NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Spoils Party with Record in 200 Medley Relay

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

NCAA Men’s Championships: Florida Spoils Party with Record in 200 Medley Relay

Florida knew good and well that Arizona State was carrying an NCAA record in the 200 medley relay from the Pac-12 Championships into the NCAA Championships Wednesday night.

And the Gators knew that mattered not one iota to their own aspirations for gold.

Florida spoiled the Arizona State party by setting a time of 1:20.15 to set the NCAA record in the 200 medley relay. That was exactly four tenths up on the record set by ASU at the Pac-12 Championships earlier this month.

“Just as we have records in relays, other people have records in relays,” Florida’s Adam Chaney said. “I think it puts a staple on their back, like come get us. I think it just helps all the teams swim faster. They’re the goal. It’s like, beat them.”

Arizona State matched its its time from the Pac-12 Championships, but it wasn’t enough for gold.

NCAA record: Arizona State, 1:20.55 (2024) – also U.S. Open record
Meet record: NC State, 1:20.67 (2023)

Florida’s foursome of Chaney, Julian Smith, Josh Liendo and Macguire McDuff went 1:20.15 to dominate the race. McDuff held off a charge by Jonny Kulow on the anchor leg.

The pertinent splits:

Florida Wednesday: Chaney 20.29 – Smith 22.55 – Liendo 18.98 – McDuff 18.34 – 1:20.15
Arizona State Wednesday: Dolan 20.55 – Marchand 22.59 – Kharun 19.47 – Kulow 17.94 – 1:20.55
Arizona State at Pac-12s: Dolan 20.30 – Marchand 22.71 – Kharun – 19.30 – Kulow 18.24 – 1:20.55

“We heard it,” Liendo said of the ASU buzz. “We talked about it a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re focused on ourselves. The only thing on my mind when I’m about to go is how I’m going to execute my race and what we need to do to help my team win.”

Liendo was the star, taking a half-second out of his fellow Canadian Ilya Kharun on butterfly. Liendo’s was the only sub-19 swim. Jonny Kulow nearly rescued it for Arizona State with his 17.94 (with a minus-.02 pickup).

Chaney and Liendo had bookended last year’s third-place relay.

“It’s been awesome,” Liendo said of the continuity in the Florida group. “Every time you step on the blocks, you know you’re going to fight for the team, with your boys. It makes the energy so much higher when you see someone from your team going well, especially when they’re going ahead of you.”

The fastest backstroke leg came via Aidan Hayes of NC State, who went 20.07. NC State won the event last year with Kacper Stokowski, Mason Hunter, Nyls Korstanje and David Curtiss. None of that foursome was back this year, yet the Wolfpack were still third under the pool record in 1:20.98.

The time of Hayes, Sam Hoover, Luke Miller and Quintin McCarthy downed the American record set at SECs by Florida, which went 1:21.66. (NC State had held that record briefly at 1:21.86 from ACCs; the swim at SECs by the Gators had Scotty Buff instead of Liendo on fly.)

Cal finished fourth in 1:21.01, Jack Alexy bringing it home in 18.40. Liam Bell had gone 22.25 in the 50 breast. Tennessee was fifth and Indiana sixth. Texas finished ninth.

Louisville, which finished seventh last year, would’ve been eighth this year but they were disqualified in the first heat of three. Penn State also was disqualified.

On the self focus, the pieces are there for Florida. Liendo, Smith and McDuff are all underclassmen. Liendo joshed Chaney to try to get him to declare for a fifth year. And Chaney added up the pieces that said everyone’s best time would sum to sub-1:20. So is that the goal?

“We didn’t put up a number of anything like that this year,” Chaney said. “But if Macguire would’ve been on his best and I would’ve been on my best, we would’ve been sub 1:20. It’s possible.”

Event 1  Men 200 Yard Medley Relay
==================================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:20.55  3/6/2024  Arizona State University
                          J Dolan, L Marchand, I Kharun, J Kulow
         Meet: M 1:20.67  3/22/2023 NC State
                          K Stokowski, M Hunter, N Korstanje, D Curtiss
     American: A 1:21.66  2/20/2024 Florida
                          A Chaney, J Smith, S Buff, M McDuff
   U. S. Open: O 1:20.55  3/6/2024  Arizona State University
                          J Dolan, L Marchand, I Kahrun, J Kulow
         Pool: P 1:21.54  3/24/2017 Texas
                          J Shebat, W Licon, J Schooling, B Ringgold
    School                                 Seed     Finals Points 
==================================================================================
  1 Florida                             1:21.66    1:20.15N  40  
     1) Chaney, Adam SR               2) r:0.18 Smith, Julian JR      
     3) r:0.19 Liendo, Josh SO        4) r:0.07 McDuff, Macguire JR   
    r:+0.71  10.04        20.29 (20.29)
           30.22 (9.93)       42.84 (22.55)
           51.24 (8.40)     1:01.81 (18.97)
         1:10.36 (8.55)     1:20.15 (18.34)
  2 ASU                                 1:20.55    1:20.55N  34  
     1) Dolan, Jack 5Y                2) r:0.28 Marchand, Leon JR     
     3) r:0.28 Kharun, Ilya FR        4) r:-0.02 Kulow, Jonny SO      
    r:+0.68  10.07        20.55 (20.55)
           30.53 (9.98)       43.14 (22.59)
           51.86 (8.72)     1:02.61 (19.47)
         1:10.89 (8.28)     1:20.55 (17.94)
  3 NC State                            1:21.86    1:20.98P  32  
     1) Hayes, Aiden JR               2) r:0.20 Hoover, Sam JR        
     3) r:0.15 Miller, Luke SR        4) r:0.04 McCarty, Quintin FR   
     r:+0.56  9.82        20.07 (20.07)
          30.36 (10.29)       43.47 (23.40)
           52.04 (8.57)     1:02.82 (19.35)
         1:11.23 (8.41)     1:20.98 (18.16)
  4 California                          1:21.67    1:21.01P  30  
     1) Seeliger, Bjorn SR            2) r:0.10 Bell, Liam 5Y         
     3) r:0.18 Rose, Dare SR          4) r:0.33 Alexy, Jack JR        
     r:+0.66  9.97        20.39 (20.39)
           30.11 (9.72)       42.64 (22.25)
           51.54 (8.90)     1:02.61 (19.97)
         1:11.28 (8.67)     1:21.01 (18.40)
  5 Tennessee                           1:21.82    1:21.91   28  
     1) Kammann, Bjorn JR             2) r:0.10 Crisci, Flynn 5Y      
     3) r:0.32 Crooks, Jordan JR      4) r:0.22 Santos, Guilherme SO  
    r:+0.74  10.41        20.84 (20.84)
          31.08 (10.24)       43.85 (23.01)
           52.56 (8.71)     1:03.55 (19.70)
         1:12.11 (8.56)     1:21.91 (18.36)
  6 Indiana                             1:22.17    1:22.10   26  
     1) Burns, Brendan 5Y             2) r:0.13 Brooks, Finn JR       
     3) r:0.20 Frankel, Tomer SR      4) r:0.12 Lee, Mikkel FR        
    r:+0.58  10.37        20.79 (20.79)
          30.83 (10.04)       43.79 (23.00)
           52.51 (8.72)     1:03.35 (19.56)
         1:12.13 (8.78)     1:22.10 (18.75)
  7 Stanford                            1:23.14    1:22.43   24  
     1) Maurer, Rex FR                2) r:0.28 Polonsky, Ron JR      
     3) r:0.27 Minakov, Andrei JR     4) r:0.13 Gu, Rafael SO         
    r:+0.61  10.33        21.02 (21.02)
          31.30 (10.28)       44.25 (23.23)
           52.95 (8.70)     1:03.82 (19.57)
         1:12.45 (8.63)     1:22.43 (18.61)
  8 Auburn                              1:22.74    1:22.57   22  
     1) Stoffle, Nate JR              2) r:0.12 Bethel, Henry JR      
     3) r:0.32 Khaled, Sohib SO       4) r:0.16 Makinen, Kalle SO     
    r:+0.61  10.46        20.92 (20.92)
          30.98 (10.06)       43.76 (22.84)
           52.80 (9.04)     1:04.06 (20.30)
         1:12.80 (8.74)     1:22.57 (18.51)

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