Stanford has the lead in the team race after two days of the men’s Pac-12 championships, having scored 387 points, but USC (305) and Cal (292) are not out of it yet. It was the Trojans that took perhaps the biggest step forward during the third morning of preliminary action, as they head into the finals with a pair of top seeds.
Stanford should score big points in the first final of the night, the 400 IM, as Abrahm DeVine topped the field in 3:44.39, and he was joined in the final by teammates Justin Buck (3:47.02), Curtis Ogren (3:47.34) and Max Williamson (3:48.93), who qualified sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Arizona’s Nick Thorne will be in title-contention in the final as he qualified second in 3:44.56, and just behind was Cal’s Ken Takahashi in 3:44.92.
USC’s Patrick Mulcare touched fifth in 3:45.54, and Cal’s Andrew Seliskar will be back in the water after winning the 200 IM, qualifying fifth in 3:46.34.
Event 10 Men 400 Yard IM
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Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 DeVine, Abrahm SO STAN-PC 3:41.64 3:44.39
23.46 27.11 29.56 28.50
31.25 31.81 27.54 25.16
2 Thorne, Nick JR ARIZ-AZ 3:42.59 3:44.56
23.63 26.82 29.13 28.71
32.09 32.43 26.69 25.06
3 Takahashi, Ken SO CAL-PC 3:51.04 3:44.92
23.95 27.26 28.77 28.45
31.56 32.06 26.29 26.58
4 Mulcare, Patrick SO USC-CA 3:51.26 3:45.54
23.77 27.69 28.43 28.19
32.49 32.75 27.06 25.16
5 Seliskar, Andrew SO CAL-PC 3:39.54 3:46.34
23.08 26.83 29.39 28.46
31.91 32.21 27.79 26.67
6 Buck, Justin SR STAN-PC 3:54.63 3:47.02
24.22 27.06 29.39 28.66
32.22 32.45 26.85 26.17
7 Ogren, Curtis JR STAN-PC 3:42.04 3:47.34
23.89 27.20 28.56 27.48
32.02 32.96 28.13 27.10
8 Williamson, Max SR STAN-PC 3:42.53 3:48.93
23.98 27.96 29.57 29.12
32.02 32.34 26.96 26.98
The Golden Bears finished 1-2 in the 100 fly with Justin Lynch qualifying first in 45.51 and Matthew Josa taking second with his time of 45.68. Just behind them was Arizona State’s Andrew Porter, who checked in at 45.78.
USC’s Alex Valente took fourth in the prelims in 46.02, one one-hundredth ahead of Stanford’s Andrew Liang (46.03). Also making the final were Arizona’s Chatham Dobbs (46.18), USC’s Santo Condorelli (46.20) and ASU’s Tadas Duskinas (46.36).
Event 11 Men 100 Yard Butterfly
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Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Lynch, Justin JR CAL-PC 45.85 45.51
9.59 11.27 12.10 12.55
2 Josa, Matthew JR CAL-PC 47.01 45.68
9.50 11.54 11.92 12.72
3 Porter, Andrew JR ASU-AZ 46.35 45.78
9.69 11.59 11.91 12.59
4 Valente, Alex SO USC-CA 47.11 46.02
9.86 11.33 12.02 12.81
5 Liang, Andrew JR STAN-PC 45.93 46.03
9.74 11.62 12.19 12.48
6 Dobbs, Chatham SO ARIZ-AZ 46.14 46.18
9.34 11.76 12.19 12.89
7 Condorelli, Santo JR USC-CA 47.36 46.20
9.80 11.71 12.06 12.63
8 Duskinas, Tadas SR ASU-AZ 46.56 46.36
9.45 11.58 12.28 13.05
USC’s Dylan Carter and ASU’s Cameron Craig both posted quick leadoff splits on their respective squads’ 800 free relays, and both will have a chance to improve on those times in the 200 free final.
Craig, who led off in 1:32.16 to rank fourth in the country this year, posted the top seed in prelims, touching in 1:33.34, while Carter will have to swim from lane one after qualifying seventh in 1:34.53. But Carter has proven he can go much faster after his 1:32.15 swim two days earlier, ranked No. 3 in the NCAA.
Utah got a swimmer into prime position for the final as Austin Phillips qualified second in 1:34.20, while Cal’s Long Gutierrez (1:34.22) and Michael Jensen (1:34.31) took third and fourth, respectively.
USC’s Reed Malone qualified fifth in 1:34.37, and sixth was 500 free champion and Stanford freshman Grant Shoults (1:34.46). Cal’s Kyle Coan grabbed the last spot in the A-final, touching in 1:34.94.
Event 12 Men 200 Yard Freestyle
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Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Craig, Cameron FR ASU-AZ 1:34.57 1:33.34
22.28 23.82 24.04 23.20
2 Phillips, Austin SO UTAH-UT 1:37.24 1:34.20
21.94 23.90 24.13 24.23
3 Gutierrez, Long SR CAL-PC 1:35.00 1:34.22
22.15 23.86 24.34 23.87
4 Jensen, Michael FR CAL-PC 1:33.76 1:34.31
21.42 23.82 24.29 24.78
5 Malone, Reed SR USC-CA 1:36.56 1:34.37
21.93 23.83 24.17 24.44
6 Shoults, Grant FR STAN-PC 1:34.15 1:34.46
22.28 24.01 24.19 23.98
7 Carter, Dylan JR USC-CA 1:32.61 1:34.53
21.75 23.85 24.49 24.44
8 Coan, Kyle JR CAL-PC 1:37.86 1:34.94
21.78 24.04 24.26 24.86
USC’s Carsten Vissering led the way in the 100 breast with a strong time of 51.82, which moves him into eighth in the country this season. Meanwhile, Cal’s Connor Hoppe edged out ASU’s Christian Lorenz for the No. 2 seed, 52.29 to 52.32.
Arizona’s Blair Bish finished fourth in 52.61, and also making the final were Stanford’s Matt Anderson (52.69), Cal’s Carson Sand (52.72), USC’s Steven Stumph (53.00) and Cal’s Matt Whittle (53.05).
Event 13 Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
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Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Vissering, Carsten SO USC-CA 52.17 51.82
11.05 13.16 13.61 14.00
2 Hoppe, Connor JR CAL-PC 52.44 52.29
10.95 13.39 13.67 14.28
3 Lorenz, Christian JR ASU-AZ 53.24 52.32
11.20 13.32 27.80
4 Bish, Blair SO ARIZ-AZ 52.77 52.61
11.17 13.56 13.91 13.97
5 Anderson, Matt SO STAN-PC 53.24 52.69
11.00 13.64 13.70 14.35
6 Sand, Carson SO CAL-PC 52.61 52.72
11.22 13.43 13.78 14.29
7 Stumph, Steven SR USC-CA 55.35 53.00
11.39 13.75 13.75 14.11
8 Whittle, Matt JR CAL-PC 53.56 53.05
11.45 13.65 13.84 14.11
USC posted another top seed in the 100 back when Ralf Tribuntsov touched in 45.74. He finished just ahead of Stanford’s Ryan Dudzinski (45.84) and ASU’s Richard Bohus (45.84).
But Ryan Murphy is lurking.
The three-time defending NCAA champion in both backstrokes posted a time of 45.94 in prelims to qualify fourth. He already has the fastest time in the country this year at 44.61, and his American record in the event is a 43.49 from last season.
Utah’s Paul Ungur qualified fifth in 46.31, and he will be joined in the final by Arizona’s Thomas Anderson (46.41), Stanford’s Andrew Liang (46.54) and Utah’s Justin McArthur (46.60).
Event 14 Men 100 Yard Backstroke
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Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Tribuntsov, Ralf JR USC-CA 45.91 45.74
10.97 11.34 11.87 11.56
2 Dudzinski, Ryan SO STAN-PC 46.89 45.84
11.09 11.45 11.71 11.59
3 Bohus, Richard SR ASU-AZ 46.00 45.91
10.70 11.28 12.01 11.92
4 Murphy, Ryan SR CAL-PC 44.61 45.94
10.72 11.45 12.02 11.75
5 Ungur, Paul JR UTAH-UT 47.52 46.31
10.53 11.21 12.12 12.45
6 Anderson, Thomas FR ARIZ-AZ 46.84 46.41
10.98 11.61 11.96 11.86
7 Liang, Andrew JR STAN-PC NT 46.54
11.21 11.57 11.85 11.91
8 McArthur, Justin SO UTAH-UT 47.25 46.60
10.78 11.40 12.15 12.27
