 (19.76)     2:47.15 (41.81)
  6 Indiana                             2:48.11    2:47.17   26  
     1) Mathias, Van 5Y               2) r:0.09 Frankel, Tomer JR     
     3) r:0.07 Wight, Gavin JR        4) r:0.22 Miroslaw, Rafael SO   
    r:+0.64  19.90        41.50 (41.50)
        1:01.37 (19.87)     1:23.52 (42.02)
        1:43.15 (19.63)     2:05.37 (41.85)
        2:25.22 (19.85)     2:47.17 (41.80)
  7 Tennessee                           2:46.25    2:47.19   24  
     1) Santos, Guilherme FR          2) r:0.26 Crooks, Jordan SO     
     3) r:0.38 Kammann, Bjoern SO     4) r:0.05 Tarasenko, Aleksey 5Y 
    r:+0.62  19.90        41.68 (41.68)
        1:00.92 (19.24)     1:22.69 (41.01)
        1:42.52 (19.83)     2:04.86 (42.17)
        2:24.91 (20.05)     2:47.19 (42.33)
  8 Stanford                            2:48.40    2:47.61   22  
     1) Maurer, Luke JR               2) r:0.18 Minakov, Andrei JR    
     3) r:0.36 Polonsky, Ron SO       4) r:0.37 Dupont Cabrera,dres FR
    r:+0.63  20.36        42.28 (42.28)
        1:01.56 (19.28)     1:23.39 (41.11)
        1:43.29 (19.90)     2:05.67 (42.28)
        2:25.35 (19.68)     2:47.61 (41.94)
  9 Auburn                              2:50.02    2:48.23   18  
     1) Tirheimer, Logan JR           2) r:0.14 Makinen, Kalle FR     
     3) r:0.28 Husband, Ryan JR       4) r:0.16 Stoffle, Aidan SR     
    r:+0.63  20.34        42.74 (42.74)
        1:02.11 (19.37)     1:24.29 (41.55)
        1:44.07 (19.78)     2:06.31 (42.02)
        2:26.02 (19.71)     2:48.23 (41.92)
 10 VT                                  2:48.06    2:48.34   14  
     1) Ramadan, Youssef JR           2) r:0.14 Dominguez CalonLuis SO
     3) r:0.30 Coll Marti, Carles JR  4) r:0.26 Hayon, Will FR        
    r:+0.55  19.84        41.70 (41.70)
        1:01.47 (19.77)     1:23.58 (41.88)
        1:43.96 (20.38)     2:06.21 (42.63)
        2:25.95 (19.74)     2:48.34 (42.13)
 11 Louisville                          2:48.94    2:48.93   12  
     1) Eastman, Michael 5Y           2) r:0.33 Brooks, Guy FR        
     3) r:0.16 Lowe, Dalton JR        4) r:0.32 Elaraby, Abdelrhman SR
    r:+0.64  20.13        42.52 (42.52)
        1:02.56 (20.04)     1:24.69 (42.17)
        1:44.46 (19.77)     2:07.00 (42.31)
        2:26.60 (19.60)     2:48.93 (41.93)
 12 Alabama                             2:49.64    2:49.41   10  
     1) Hawke, Charlie SO             2) r:0.22 Alves, Kaique SO      
     3) r:0.12 Korstanje, Tim FR      4) r:-0.01 Menke, Matt SR       
    r:+0.66  20.43        42.72 (42.72)
        1:02.47 (19.75)     1:24.71 (41.99)
        1:44.79 (20.08)     2:07.38 (42.67)
        2:26.67 (19.29)     2:49.41 (42.03)
 13 Virginia                            2:49.15    2:49.53    8  
     1) Brownstead, Matt JR           2) r:0.16 Aikins, Jack SO       
     3) r:0.28 Boyle, Connor SO       4) r:0.15 Lamb, August SR       
    r:+0.60  20.21        42.57 (42.57)
        1:02.12 (19.55)     1:24.58 (42.01)
        1:44.57 (19.99)     2:07.21 (42.63)
        2:26.92 (19.71)     2:49.53 (42.32)
 14 Georgia                             2:49.06    2:49.65    6  
     1) Branzell, Reese SO            2) r:0.18 Hils, Zach SR         
     3) r:0.12 Dunham, Bradley SR     4) r:0.25 Downing, Dillon SR    
    r:+0.66  20.32        42.32 (42.32)
        1:01.99 (19.67)     1:24.44 (42.12)
        1:44.60 (20.16)     2:07.24 (42.80)
        2:27.10 (19.86)     2:49.65 (42.41)
 15 Ohio St                             2:49.88    2:49.94    4  
     1) Gaziev, Ruslan JR             2) r:0.25 Ward, James SR        
     3) r:0.25 McDonald, Mario JR     4) r:0.12 Baltes, Daniel SO     
    r:+0.65  20.11        41.79 (41.79)
        1:01.64 (19.85)     1:24.03 (42.24)
        1:44.12 (20.09)     2:06.71 (42.68)
        2:26.95 (20.24)     2:49.94 (43.23)
 16 Michigan                            2:49.44    2:50.03    2  
     1) Szabados, Bence JR            2) r:0.05 Peel, Cam SR          
     3) r:0.05 Acin, Nikola 5Y        4) r:0.29 Davis, Wyatt JR       
    r:+0.66  20.21        42.91 (42.91)
        1:02.42 (19.51)     1:25.25 (42.34)
        1:44.85 (19.60)     2:07.30 (42.05)
        2:27.51 (20.21)     2:50.03 (42.73)
 17 Missouri                            2:50.29    2:50.31  
     1) Dahlgren, Jack 5Y             2) r:0.21 Bochenski, Grant SO   
     3) r:0.22 Patton, Ben SR         4) r:0.14 Secchi, Clement 5Y    
    r:+0.61  20.35        42.47 (42.47)
        1:02.28 (19.81)     1:24.89 (42.42)
        1:45.08 (20.19)     2:07.59 (42.70)
        2:27.46 (19.87)     2:50.31 (42.72)
 18 Notre Dame                          2:50.14    2:50.61  
     1) Guiliano, Chris SO            2) r:0.14 Wilburn, Cason SR     
     3) r:0.28 DeLong, Alec SR        4) r:0.13 Scannell, Thacher SR  
    r:+0.66  19.95        41.71 (41.71)
        1:01.87 (20.16)     1:24.88 (43.17)
        1:44.96 (20.08)     2:07.75 (42.87)
        2:27.67 (19.92)     2:50.61 (42.86)
 19 TAMU                                2:50.20    2:50.67  
     1) Foote, Connor FR              2) r:0.23 Bratanov, Koko SR     
     3) r:+0.00 Fuchs, Collin JR      4) r:0.08 Nelson, Baylor FR     
    r:+0.64  20.65        43.31 (43.31)
        1:02.95 (19.64)     1:25.68 (42.37)
        1:45.50 (19.82)     2:08.34 (42.66)
        2:28.18 (19.84)     2:50.67 (42.33)
 20 Wisconsin                           2:51.47    2:50.95  
     1) Torepe-Ormsby, Taiko FR       2) r:-0.02 Newmark, Jake JR     
     3) r:0.30 Benson, Andrew JR      4) r:0.09 Wiegand, Ben SO       
    r:+0.49  20.36        43.39 (43.39)
        1:03.28 (19.89)     1:25.34 (41.95)
        1:45.27 (19.93)     2:08.47 (43.13)
        2:28.26 (19.79)     2:50.95 (42.48)
 21 UNC                                 2:50.94    2:51.63  
     1) Hussey, Patrick JR            2) r:0.28 Dramm, Louis FR       
     3) r:0.11 Rutberg, Noah JR       4) r:0.23 Sungaila, Tomas 5Y    
    r:+0.68  20.26        42.61 (42.61)
        1:02.76 (20.15)     1:25.62 (43.01)
        1:45.68 (20.06)     2:08.46 (42.84)
        2:28.80 (20.34)     2:51.63 (43.17)
 22 Harvard                             2:51.23    2:52.68  
     1) Holmquist, Marcus JR          2) r:0.29 Grant, Will JR        
     3) r:0.15 Simpson, Jared SR      4) r:0.13 Linnihan, Ryan SR     
    r:+0.65  20.68        43.19 (43.19)
        1:03.80 (20.61)     1:26.87 (43.68)
        1:47.03 (20.16)     2:09.61 (42.74)
        2:29.61 (20.00)     2:52.68 (43.07)
 23 Pittsburgh                          2:51.81    2:53.04  
     1) Goncharov, Stepan FR          2) r:+0.00 Toledo Sanchezinic SR
     3) r:0.12 Crisci, Flynn SR       4) r:0.15 Goraj, Marcin JR      
    r:+0.60  20.20        43.55 (43.55)
        1:03.63 (20.08)     1:26.34 (42.79)
        1:46.30 (19.96)     2:09.55 (43.21)
        2:30.00 (20.45)     2:53.04 (43.49)
 -- Arizona                             2:49.90         DQ  
      Early take-off swimmer #3
     1) Daleiden Ciuferri, Ralph FR   2) r:0.17 Palmer, Tommy FR      
     3) r:-0.08 Perham, Ryan JR       4) r:0.27 Ercegovic, Marin 5Y   
    r:+0.61  20.54        42.90 (42.90)
        1:03.16 (20.26)     1:25.93 (43.03)
        1:45.50 (19.57)     2:07.75 (41.82)
        2:27.43 (19.68)          DQ (41.96)
 
                      Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 21                      
 
  1. California                        482   2. Arizona St                        430
  3. Texas                             384   4. Indiana                           379
  5. NC State                        373.5   6. Florida                         367.5
  7. Tennessee                       216.5   8. Stanford                        143.5
  9. Virginia Tech                     133  10. Auburn                            127
 11. Ohio St                           112  12. Georgia                            96
 13. Louisville                         92  14. Texas A&M                          80
 15. Virginia                           78  16. Lsu                              62.5
 16. Missouri                         62.5  18. Notre Dame                         62
 19. Alabama                            57  20. Michigan                           37
 21. Minnesota                          36  22. Southern California                31
 23. Miami                              27  23. UNC                                27
 23. Wisconsin                          27  26. South Carolina                     15
 27. Utah                               14  28. Princeton                          13
 28. Siuc                               13  28. Kentucky                           13
 31. Columbia                           12  32. Arizona                            11
 33. Penn St                             4  33. Pittsburgh                          4
 35. Georgia Tech                        3  36. Air Force                           2
 36. Towson                              2  38. Purdue                              1
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x