NCAA Men’s Championships: Rex Maurer Doubles Up in 400 IM Win
Rex Maurer wasn’t happy about much from NCAAs in 2024. One thing that stood out for the then-Stanford freshman, though, was his ability to turn the page.
He finished 31st in the 500 freestyle, which was not what he wanted, then put the result away. That he went on to finish 30th in the 400 individual medley wasn’t a reflection on that page-turning process.
A similar process would apply even when the placement numbers improved as precipitously as they have this year. And so the Texas sophomore, a day after winning the 500 free, went out and did the same thing in the 400 IM.
Maurer doubled up on gold medals, the Texas sophomore going a best time of 3:34.00 to win the 400 individual medley at the NCAA Men’s Championships at the Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Center.
Maurer’s time moves into fifth all-time. He had been 3:34.19 in season.
As much as the physical speed, the training environment and the medal results have changed from year 1 to year 2, so has Maurer’s mentality.
“Something I’ve been working on is allowing myself to be sad or be happy about my race,” Maurer said. I think when I was younger, no matter what, I’d be like all right, on to the next, on to the next, next, next, next. But I think it’s a lot healthier – and I enjoy swimming a lot more when – if I’m sad about my race, I give myself 15 minutes to feel that. If I’m happy about it, I’m happy about 15 minutes, but then, I still have the mile tomorrow.”
Second was Tristan Jankovics. The Ohio State junior went 3:34.98, the No. 7 all-time. Cal’s Lucas Henveaux was third, ahead of Jake Magahey of Georgia.
The 400 IM, perhaps more than any other race at this year’s championships, was due for a changing of the guard. The obvious impetus of that is the departure of Leon Marchand, who won the race each of the last two years and was second in 2022 as a freshman at Arizona State.
Only three of the A finalists repeat from last year. The highest placed last year, Texas A&M’s Baylor Nelson, was seventh in prelims and didn’t seem an obvious challenger for gold. Magahey was fifth last year, Jankovics eighth, Dominik Mark Torok ninth.
Rex Maurer was 30th last year, right about the same climb as he made from 31st in the 500 free to gold on Thursday night. That swim, he said, helped him feel like he’d, “conquered the big fears. But every single race is new, and there’s nerves for every race. And I obviously am happy to get the job done tonight.”
Henveaux, who didn’t swim for Cal last year while prepping for the Paris Olympics, was 21st in the event at NCAAs in 2023.
The B final proved engrossing, with NC State’s Kyle Ponsler overtaking Tyler Kopp of Cal in the final 100 yards. Ponsler went 3:37.42. Ponsler set a lifetime best, having been 3:39.28 last year at NCAAs. Kopp set his second best time of the day at 3:37.75; he had been 3:40.90 at NCAAs last year. Mason Laur and Gio Linscheer, both A finalists last year for Florida, finished 11th and 12th, respectively.
Maurer jumped all over the field early in the A final, a day after he was admonished by coach Bob Bowman for not attacking the 500 free quite as hard. He got a chase from Jankovics, the Canadian international, who marched within .08 seconds after the breaststroke leg. But Maurer came back in 24.91-24.47 to the 25.84-24.60 of Jankovics.
“I know on breaststroke that a lot of the guys in the field are going to catch me, and I feel very confident that if I’m in the race at the freestyle, I’ll be able to get the job done,” Maurer said. “I thought that unless I was having the race of my life, there would be people around me. That’s what happened. And I’m happy that I was able to power on through the freestyle.”
Magahey was fourth, his 10th career All-American, none worse than fifth. Torok was fifth. Cooper Lucas, one of only three freshman A finalists all night, finished sixth for Texas, ahead of Nelson and teammate David Johnston.
Event 9 Men 400 Yard IM
=========================================================================
NCAA: N 3:28.82 3/24/2023 Leon Marchand, ASU
Meet: M 3:28.82 3/24/2023 Leon Marchand, ASU
American: A 3:33.42 3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
U. S. Open: O 3:28.82 3/24/2023 Leon Marchand, ASU
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== Championship Final ===
1 Maurer, Rex SO Texas 3:37.17 3:34.00 20
r:+0.72 22.51 48.68 (26.17)
1:15.47 (26.79) 1:41.90 (26.43)
2:13.01 (31.11) 2:44.62 (31.61)
3:09.53 (24.91) 3:34.00 (24.47)
2 Jankovics, Tristan JR OSU 3:37.30 3:34.98 17
r:+0.68 22.92 49.17 (26.25)
1:16.41 (27.24) 1:43.44 (27.03)
2:13.72 (30.28) 2:44.54 (30.82)
3:10.38 (25.84) 3:34.98 (24.60)
3 Henveaux, Lucas 5Y California 3:37.24 3:36.22 16
r:+0.65 22.83 49.15 (26.32)
1:17.78 (28.63) 1:44.99 (27.21)
2:15.41 (30.42) 2:46.44 (31.03)
3:11.95 (25.51) 3:36.22 (24.27)
4 Magahey, Jake 5Y Georgia 3:37.95 3:37.43 15
r:+0.70 22.79 48.79 (26.00)
1:16.92 (28.13) 1:44.21 (27.29)
2:15.55 (31.34) 2:47.62 (32.07)
3:13.02 (25.40) 3:37.43 (24.41)
5 Mark Torok, Dominik JR Wisconsin 3:37.88 3:37.50 14
r:+0.67 23.30 50.22 (26.92)
1:18.79 (28.57) 1:46.35 (27.56)
2:16.94 (30.59) 2:47.68 (30.74)
3:13.23 (25.55) 3:37.50 (24.27)
6 Lucas, Cooper FR Texas 3:38.21 3:38.18 13
r:+0.69 23.09 49.44 (26.35)
1:17.85 (28.41) 1:45.82 (27.97)
2:16.48 (30.66) 2:47.61 (31.13)
3:13.76 (26.15) 3:38.18 (24.42)
7 Nelson, Baylor JR TAMU 3:38.42 3:39.84 12
r:+0.65 23.10 49.31 (26.21)
1:17.28 (27.97) 1:44.59 (27.31)
2:15.50 (30.91) 2:47.08 (31.58)
3:13.87 (26.79) 3:39.84 (25.97)
8 Johnston, David SR Texas 3:38.56 3:42.73 11
r:+0.69 23.38 50.11 (26.73)
1:18.66 (28.55) 1:46.67 (28.01)
2:18.08 (31.41) 2:49.86 (31.78)
3:16.92 (27.06) 3:42.73 (25.81)
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