Matt Fallon Crushes 1:49 200 Breast at Zippy Invitational for Nation’s Top Time, Eighth-Fastest in History
At the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, unheralded 18-year-old Matt Fallon pulled off a surprise when he finished first in the men’s 200 breaststroke-meter semifinals, finishing in 2:08.91 to beat out a field of veterans and claim lane four for the final. Fallon ended up out of the mix in the final, where he swam more than three seconds slower, but he left Omaha as the ninth-fastest man in American history in the event.
Now, during his freshman season at the University of Pennsylvania, Fallon looks ready to compete for national titles on the college level. At the Zippy Invitational over the weekend in Akron, Ohio, Fallon won the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:49.71. He beat the field by more than six seconds, but more significantly, he moved to first place in the national rankings. Fallon’s time was faster than all but two swimmers at last year’s NCAA Championships, and he also became the eight-fastest performer in history.
The list of names that have surpassed that time by Fallon is an elite one: Will Licon, Reece Whitley, Kevin Cordes, Andrew Seliskar, Max McHugh, Cody Miller and Josh Prenot.
That same weekend, three of the top four finishers from NCAAs last year competed head-to-head at the Minnesota Invite. In the 200 breast showdown, Texas’ Caspar Corbeau won in 1:50.81, followed by Whitley (1:51.11) and McHugh (1:51.27), and all of those times were more than a second behind what Fallon recorded in Ohio. The freshman and native of Warren, N.J., has undoubtedly thrown himself into the NCAA title mix.
Fallon also put up a time of 51.45 in the 100 breast, which ranks him ninth in the country. He would need to be quicker in order to be in top-three contention in that event at the NCAA Championships, but he will definitely have a chance to qualify for the A-final in his weaker of the two breaststroke events. Also in Akron, Fallon won the 200 IM in 1:44.03, and he swam a 3:46.43 for the meet’s top time in the 400 IM before scratching the final.
View full results from the Zippy Invitational here.