Burns Blazes to NCAA Butterfly Title, Indiana Finishes Fifth

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Burns Blazes to NCAA Butterfly Title, Indiana Finishes Fifth

 ATLANTA – Brendan Burns found redemption in the final individual race of 2022.

 On Friday, he was a tenth of a second away from a national title in the 100-Yard Backstroke championship heat. On Saturday, Burns blew by the 200 Butterfly field to his first-career NCAA Championship with a blazing fast of 1:38.71 that beat his own program record.

“I knew I would have to have a perfect race,” Burns told ESPN after the race. “I just used the disappointment from last year and last night […], and I’m just happy I was able to execute a great race against great competition.”

It was the highlight of a great meet for Indiana. The Hoosiers held their position on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Saturday (March 26) inside McAuley Aquatic Center, finishing fifth as a team with 265 points.

“What an unbelievable night for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Brendan Burns winning the national title and our team finishing top-five nationally is all we could’ve asked for and more. I am so proud of all our men. This was a total team effort!”

IU’s fifth-place finish is its third top-five team placement in the last four NCAA championships and 17th all-time. The Hoosiers have earned top-10 finishes in eight of the last 10 full seasons going back to 2012.

Indiana has also now had a national champion in each of the last four national meets and 16 total in that span between individual swimming, diving and relays. Burns is the first Hoosier since 1973 to win the 200 fly, joining Olympians Gary Hall (1973), Mark Spitz (1971-72), Fred Schmidt (1964), and Mike Troy (1960) for IU’s sixth national title in the event.

1:38.71 is a Big Ten and program record and ranks No. 5 all-time in American history. It’s Burns’ second U.S. top-ten time of the week after he swam a 44.15 in his silver-medal 100 back performance.

Burns capped a junior season in which he won five Big Ten titles, three individual and two relay, three NCAA medals and five All-America honors. He posted program records in the 100 back and 200 fly in the process.

The Berwyn, Pennsylvania, native came into the week as the No. 5 seed in the 200 fly with a Big Ten Champion mark of 1:39.81. On Saturday morning, Burns posted a 1:40.07 in the prelim to earn the No. 4 qualifier spot in the A final. Facing off against last year’s champion, Louisville’s Nicolas Albiero, and the SEC Champion, Georgia’s Luca Urlando, Burns took the lead halfway through the race and did not relinquish it, out-touching Urlando (1:38.82) and Albiero (1:38.88) in the end.

Indiana totaled nine All-America performances on the final day, six from swimming and three from diving. IU finished the night with a seventh-place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay from freshman Rafael Miroslaw, senior Bruno Blaskovic, sophomore Tomer Frankel and senior Van Mathias.

RESULTS

200 BACKSTROKE

  1. Jacob Steele – 1:41.11 (All-America Honorable Mention)

100 FREESTYLE

  1. Rafael Miroslaw – 42.02 (All-America Honorable Mention)
  2. Bruno Blaskovic – 42.10 (All-America Honorable Mention)

200 BUTTERFLY

  1. Brendan Burns – 1:38.71 (NCAA Champion, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
  2. Tomer Frankel – 1:43.27 (All-America Honorable Mention)

PLATFORM DIVE

  1. Andrew Capobianco – 397.35 (All-America Honorable Mention)
  2. Carson Tyler – 396.85 (All-America Honorable Mention)
  3. Quinn Henninger – 348.55 (All-America Honorable Mention)

400 FREESTYLE RELAY

  1. Rafael Miroslaw, Bruno Blaskovic, Tomer Frankel, Van Mathias – 2:48.21 (All-America)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS

Bruno Blaskovic (200 Medley Relay*, 50 Freestyle*, 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 Freestyle*, 400 Freestyle Relay)

Michael Brinegar (1,650 Freestyle)

Brendan Burns (800 Freestyle Relay*, 100 Butterfly*, 100 Backstroke, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Butterfly)

Andrew Capobianco (1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform*)

Gabriel Fantoni (200 Medley Relay*)

Tomer Frankel (200 Medley Relay*, 800 Freestyle Relay*, 100 Butterfly, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Butterfly, 400 Freestyle Relay)

Jack Franzman (200 Freestyle Relay)

Quinn Henninger (1-Meter, Platform*)

Josh Matheny (200 Medley Relay*, 400 Medley Relay)

Van Mathias (800 Freestyle Relay*, 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay)

Rafael Miroslaw (800 Freestyle Relay*, 200 Freestyle Relay, 200 Freestyle*, 400 Medley Relay, 100 Freestyle*, 400 Freestyle Relay)

Jacob Steele (200 Backstroke*)

Carson Tyler (Platform*)

* – Denotes All-America Honorable Mention

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