FEDERAL Way, Wash. – Seniors Andrei Minakov and Ron Polonsky closed out their Stanford careers spectacularly Saturday at the conclusion of the four-day NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Minakov was fourth in the 200-yard butterfly to give Stanford its highest individual swimming finish of the meet. Combined with his part on the Cardinal’s 10th-place 400 freestyle relay finish, Minakov earned eight All-America honors during this meet.
For his collegiate career, Minakov earned 26 All-America honors, tying him with Brian Retterer (1991-95) for the most in Stanford history.
Minakov, who was sixth in the 100 fly final on Friday, was last in the 200 fly championship final through 150 yards. But his final turn led to a 25.16 final 50 – the fastest in the field – to catch four competitors on the final lap.
Polonsky, who has 23 All-America honors of his own, broke the Stanford record in the 200 breaststroke, clocking 1:50.95 while placing fourth in the consolation final and 12th overall. It marked the fifth school record Polonsky had broken during this meet, along with the 100 breast, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay, and 400 medley relay.
Polonsky broke the 200 breast record of 1:51.07 by Daniel Roy in 2021.
Overall, Stanford broke six school records in the meet on the way to placing eighth as a team, with 216 points, for the third consecutive season. Stanford was the No. 2 team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, behind only team runner-up Cal.
Minakov and freshman diver Misha Andriyuk, who was eighth on the platform with 333.25 points, were the only Stanford competitors in championship finals on Saturday.
A 2021 Olympian for the Russian Olympic Committee, Minakov holds seven school records – in the 100 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, and four relays.
Polonsky, a two-time Israeli Olympian, holds Stanford records in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and three relays.
Together, Minakov and Polonsky own 49 All-America honors and hold school records in five individual events and are part of four school-record relays.
Their efforts were supported mostly by the Cardinal divers. With Andriyuk’s 11 points, combined with Jack Ryan’s 33 from earlier in the week, divers contributed 44 points to Stanford’s cause.
NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
At Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
Final Team leaders – 1, Texas 490; 2, California 471; 3, Indiana 459; 4, Florida 315; 5, Tennessee 266.5; 6, Arizona State 248; 7, Georgia 238.5; 8, Stanford 216; 9, North Carolina State 178; 10, Virginia Tech 107.5.
100-yard freestyle – Prelims: 30, Henry McFadden (Stanford) 42.12; 33, Andres Dupont Cabrera (Stanford) 42.20; 55, Kaihan Gu (Stanford) 42.73.
1,650 free – 16, Liam Custer (Stanford) 14:43.50.
200 backstroke – 15, Aaron Sequeira (Stanford) 1:40.25; 16, Josh Zuchowski (Stanford) 1:40.46. Prelims: 10, Sequeira 1:39.14 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT); 16, Zuchowski 1:39.61 (PB; No. 5 Stanford AT). Swim-off: 1, Zuchowski 1:40.08.
200 breaststroke – 12, Ron Polonsky (Stanford) 1:50.95 (PB; school record); 15, Daniel Li (Stanford) 1:51.86. Prelims: 14, Polonsky 1:51.39 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT); 16, Li 1:51.83 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT); 35, Rick Mihm (Stanford) 1:54.55 (PB); 37, Zhier Fan (Stanford) 1:56.32.
200 butterfly – 4, Andrei Minakov (Stanford) 1:39.18; 14, Gibson Holmes (Stanford) 1:40.67 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT). Prelims: 8, Minakov 1:39.93; 16, Holmes 1:40.89 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT).
Platform diving – 8, Misha Andriyuk (Stanford) 333.25. Prelims: 4, Andriyuk 409.00.
400 free relay – 10, Stanford (Andres Dupont Cabrera, Andrei Minakov, Kaihan Gu, Henry McFadden) 2:47.03.
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
Stanford All-Americans (14 total, 7 first team)
First team – Misha Andriyuk (platform diving), Andres Dupont Cabrera (800 FR, 400 MR), Henry McFadden (200 free, 800 FR), Andrei Minakov (100 fly, 200 fly, 800 FR, 400 MR), Ron Polonsky (100 breast, 200 IM, 800 FR, 400 MR), Jack Ryan (1M diving, 3M diving), Aaron Sequeira (400 MR).
Second team – Liam Custer (1,650 free), Andres Dupont Cabrera (400 FR), Kaihan Gu (200 FR, 400 FR, 200 MR), Gibson Holmes (200 fly), Daniel Li (200 breast), Henry McFadden (400 FR), Andrei Minakov (200 FR, 400 FR, 200 MR), Ron Polonsky (200 breast, 200 MR), Aaron Sequeira (100 back, 200 back, 200 MR), Jonathan Tan (200 FR), Avery Voss (200 FR), Josh Zuchowski (200 back).