COLLEGE STATION, Texas, November 23. TEXAS A&M senior sprinter Matt Rose turned in one of the most memorable days of his swimming career on day one of the Texas A&M Fall Invitational.
Rose, a Lindsay, Ontario, native, became the first Canadian to ever crack the 22-second barrier in the 50 short course meter freestyle en route to his fourth straight win this season in the 50 free. Rose clocked a time of 21.95 to defeat Florida State's Michael Paulus who finished second in 22.65.
"I didn't really know what to expect coming into the meet," Rose said. "I had goals of getting close to 19.8 in yards and going under 22 seconds in meters. Now I'm going to have to reset my goals."
Rose became the first male collegian this year to crack the 20-second barrier in the 50-yard freestyle by clocking a time of 19.87 during the morning preliminaries.
"His race of 19.8 in the morning was just outstanding," Texas A&M Head Coach Mel Nash said. "His evening swim converts to around 19.7 or 19.6. To be at his lifetime best and be unshaved and on little rest is really exciting."