NCAA Division III Championships, Day 2 Prelims: Cooper Costello Out for 100 Fly Atonement
As a freshman in 2024, the University of Chicago’s Cooper Costello was seeded second out of prelims in the men’s 100 butterfly at the NCAA Division III Championships, only to false start in the final, denying himself a medal.
Costello is out to rectify that Thursday.
Costello set the fastest time in prelims of the men’s 100 fly, going 46.44 to lead the field. That’s tied with the top time in the nation entering the meet, Brayden Morford’s 46.44. Morford went 46.7 in prelims, the third seed behind Costello and David Bajwa.
The men’s side sees a chance at renewal, with none of the three individual event champions from 2024 back. Emory’s Crow Thorsen, the men’s 400 IM champ in 2024, is out of this NCAAs after a health scare over the winter (you can read more about that here). Jesse Ssengonzi, the 100 fly record holder, graduated from Chicago, having led a final where the top five finishers were either seniors or fifth-years. Two-time 200 free champ and NCAA record holder James McChesney of TCNJ has also graduated.
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That leaves a chance for new blood, or those looking for revenge, like the sophomore Costello. After swimmers perhaps shying away from the 100 fly last year, they’re back in numbers this year. Justin Finkel, who won the 500 free on Wednesday night, is fourth seed. He was fourth in the 200 free last year. Morford won the 200 IM Wednesday. Only Johns Hopkins’ Avery Clapp is a holdover from the A final last year.
Coast Guard Academy’s Sean Lyman set the pace in the 400 IM in 3:50.29. He had been quickest in the 500 free before slipping to fifth in finals. He was fourth in the IM last year. Ryan Higgins, last year’s silver medalist, is the third seed, behind Kirill Sidorko. Last year’s bronze medalist Ethan Manske got into the final in sixth.
Four of the top six in the 200 free are back from last year, even absent McChesney and Finkel. Colin Twiss set the pace in 1:36.36, with the top seed entering the meet, Nathaniel Taft of Hamilton, second in 1:36.60. Twiss was third last year, Taft second. Oliver Schalet of Williams (fifth last year) and sixth-place Dalton Jobe of Washington and Lee are also in the A final.
On the women’s side, 200 IM champ Sophia Verkleeren is chasing the 400 IM this year, after doing backstroke last year. She went 4:15.75 to take the top seed, .08 off the winning time of last year from Trinity’s Neely Burns, who was fifth in prelims. Second is Bowdoin freshman Nathalie Garre, who won the 500 free.
Sydney Smith grabbed the top seed in the 100 fly in 53.74, three tenths up on NYU’s Nicole Ranile, who is opting for this event after A finaling in the 200 free last year. Alex Turvey, the reigning silver medalist from MIT, is fourth.
Kaley McIntyre is chasing her second three-peat, with the top time of 1:46.54 in the 200 free. She had been 1:46.15 in season and won it in 1:46.05 last year. She was nearly three second quicker than Penelope Helm of Emory, who finished third last year. Ella Roberson and Molly Haag are the only other swimmers to break 1:50.
The relays proceeded without DQs in prelims. MIT, winner of the 400 medley, was the top seed in the women’s 200 free relay, their time of 1:31.23 faster than the winning time last year of Pomona Pitzer, which was third in prelims. Kenyon took top honors in the men’s 200 free relay in 1:19.74 in looking to defend its title. The night session will also include women’s 1-meter diving.
NCAA Division III Scores
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 9 1. Denison 115 2. Centre 60 2. Carnegie Mellon 60 4. Kenyon 59 5. Emory 58 6. Nyu 54 7. Bates 49 8. Conn College 42 9. Calvin 39 10. Chicago 37 11. Williams 35 12. Rit 31 12. Tufts 31 14. Mit 28 15. Suny Geneseo 21 16. St. Mary's MD 20 16. C-M-S 20 18. Johns Hopkins 18 19. Wash U 16 20. Rhodes 15 21. Tcnj 14 21. Pomona-Pitzer 14 21. Coast Guard 14 24. UC Santa Cruz 13 25. Alfred State 12 25. Hamilton 12 27. Saint Vincent 11 28. Hope 8 29. Case Western 5 29. Carleton 5 31. Trinity University (Tx) 4 32. St. John's 3 32. Grinnell 3 34. Hobart 2 35. Uw-Eau Claire 1 35. Whittier 1
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 8 1. Kenyon 104 2. Mit 93 3. Denison 87 4. Nyu 86 5. Emory 80 6. Williams 60 7. Hope 37 8. Tufts 33 9. Pomona-Pitzer 32 10. Chicago 30 11. Swarthmore 24 12. C-M-S 21 13. Bowdoin 20 14. Calvin 14 15. Albion 12 16. Johns Hopkins 8 17. Middlebury 7 18. Amherst 6 19. Loras 5 19. Suny Geneseo 5 21. Kean University 4 22. Salisbury 3 23. Wash U 2 23. Trinity University (Tx) 2
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