Pac 12 men’s swimming championships gave us a final look at what we should expect to see at the NCAA championships, and a new name was added to the contenders for the 50 freestyle title on Thursday night.
About one week after finally getting clearance from the NCAA to compete as a junior for the Arizona Wildcats, Brad Tandy proved his worth to the team by posting an 18.80 in the final of the 50 freestyle at the meet. It’s now the fastest time heading into the big meet, and Tandy becomes just the second person under that 19-second barrier this season. The swim also puts Tandy just outside the top 10 performances of all time, and moves him up to seventh on the all-time PERFORMERS list. Tandy had posted an 18.97 in December in an exhibition swim, and this 18.80 from last week proves he’s not a fluke.
Tandy was a star swimmer for Indian River at the junior college level for two years before moving up to Division I and he’s primed to be the first junior college swimmer to win national titles in junior college and Division I. He’ll have plenty of competition at NCAAs, but this recent swim heralds the arrival of a new sprinting sensation with a bright future. Congratulations, Brad. You’ve won the Speedo Performance of the Week.