The No. 2-ranked Indiana University men’s swimming and diving team continued competition at the 2019 NCAA Championships on Thursday morning at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
Heading into Friday, the Hoosiers sit in third place in the team standings with 155 points. California leads with 212 points, while Texas is second with a score of 188.
For the second-straight year, the Hoosiers won the NCAA Championship in the 400 medley relay. The IU team of Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty, Vini Lanza and Zach Apple dominated the event, winning with a Big Ten, Indiana school and pool record time of 2:59.70.
The Hoosiers won the event by nearly two seconds, posting the second-best time in the event in history. With the 400 medley relay crown, the Hoosiers have won a relay in back-to-back years for the first time since winning five relays over three seasons in 1973-75.
After Fantoni led off with a 49.60, Finnerty recorded his fastest-career 400 medley breaststroke split, leading the field with a blistering 49.60. Lanza followed with a 44.21, while Apple anchored with an impressive 40.64. Apple’s split was nearly 0.3 seconds faster than any other 100 free time in the field.
Indiana got Thursday night off with a bang, placing fourth in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle relay with a Big Ten and school record time of 1:15.41. The IU team of Zach Apple, Bruno Blaskovic, Mohamed Samy and Brandon Hamblin reset the conference and IU records they set earlier on Thursday in prelims.
The fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships is the best in program history, besting the tied for seventh finish in 2017.
After Apple led off with a 19.06 split, Blaskovic and Samy followed with splits of 18.78 and 18.92, respectively. Hamblin, a true freshman for the Hoosiers, then anchored with a 18.70 to bring it home.
In the Championship Final of the 200 IM, a pair of senior swimmers posted career-best finishes in the event. Vini Lanza placed fourth overall with a time of 1:40.30, while Ian Finnerty was seventh with a mark of 1:42.84.
Lanza’s fourth-place finish is the best for any Hoosier in the event since Cody Miller finished third in the event in 2013. Last season, both also earned spots in the Championship Final of the 200 IM, with Lanza placing sixth and Finnerty taking eighth.
In the Championship Final of the 50 freestyle, senior Zach Apple placed fifth overall with a time of 18.99. Apple’s finish is the best for any Hoosier in the event at the NCAA Championships in 44 years, when Mel Nash placed fourth and Tim Hickcox placed fifth in 1975.
For the fourth time in his storied career, James Connor competed in the Championship Final of the 1-meter dive at the NCAA Championships. The redshirt senior placed fifth overall with a total score of 373.50.
After missing his first dive, Connor responded well, posting three-straight scores of 76.80, 67.50 and 69.00 to move up the scoreboard. The All-America honor for Connor is the eighth of his career.
On the night, Apple earned three All-America honors to push his career total to 16. Lanza and Finnerty each earned two, giving them 18 and 12 in their great careers, respectively.
Samy earned his 10th All-America accolade, while Blaskovic earned his fifth. Fantoni notched his third, while Hamblin earned his first honor.
