March 2, 2017
THE FLATS — Georgia Tech men’s swimming closed out the 2017 ACC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships on Thursday night in a big way, as junior Moises Loschi finished as the runner-up in the 200 breast, while senior Ben Southern picked up a third-place finish in the 200 fly to earn All-ACC honors. The Yellow Jackets finished ninth overall in the team standings with a total of 576 points.
On top of the two All-ACC performances by Loschi and Southern, the relay unit of Rodrigo Quadros Correia, Loschi, Southern and Noah Harasz also recorded a third-place finish in the 400 medley relay on Wednesday.
For the four-day meet, the Jackets totaled nine school records and a 46 NCAA `B’ qualifying times overall.
NC State won the team title with 1,297.50 points, finishing ahead of Louisville (1,134 points) and Notre Dame (932.50 points). Virginia Tech (883.50 points) and Florida State (730 points) rounded out the top five.
“I am super proud of our men’s team,” said head coach Courtney Shealy Hart. “We’ve been through some adversity this year and they fought really hard. I thought we had a great meet, lots of personal-best times. We’re taking some guys to NCAAs so I’m looking forward to getting them ready the next couple of weeks, and I’m just really proud of the team overall.”
The Yellow Jackets totaled 11 NCAA `B’ qualifying times in the prelims alone on Thursday morning, highlighted by Loschibreaking his own school record in the 200 breast event. The junior went on reset the record with his second-place finish in the finals to earn All-ACC honors with his time of 1:53.08.
The prelims started with the 200 back, where Alex Goerzen posted an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:43.18 to make the `B’ final, while fellow senior Robert Borowicz also turned in an NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:46.31 to place 25th overall. Junior Brian Woodbury also swam in the 200 back prelims, touching the wall in a time of 1:49.95.
Tech followed up the 200 back with a pair of NCAA `B’ marks in the 100 free prelims. Correia recorded an NCAA `B’ time of 43.23 in the free event, which is not only a career best mark but is also the third-fastest time in school history. Correia placed 11th overall to earn a spot in the `B’ final.
Harasz registered an NCAA `B’ time of 44.14 in the 100 free prelims to place 27th overall, while Stefan Kranenburg turned in a new career-best time of 45.13 in the event. Senior Dan Cohen Solal also competed in the 100 free prelims, finishing with a time of 45.59.
Harasz also recorded an NCAA `B’ time of 19.96 in the 50 free time trial event.
In the 200 breast prelims, Loschi placed second overall in the prelims to break his own school record with a time of 1:53.47, which is also an NCAA `B’ qualifying mark. His new career best time earned him a spot in the 200 breast `A’ final.
Fellow junior Alex Kimpel claimed a spot in the 200 breast `B’ final with an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:55.76, placing ninth in the prelims on Thursday morning, while Tech’s Joseph Portillo secured a spot in the `C’ final with an NCAA `B’ time of 1:59.09 and a 19th-place finish.
Tech’s Southern and Tim Slanschek both earned a spot in the 200 fly `A’ final with NCAA `B’ marks. Southern turned in the second-fastest time in school history and placed third overall in the prelims with his time of 1:43.35, also a career best mark. Slanschek finished in seventh overall in the prelims, touching the wall in a new career best time and the third-fastest time in Tech history at 1:44.00.
Junior Brad Oberg placed 25th overall in the 200 fly prelims, missing out on the finals by a mere 0.36 of a second with his NCAA `B’ time of 1:47.70.
In the 1650 free, sophomore Colt Williamson registered a time of 15:12.92, both an NCAA `B’ mark and the fifth-fastest time in Tech history, to place 11th for the distance event. Freshman Brennan Day touched the wall in a career-best time of 15:32.22 to finish in 21st-place in the event. The duo combined to score a total of 20 points for the team in the event.
In the 200 back finals, Goerzen registered a `B’ finals time of 1:43.41, another NCAA `B’ qualifying time, to place ninth overall and score 15 more points for the Jackets.
Correia matched his time in the 100 free prelims in the finals during the evening session with his time of 43.23, another NCAA `B’ mark, to tally 14 points for Tech with a 13th-place finish.
The Jackets had three swimmers score in the 200 breast finals headlined by Loschi’s runner-up finish and new school record time of 1:53.08. His mark was not only an NCAA `B’ time, but it also earned him all-conference honors and earned 28 points for Tech.
Kimpel also scored for the Jackets in the 200 breast finals, taking ninth overall and 20 points with his NCAA `B’ time of 1:56.44, while Portillo scored four more points for Tech with his NCAA `B’ time and 21st-place finish at 1:59.78.
In his last competitive race in the McAuley Aquatic Center as a Jacket, Southern earned All-ACC honors with his third-place finish in the 200 butterfly `A’ finals. He posted an NCAA `B’ time and the second-fastest time in school history with a mark of 1:43.01. It was also a career-best mark for the senior.
Along with Southern’s top three finish and 27 points, Tech’s Slanschek finished sixth overall with his NCAA `B’ time of 1:44.22 to post 24 points for the Jackets in the 200 fly finals.
The Jackets capped off the meet with an eighth-place finish in the 400 free relay, as the team of Correia, Kranenburg, Southern and Harasz recorded the seventh-best time in school history with a finals time of 2:55.54. The team recorded a total of 44 points for the Jackets in the final event of the championship meet.
A handful of Georgia Tech swimmers will compete at a last chance meet hosted by Ohio State University on Sunday, March 5, in Columbus, Ohio, while the Yellow Jacket divers will take part in the 2017 NCAA Zone Diving Championships on March 6-8 at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.
Coach Hart on Tech’s performance at the ACC Championships. pic.twitter.com/1LVFrAlCvp
— Ga Tech Swim & Dive (@GTSwimDive) March 3, 2017
Tech Tidbits
* Moises Loschi broke his own school record in the 200 breast with a prelims time of 1:53.47, also an NCAA `B’ mark.
* Moises Loschi reset the record again in the 200 breast finals with an NCAA `B’ time and new career-best mark of 1:53.08.
* Alex Goerzen posted an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:43.18 in the 200 back prelims.
* Alex Goerzen recorded an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 1:43.41 in the 200 back finals.
* Robert Borowicz recorded an NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:46.31 in the 200 back prelims.
* Rodrigo Quadros Correia turned in an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 43.23 in the 100 free prelims, which is the third-fastest time in Tech history. It was also a new career best mark.
* Rodrigo Quadros Correia recorded the same NCAA `B’ mark of 43.23 in the 100 free finals.
* Ben Southern posted an NCAA `B’ cut time and the then second-fastest time in Tech history of 1:43.35 in the 200 fly prelims.
* Ben Southern turned in an NCAA `B’ and the second-fastest time in Tech history again in the 200 fly finals with a time of 1:43.01. It also is a new career best time.
* Tim Slanschek turned in an NCAA `B’ mark and the third-fastest time in school history in the 200 fly prelims with his time of 1:44.00. It was also a new career best mark.
* Tim Slanschek registered an NCAA `B’ time of 1:44.22 in the 200 fly finals.
* Brad Oberg recorded an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:47.70 in the 200 fly prelims.
* Noah Harasz registered an NCAA `B’ time of 44.14 in the 100 free prelims.
* Noah Harasz turned in an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 19.96 in the 50 free time trial.
* Alex Kimpel recorded an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 1:55.76 in the 200 breast prelims.
* Alex Kimpel touched the wall in an NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:56.44 in the 200 breast finals.
* Joseph Portillo posted an NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:59.09 in the 200 breast prelims.
* Joseph Portillo recorded an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:59.78 in the 200 breast finals.
* Stefan Kranenburg turned in a new career-best time of 45.13 in the 100 free prelims.
* Colt Williamson recorded an NCAA `B’ mark, the fifth-fastest time and a new career-best mark of 15:12.92 in the 1650 free.
* Brennan Day registered a new career-best time of 15:32.22 in the 1650 free.
* The 400 free relay unit of Correia, Kranenburg, Southern and Harasz turned in the seventh-fastest time in school history with their time of 2:55.54.
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