Peter Varjasi Helps Florida State Split with Georgia Tech
Florida State’s Peter Varjasi won a pair of events and led off the Seminoles’ decisive 400 freestyle relay in a split with Georgia Tech Thursday.
The men won, 151.5-148.5, while the Georgia Tech women claimed a 160-140 victory.
It came with a bit of late drama. Georgia Tech’s A squad looked to get the win in the 400 free but was disqualified for an early takeoff after having edged FSU’s A team. That gave the win to the squad of Varjasi, Tobias Schulrath, Gustav Olsson and Yordan Yanchev in 2:54.59. Varjasi had gone 43.20 off the front to stake Florida State to a lead.
The women’s meet didn’t have the last-relay drama, but it did have a pair of school record set by the Yellow Jackets’ Sabyne Brisson in breaststroke.
Varjasi won the 50 free with a time of 19.71. Teammate Jokubas Keblys tied for second with Georgia Tech’s Will Coady. Out of the diving break, Varjasi went 43.47 to win the 100 free.
The men’s meet had massive swings back and forth. Georgia Tech looked to seize control with a pair of 1-2-3 finishes. In the 200 backstroke, Berke Saka went 1:43.08 to win with teammates Nils Bognar and Chris Richardson trailing. Saka, who was second in the 100 back, led Bognar and Antonio Romero in a 1-2-3 result in the 200 individual medley, Saka winning in 1:45.45.
But Florida State had enough to hold them off. Yanchev won the 200 free in 1:34.61, edging Baturalp Unlu. Yanchev then took the win over 1,000 free champ Mert Kilavuz in the 500 free, outdistancing him by just over a second in 4:17.52.
Mason Herbet pulled off an impressive double, besting Saka in the 100 back by .06 seconds in 46.78 for Florida State. He added the 100 fly crown in 47.14, Schulrath getting in second. Tommaso Baravelli finished second in the 100 breast to Georgia Tech’s Joao Caballero by .13 seconds, then got revenge by topping Caballero in the 200 breast in 1:58.46.
Romero won the 200 fly in 1:46.17 to augment a pair of third-place finishes. Georgia Tech swept both diving events thanks to Max Fowler, the 1-meter a 1-2 result with Ruben Lechuga.
On the women’s side, Georgia Tech won the first three events and five of the first seven to take early control. Allison Brown went 10:03.14 to win the 1,000 free. Zora Ripkova posted a time of 1:47.24 to edge Florida State’s Maysa Ratiu by .17 seconds. Vivien Rothwell won a close race in 54.52 in the 100 back.
McKenzie Campbell won the 200 IM in 1:56.87, and Ripkova edged Florda State’s 50 free champ Gloria Muzito in the 100 free. Brown then led a 1-2-3 finish in the 500 free, Arianna Sakellaris second after having been third in the 1,000, to effectively seal the meet.
Brisson didn’t get a win in either of her record times. She finished second in the 100 breast in 1:00.18, downing Claudia Butterfield’s mark of 1:00.90. She dashed three seconds off the 2017 record of Chiara Ruiu in the 200 breast in 2:09.44.
Florida State’s Maddy Huggins won both breaststroke events. The Seminoles made a late charge with a 1-2-3 result in the 100 fly, a race that featured four times in the 53s. Jenny Halden won it in 53.22, Sophie Freeman was second .04 back and Edith Jernstedt was third, denying Ripkova a third win. Jernstedt then edged Campbell to win the 200 IM.
On the boards, Georgia Tech swept the top three 1-meter spots led by Anna Bradescu in 262.40. Florida State went 1-2 on 3-meter, Isabel Gregersen scoring 297.50.
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