Alabama
Men's NCAA Championships
Alabama Opens the Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships with a Bronze-Medal Finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay
3/25/2021 8:51:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide scored in both the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays on its first day at the national championships
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Alabama made it to the podium in the 200 freestyle relay with a bronze medal finish Thursday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C., at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Matt King, Jonathan Berneburg, Sam DiSette and Colton Stogner exploded in the first event of Thursday's final to take third place with a time of 1:15.62, it's fastest of the season by more than a half second and the second fastest time in school history.
Matt Menke, Derek Maas, Stogner and King closed the night by scoring in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:05.23, taking 14th overall.
With its relay finishes, the Crimson Tide bounced back strong from a tough morning that saw a potential top-eight finish erased by a false-start disqualification and another swim finish outside the top-16 and a chance to score by just one-hundredth of a season.
As a team, the Crimson Tide's strong relay showing pushed it into 15th place and 38 points with two days remaining.
Interim Head Coach Ozzie Quevedo Said
"We are so proud of the way the guys came back strong after this morning and really attacked the relays. They showed a lot of heart and got us on the board with the second-fastest 200 freestyle relay in our history. We take a lot of pride in our relays and you certainly saw that tonight with the way Matt, Jonny, Sam and Colton put us right in the mix. Matt also closed strong in that 400 medley relay to move us up the standings, with all four guys working hard to add more points to our total. With today behind us, we have to get after it in every event we have left and make the most of each opportunity that we've earned."
Thursday Highlights
- The Crimson Tide's bronze-medal performance is its best in the 200 freestyle relay at the national championships since also finishing third in 2016
- Its 1:15.62 in the 200 freestyle relay is second all-time for the Crimson Tide, just off the school mark of 1:54.43 set in 2019, which is also the SEC Championships record
- Matt King, Jonathan Berneburg, Sam DiSette and Colton Stogner went under 19 seconds on their individual legs of the 200 freestyle relay, making Alabama one of just two teams on the night to have all four swimmers under 19
- King closed the Tide's 400 medley relay with a split of 41.48, the fourth fastest anchor in the race
- Berneburg finished 17th in the prelims of the 50 freestyle, with a career-best 19.40, just one-hundredth of a second out of 16th place and a spot in finals
- Berneburg's 19.40 moves him up a spot in Alabama's all-time top 10 to eighth place
Friday at the NCAA Championships
- Friday is the second full day of the 2021 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
- Prelims start at 9 a.m. CT, with finals getting underway at 5 p.m. CT
- Nicholas Perera gets the Tide started in the 400 individual medley
- Matt King is slated to swim the 100 butterfly while Derek Maas will take to the pool in the 100 breaststroke
- Jake Marcum, Matt Menke and Eric Stelmar are all set to swim in the prelims of the 100 backstroke
- Alabama will close Friday with the 200 medley relay
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