Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
TUCSON – Jack Conger’s amazing 1:40.34 in the 200-yard butterfly Saturday in the tri-meet against Arizona and SMU is bound to keep Texas head coach Eddie Reese awake for a few nights.
Conger hadn’t really shown that he could put together a 200 fly that would rank him as the fourth-fastest swimmer in NCAA history, and now he gives Texas another option for the third day of the NCAA championships. Does Conger swim the 200 fly and give reigning champion Dylan Bosch a run for his money alongside teammate Joe Schooling? Or does Conger stay in the 200 backstroke, which has been his signature event for many years?
Conger’s 200 fly on Saturday was swum almost to perfection, particularly given that it was not done in a fully shaved or rested condition. That’s something that was not lost on Reese after the swim. “He got out there real strong and his last three 50’s (50-yard splits) were 25.9 (seconds), 25.9, 26 flat,” Reese said. “You just don’t see that in butterfly.”
Conger’s swim last weekend would have placed third at the NCAA championships last March. Though Marcin Cieslak, last year’s runner-up, has graduated, the competition this year could be just as tough and we could see a few athletes under 1:40. In addition to Bosch and Conger, Schooling is most likely to put up a great 200 fly. And we could see a third Longhorn in the 200 fly final, if Clark Smith continues to swim well.
Conger has been having a stellar season so far for Texas, putting himself in position to score very well for Texas as they pursue the team championship that eluded them last year. No matter what events he will swim at the NCAA championships, Conger’s 200 fly shows that he is on the right path to giving the Longhorns a shot at holding the championship trophy next year.
Congratulations, Jack Conger, you’ve earned the Performance of the Week!