Harvard Men’s Swimming and Diving Update
The Harvard Men’s Swimming and Diving team wrapped up day two at the Minnesota Invitational on Friday. Currently, they sit in third place with 844 points, trailing California and Minnesota.
Prelims Highlights
- Maro Miknic and Sonny Wang shone in the 100 fly prelims. Miknic clocked in at 46.22, ranking ninth all-time at Harvard, while Wang followed closely at 46.29.
- In the 400 IM, Eric Lee and Richard Poplawski III both secured spots in the finals. Lee finished fifth at 3:53.22, and Poplawski wasn’t far behind in seventh with a time of 3:53.68.
- Two Harvard athletes advanced in the 200 free: David Greeley (fourth with 1:36.29) and Marre Gattnar (sixth at 1:36.86).
- Joshua Chen made the cut in the 100 breast with the seventh-best time of 53.97.
- Adriano Arioti finished eighth in the 100 back, leading his teammates with a time of 47.92.
Finals Highlights
- The night kicked off with a fourth-place finish in the 200 medley relay, thanks to Evan Croley, Chen, David Schmitt, and Greeley, who completed the event in 1:27.14.
- In the 100 fly A-final, Wang and Miknic placed fifth and seventh, clocking 46.64 and 46.99, respectively. Schmitt won the B-final with a personal best of 46.82.
- Poplawski and Lee finished sixth and seventh in the 400 IM A-final with times of 3:54.69 and 3:56.81.
- In the 200 free, Greeley and Gattnar set season-best times, finishing third and fourth at 1:35.83 and 1:36.03.
- Chen finished sixth in the A-final for 100 breast at 54.33, while Vito Rados took fifth in the B-final.
- Arioti recorded the tenth-fastest time in Harvard history for the 100 back, finishing third at 47.10.
- In diving, tri-captain Raphael Tourette secured third place with a score of 316.65, closely followed by Denny Gulia-Janovski and Rem Turatbekov.
- The day concluded with the Crimson winning the 800 free relay, finishing in 6:27.61, beating Minnesota by over two seconds.
What’s Next?
The team will return tomorrow for the final day of competition, starting with preliminaries at 11 a.m. ET, leading to finals at 6 p.m. ET.
This weekend’s event marks a significant moment for the team. As they gain experience, it also highlights an increasing trend in college swimming where teams are showing remarkable improvement year after year. In 2022, only 35% of college swim teams finished with a winning record, illustrating the competitive nature of collegiate athletics.
In essence, Harvard’s swimmers are not just competing; they’re setting the stage for future swimming stars while showcasing the spirit of teamwork and perseverance.
