DALLAS – The Stanford men’s 200-yard medley relay team earned an NCAA A cut while winning on Day One of the SMU Invitational at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center on Wednesday.
The team of Aaron Sequeira, Ron Polonsky, Andrei Minakov, Rafael Gu was timed in 1:23.34 for a season best. It beat the A standard of 1:23.62.
Stanford competed in two events to open the four-day meet. The Cardinal is competing against three other schools – last year’s Atlantic Sun Conference champ SMU, 2024 NCAA Division II runner-up Drury, and defending Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champ Hawai’i. Stanford was the Pac-12 runner-up and eighth-placer finisher at the NCAA Championships last season and joins SMU, which was 18th at NCAA's, as first-year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The 200 medley relay was one of two events on Stanford’s schedule on Wednesday. The Cardinal also was second in the 800 freestyle relay. The team of Henry McFadden, Rick Mihm, Gibson Holmes, and Liam Custer clocked 6:21.31. Stanford previously made the NCAA A cut in that event with a 6:15.51 in a double dual against Arizona State and Cal on Nov. 7-8.
Before Wednesday, only three other schools in the country had a faster time than Stanford’s at SMU. The Cardinal got off quickly with Sequeira coming through the 50 backstroke in a personal record 21.16.
Polonsky followed in the breaststroke with a 23.44 split, and Minakov blazed to a 20.01in the butterfly. Gu anchored with an 18.73 in the freestyle. Stanford never trailed.
The meet continues Thursday with these events: the 100 fly, 500 free, 200 individual medley, 50 free, and 200 free relay.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
SMU Invitational
At Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center
Wednesday’s results
Team scores (Day 1 of 4) --1, Stanford 134; 2, SMU 128; 3, Drury 112; 4, Hawai’i 98.
200-yard medley relay – 1, Stanford A (Aaron Sequeira, Ron Polonsky, Andrei Minakov, Rafael Gu) 1:23.34; 3, Stanford B (Finn Harland, Zhier Fan, Ethan Harrington, Jonathan Tan) 1:24.81; 3, Stanford C DQ.
800 freestyle relay – 1, SMU 6:14.62; 2, Stanford A (Henry McFadden, Rick Mihm, Gibson Holmes, Liam Custer) 6:21.31; 5, Stanford B (Andres Dupont Cabrera, Daniel Li, Henry Morrissey, Gabe Machado) 6:28.30.
SMU Invitational Schedule (all times Pacific)
Thursday
Prelims (8 a.m.)
100 butterfly
500 free
200 IM
50 free
Finals (4 p.m.)
100 fly
500 free
200 IM
50 free
200 free relay
Friday
Prelims (8 a.m.)
400 IM
200 free
100 breast
100 back
Finals (4 p.m.)
400 IM
200 free
100 breast
100 back
400 medley relay
Saturday
Prelims (8 a.m.)
200 back
100 free
200 breast
200 fly
Finals (4 p.m.)
1,650 free
200 back
100 free
200 breast
200 fly
400 free relay