Youssef Ramadan, the defending NCAA champion in the 100-yard butterfly, continued his road to full recovery from a wrist fracture suffered last September at the 2024 Virginia Tech Invitational this weekend.
Ramadan clocked a season-best 44.85 in the 100 fly, bettering his 45.58 from two weeks ago. He didn’t swim the 100 fly this season until last month due to his wrist injury, but is already tied for 7th in the event nationally. The 21-year-old Egyptian won the NCAA title last year in 43.15, the second-fastest performance in history behind Caeleb Dressel’s 42.80 from the 2018 NCAA Championships.
Ramadan also set a school record in the 50 back (20.91) leading off the Hokies’ 200 medley relay (1:23.09) that broke their pool record. His previous best was a 21.15 from last month. He added a 19.17 leadoff on Virginia Tech’s 200 free relay (1:16.07), not far off his season-best 18.97 from the NC State Invitational last November. Last season at NCAAs, Ramadan clocked a lifetime best of 18.68 before placing 5th in 18.82.
Ramadan concluded the weekend with a lifetime best in the 200 fly (1:42.27) on Sunday, taking more than half a second off his previous-best 1:42.96 from last year’s Virginia Tech Invitational.
Hokies freshman Brendan Whitfield threw down a huge swim in the 100 free, posting a personal-best 41.84 that ranks 9th in the NCAA this season. He shaved almost a full second off his previous-best 42.67 from last April. Whitfield also went 19.49 in the 50 free and 1:35.09 in the 200 free.
Carl Bloebaum had a promising meet with several season bests after having his first season with the Hokies derailed by injuries and illness last year. He won the 200 fly (1:44.33) and placed 3rd in the 100 fly (47.50) before clocking a season-best 46.81 during a timed 100 fly final.
Virginia Tech senior Carles Coll Marti clocked a top-10 time in the NCAA this season with his 100 breast win in 51.52. He missed his lifetime best from last February by just .02 seconds, moving up to 9th in the NCAA this season. Hokies junior Luis Dominguez also threw down a season best during his victory in the 200 free (1:33.55), ascending to 31st in the NCAA.
Other 1st-place finishers included Landon Gentry in the 200 IM (1:49.63), Nico Garcia Saiz in the 400 IM (3:51.55), and Ethan Maloney in the 100 breast (53.50).
Women’s Recap
The Virginia Tech women’s backstrokers put on a show this weekend at the 2024 Virginia Tech Invitational.
Emma Atkinson triumphed in the 200 back with a winning time of 1:54.67, which ranks 12th in the NCAA this season. Caroline Bentz chipped in a 100 back victory in 53.09, tied for 17th in the NCAA this season. And just to show off their depth in the discipline, the Hokies blasted another top-20 time nationally courtesy of Carmen Weiler Sastre in the 100 back as she led off their 400 medley relay (3:36.77) with a time of 52.92 — 14th in the NCAA this season.
Bentz also went 48.64 in the 100 free leading off Virginia Tech’s 400 free relay (3:16.73), which ranks 49th in the NCAA this season.
Outside of the backstroke events, Delaney Bookstein put up a solid time in the 500 free (4:48.12), moving up to 28th in the NCAA this season.
Brooke Zettel swept both the 200 IM (2:00.86) and 400 IM (4:21.05). Other individual champions included Charlotte Rigg sweeping the 100 breast (1:03.72) and 200 breast (2:17.44), Parker Bolduc securing 1st-place finishes in the 50 free (23.00).
Ramadan will have his work cut out for him at NCAAs with Manikov swimming the way he is
I love that guy, gets in at 5am like a bot!
Happy that Carl bloebaum is back on track after a rough freshman season