THE FLATS – Day 2 of the Georgia Tech Invitational was once again capped by dramatic and impressive performances by the Yellow Jackets in the afternoon relays on Friday at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
After day one, the men’s team is in third place with 479.5 points, while the women’s team is in eighth with 278 points.
“The team brought so much energy today and I continue to be proud of the atmosphere that they’re creating poolside,” head coach Courtney Shealy Hart said. “The effort that our team gave today was outstanding and it showed in the results. Rod, Caio, Christian and Corben getting the A cut is huge, especially after being so close last night in the 400 medley; Cami battling it out for second in the 1-meter, Iris winning the 200 free; Caio winning the 400 IM and the 100 breast with a school record; Rod winning the 100 back; the women’s 800 relay effort. The team deserves to sleep well tonight and then it’s onto a tough final day to close out a great weekend.”
The Yellow Jackets will return for Day 3 of the Georgia Tech Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 17. Prelims will begin at 10 a.m. with finals starting at 5:30 p.m. The entirety of the GT Invite is broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Men’s Highlights
Turning in what will prove to be one of the defining performances of the season, Georgia Tech captured an NCAA A qualifying time in the 200 medley relay as Rodrigo Correia, Caio Pumputis, Christian Ferraro and Corben Miles won the event with a school-record time of 1:24.23. The A-cut gives them an automatic entry into the 2019 NCAA Championships, the first relay qualifier for the Yellow Jackets since 2015.
Pumputis then broke the nine-year-old program 100 breast record when he won the finals with an impressive NCAA B time of 52.53. The yeoman’s effort came after first breaking the record earlier in the preliminaries with a 52.56. The time is .33 seconds faster than the 2009 record (52.86) set by Mickey Malul. Jonathan Yang also swam well in the 100 breast, finishing second in the C final and 22nd overall with a career-best swim of 55.03. Tanner Doan battled to a career-best 26th overall finish of 56.52.
Later, Pumputis continued to battle, winning the 400 IM with a career-best NCAA B qualifying time of 3:43.00 after finishing third in the prelim with a then-career-fast time. Brennan Day then swam a season-best time of 3:53.17 to finish third in the B final and 13th overall, before Joonas Koski finished fifth (15th) with a season-best 3:53.75. Tim Slanschek improved on his prelim 24th finish by winning the C final with a career-best 3:51.51 to finish 21st overall.
Rodrigo Correia also won the 100 back prelims with a season-best NCAA B qualifying time of 46.49. Also advancing to the A final was freshman Kyle Barone, who swam a season-best 48.25 to finish ninth. Austin Daniel advanced to the C final with a season-best time of 50.00.
Correia then finished fourth in the 200 free finals with a season-best NCAA B cut of 1:34.59 to finish fourth overall. Then in the B final, Daniel finished fifth (15th) with a 1:37.88. Ferraro also turned in a career-best 1:37.83 in the prelims to finish 14th overall but did not race in the final.
In the 100 fly finals, Ferraro tied his career time by finishing fourth with an NCAA B qualifying 46.65. Also in the C finals was freshman Darren Lim, who turned in a time of 49.48 after a prelim time of 48.80.
In diving, Matt Casillas finished 10th in the 3-meter, hitting a final tally of 333.30 after a first-round score of 343.95.
Women’s Highlights
Iris Wang led the charge by winning the 200 free finals with a season-best NCAA B qualifying time of 1:45.87. In the B finals, Emily Ilgenfritz also turned in a career-best 1:48.13 to finish third in the B finals and 13th overall before Lila Best battled to a career-best 1:49.44.
In diving, Camryn Hidalgo was able to continue her impressive performance this weekend with a second-place finish in the 1-meter. She captured second with a finals score of 296.85 after a prelim score of 293.35.
Kristen Hepler was able to start the Yellow Jackets off with a season-best performance in the 400 IM, finishing 23rd with a time of 4:23.74 to make the C finals. Once there, Hepler finished 10th in the C final and 30th overall with a time of 4:36.44.
The trio 100 fly group of Chloe Miller, Wang and Laura Branton finished 25th, 26th and 27th, respectively, to make the C finals. Miller turned in a time of 54.91, Wang swam a 54.94, while Branton also turned in a effort of 54.95. Then in the final, Branton finished fourth in the C final (24th) with a season-best 54.93 while Miller finished seventh (27th) with a season-best 55.16.
In the 100 breast final, Florina Illie finished fourth in the B final and 14th overall with a season-best time of 1:02.07 before Nicole Williams and Catriona MacGregor finished one and two in the C final. Williams turned in a career-best 1:02.13 while MacGregor swam a season-best 1:02.81. Also in the C final was Hepler, who finished ninth (29th) with a season-best 1:03.95.
In the 100 back finals, Allie Paschal led the Jackets with a career-best outing in the B finals, finishing second in the heat and 12th overall with a 54.16. Right behind her was Carolina Lee also finished 10th in the B finals with a season-best time of 54.69.
In the evening relays, Georgia Tech had a fine showing in the 800 free relay as Wang, Best, Celine Nugent and Ilgenfritz finished fourth overall with a time of 7:13.46. In the 200 medley relay, the Jackets team of Paschal, Ilie, Chloe Miller and Wang battled hard to finish ninth with a time of 1:40.50.
Tech Tidbits
* Georgia Tech winning time of 1:24.23 in the men’s 200 medley relay (Correia, Pumputis, Ferraro, Miles) is a school-record NCAA A qualifying time (prev. 1:25.76 by Correia, Loschi, Southern, Harasz in 2017).
* Junior Kristen Hepler turned in a season-best time of 4:23.74 in the women’s 400 IM prelims to make the C final.
* Hepler then recorded a season-best time of 1:03.77 in the 100 breast to make the C finals.
* Freshman Nicole Williams’ time of 4:30.14 was a season-best for her in the women’s 400 IM prelims.
* Sophomore Julia Shuford recorded a season-best time of 4:32.83 in the women’s 400 IM prelims.
* Sophomore Caio Pumputis swam a personal-best NCAA B time of 3:43.00 in the men’s 400 IM finals to win the race (prev. 3:50.36 at the 2017 GT Invite).
* Pumputis also broke the school record in the men’s 100 breast, winning the finals with an NCAA B time of 52.53 (prev. 52.86 by Mickey Malul in 2009).
* Sophomore Jonathan Yang swam a career-best men’s 100 breast in the C finals, turning in a time of 55.03 (prev. 55.42 at the 2017 Georgia Tech Invite).
* Junior Joonas Koski recorded a season-best 3:53.75 in the men’s 400 IM B finals.
* Junior Brennan Day turned in a season-best 3:54.17 in the B finals of the men’s 400 IM.
* Junior Tim Slanschek won the C final of the men’s 400 IM by swimming a career-best 3:51.51 (prev. 3:51.95 at the 2017 ACC Championships)
* Junior Chloe Miller recorded a season-best effort of 54.91 in the women’s 100 fly prelims to make the C finals.
* Senior Laura Branton turned in a season-best time of 54.93 in the women’s 100 fly C finals.
* Senior Sara Gilbert turned in a season-best time of 56.24 in the women’s 100 fly prelims.
* Sophomore Christian Ferraro swam a season-best NCAA B cut in the men’s 100 fly prelims (46.99).
* Junior Clay Hering recorded a season-best time of 49.21 in the men’s 100 fly prelims.
* Freshman Kyle Barone turned in a season-best time of 49.28 in the men’s 100 fly prelims.
* Barone then advanced to the A finals of the 100 back when he swam a season-best 48.25.
* Junior Tim Slanschek swam a new season-best time of 49.74 in the men’s 100 fly prelims.
* Sophomore Jonathan Vater swam a new personal-best time of 52.34 in the men’s 100 fly prelims (prev. 53.03 vs Notre Dame in 2018).
* Senior Iris Wang turned in a season-best NCAA B time in the women’s 200 free finals, winning the race with a 1:45.87.
* Junior Emily Ilgenfritz recorded a new personal-best in the women’s 200 free finals as she finished third in the B final with a time of 1:48.13 (prev. 1:48.97 at 2017 GT Invite).
* Senior Lila Best swam a new career-best in the women’s 200 free final, finishing fourth in the C final with a 1:49.44 (prev. 1:51.01 at the 2017 GT Invite).
* Junior Lindsay Wallace swam a season-best 1:51.65 in the women’s 200 free prelims.
* Sophomore Celine Nugent turned in a season-best time of 1:51.65 in the women’s 200 free prelims.
* Senior Rodrigo Correia finished fourth in the men’s 200 free finals with a season-best NCAA B time of 1:34.59.
* Correia then swam a season-best NCAA B time of 46.49 to win the 100 back prelims.
* Sophomore Christian Ferraro turned in a career-best time of 1:37.83 in the men’s 200 free prelims to make the B finals (prev. 1:39.41 vs. Notre Dame in 2018).
* Ferraro also tied his personal best time in the 100 fly by turning in a fourth-place finals NCAA B qualifying time of 46.65.
* Daniel then swam a season-best 50.00 to advance to the C finals of the men’s 100 back.
* Junior Clay Hering recorded a career-best time of 1:40.34 in the men’s 200 free prelims (prev. 1:41.37 (s) at the 2016 GT Invite).
* Freshman Daniel Jacobs swam a season-best 1:40.80 in the men’s 200 free prelims.
* Sophomore Jeffrey Murray turned in a season-best time of 1:42.81 in the men’s 200 free prelims.
* Freshman Tanner Doan swam a season-best time of 56.34 in the men’s 100 breast to make the C final.
* Sophomore Allie Paschal recorded a career-best time of 54.16 to finish second in the women’s 100 back B finals (prev. 54.88 at the 2018 ACC Championships).
* Junior Caroline Lee set a new season-best in the women’s 100 back B finals, finishing fifth (15th overall) with a 54.69.
* Senior Sara Gilbert recorded a season-best 55.86 in the women’s 100 back prelims.
* Freshman Jami Williams swam a season-best 55.98 in the women’s 100 back prelims.
* Sophomore Grace Mauldin turned in a season-best time of 56.05 in the women’s 100 back prelims.
* Sophomore Leon Warnakulasuriya swam a season-best 51.98 in the men’s 100 back prelims.
* Senior Florina Illie turned in a season-best time of 1:01.93 in the women’s 100 breast B finals.
* Freshman Nicole Williams swam a season-best 1:02.13 to win the C finals of the women’s 100 breast.
* Sophomore Catriona MacGregor turned in a season-best time of 1:02.81 to finish second in the C finals of the women’s 100 breast.
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