2023 Pac-12 Men’s Championships, Night 2: Leon Marchand Hits Another 1:37 in IM title
About the only thing faster than Leon Marchand these days is, well, Leon Marchand.
It’s getting to that point with the Frenchman, as he looks to move NCAA history forward every time he chases a best time.
Marchand sent a season-best time in the 200 IM of 1:37.81 to win the event at the 2023 Pac-12 Men’s championships. Only his NCAA record of 1:37.69, set at the NCAA championships last year, remains out in front of him.
The action from the second night session out in Federal Way, Washington, which Arizona State exited with a 100-point lead over the University of California:
2023 Pac-12 Men’s Championships
2023 Pac-12 Men’s Championships Team Scores
Combined Team Scores - Through Event 9 1. Arizona State University 357.5 2. California, University of, Ber 251 3. Stanford University 238 4. Southern California, Universit 202.5 5. University of Arizona 197 6. Utah, University of 174
500 freestyle
Gabriel Jett was nearly four seconds faster in finals than in the morning prelims to go from the third seed to the win in 4:09.66. She’s just .15 shy of the meet record set by teammate Trenton Julian last year. He was 1.5 seconds clear of teammate Lucas Henveaux, who had been the top seed out of prelims. The grad student was a tenth slower at night than in the morning in grabbing the silver medal in 4:11.16.
Arizona State’s Julian Hill broke up the Berkeley blockade in the top three by going 4:12.21 to edge Patrick Callan off the podium by .24. Andrew Gray and Daniel Matheson were fifth and sixth for the Sun Devils.
Event 6 Men 500 Yard Freestyle
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NCAA: N 4:06.32 2/19/2020 Kieran Smith, Florida
PAC-12: M 4:07.81 2023 Leon Marchand, ASU
PAC-12 Champ: P 4:09.49 2021 Trenton Julian, CAL
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Jett, Gabriel SO California 4:13.43 4:09.66 20
23.10 47.94 (24.84)
1:13.26 (25.32) 1:38.63 (25.37)
2:04.22 (25.59) 2:29.71 (25.49)
2:54.75 (25.04) 3:20.07 (25.32)
3:45.29 (25.22) 4:09.66 (24.37)
2 Henveaux, Lucas GS California 4:11.06 4:11.16 17
23.25 48.44 (25.19)
1:13.92 (25.48) 1:39.57 (25.65)
2:05.25 (25.68) 2:30.85 (25.60)
2:56.56 (25.71) 3:21.69 (25.13)
3:46.67 (24.98) 4:11.16 (24.49)
3 Hill, Julian SR ASU 4:14.38 4:12.21 16
23.28 48.80 (25.52)
1:14.46 (25.66) 1:40.15 (25.69)
2:05.92 (25.77) 2:31.64 (25.72)
2:57.45 (25.81) 3:22.90 (25.45)
3:47.75 (24.85) 4:12.21 (24.46)
4 Callan, Patrick GS California 4:13.21 4:12.45 15
23.24 48.69 (25.45)
1:14.17 (25.48) 1:39.78 (25.61)
2:05.44 (25.66) 2:31.22 (25.78)
2:56.95 (25.73) 3:22.54 (25.59)
3:47.71 (25.17) 4:12.45 (24.74)
5 Gray, Andrew SR ASU 4:16.18 4:12.55 14
23.35 48.89 (25.54)
1:14.27 (25.38) 1:39.91 (25.64)
2:05.37 (25.46) 2:30.88 (25.51)
2:56.29 (25.41) 3:21.80 (25.51)
3:47.61 (25.81) 4:12.55 (24.94)
6 Matheson, Daniel SO ASU 4:15.47 4:13.14 13
23.65 49.02 (25.37)
1:14.72 (25.70) 1:40.32 (25.60)
2:05.89 (25.57) 2:31.49 (25.60)
2:57.05 (25.56) 3:22.70 (25.65)
3:48.26 (25.56) 4:13.14 (24.88)
7 Forst, Preston JR Stanford 4:15.66 4:15.01 12
23.55 48.84 (25.29)
1:14.37 (25.53) 1:40.13 (25.76)
2:05.90 (25.77) 2:31.71 (25.81)
2:57.41 (25.70) 3:23.18 (25.77)
3:49.18 (26.00) 4:15.01 (25.83)
8 Sarkany, Zalan FR ASU 4:17.90 4:16.48 11
22.78 48.00 (25.22)
1:13.75 (25.75) 1:39.72 (25.97)
2:05.72 (26.00) 2:31.75 (26.03)
2:58.02 (26.27) 3:24.22 (26.20)
3:50.60 (26.38) 4:16.48 (25.88)
200 individual medley
Leon Marchand was out front in the 200 IM from the start, but Hugo Gonzalez wasn’t far behind, in what portends a close race at NCAAs in both IMs, if they opt for them. Marchand closed in 23.78, the six tenths he gained on that leg most of the .91-second margin he had over Gonzalez, the reigning NCAA 400 IM champ. Gonzalez was also under the pool record in 1:38.72, plenty good for silver.
Ron Polonsky jumped up from a tie for seventh in prelims to third in 1:40.42, holding off a charge by Destin Lasco on the anchor leg.
The points in this race – with Owen McDonald fifth, Grant House sixth and David Schlicht seventh – put Arizona State in the lead.
Event 7 Men 200 Yard IM
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NCAA: N 1:38.13 2/15/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
PAC-12: M 1:37.69 2022 Leon Marchand, ASU
PAC-12 Champ: P 1:39.65 2022 Leon Marchand, ASU
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Marchand, Leon SO ASU 1:40.32 1:37.81N 20
21.52 45.86 (24.34)
1:14.03 (28.17) 1:37.81 (23.78)
2 Gonzalez de Oliveira, GS California 1:41.53 1:38.72P 17
21.74 46.17 (24.43)
1:14.31 (28.14) 1:38.72 (24.41)
3 Polonsky, Ron SO Stanford 1:43.16 1:40.42 16
22.18 47.37 (25.19)
1:16.13 (28.76) 1:40.42 (24.29)
4 Lasco, Destin JR California 1:41.83 1:40.60 15
21.77 46.74 (24.97)
1:16.61 (29.87) 1:40.60 (23.99)
5 McDonald, Owen FR ASU 1:42.94 1:41.60 14
22.22 46.79 (24.57)
1:17.02 (30.23) 1:41.60 (24.58)
6 House, Grant SR ASU 1:42.32 1:41.62 13
21.58 47.30 (25.72)
1:17.26 (29.96) 1:41.62 (24.36)
7 Schlicht, David SR ASU 1:42.97 1:42.33 12
22.34 48.31 (25.97)
1:17.38 (29.07) 1:42.33 (24.95)
8 Affeld, Jonny JR Stanford 1:43.16 1:43.38 11
22.35 48.53 (26.18)
1:18.15 (29.62) 1:43.38 (25.23)
50 freestyle
In a mild surprise, Jack Dolan of Arizona State claimed gold in the 50 free. He had been second in the morning, but with Bjorn Seeliger stuck on 18.87, Dolan swept ahead with a time of 18.86 at night. Seeliger grabbed silver in 18.91 and Andrei Minakov of Stanford added the bronze medal in 19.07.
Event 8 Men 50 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
NCAA: N 17.63 3/22/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
PAC-12: M 18.33 2021 Ryan Hoffer, CAL
PAC-12 Champ: P 18.80 2014 Brad Tandy, ARIZ
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Dolan, Jack SR ASU 19.13 18.86 20
9.05 18.86 (9.81)
2 Seeliger, Bjorn JR California 18.87 18.91 17
9.02 18.91 (9.89)
3 Minakov, Andrei JR Stanford 19.16 19.07 16
9.20 19.07 (9.87)
4 Kulow, Jonny FR ASU 19.15 19.09 15
9.15 19.09 (9.94)
5 Alexy, Jack SO California 19.22 19.13 14
9.17 19.13 (9.96)
6 McCusker, Max SR ASU 19.32 19.14 13
9.20 19.14 (9.94)
7 Perham, Ryan SR Arizona 19.33 19.32 12
9.21 19.32 (10.11)
8 Sammon, Patrick SO ASU 19.33 19.47 11
9.43 19.47 (10.04)
200 freestyle relay
Another 50 free, another 18.87 for Bjorn Seeliger, who may well be getting tired of that number. In the 200 free relay, it was sufficient for the Golden Bears to win the relay in 1:15.40, joined by Jack Alexy, Destin Lasco and Gabriel Jett. Cal put its horses out front and led by a half-second after 150 yards, which was enough for Jett to hang onto with .35 to spare.
Arizona State finished second in 1:15.75, slower than their midseason invite time. Jack Dolan, Jonny Kulow, Max McCusker and Grant House comprised the squad. Dolan, the 50 free champ, was out in only 19.15.
Arizona (1:15.97) and Stanford (1:16.24) also hit A standard times.
Event 9 Men 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
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NCAA: N 1:14.08 3/26/2009 Auburn
J. Andkjaer, G. Louw, K. Norys, M. Targett
PAC-12: M 1:14.36 2021 Univ of California, Berkeley, CAL
Seeliger, Hoffer, Carr, Biondi
PAC-12 Champ: P 1:15.00 2022 Univ of California, Berkeley
Seelinger, Alexy, Carr, Peng
School Seed Finals Points
==================================================================================
1 California 'A' 1:16.46 1:15.40 40
1) Seeliger, Bjorn JR 2) Alexy, Jack SO
3) Lasco, Destin JR 4) Jett, Gabriel SO
18.87 37.41 (18.54)
56.22 (18.81) 1:15.40 (19.18)
2 ASU 'A' 1:15.30 1:15.75 34
1) Dolan, Jack SR 2) Kulow, Jonny FR
3) McCusker, Max SR 4) House, Grant SR
19.15 38.01 (18.86)
56.80 (18.79) 1:15.75 (18.95)
3 Arizona 'A' 1:17.18 1:15.97 32
1) Palmer, Tommy FR 2) Ercegovic, Marin GS
3) Miller, Seth JR 4) Perham, Ryan SR
19.31 38.30 (18.99)
57.42 (19.12) 1:15.97 (18.55)
4 Stanford 'A' 1:17.68 1:16.24 30
1) Minakov, Andrei JR 2) Gu, Rafael FR
3) Affeld, Jonny JR 4) Maurer, Luke JR
19.13 38.31 (19.18)
57.36 (19.05) 1:16.24 (18.88)
5 Utah 'A' 1:21.61 1:18.02 28
1) Ungur, Andrei SR 2) O'Haimhirgin, Finn SR
3) Hynes, Jp SR 4) Horner, Jaek SR
19.80 39.03 (19.23)
58.42 (19.39) 1:18.02 (19.60)
