2021 NCAA MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- When: Wednesday, March 24 – Saturday, March 27, 2021
- Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center / Greensboro, NC (Eastern Time Zone)
- Defending champion: Cal (1x) – 2019 results
- Streaming:
- Championship Central
- Live Results
Per the 2021 NCAA Men’s Championships psych sheets, Florida junior Kieran Smith is going all-in on freestyle at the meet, racing the 500 free, 200 free and 100 free individually.
This lineup matches what he was going to do in 2020, sticking with the freestyles. At 2019 NCAAs, his freshman debut, Smith squeezed into A-finals in both IMs, while he just made it into the 200 back B-final. He also swam on all three free relays and took the fly leg of the 200 medley relay for the Gators.
Smith was the top seed in the 500 free and 200 free for the 2020 NCAAs, while he was seeded 10th in the 100 free. On the 2021 psych sheets, he’s again the top seed in both the 500 free and 200 free, while he’s sitting at #7 in the 100 free.
In the 200 IM, Smith’s mid-season personal best of 1:41.72 has him sixth in the nation, while his 3:37.47 in the 400 IM from SECs has him third in the nation. He raced the 500 free/400 IM/100 free at 2021 SECs, and his lifetime best in the 400 IM is a 3:37.31 from 2020 SECs.
The 500 free and 100 free were pretty locked-in for Smith, in terms of how strong he is there as compared to other events that day of the meet, but he feasibly could’ve challenged national leader Carson Foster of Texas for the 400 IM crown. Foster’s best time of 3:35.27 from the fall is a good two seconds ahead of Smith’s lifetime best, though, while Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez has been 3:37.31 this season.
Meanwhile, Smith is the top 200 freestyler in the nation (1:29.48) by over a full second. The 200 free is a less-taxing event (especially when considering prelims and finals), and Smith has a much clearer shot at winning it than in the 400 IM.
Kieran wins the 500 in a 4:04. Magahey snags second in a 4:06 low and Kibler third in a 4:07
I like this prediction but Kieran said he was rested for SEC so maybe more like 4:05 with a better strategy
The 200 free is the last stone needed for Florida to complete the freestyle gauntlet of NCAA and American records in individually-contested events from the 50 to the mile.
That’s a great stat
Still need 1000 also I believe
You can’t win a championship in the 1000 at Div 1 NCAAs (it SHOULD be a thing), but I believe Bobby was within tenths of it last year on the way to the mile record if you need that one for it to count.
Yannick Agnel is the best 200 freestyler of all time.
1:28 incoming
Yannick Agnel could have gone 1:27 easy.