INDIANAPOLIS – As big of an accomplishment a school record was, that achievement was eclipsed by diver Jack Ryan and a rousing relay for Stanford on Day Three of the four-day NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday at the IU Natatorium.
Ryan rallied for third in the 3-meter diving final to earn the Cardinal's highest finish yet at these championships. Moments later, congratulations were being awarded to his Stanford teammates after an unexpected fifth-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay.
All this came after Ron Polonsky crushed his own school record in the 100 breaststroke trials in the morning. His time of 50.87 bettered his 51.14 from last year and was the second-fastest of the prelims.
Polonsky finished eighth in the final in 51.25 and, as part of the medley relay team, gathered two first-team All-America honors on the day and has five All-America honors in these championships. Polonsky, a junior, now is a 17-time All-American.
Ryan got off to poor start with what would be his lowest score of the finals, 62.90, and after two dives was eighth and last in the finals standings. But Ryan improved his score on his second through fourth dives, capped with an 80.50 on a reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck that completed a five-place move into third.
Ryan faltered a bit on Dive No. 5, but secured third with his best dive of the day, scoring 84.00 on a reverse 1 1/2 somersault 3 1/2 twist free with a 3.5 degree of difficulty. Ryan finished with 444.20 points, his best six-dive score in an NCAA championship event.
This was Ryan's second top-four springboard finish in as many days, after placing fourth in the 1-meter on Thursday. The third matched his NCAA 1-meter performance in 2023, but signified his first NCAA final in the 3-meter.
Following diving, the final event was the medley relay and Stanford was competing in the third of four heats as the No. 10 seed coming in.
This was the first time this season that Dan Schemmel, Stanford's Goldman Family Director of Men's Swimming, used a 400 medley relay lineup of Aaron Sequeira, Polonsky, Andrei Minakov and Rafael Gu. They responded with a season-best 3:01.97, not far off the 2022 school record of 3:01.45 that Polonsky and Minakov were part of.
Sequeira opened on the backstroke with a 100 split of 45.57 and Polonsky followed with a breaststroke split of 51.21.
Minakov took off in fourth place on the butterfly and unleashed a split of 43.92, moving into first in the final 25 yards. Minakov's split was the third-fastest of all four heats and definitely the fastest in Stanford's Heat 3. And Gu closed it out with a freestyle leg of 41.27.
After the final heat, Stanford stood in eighth. But upon review, three teams were disqualified for early takeoffs and the Cardinal moved up three spots. It was Stanford's best swimming placing, among relays or individuals, at the meet so far.
Stanford had one other entrant in the evening finals. Henry McFadden placed second in the consolation final of the 200 freestyle and was 10th overall in 1:31.88. It marked the first individual All-America honor for the freshman.
In the trials, his time of 1:31.65 was a lifetime best and strengthened his hold on the No. 2 spot on Stanford's all-time list.
Also in the 200 free trials, Andres Dupont Cabrera recorded a personal best 1:32.81, and now is No. 8 all-time at Stanford.
In diving, senior Hunter Hollenbeck made his first NCAA appearance, placing 32nd in the 3-meter with 339.50 points.
The NCAA Championships conclude Saturday. Stanford stands in eighth place, its finish last year, with 144 points.
Jack Ryan. Photo by Justin Casterline.
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Friday's results
NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
At IU Natatorium
Winners and Stanford
Team leaders (through 14 events) – 1, Arizona State 343; 2, California 286.5; 3, Florida 273; 4, Indiana 247; 5, North Carolina State 206; 8, Stanford 144.
400-yard individual medley – Trials: 26, Rick Mihm (Stanford) 3:43.63; 30, Rex Maurer (Stanford) 3:44.58; 34, Liam Custer (Stanford) 3:48.07.
100 butterfly – Final: 1, Josh Liendo (Florida) 43.07. Trials: 20, Andrei Minakov (Stanford) 45.11; 21, Rafael Gu (Stanford) 45.12; 24, Aaron Sequeira (Stanford) 45.18.
200 freestyle – Final: 1, Luke Hobson (Texas) 1:28.81. Consolation: 10, Henry McFadden (Stanford) 1:31.88. Trials: 10, McFadden 1:31.65 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT); 24, Luke Maurer (Stanford) 1:32.75; 26, Andres Dupont Cabrera (Stanford) 1:32.81 (PB; No. 8 Stanford AT).
100 breaststroke – Final: 1, Liam Bell (Cal) 49.53; 8, Ron Polonsky (Stanford) 51.25. Trials: 2, Polonsky 50.87 (PB; Stanford record); 27, Zhier Fan (Stanford) 52.34.
100 backstroke – Final: 1, Brendan Burns (Indiana) 43.86. Trials: 31, Aaron Sequeira (Stanford) 46.02; 38, Josh Zuchowski (Stanford) 47.02.
3-meter diving – Final: 1, Carson Tyler (Indiana) 476.85; 3, Jack Ryan (Stanford) 444.20. Trials: 1, Ryan 432.90; 27, Hunter Hollenbeck (Stanford) 339.50.
400 medley relay – 1, Arizona State 2:57.32; 5, Stanford (Aaron Sequeira, Ron Polonsky, Andrei Minakov, Rafael Gu) 3:01.97.
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
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Stanford Schedule (all times Pacific)
Saturday
7 a.m.
200 backstroke trials (Rex Maurer, Aaron Sequeira, Josh Zuchowski)
100 freestyle trials (Andres Dupont Cabrera, Rafael Gu, Luke Maurer, Henry McFadden)
200 breaststroke trials (Zhier Fan, Ron Polonsky)
200 butterfly trials (Rick Mihm, Andrei Minakov)
3 p.m.
1,650 freestyle final (Liam Custer)
200 backstroke consolation and final
100 freestyle consolation and final
200 breaststroke consolation and final
200 butterfly consolation and final
400 freestyle relay final (Stanford)