The first full evening of the Minnesota Invitational brought the first individual events of the midseason meet and a lot of fast swimming, especially by Cal.
Cal senior Leah Polonsky threw down a 1:53.65 to win the 200 IM and lead a 1-2-3-4 sweep for the Golden Bears. Her time was four seconds faster then her prelims time and was an NCAA automatic qualifying time.
Graduate student Isabelle Stadden was second in 1:58.32 and fellow grad student Margaux McDonald was third in 1:58.48, both NCAA B cuts. Freshman Arielle Brotman took fourth (1:59.40).
The women’s 500 free saw Cal graduate student Maya Geringer earn a victory with a five-second drop from prelims. She finished ahead of Minnesota’s Katie McCarthy (4:41.57) and Eliot Kennedy (4:41.69), all NCAA B cuts.
Cal freshman Mary-Ambre Moluh won the 50 free in 21.65, the lone swimmer to break 22. Minnesota freshman Livi Wanner was second in 22.21, just head of Cal’s McKenna Stone (22.24) and Stadden (22.25), who was doing a quick double.
Mia West, Stadden, Moluh and Stone won the 200 free relay in 1:27.54, an NCAA A cut. The Golden Bears were three seconds ahead of the field.
The Cal men dominated as well.
Cal senior Gabriel Jett finished just ahead of teammate Keaton Jones in the 500 free as the Golden Bears went 1-2. Both dropped about five seconds from prelims and Jett won in 4:16.63 just ahead of Jones (4:16.76), both in NCAA B cuts.
In the 200 IM, Destin Lasco (1:47.72) led a 1-2-3 sweep with Sean Swift (1:44.56) and Carter Lancaster (1:45.01), all NCAA B cuts.
UNLV grad student Daniel Nicusan also hit a B cut with a 1:45.12 to finish fourth.
Cal’s Evan Petty led a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 sweep for the Golden Bears in the 50 free. He finished in 10.39, ahead of Nans Mazellier (19.40), Roman Jones (19:46) and Bjorn Seeliger (19.52), all B cuts.
Petty, Mazellier, Lucca Battaglini and Jett won the 200 free relay in a B cut 1:16.75.
