Rooney Leads Gators on Day Three in Austin

Friday, March 29

Austin, TX

All Day

Florida Gators

NCAA Championships

Rooney placed fourth in the 100 Fly A Final, the highest individual performance of the 2019 NCAA Championships so far

Rooney Leads Gators on Day Three in Austin

Friday, March 29, 2019 | Men's Swimming & Diving

By: Chad Smith

Finals Results | Prelim Results | Photo Gallery

AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Florida men's swimming team returned to the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on Friday for day three of the 2019 NCAA Championships. Maxime Rooney led the Gators on day three with the highest individual finish so far for the championships. UF currently sits in sixth place with 136 points.

Kieran Smith got the night started with a seventh-place finish in the A Final of the 400 IM with a swim of 3:43.12. Smith earned his fourth All-American accolade with his first-team honor. Grant Sanders earned an All-American honorable mention nod with his eighth-place time of 3:45.80.

Rooney posted the fourth-best time in Florida history in the 100 Fly as he clocked a swim of 44.99. Rooney placed fourth and earned a First-Team All-American honor. He has tallied nine All-American accolades now. His fourth-place finish is the highest individual performance by a Gator at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Khader Baqlah won the 200 Free consolation final with a season-best time of 1:32.18. Baqlah earned an All-American honorable mention nod and brought his total to eight.

Kacper Stokowski blazed the competition in the 100 Back consolation final. He posted a career-best time of 44.90, which is the second-fastest swim in UF history. Stokowski won the consolation final and earned an All-American honorable mention honor. He collected his second All-American accolade.

The squad of Stokowski, Marco Guarente, Smith, and Will Davis combined for a time of 1:24.06 and placed second in the 200 Medley Relay consolation final. Their time is the seventh-fastest in program history. The group earned an All-American honorable mention status for their efforts. Smith collected his fifth All-American accolade. Stokowski tallied his third All-American nod. Davis and Guarente each earned their second All-American status.

Smith got the prelims started with a personal-best swim of 3:40.78 in the 400 IM and placed eighth. Sanders also clocked a personal best with a mark of 3:41.71 and earned a spot into the consolation finals with his 10th-place finish. Robert Finke posted a time of 3:45.67 and finished in 25th. Alex Lebed placed 27th with a swim of 3:45.83.

Rooney recorded the sixth-best time in the 100 Fly prelims with his effort of 45.29 and earned a spot into the A Final. Davis finished in 39th with a mark of 46.59. Brennan Balogh posted a swim of 46.96 and placed 44th. Erge Gezmis collected a time of 47.92 as he finished in 47th.

Baqlah clocked a time of 1:32.86 and earned a position in the 200 Free consolation final with his 14th-place swim. Trey Freeman notched a time of 1:34.47 and finished tied for 29th in the 200 Free prelims.

Dillon Hillis tied for the 20th-fastest time in the 100 Breast prelims with an effort of 52.58. Guarente finished in 29th with his swim of 52.93.

In the 100 Back prelims, Stokowski recorded a swim of 45.21. He placed 12th and earned a spot into the consolation final. Main posted a mark of 45.90 and finished in 23rd. Clark Beach set a career-best swim with a time of 46.20 as he placed 27th. Balogh posted a mark of 46.59 and placed 33rd.

The squad of Stokowski, Guarente, Smith, and Main combined for the 12th-fastest swim in the 200 Medley Relay prelims with an effort of 1:24.57. The team earned a spot in the consolation finals.

The Gators return to the pool on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT for the final prelims of the 2019 NCAA Championships. The 200 Back opens the prelims.

From the coaches – Head Coach Anthony Nesty

"The biggest thing that stood out tonight was the resilience of our guys. We missed a couple of spots this morning. Tonight was fantastic! The IM, Fly, Free, Back, and Medley Relay all showed up for us tonight."
"It's an awesome group of guys. I love them and I'm so proud of them. They showed real grit, great character, and resiliency. That's what we've talked about all year."
"I would like to thank our support staff Matt DeLancey, Blaire Wolski, Christina Radomski, Jon Palomar, Tim Aydt, Mike Spiegler, Erva Gilliam, Delaney Dye, and our volunteer coach Matt Leenhouts. All are dedicated, committed to our team, and their support does not go unnoticed."

Team Standings
1. California – 372
2. Texas – 329
3. Indiana – 277.5
4. North Carolina State – 215
5. Louisville – 149
6. Florida – 136
7. Alabama – 110
8. Harvard – 98
9. Missouri – 88
10. Tennessee – 82

Results
400 IM
Finals
7. Kieran Smith – 3:43.12
Consolation Finals
8. Grant Sanders – 3:45.80
Prelims
8. Kieran Smith – 3:40.78 PR
10. Grant Sanders – 3:41.71 PR
25. Robert Finke – 3:45.67
27. Alex Lebed – 3:45.83
100 Fly
Finals
4. Maxime Rooney – 44.99 PR
Prelims
6. Maxime Rooney – 45.29
39. Will Davis – 46.59
44. Brennan Balogh – 46.96
47. Erge Gezmis – 47.92
200 Free
Consolation Final
1. Khader Baqlah – 1:32.18
Prelims
T14. Khader Baqlah – 1:32.86
T29. Trey Freeman – 1:34.47
100 Breast
Prelims
T20. Dillon Hillis – 52.58
29. Marco Guarente – 52.93
100 Back
Consolation Final
1. Kacper Stokowski – 44.90 PR
Prelims
12. Kacper Stokowski – 45.21
23. Bayley Main – 45.90
27. Clark Beach – 46.20 PR
33. Brennan Balogh – 46.59

Event Schedule
Prelims - Saturday (10 a.m. CT)
200 Back
100 Free
200 Breast
200 Fly
400 Free Relay
Platform Diving
1,650 Free - All but last heat of timed finals

Finals - Saturday (6 p.m. CT)
1,650 Free - Last heat of timed finals
200 Back - Consolation
200 Back - Finals
100 Free - Consolation
100 Free - Finals
200 Breast - Consolation
200 Breast - Finals
200 Fly - Consolation
200 Fly - Finals
Platform Diving - Finals
400 Free Relay - Consolation
400 Free Relay – Finals

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