Gators break relay records in back-to-back nights
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – For the second straight night, the Florida Gators men’s swimming and diving team clobbered a NCAA relay record. Friday night, the Gators’ 400 medley relay team of Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Joshua Liendo, and Macguire McDuff broke a five-year record, posting a 2:58.32 to become the first team in NCAA history to go sub 2:59.00 on the third night of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
Liendo split the fastest fly leg ever recorded at 42.91. The freshman is the only swimmer in the history of the sport to post a sub-43 split.
Florida won a National Championship in the 400 medley relay for the first time since 1991 when head coach Anthony Nesty swam on the team. 32 years later, the Gators have another, under the guidance of the decorated head coach.
“He’s done a lot for me,” Liendo said about Nesty after the race. “He gave me a different perspective on the sport. It’s my first year, and I’m still getting used to some stuff, but he’s done great with the group. I have these guys to train with every day, and they push me, and I’ve learned a lot from Florida.”
Adam Chaney opened up the historical relay with a 44.28 back split an hour after finishing fourth in the 100 back individually. Dillon Hillis followed it up with a 50.23 breaststroke split, while Macguire McDuff anchored a record-breaking relay for the second consecutive night, posting a 40.90 free split on the way to the Gators’ National Title.
“It mean’s everything,” Hillis said. “To come back as a fifth-year, I’m enjoying every moment with these guys. I’m soaking it in. I’m the old guy now, and I just love these guys so much. I get to learn from them, and just get to grow with them. It’s truly exceptional.”
Earlier in the evening, Liendo recorded the third-fastest 100 fly time ever at 43.40, finishing second overall and tallying his fourth All-American honor of the week. The Canadian Olympian now has the fastest 50 free and 100 fly times ever by a freshman.
All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 100-Yard Fly:
1. Caeleb Dressel, Florida – 42.80 (2018)
2. Youssef Ramadan, Virginia Tech – 43.15 (2023)
3. Joshua Liendo, Florida – 43.40 (2023)
Adam Chaney went 44.42 in the 100 back, finishing fourth in the country. The Florida school record holder in the event has now recorded back-to-back top-four finishes at the NCAA Championships in the 100 back.
Dillon Hillis, who returned this season using his extra year of eligibility, made the most of it Friday night, notching a personal-best time of 50.88 in both the prelims and finals to earn All-American honors in his final individual event as a Gator. In the B-final, Aleksas Savickas (51.44) finished .01 ahead of teammate Julian Smith (51.45), both earning honorable mention All-American honors. Florida finished with three of the top 14 finishes in the country.
Using a personal-best time of 1:32.36, Jake Mitchell locked in a top-10 finish in the country in the 200 Free B-final. The Carmel, Indiana native secured his third All-American honor of the week.
In the B-final of the 400 IM, Mason Laur recorded a 3:40.77, finishing 11th in the nation to earn his first-career All-American honors, notching six points towards the team score.
400 IM Prelims
Mason Laur qualified for the B-final, swimming a personal-best 3:39.60 to finish 10th in the morning. The duo of Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero and Giovanni Linscheer just missed on qualifying for a second swim. Gonzalez Pinero swam a personal best 3:41.99, almost two seconds faster then his SEC time, while Linscheer finished 18th at 3:42.16.
100 Fly Prelims
Joshua Liendo continued his tear, swimming a 43.80, lowering his second-fastest time in school history, and recording the fastest time in the country up to that point to secure the top seed in the event.
200 Free Prelims
Jake Mitchell will represent Florida in the B-final after clocking a 1:32.56 to finish 14th. Macguire McDuff, who swam the anchor leg in last night’s NCAA record 200 free relay, notched a 1:32.94 to finish 18th. Alfonso Mestre finished 36th with a 1:34.08, while Oskar Lindholm touched the wall in 1:35.30 for 44th.
100 Breast Prelims
Dillon Hillis used a personal-best 50.88, improving on his time from SECs to take fifth and advance to the A-final. Aleksas Savickas tallied a 51.14 to put himself in a tie for ninth and a B-final spot, while Julian Smith’s 51.34, a personal-best, put him in 14th to earn a second swim in the consolation final.
100 Back Prelims
Adam Chaney secured a spot in the A-final, tying for third with a 44.28. Chaney came into the day as the top seed after winning the SEC Championship.
3-Meter Prelims
Skip Donald finished 31st in the prelims with a 332.70, while Leonardo Garcia placed 47th at 294.75. The Gator diving duo will compete in their final dives tomorrow in the platform.
All-American Tracker
200 Medley Relay – Chaney, Savickas, Friese, Liendo
800 Free Relay – McDuff, Mitchell, Alf. Mestre, Smith
500 Free – Jake Mitchell, Alfonso Mestre
50 Free – Joshua Liendo
200 Free Relay – Liendo, Chaney, Friese, McDuff (National Champions – NCAA, US Open, Meet, School, Pool Record)
100 Fly – Joshua Liendo
100 Breast – Dillon Hillis
100 Back – Adam Chaney
400 Medley Relay – Chaney, Hillis, Liendo, McDuff (National Champions – NCAA, US Open, Meet, School, Pool Record)
Honorable Mention
1-meter – Leonardo Garcia
200 IM – Julian Smith
400 IM – Mason Laur
200 Free – Jake Mitchell
100 Breast – Aleksas Savickas, Julian Smith
2023 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Standings:
1. California – 315 points
2. Arizona State – 302 points
2. Texas – 292 points
4. Indiana – 259 points
5. Florida – 251 points
6. NC State – 246.5 points
7. Tennessee – 144 points
8. Stanford – 112.5 points
T9. Auburn – 96 points
T9. Virginia Tech – 96 points
Saturday – Prelims at 11 a.m. | Finals at 7 p.m.
1650 Free
200 Back
100 Free
200 Breast
200 Fly
Platform Diving
400 Free Relay
All meet information, including schedules, tickets, heat sheets/results, streaming links, parking and fan policies, can be found on the 2023 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships Central page<https://gophersports.com/sports/2022/9/29/2023-ncaa-championships>.
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