Morning After: Caeleb Dressel Steals Show Again With 17.30 Relay Split

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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By David Rieder.

Thursday night, Caeleb Dressel did enough to earn two standing ovations and even got on SportsCenter. That’s what happens when you not only become the first man to break 18 seconds in the 50-yard free but you annihilate 18 seconds—twice.

The night after featured a bit of a scare, as Dressel got out of the pool after swimming the breaststroke leg on Florida’s 4×100 medley relay limping and dealing with some sort of upper leg injury. Sounds extremely painful—but not enough to stop Dressel.

The morning after, he was just fine—even if most of the others in attendance at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center hadn’t gotten over the 17.63-second 50 free they witnessed 16 hours earlier.

Dressel swam in the first of six heats of the 100 fly, having hardly competed in that event all season, and he promptly posted the fastest time overall at 44.37. He turned at the 50-yard mark in 20.32, well under his own American and NCAA-record pace of 20.70. And then he shut it down on the way home.

Dressel’s record is 43.58—and it seems realistically possible for him to threaten the 43-second barrier in the finals. Sixteen months ago, no one had ever broken 44.

His other swim in the session was anchoring Florida’s 4×50 medley relay, and he dropped a split of 17.30. Yes, that’s the fastest in history by almost a half-second. Yes, his split was more than a second faster than the next quickest in the race, the 18.48 put up by USC’s Santo Condorelli.

Consider this: Minnesota is playing host to one of the most exciting team battles at an NCAA championships, and the man who leads off every conversation is Dressel. He’s been compared to comic book superhero Thor. Even Blake Pieroni’s stunning 1:29.63 200 free from his relay leadoff Wednesday night has been reduced to afterthought status.

Dressel, however, doesn’t see himself as the undisputed center of everyone’s attention. Of course, the fact that he deleted all social media in the leadup to NCAAs has something to do with that.

“I don’t know if I am,” he said Thursday night. “There’s a lot of studs in this group. You’ve got Townley (Haas), you’ve got Blake—Blake just was the first man under 1:30. I don’t think I’m at the center of it at all. I don’t want to get complacent with anything. I want to keep staying hungry and keep chasing goal times.”

He’s chasing times, not individuals. In in his final collegiate meet, he’s posting times that could last on the record books for a long time. Not even a bum leg can stand in his way.

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Pat Kennedy

6 years ago

Absolutely amazing!!!!

Leslie Cichocki

6 years ago

Ok what’s next? 16.9? This is just outstanding

Travis Pope

6 years ago

Jeff Williams Daniel Simmons WOW

Jeff Williams

6 years ago

Reply to Travis Pope

I’m gonna watch finals tonight!

Jessica Mongrain

6 years ago

Stéphanie Harrison

6 years ago

Reply to Jessica Mongrain

Ben voyons donc ciboire. Une machiiiiine!!!! :O

Jessica Mongrain

6 years ago

Reply to Jessica Mongrain

Stéphanie Harrison c’est fou ??

Stéphanie Harrison

6 years ago

Reply to Jessica Mongrain

Hey imagine en 2020!!!

Jim Tokarz

6 years ago

This is crazy Kamil Sak. He’s dropped .8 sec in three days.

Bettina Hedwig

6 years ago

slow down

Naveh Eldar

6 years ago

Can’t wait until 2020!!!

Mike Ferrari

6 years ago

16.89? Why not?

Colleen Hazlett

6 years ago

?????

Alex Sun

6 years ago

Andre Gomez-Demine unreal

Andre Gomez-Demine

6 years ago

Reply to Alex Sun

Holy shit

Sofia Skiavone

6 years ago

Incredible ????

Corinne Paul

6 years ago

Great !!!

Vemund Kvam-Hansen

6 years ago

Bjørn Solberg

6 years ago

Reply to Vemund Kvam-Hansen

Hva slags astmamedisin er det han tar? ?

Vemund Kvam-Hansen

6 years ago

Reply to Vemund Kvam-Hansen

Heste astma medisin tror jeg

Chantelle Telly Major Fields

6 years ago

Holy Moley!!!!!

Pamela Wu

6 years ago

Crazy fast!!!

Barzan Ali A. Aziz

6 years ago

Incredible

Chris Topher

6 years ago

Dodd G Weisenberger Joseph Monestere

Joseph Monestere

6 years ago

Reply to Chris Topher

Damn

Stephanie Leigh

6 years ago

Heidi Koeppel

6 years ago

Reply to Stephanie Leigh

Insane! 2020 is gonna be ???

Stephanie Leigh

6 years ago

Reply to Stephanie Leigh

Right! So excited!!!

Claudia Bush

6 years ago

Sue LeBlanc. How unreal s this guy?

Sue LeBlanc

6 years ago

Reply to Claudia Bush

holy moley..unreal

Claudia Bush

6 years ago

Reply to Claudia Bush

Sue LeBlanc at what point is it just physically impossible to go faster? Thought that years ago and they continue to break records.

Andreea Mihaela Diaconu

6 years ago

???????

Heather Gaston

6 years ago

Unreal!

Elyssa Jade

6 years ago

Evan Patrick

Greg Glaeser

6 years ago

Figured out how to beat him…

Marj Dickmann

6 years ago

Tim

Tim Allen

6 years ago

Reply to Marj Dickmann

Ridiculous!

Tim Allen

6 years ago

Reply to Marj Dickmann

So what’s his split going to be on the 400 free relay? 39.99

Tiernan Keane

6 years ago

Steve Kent

Mark J

6 years ago

Absolutely amazing …
Can’t wait to watch him in long course this summer …
He may hold WRs in 50, and 100 Free, 100 Fly, and 200 IM

Francis Schmitz

6 years ago

Chip Schilling, Ben Thorud, Bryan Erdmann, Brian Treadway

Nicole Walsh

6 years ago

Kane Kevin

6 years ago

Reply to Nicole Walsh

This guy is my spirit animal

Nicole Walsh

6 years ago

Reply to Nicole Walsh

Beast af

Scott Ivey

6 years ago

Reply to Nicole Walsh

Kane Kevin I thought your spirit animal was a donut ?

Kane Kevin

6 years ago

Reply to Nicole Walsh

He definitely smashed some donuts before that race

Joel Gitlin

6 years ago

The water temperature must have increased a few degrees from that awesome swim?

Helena Pastierova

6 years ago

can’t wait to see what magic he’ll do in Tokyo 2020!! ????

Cynthia Granata

6 years ago

Fantastic!!!

Al Cushman

6 years ago

Kevin Kurtz