NCAA Men’s Championships: Day Two Heat Sheets; 100 Butterfly Features Stacked Field
The first day of the NCAA Men’s Championships saw the University of Florida and Indiana University share the lead. Can either the Gators or Hoosiers maintain the lead on Day Two at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, or will pre-meet favorite Texas take command behind its loaded roster?
Day Two will feature action in six events: 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay and one-meter diving. That first event, the 100 fly, is stacked with talent, headlined by Florida’s Josh Liendo and Arizona State’s Ilya Kharun. There is a chance the winner will threaten the NCAA record in the event, the 42.80 posted by Caeleb Dressel at the 2018 NCAA Champs.
Texas is expected to make a move in the 400 individual medley, where it has three of the top-six seeds. Baylor Nelson sits atop the event heading into prelims, with teammates Lucas Cooper and Rex Maurer sitting fourth and sixth. Maurer is the defending NCAA champ and should move up as the Longhorns chase significant points. Meanwhile, Tennessee freshman Koby Bujak-Upton is the top seed in the 200 freestyle and is carrying major momentum after going sub-1:30 on the front of the Volunteers’ 800 freestyle relay.
In the 100 breaststroke, Texas’ Nate Germonprez paces the field heading into Thursday’s action, thanks to a seed time of 49.71. Florida’s Koen de Groot and Cal’s Yamato Okadome are the second and third seeds. The 100 breaststroke will be followed by the 200 freestyle relay, where Arizona State is the favorite. The Sun Devils got their meet started in strong fashion by winning the 200 medley relay on Wednesday night.
