Jordan Crooks Swims 16.99 50 Freestyle With Fins at Unscored Tennessee vs. UNC-Wilmington Dual Meet
Last season, Jordan Crooks of the University of Tennessee became the fastest man in the country and the second-fastest ever on his way to an individual NCAA crown in the 50-yard freestyle. He was off his best time in the final, getting to the wall only eight hundredths clear of Josh Liendo, but at the SEC Championships, Crooks clocked 17.93 to become only the second man ever under 18, joining the great Caeleb Dressel.
After a breakout long course campaign in which the Cayman Islands swimmer qualified for World Championships finals in the 100-meter free and 50-meter free, Crooks again will be a huge force on the collegiate level. And in an exhibition dual meet Friday against UNC-Wilmington, Crooks blasted that speed to an extreme level — sort of.
Crooks and his competitors were racing this event in fins, knowing full well they would never replicate those times with bare feet. Crooks won the 50 free time trial in 16.99, which would have obliterated Dressel’s NCAA record of 17.63 had it been done under legal conditions. Tennessee teammate Gui Caribe also swam faster than Dressel with his 17.41.
Crooks also had two other individual wins and a relay win. The team of Bjoern Kammann, Flynn Crisci, Crooks and Caribe won the 200 medley in 1:28.53. Crooks also touched first in the 150 butterfly (1:16.64), and he dominated the 50 fly in 21.08. Caribe won the 150 free (1:10.91), and he was part of a special 200 free relay where swimmers wore fins. The Tennessee team won in 1:11.19 with Caribe joining Griffin Hadley and Micah Chambers with 17-second splits. Caribe also went 42.93 on the Volunteers’ winning 400 free relay (3:00.14).
In other notable results for the Tennessee men, Rafael Ponce De Leon won the 600 free (5:22.68) and 300 free (2:34.05), and Ryan Williams won the 50 backstroke (22.93) and 100 IM (51.57).
The Lady Volunteers also took advantage of wearing fins to swim faster than otherwise possible. Sara Stotler led the way with a 20.53 in the individual event, much quicker than Maggie Mac Neil’s NCAA record of 20.79. In a fins relay, Brooklyn Douthwright had an even quicker leadoff time of 20.50 while four swimmers split under 20: Tori Brostowitz (19.56), Abby Samansky (19.63) and Stotler (19.87) of Tennessee plus Maura Schoppa of UNCW (19.92).
In other results, Douthwright won the 150 back in 1:28.03 while Mona McSharry, a World Championships finalist in the 100-meter breast this year, comfortably won the 150-yard race of her signature stroke in 1:37.73. Josephine Fuller went 55.04 to top the 100 IM.
Check relay splits. 16.8 UNCW swimmer
How about UNCW Patrick Morris swimming at the same meet 3rd leg of underwater 200 freestyle relay with fins split at 16.80?!??! #impressive!!!!!!!!!!’
Forgot to mention Patrick Morris of UNCW went at 16.80 in 200 Freestyle relay underwater w fins
How about UNCW Patrick Morris with a 16.80 relay split – 200 freestyle relay underwater with fins? GO SEAHAWKS !!!!
Short fins (Zoomers) or long fins?