Manuel Unloads 20.78, Stanford Breaks NCAA, American Records

The first night of competition at the 2017 Women's Pac-12 Swimming & Diving Championship featured record-breaking swims from Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky of Stanford in the 200 Medley Relay and 800 Freestyle Relay.

Feb 23, 2017 by Maclin Simpson

Manuel Unloads 20.78, Stanford Breaks NCAA, American Records

Wow... What a night. First, Simone Manuel unloads a 20.78 50 freestyle to anchor Stanford's winning relay, the FASTEST SPLIT IN HISTORY. The Cardinal just missed their own Pac-12, NCAA, and American record time of 1:34.15 from 2016 with a 1:34.32. Then, not to be outdone, Katie Ledecky drops the mic and splits a 1:40.28 200 freestyle anchoring Stanford's 800 Freestyle Relay. Oh, by the way, Stanford smoked the Pac-12, NCAA, and American record time with a 6:49.42 becoming the first relay ever under the 6:50 barrier. The old record was from California back in 2015 with another world-class swimmer anchoring in Missy Franklin. Missy went on to drop a 1:39 flat start 200 freestyle a month later at NCAAs, so we can only imagine what Ledecky has in store.

200 MEDLEY RELAY

Pac-12 Meet Record 1:34.15 (Stanford, 2016)
NCAA Record: 1:34.15 (Stanford, 2016)
American Record: 1:34.15 (Stanford, 2016)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 1:37.21

Talk about a close race... Cal had the lead going into the freestyle leg with Farida Osman, but then Simone Manuel decided to drop the fastest 50-yard freestyle split in history with a mind-blowing 20.78. Are you kidding me? 20.78? Osman had a heck of a swim as well, throwing down a swift 21.09 en route to a silver medal for the Cal Bears in 1:34.42. Stanford's winning time was only a tenth ahead in a 1:34.32, less than two tenths off their Pac-12, NCAA, and American record swim from the 2016 Pac-12 Championship. USC took the bronze with a 1:35.18.

1.) STANFORD: 1:34.32
1) Howe, Ally (23.63)
2) Williams, Kim (27.25)
3) Hu, Janet (22.66)
4) Manuel, Simone (20.78)

2.) CAL: 1:34.42
1) Bilquist, Amy (23.81)
2) Weitzeil, Abbey (27.00)
3) Thomas, Noemie (22.52)
4) Osman, Farida (21.09)

3.) USC: 1:35.18
1) Leach, Hannah (24.21)
2) Scott, Riley (26.68)
3) Hansson, Louise (22.76)
4) Apostalon, Anika (21.53)

800 FREESTYLE RELAY

Pac-12 Meet Record: ~~6:50.18 (California, 2015)~~ 6:49.42 (Stanford, 2017)
NCAA Record: ~~6:50.18 (California, 2015)~~ 6:49.42 (Stanford, 2017)
American Record: ~~6:50.18 (California, 2015)~~ 6:49.42 (Stanford, 2017)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 7:05.68

As mentioned earlier, Stanford annihilated this relay by dropping the first sub-6:50 swim in history which is good for a new Pac-12, NCAA, and American record. The key? Katie Ledecky + consistency. There are a handful of elite programs who can put up a relay with 1:43s across the board, but there is only one who can do that and then throw a hammer on the end who can split 1:40 low. Ledecky did just that. The Freshman phenom, who has taken the swimming world by storm over the last five years, threw down one of the fastest 200 freestyles in history with a 1:40.28. But you can't overlook the consistency from her teammates. With two 1:43s from Lia Neal and Katie Drabot and a 1:42.37 from two-time defending NCAA Champion Ella Eastin, Ledecky had her work cut out for her. Cal, with a very consistent relay of 1:43s and a 1:42, finished second in 6:53.37. USC rounded out the podium in third with a 6:54.24. Overshadowed in the hype of Stanford and Ledecky was a phenomenal swim from Louise Hansson of USC. The Freshman threw down a blistering 1:42.10 to lead off the Trojan's bronze medal relay.

1.) STANFORD: 6:49.42 (AMERICAN, NCAA, PAC-12 RECORD)
1) Neal, Lia (1:43.34)
2) Drabot, Katie (1:43.43)
3) Eastin, Ella (1:42.37)
4) Ledecky, Katie (1:40.28)

2.) CAL: 6:53.37
1) Baker, Kathleen (1:43.17)
2) McLaughlin, Katie (1:42.82)
3) Weitzeil, Abbey (1:43.84)
4) Bilquist, Amy (1:43.54)

3.) USC: 6:54.24
1) Hansson, Louise (1:42.10)
2) Wade, Tatum (1:43.36)
3) Vose, Kirsten (1:43.42)
4) Apostalon, Anika (1:45.36)

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