2020 Texas Hall of Fame Invite: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2020 TEXAS HALL OF FAME SWIMMING INVITE

• December 2-5, 2020
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, TX
• Short course yards (SCY)
• Results Link

WOMEN’S 400 IM FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 4:03.62
• NCAA “B” cut: 4:17.30

1. Kelly Pash (Texas) – 4:06.16
2. Evie Pfeifer (Texas) – 4:11.53
3. Kaeleigh Rice (TCU) – 4:21.54

Kelly Pash dominated this race, clocking a new lifetime best of 4:06.16, erasing her old one of 4:07.71 from the 2020 Big 12 Championships. That swim brings her less than three seconds away from the ‘A’ cut. Senior Evie Pfeifer was off of her 4:05 best with a 4:11.53, while TCU’s Kaeleigh Rice, who was also third in the 200 IM, again made a podium appearance with a 4:21.54.

MEN’S 400 IM FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 3:39.16
• NCAA “B” cut: 3:51.46

1. Carson Foster (Texas) – 3:38.89
2. Jake Foster (Texas) – 3:41.49
3. Ethan Heasley (Texas) – 3:43.35

The Foster brothers went 1-2 in the men’s 400 IM, though neither were able to eclipse their best times. Carson Foster was the only finisher under 4:40, just getting under the ‘A’ cut (though he has it already, from his 3:35 from October), while older brother Jake Foster posted a 3:41.49 for second.

Freshmen Ethan Heasley (3:43.35) and David Johnston (3:43.98) both hit lifetime bests to take third and fourth, respectively. Heasley took almost a second off of his old best, while Johnston destroyed his 3:47.80 former best from this morning’s prelims. Andrew Koustik also broke 3:50 for fifth place, adding a couple of tenths from prelims (3:49.18).

WOMEN’S 100 FLY FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 50.92
• NCAA “B” cut: 53.76

1. Olivia Bray (Texas) – 50.37
2. Emma Sticklen (Texas) – 51.49
3. Grace Cooper (Texas) – 53.90

The UT freshmen women finished 1-2-3 in the women’s 100 fly as Olivia Bray broke her 50.67 school record from prelims, going 50.37. Both Bray and Emma Sticklen were out fast, Bray hitting the 50 turn at 23.33 and Sticklen at 23.99.

Sticklen, who broke her old personal record of 51.88, is now just .09 off of the #2 performer in UT history, Kathleen Hersey. Hersey’s 51.40 was the school record from 2008 up until this morning, when Bray snapped that with her prelims swim.

Grace Cooper, taking third place, was 53.90 to just get under her old best and break 54 for the first time.

MEN’S 100 FLY FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 45.05
• NCAA “B” cut: 47.43

1. Sam Pomajevich (Texas) – 45.65
2. Zac Van Zandt (Texas) – 45.84
3. Bryce Bohman (Pulling Water) – 46.04

The big swim here came in the B-final, as senior Alvin Jiang, who didn’t push this morning’s swim (50.28), blasted a 44.97 to just miss his lifetime best of 44.93.

Sam Pomajevich and Zac Van Zandt both clocked lifetime bests in the A-final, though, as they were both sub-46. Pomajevich took it in 45.65, followed by Van Zandt, the freshman (45.84). Pomajevich’s old best was a 46.20 from this meet two seasons ago, while Van Zandt chopped six-tenths off of his 46.44 prelims time, which was his old best.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 1:42.98
• NCAA “B” cut: 1:47.12

1. Remedy Rule (Longhorn Aquatics) – 1:44.86
2. Kyla Leibel (Texas) – 1:45.59
3. Mary Smutny (Texas) – 1:48.59

Texas alum and Longhorn Aquatics club swimmer Remedy Rule was victorious in the women’s 200 free with a 1:44.86, getting ahead of Texas sophomore Kyla Leibel (1:45.59). Leibel’s 1:46.32 was a best this morning, and she took that down even further tonight into 1:45 territory.

MEN’S 200 FREE FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 1:32.05
• NCAA “B” cut: 1:36.32

1. Jake Sannem (Texas) – 1:32.98
2. Coby Carrozza (Texas) – 1:33.67
3. Alex Zettle (Texas) – 1:35.47

Mid-distance star Drew Kibler scratched out of the final tonight, making way for Jake Sannem to emerge on top with a 1:32.98 ahead of freshman Coby Carrozza.

Sannem was about a half-second off of his lifetime best from 2019, while Carrozza set a new best, gliding under 1:34 for the first time ever.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 58.60
• NCAA “B” cut: 1:01.84

1. Anna Elendt (Texas) – 58.06
2. Holly Jansen (Texas) – 1:01.88
3. Ellie McLeod (Texas) – 1:03.61

Anna Elendt put down a massive effort in the women’s 100 breast, nearly eclipsing the 57.83 she split on the 400 medley relay last night. Her 58.06 is a huge best (though, notably, she’s German and this is her first SCY season), and it’s only the second time she’s broken 59 seconds in this race with a flat start. Her 59.31 from prelims was her first sub-minute flat-start swim, and it’s now her previous best.

For Elendt’s performance, she snags a new Texas program record, downing Laura Sogar’s mark of 58.32 from 2012. She’s also just the third Texas breaststroker under 59 seconds, joining Sogar and Gretchen Jaques.

MEN’S 100 BREAST FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 51.67
• NCAA “B” cut: 54.27

1. Charlie Scheinfeld (Texas) – 52.48
2. Andrew Couchon (Texas) – 52.67
3. Vitauts Silins (TCU) – 52.71

Charlie Scheinfeld lunged for the win in the men’s 100 breast, coming back after touching second at the 50 turn behind teammate Andrew Couchon. Scheinfeld was 52.48 ahead of Couchon, as Couchon gained a bit from prelims and Scheinfeld dropped over two seconds– meanwhile, Scheinfeld’s time ties Couchon’s this morning.

TCU’s Vitauts Silins was excellent in third place, posting a 52.71 lifetime best and taking out his own TCU program record.

Notably, top breaststroker Caspar Corbeau, a Texas sophomore, is currently in the Netherlands racing for an Olympic roster spot. He clocked a 2:08.57 in the 200 LCM breast this weekend, though. 

WOMEN’S 100 BACK FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 50.93
• NCAA “B” cut: 53.94

1. Julia Cook (Texas) – 51.14
2. Olivia Bray (Texas) – 51.41
3. Sydney Silver (Texas) – 54.34

Julia Cook broke her lifetime best by .01, taking out the 51.15 she swam to lead off Texas’s school record 400 medley relay last night. She was just able to topple freshman teammate Olivia Bray, who broke 52 for the second time ever but missed her lifetime best of 51.41 from prelims.

Cook inches closer and closer to the 51-second barrier, and she’s not that far off of Claire Adams’ school record of 50.51.

MEN’S 100 BACK FINALS

• NCAA “A” cut: 44.95
• NCAA “B” cut: 47.77

1. Chris Staka (Texas) – 46.67
2. Ethan Harder (Texas) – 46.96
3. Stefan Varga (TCU) – 48.14

Only four men swam this final (like in the women’s 400 IM), and Jiang scratched after a 45.12 this morning to go for the 100 fly. Chris Staka and Ethan Harder of Texas were both 46’s, with Staka winning at 46.67. Staka was well off of his best of 45.35, while Harder wasn’t far from his (46.73).

WOMEN’S 200 FREE RELAY

• NCAA Qualifying Standard: 1:28.43
• NCAA Provisional Standard: 1:29.21

1. Texas ‘A’ – 1:29.01
2. Texas ‘B’ – 1:31.57
3. Texas ‘C’ – 1:33.69

The Texas ‘A’ relay went under the provisional standard but did not safely punch an NCAA ticket, coming off of the automatic standard by about a half-second. Kelly Pash was able to break 22 seconds on the anchor leg, coming home in a 21.94.

MEN’S 200 FREE RELAY

• NCAA Qualifying Standard: 1:17.17
• NCAA Provisional Standard: 1:17.86

1. Texas ‘A’ – 1:16.99
2. Texas ‘B’ – 1:17.97
3. TCU ‘A’ – 1:21.14

The Texas ‘A’ relay got the job done here, getting under the qualifying standard with a 1:16.99. That relay consisted of Drew Kibler (19.16), Daniel Krueger (19.27), Alvin Jiang (18.99) and Jake Sannem (19.57).

The B relay had a couple great splits, including Peter Larson (19.32) and Chris Staka (19.08) on the middle legs.

The Texas ‘A’ relay sits #3 in the nation now, behind UGA (1:16.35) and Texas A&M (1:16.48). If Staka had anchored the ‘A’ instead of Sannem, Texas would’ve been faster (1:16.50), but not fast enough to improve their ranking.