The Ephs had a strong start to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday. The events of today were the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 3M diving and 400 medley relay.
To kick things off, distance duo
Ryan Nunez and Nye Hanan competed in the consolation final for the 500. Hanan was runner up in the heat placing 10th, and Nunez was just behind in 12th.
Sophie Phelps and
Irene Yang competed in the 200 IM finals afterwards. Yang swam in the console final, touching 16th. Phelps, in her first NCAA meet swam in the championship final and finished 5th in the nation. Tomorrow she will compete in the 400 IM to follow it up.
Freshman Sam Brozek swam an exhilarating 50 freestyle dipping under 20 seconds for the first time in his career. Brozek touched the wall in a blazing 19.96, a major accomplishment for the freshman.
Haochen Liu competed in the consolation final of 3M diving, putting together a string of impressive dives that earned him 12th place in the end.
The 400 medley relay teams also swam exceptionally well. The women were in the championship final. Yang,
Anna Doherty,
Esme Van Orden and Phelps finished in 4
th overall, showcasing their depth across the four strokes. Doherty split a quick 1:02.4, Van Orden split 54.3 in the butterfly leg and Phelps closed in a 49.9.
The men's team of
Whitman Horton,
Michael Grover,
Mason Green and Sam Brozek touched 2nd in the consolation final, finishing in 10
th overall. Grover had an exceptional split, and Green, who wasn't on the relay in the morning, also swam an electric split. Brozek closed in a monster 43 second anchor.
The team will turn their attention to another full day of competition starting tomorrow morning. Currently, the men's team sits in 8
th while the women are in 6th.
