Friday, December 3
Princeton, NJ
10 AM/6 PM
George Washington University
at
Big Al Invitational
Swimming & Diving Drops Record at Big Al Invitational
12/3/2021 9:31:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Buff & Blue took down men's 400 medley relay record
PRINCETON, N.J. - GW swimming and diving closed out the first day of Princeton's Big Al Invitational with a bang, taking down a program and Atlantic 10 record en route to victory in the men's 400-yard medley relay.
Karol Mlynarczyk, Marek Osina, Durde Matic and Tyler Kawakami combined on a sizzling swim to touch in 3:09.40 to edge the host Tigers for first place. The performance ranks among the top 25 in the country in the event so far this season.
Osina posted the top individual finish of the night, landing runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley in an NCAA B-cut time of 1:45.60. Kawakami, Erin McCarthy, Carly Perri and Julia Knox also competed in championship finals on the first of three nights at DeNunzio Pool.
In the team standings, the women sit fourth with 158 points, behind Utah (322), Princeton (268) and Denver (172) and just ahead of Rutgers (147), while the men are fifth with 148 points, behind Utah (345.5), Princeton (311), Columbia (165.5) and Denver (164).
MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- In the final event of the night, Mlynarczyk gave GW the early lead with an opening backstroke split of 46.62 seconds, and the Buff and Blue surged back ahead of Princeton on Matic's sizzling butterfly leg (:45.10) before Kawakami brought it home in record time. The group bested a mark set in a gold-medal swim at last April's A-10 Championships.
- In the 200 IM, Osina posted a time of 1:47.03 during prelims and then went even faster in the evening session to touch in a time that was 42 hundredths of a second off his program and A-10 record time set at last season's conference championship. The senior from Kromeriz, Czech Republic finished second behind only Princeton's Raunak Khosla, a 2020 All-American in the event.
- Kawakami qualified for the A final in the 50 free with a morning time of 20.06 seconds before finishing seventh. Matic (13th, :20.32 prelims time) and Mlynarczyk (14th, :20.53) also scored in the event.
- Philip Moldovanu was GW's top finisher in the 500 free, placing 22nd in 4:34.73.
- Spencer Bystrom led the way on the 1-meter diving board, taking 11th with a finals score of 266.10.
- Kawakami, Mlynarczyk, Matic and Dylan Koo teamed up in the 200 free relay to place fourth in 1:20.11, just 26 hundredths of a second off a program record.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- A first-year, Knox swam a season-best time of 2:02.32 in the morning that ranks fourth on the program's all-time top 10 before eventually placing seventh. Stine Omdahl Petersen placed 12th in the event with a finals time of 2:05.27, and first-year Molly Smyers clocked a strong prelims swim in the event (2:05.43).
- GW showcased its distance strength with a trio of scorers in the 500 free. McCarthy led the way in fourth with a finals time of 4:53.13 and was joined in the A final by Perri, who finished eighth in 4:55.26 to grab a place on the all-time top 10. Smyers placed 16th in the event after posting a prelims time of 4:56.50.
- Rebecca Smolcic set the pace for the Buff and Blue in the 50 free, tying for first in the B final for ninth in a season-best time of 23.33 seconds.
- GW was led on the 3-meter diving board by Dara Reyblat's score of 228.65, good for 13th.
- GW's top 200 free relay team of Becca Brown, Marlee Rickert, Grace Olivardia and Smolcic placed fourth in a time of 1:33.31. Rickert was also part of a fourth-place finish in the 400 medley relay, along with Petersen, McCarthy and Perri, in a time of 3:43.95 that was less than half a second away from the program record.
UP NEXT: The meet continues Saturday with preliminary events beginning at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.
Karol Mlynarczyk, Marek Osina, Durde Matic and Tyler Kawakami combined on a sizzling swim to touch in 3:09.40 to edge the host Tigers for first place. The performance ranks among the top 25 in the country in the event so far this season.
Osina posted the top individual finish of the night, landing runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley in an NCAA B-cut time of 1:45.60. Kawakami, Erin McCarthy, Carly Perri and Julia Knox also competed in championship finals on the first of three nights at DeNunzio Pool.
In the team standings, the women sit fourth with 158 points, behind Utah (322), Princeton (268) and Denver (172) and just ahead of Rutgers (147), while the men are fifth with 148 points, behind Utah (345.5), Princeton (311), Columbia (165.5) and Denver (164).
MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- In the final event of the night, Mlynarczyk gave GW the early lead with an opening backstroke split of 46.62 seconds, and the Buff and Blue surged back ahead of Princeton on Matic's sizzling butterfly leg (:45.10) before Kawakami brought it home in record time. The group bested a mark set in a gold-medal swim at last April's A-10 Championships.
- In the 200 IM, Osina posted a time of 1:47.03 during prelims and then went even faster in the evening session to touch in a time that was 42 hundredths of a second off his program and A-10 record time set at last season's conference championship. The senior from Kromeriz, Czech Republic finished second behind only Princeton's Raunak Khosla, a 2020 All-American in the event.
- Kawakami qualified for the A final in the 50 free with a morning time of 20.06 seconds before finishing seventh. Matic (13th, :20.32 prelims time) and Mlynarczyk (14th, :20.53) also scored in the event.
- Philip Moldovanu was GW's top finisher in the 500 free, placing 22nd in 4:34.73.
- Spencer Bystrom led the way on the 1-meter diving board, taking 11th with a finals score of 266.10.
- Kawakami, Mlynarczyk, Matic and Dylan Koo teamed up in the 200 free relay to place fourth in 1:20.11, just 26 hundredths of a second off a program record.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
- A first-year, Knox swam a season-best time of 2:02.32 in the morning that ranks fourth on the program's all-time top 10 before eventually placing seventh. Stine Omdahl Petersen placed 12th in the event with a finals time of 2:05.27, and first-year Molly Smyers clocked a strong prelims swim in the event (2:05.43).
- GW showcased its distance strength with a trio of scorers in the 500 free. McCarthy led the way in fourth with a finals time of 4:53.13 and was joined in the A final by Perri, who finished eighth in 4:55.26 to grab a place on the all-time top 10. Smyers placed 16th in the event after posting a prelims time of 4:56.50.
- Rebecca Smolcic set the pace for the Buff and Blue in the 50 free, tying for first in the B final for ninth in a season-best time of 23.33 seconds.
- GW was led on the 3-meter diving board by Dara Reyblat's score of 228.65, good for 13th.
- GW's top 200 free relay team of Becca Brown, Marlee Rickert, Grace Olivardia and Smolcic placed fourth in a time of 1:33.31. Rickert was also part of a fourth-place finish in the 400 medley relay, along with Petersen, McCarthy and Perri, in a time of 3:43.95 that was less than half a second away from the program record.
UP NEXT: The meet continues Saturday with preliminary events beginning at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.
No Bag Policy PSA
Tuesday, August 19
25-26 GW Basketball Sizzle Reel
Wednesday, June 18
2025 SAMH Campaign Video
Tuesday, May 20
2025 The Georgeys Recap Video
Wednesday, May 07