Coleman Stewart: “It Definitely Hurt Being So Close Twice” (VIDEO INTERVIEW)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Editorial content for the 2019 NCAA DI Championship coverage is sponsored by SwimOutlet.com. See full event coverage.

NC State’s Coleman Stewart just missed defending his NCAA title in the 100 back Friday night, but he did manage runner-up finishes in both the 100 fly (by seven hundredths) and 100 back (by three tenths), and he became just the third man in history to break 44 in the 100 back, joining Ryan Murphy and the NCAA champion, Dean Farris.

After the race, Stewart explained why it bothered him to be so close to NCAA titles twice in a short span of time, and he explained how his training is geared towards that double. Stewart also analyzed mistakes he made that he thinks cost him in the 100 fly, specifically breaking out too early and finishing too low on the wall.

Recap of 100 Fly:

Indiana senior Vini Lanza, fresh off swimming the butterfly leg on Indiana’s 400 medley relay title, won the 100 fly on Friday night at the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, Texas. Lanza swam a 44.37 to hold off a strong last turn from NC State junior Coleman Stewart. Lanza won Indiana’s first 100 fly NCAA title since Mark Spitz won four straight (1969-72).

The race played out between Lanza and Stewart at the finish for first and second but Michigan’s Miles Smachlo ran down everyone in the field to sneak in for third place from lane eight. Smachlo was a 23.78 on the final 50 and finished at 44.84.

Florida’s Maxime Rooney placed fourth for the Gators at 44.99.

Lanza moved up to sixth all-time with his swim while Stewart moved up to seventh.

Georgia’s Camden Murphy (45.03), Cal’s Zheng Quah (45.06), Cal’s Ryan Hoffer (45.14) and Arizona’s Chatham Dobbs (45.39) also swam in the A-Final.

Indiana now has seven NCAA titles in the 100 fly, but their first in almost 50 years. Lanza joins Mike Troy (1960), Fred Schmidt (1965) and Spitz (1969-72) as winners of the event for the Hoosiers.

Recap of 100 Back:

Harvard junior Dean Farris blistered the 100 back final on Friday night at the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships with a 43.66 to scare Ryan Murphy’s 43.49 NCAA and American Record from 2016.

Farris went out in a 20.85 and held on to win Harvard’s first NCAA title in 30 years. NC State’s Coleman Stewart (43.98) finished in second in the race as Farris and Stewart became the second and third swimmers to break 44 seconds in the event.

Farris is the first Harvard man to win an individual NCAA title in swimming and diving since David Berkoff won the 100 back in 1989.

Grand Canyon’s Mark Nikolaev (44.33) had the highest finish for a Grand Canyon swimmers with his swim tonight. Nikolaev moved to fifth all-time.

Texas’ John Shebat (44.71), who was second the last two years, placed fourth for the Longhorns. Texas had two A-finalists with Ryan Harty (45.05) placing fifth.

Louisville’s Nick Albiero (45.08), Cal’s Daniel Carr (45.21) and Georgia’s Javier Acevedo (45.24) also swam in the A-Final.

Harvard now has three NCAA titles in the 100 back as Farris joins Berkoff (1987, 89) as winners of the event for the Crimson.

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Dan D'Addona — Swimming World Managing Editor

5 years ago

What an impressive performance. Not many could pull that off and get two runner-up finishes in one night.