Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas Chooses 400 IM Over 100 Back for NCAAs

2020 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, March 25 – Saturday, March 28, 2020
• IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• Defending champs: Cal (1x) – results
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SEC Champion Shaine Casas, a sophomore, has once again changed up his events from the conference meet to NCAAs. Last season, Casas swam both backstrokes at SECs but then swapped them for the butterflies at the national championships. This season, he’s dropped the 100 back on day 2 for the 400 IM. He was the 4th fastest 100 backstroker in the nation this season.

Casas’ event lineup includes the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 back. There was some speculation about potential event choices after his performances at the American Short Course Championships last weekend. At that meet, he blew away his best in the 400 IM with a new school record and a time that now makes him the 2nd seed coming into the meet. He also took down the A&M school record in the 200 fly.

With his performances from SECs, Casas is the top seed for NCAAs in both the 200 IM and 200 back. He’s nearly 2 seconds ahead of any other swimmer in the nation in the 200 IM, though Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez hasn’t shown his cards this season as he was disqualified in the 200 IM prelims at Pac-12s. After taking down Ryan Lochte‘s SEC Meet Record in the 200 back, he leads the nation just ahead of 2018 NCAA Champion Austin Katz of Texas.