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2023 Division I Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 4 Swims You Might’ve Missed

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By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

2023 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2022-23 college swimming season came to a close in thrilling fashion on Saturday night, highlighted by Arizona State sophomore Leon Marchand breaking his third NCAA record in as many days in the 200 breast (1:46.91) and Florida (2:44.07) edging Cal (2:44.08) as the two fastest 400 medley relay squads in history.

Lost amid the frenzy surrounding tonight’s record-breaking swims were several impressive performances by non-winners still worthy of mention.

NC State senior Ross Dant was a big question mark in the 1650 free after dealing with sickness during last month’s ACC Championships. He came into the race seeded 13th with a season-best time of 14:44.87 that he was a second off of at ACCs (14:45.57). Swimming in the early distance heats, Dant delivered on the big stage with a personal-best 14:30.32, good for second place in the overall standings behind junior teammate Will Gallant (14:28.94). Dant shaved nearly a second off his previous-best 14:31.17 from 2021. He went 14:31.71 at last year’s NCAA Championships.

In the 200 back, a trio of freshmen posted notable time drops. Arizona State freshman Hubert Kos entered the race seeded 9th with a 1:39.21 and took nearly a second off his lifetime best with a 1:38.25 in prelims. Kos still had more left in the tank for the final, dipping under 1:38 for the first time with a 1:37.96 for third place behind Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez (1:36.72) and Destin Lasco (1:35.87).

Notre Dame freshman Tommy Janton (1:39.45) and Southern Illinois freshman Ruard Van Renen (1:39.73) broke the 1:40 barrier in the 200 back for the first time, though Van Renen did so in prelims before adding about half a second in the final. Van Renen’s B-final win in the 100 back on Friday night gave Southern Illinois its first NCAA points since 1995. Janton arrived at Notre Dame last fall with a personal-best 1:42.00 from March of 2022.

In the 100 free, Ohio State junior Ruslan Gaziev got under 41 seconds for the first time during his fourth-place finish in 40.98. Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger (40.93), Jack Alexy (40.92), and Florida’s Josh Liendo (40.28) were the only other swimmers in the field who went sub-41. Gaziev had gone 41.34 in prelims, lowering his previous-best 41.38 from Big Tens.

Indiana sophomore Josh Matheny clocked a new lifetime best by more than half a second in the 200 breast, claiming fourth place with a 1:50.12. His previous best was a 1:50.65 from February of 2022 while his season-best this year was a 1:51.23 from Big Tens.

Cal junior Dare Rose dropped more than a second off his best 200 fly time during his fourth-place finish in 1:39.89. He came into today with a personal-best 1:41.01 from December’s Minnesota Invitational, lowering that mark to 1:40.00 in prelims before dropping again in the final.

The highest-placing swimmer from a non-Power Five school on Saturday night was Princeton senior Raunak Khosla, who won the B-final of the 200 fly with a 1:40.94. It was his first time under 1:41 after going 1:41.07 at last year’s NCAAs.

SwimSwam: 2023 Division I Men’s NCAA Championships: Day 4 Swims You Might’ve Missed

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