Video produced by Coleman Hodges.
Reported by Jared Anderson.
100 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS
- NCAA – 50.04 – Kevin Cordes, Arizona – 2014
- Championship – 50.04 – Kevin Cordes, Arizona – 2014
- American – 50.04 – Kevin Cordes – 2014
- US Open – 50.04 – Kevin Cordes – 2014
- 2014 Champion – Kevin Cordes, Arizona – 50.04
Cal’s Chuck Katis has suddenly become the trendy pick to upset Arizona’s Kevin Cordes,and we’ve got a showdown looming between those two in tonight’s final. Katis ran away with his heat this morning in a 50.89, a lifetime-best by a full second, his first time under 51 and actually his first time under 52.
That stacks up as the 7th-fastest swim in history. But the owner of the 5 fastest swims in history, Cordes answered back in the next heat with a 50.93. Both men have chances to go low 50-points tonight, or even hit the fabled 49.
Michigan’s Richard Funk went 51.41 for third, breaking the Big Ten record in the process. He’s followed by Missouri’s Sam Tierney at 51.41, plus Georgia’s Nic Fink at 51.59. Fink was the runner-up in this event last year.
Western Kentucky gets a rare A-finalist for a mid-major school, with Fabian Schwingenslogl swimming his race in about the same time it takes to properly pronounce his name: 51.66. Michigan’s Bruno Ortiz also jumped into the A final with a 51.77.
It’s an insane meet when a sub-52-second swim is required to make the A final. We’ll have a swim-off for 8th in this event between two guys who went 51.83. Michael Duderstadtof Auburn and Thomas Dahlia out of Louisville will show down after the prelims session for the final lane in tonight’s final. We’ll have results of that swim when it happens.
Tennessee’s Peter Stevens becomes the first man in NCAA history to go 51 in the 100 breast prelims and still miss the A final (along with the loser of that swim-off). The freshman was 51.94 and sits 10th.
The pressure is all on Cordes!