2019 NC State Invite Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2019 NC STATE/GAC INVITE

• Thursday, November 21 – Saturday, November 23, 2019
• Greensboro Aquatic Center – Greensboro, NC
• Prelims 9:30 AM / Finals 5:30 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Short course yards (SCY) format
• Live results
• Results also on Meet Mobile as “NC State GAC Invitational”

We’ve got a ton of college mid-season invites over the next few days, and we’ll be trying to provide live recaps for some of the bigger ones. In Greensboro, NC State is hosting an invite at the Greensboro Aquatic Center that’s featuring NC State, Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, and Wisconsin.

This morning’s prelims session had quite a few fast times, including Beata Nelson‘s 1:53.85 in the 200 IM, and Nyls Korstanje‘s 19.13. Tonight, we’ll see finals of the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free, as well as a couple diving events and the 200 free and 400 medley relays.

Women’s 200 Free Relay – Timed Final

• NCAA Automatic Cut – 1:28.43
• NCAA Provisional Cut – 1:29.21

1. Auburn – 1:28.09
2. NC State – 1:28.21
3. Wisconsin – 1:31.16

This evening’s action got underway in thrilling fashion, as Auburn parlayed a 22.13 leadoff by Julie Meynen and a 21.61 2nd leg by Claire Fisch into a 1:28.09 victory, about a half second off from their time at last year’s NCAA championships.

NC State was right there the whole way, with Kylee Alons and Sirena Rowe splitting 21.75 and 21.81 on the middle two legs, but ultimately finished just behind Auburn at 1:28.21.

Both those times are under the NCAA “Automatic” cut, and pending other results from today, those are the fastest two times in the country so far this season. (Update: the Tennessee women just went 1:27.20 at the Tennessee Invite).

Beata Nelson led off Wisconsin’s relay with a 22.07, as the Badgers took 3rd in 1:31.16, just 0.03s ahead of NC State’s ‘B’ relay.

Men’s 200 Free Relay – Timed Final

• NCAA Automatic Cut – 1:17.17
• NCAA Provisional Cut – 1:17.86

1. Arizona State – 1:17.67
2. NC State – 1:17.95
3. Auburn – 1:18.96

It was a similar story on the men’s side, where NC State again narrowly came in 2nd, but each of the top two teams were faster than any other team has been this season, heading into this weekend’s competition.

Arizona State got a 19.86 leadoff from Carter Swift, and Evan Carlson (19.13), Jack Dolan (19.23) and Ethan Luc (19.45) combined for an overall time of 1:17.67. That’s under the NCAA auto standard, and the fastest time in the country this season. (Again, just like on the women’s side, the Indiana men just went 1:17.41 at the Tennessee Invite to pass ASU). Arizona State didn’t swim this relay at last season’s NCAA championships, but tonight’s 1:17.67 would’ve qualified for the B-final.

Assuming the names are accurate, Nyls Korstanje was well off his 19.13 from this morning, leading off for the Wolfpack in 19.75. Hunter Tapp and Noah Hensley went 19.54 and 19.47 on the middle legs before Coleman Stewart brought it home in 19.19.

Auburn finished 3rd in 1:18.96, with all four legs splitting 19.6 or 19.8.

Women’s 1-Meter Diving

• NCAA Zone Cut – 265

1. Molly Fears, Louisville – 281.55
2. Kaitlin Mullin, Duke – 281.45
3. Alison Maillard, Auburn – 280.05

Women’s 500 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 4:35.76
• 2019 Invite Time – 4:40.96

1. Cierra Runge, Arizona State, 4:37.26
2. Emily Hetzer, Auburn, 4:38.87
3. Kate Moore, NC State, 4:39.34

The top five finishers were all under last year’s NCAA invite time, with ASU’s Cierra Runge leading the way with a 4:37.26. Auburn’s Emily Hetzer took 2nd in 4:38.97, setting a new personal best by 0.31s. Kate Moore rounded out the top three with a 4:39.34, her fastest time outside of last spring’s ACC/NCAA championships.

Men’s 500 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 4:11.82
• 2019 Invite Time – 4:16.04

1. Eric Knowles, NC State, 4:16.36
2. Ross Dant, NC State, 4:17.16
3. Curtis Wiltsey, NC State, 4:19.00

NC State swept the top three spots, led by Eric Knowles and his 4:16.36. While we’ve seen some faster times earlier today, that’s still about two seconds faster than any other time in the country heading into this round of invite, and puts Knowles close to a probable invite time.

Wolfpack freshman Ross Dant lowered his lifetime best for the second time today, shaving 0.51s off this morning’s time to take 2nd in 4:17.16. Coming into today, his personal best was a 4:18.70 from February’s NC State high school championships.

Sophomore Curtis Wiltsey also shaved a few tenths off his lifetime best after a big drop this morning, taking 3rd in 4:19.00

Women’s 200 IM – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:53.66
• 2019 Invite Time – 1:56.76

1. Beata Nelson, Wisconsin, 1:52.27
2. Julia Poole, NC State, 1:55.33
3. Emma Muzzy, NC State, 1:58.60

Beata Nelson lopped a good second off of her time from this morning. While results are still rolling in from a bunch of different meets this evening, that does currently appear to be the fastest time so far this season by a good margin.

NC State’s Julia Poole came in 2nd in 1:55.13, which is actually faster than any other time this season heading into this weekend. That’s a new lifetime best for her by 0.63s, and should comfortably punch her NCAA ticket, as that’s over a second swifter than last year’s invite time.

Men’s 200 IM – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:41.34
• 2019 Invite Time – 1:43.82

1. Wes Jekel, Wisconsin, 1:46.81
2. Noah Bowers, NC State, 1:47.14
3. Cole Reznick, Duke, 1:47.72

Wisconsin freshman Wes Jekel got the win with a 1:46.81 that’s just a single one-hundredth of a second off his lifetime best from this February. Another freshman, NC State’s Noah Bowers, took 2nd in 1:47.14, his 3rd-fastest swim ever. Duke sophomore Cole Reznick knocked about three-quarters of a second off his lifetime best to take 3rd in 1:47.72.

In terms of NCAA qualifying standards, this has been by far the slowest event of the evening, with no one coming close to what it’ll take to earn an NCAA invite in this event, although all three were under the ‘B’ standard of 1:49.09.

Women’s 50 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 21.66
• 2019 Invite Time – 22.23

1. Julie Meynen, Auburn, 21.80
2. Alyssa Marsh, Duke, 21.91
3. Claire Fisch, Auburn, 22.06

Auburn earned the 1-3 split here, as Julie Meynen won in 21.80 and Claire Fisch took 2nd in 22.06. Meynen’s time appears to be the 2nd-fastest so far this season, behind only Erika Brown’s 21.53 from this morning, and it’s a lifetime best for the senior by exactly a quarter of a second. Teammate Claire Fisch took 3rd in 22.06.

In between the two Tigers, another senior, Duke’s Alyssa Marsh, took 2nd in 21.91, just 0.01s faster than her previous lifetime best from March’s NCAA championships.

NC State swimmers finished 4th-6th, with sophomore Kylee Alons the only non-senior in the top five, finishing with a 22.18.

Men’s 50 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 18.96
• 2019 Invite Time – 19.35

1. Nyls Korstanje, NC State, 19.11
2. Miles Williams, Duke, 19.58
3. Evan Carlson, Arizona State, 19.60

Nyls Korstanje already had the fastest time in the country this season with his 19.13 swim this morning, and he shaved another 0.02s off that mark to win this evening by nearly half a second. The Wolfpack’s sprint crew took a big hit last year due to graduation, leaving Korstanje as the chief sprint freestyler left on the team.

Duke senior Miles Williams set a new personal best by 0.01s as he just touched out ASU’s Evan Carlson, 19.58 to 19.60, for 2nd place. ASU swept the 3rd-6th places, with all four Sun Devils in the A final finishing between 19.60 and 19.60.

Men’s 3-Meter Diving

• NCAA Zone Qualifying Time – 320.00

1. Connoer Pruitt, Auburn – 398.50
2. Nathaniel Hernandez, Duke – 364.90
3. Daniel Pinto, Louisville – 361.05

Women’s 400 Medley Relay – Timed Final

• NCAA Automatic Cut – 3:31.66
• NCAA Provisional Cut – 3:33.78

1. NC State – 3:31.40
2. Arizona State – 3:33.88
3. Wisconsin – 3:34.44

The NC State women picked up their first win of the day in the women’s 400 medley relay. The front-half is the strength of this relay, with backstroker Katharine Berkoff (51.85) and Sophie Hansson (58.38). That pair could have them in the lead at the NCAA Championships in March, with Sirena Rowe (53.56) and Kaylee Alons (47.61) closing the relay out. Rowe on the butterfly leg, a transfer from Marshall, is the key leg for NC State when championship season comes.

Arizona State took 2nd thanks to, in part, a 58.60 breaststroke split from Silija Kansakoski, while Wisconsin was 3rd in 3:39.84. The defending NCAA Champion and fastest swimmer ever in the event Beata Nelson led Wisconsin off in a nation-leading 50.36.

Mens’s 400 Medley Relay – Timed Final

• NCAA Automatic Cut – 3:05.95
• NCAA Provisional Cut – 3:07.74

1. North Carolina State – 3:06.43
2. Arizona State – 3:07.62
3. Wisconsin – 3:09.92

The NC State men finished the day with another win, taking the men’s 400 medley relay in 3:06.43. That included a highlight 44.82 backstroke split from Coleman Stewart, followed by Rafal Kusto (53.44), Noah Hensley (45.89), and Nyls Korstanje (42.28).

While Arizona State was more than a second behind after the backstroke leg, they kept pace from there, thanks in large part to the back-half of their relay, which included a 45.46 fly split from Cody Bybee and a 42.34 free split from Evan Carlson. Their 2nd-place time of 3:07.62 is almost identical to their relay time from last year’s NCAA Championships.

Wisconsin was 3rd in 3:09.92.

Scores After Day 1:

Men:

1. NC State – 443
2. Arizona State – 388
3. Auburn – 268
4. Duke – 224
5. Wisconsin – 217

Women:

1. NC State – 442.5
2. Auburn – 381
3. Arizona State – 284.5
4. Wisconsin – 207.5
5. Duke – 184.5