GREENSBORO, N.C. – Stanford swimmers won back-to-back men’s finals at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships on Thursday and the Cardinal finds itself solidly in second as a team.
Within minutes, senior Andrei Minakov and sophomore Henry McFadden earned Stanford’s first swimming titles in the ACC. Minakov won the 100-yard butterfly in 44.27 and McFadden followed by winning the 200 freestyle in a school-record 1:31.30.
Combined with Jack Ryan’s 1-meter diving victory Wednesday, Stanford has three individual championships through three days of the five-day meet at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Coming into the meet, McFadden was top-ranked and Minakov No. 3, based on season-bests in their events. This is McFadden’s first conference championship and the fifth for Minakov, who won the 100 fly in 2022 and 2023 and two relay titles in the Pac-12.
McFadden broke slowly in the championship final, with the slowest reaction time among the eight competitors. Through 50, he was fourth, but moved up to second by 100. Louisville’s Guy Brooks had a slight lead – 1:07.84-1:07.92 – going into the final 50. However, McFadden closed in 23.38 to Brooks’ 24.20. No one had a faster final 50 than McFadden.
His time topped Andrei Minakov’s 2022 school record of 1:31.49. McFadden was second on the list with best of 1:31.65.
Minakov became the first Stanford individual to earn an NCAA ‘A’ cut time this season, going under the 44.51 threshold. He trailed Florida State’s Michel Arkhangelskiy through 50 – 20.52-20.56. But Minakov closed in 23.75 for the final 50. It was the only closing split under 24.12.
After the 100 fly, Stanford closed the deficit on first-place Cal to 523-516. However, even with McFadden’s victory, Cal extended its lead after the 200 free to 633.5-565, where it remains going into Friday’s action. North Carolina is third with 517.
Josh Zuchowski improved upon his personal best in the 400 individual medley by six seconds in the prelims, winning his heat from Lane 8 with a time of 3:42.22 to vault to No. 7 on Stanford’s all-time list and advance to the final. Zuchowski would place seventh overall in 3:42.64.
Sophomore Gibson Holmes did not make a championship final, but had a huge day, setting two personal records in the 400 IM. In the prelims, Holmes reeled off a 3:43.79 – good for No. 10 in Stanford history. And in finishing second in the consolation final, Holmes improved to 3:41.59 – good for No. 5 in Stanford history.Other personal bests were earned by Avery Voss (46.21) and Ethan Harrington (46.72) in the prelims of the 100 fly. Voss advanced to the bonus final and placed 23rd overall in 46.29.
Friday’s finals are the 200 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, platform diving, and 400 medley relay.
Stanford’s highest ranked swimmers in those races are Minakov, who is No. 1 in the 200 fly, and Ron Polonsky, who is No. 4 in the 100 breast. The Cardinal are ranked No. 3 in the 400 medley relay. And freshman diver Misha Andriyuk could place high on the platform.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
ACC Championships
Thursday's Results
At Greensboro Aquatic Center
Team scores (Day 3 of 5) – 1, California 633.5; 2, Stanford 565; 3, North Carolina 517; 4, North Carolina State 501; 5, Louisville 449.5; 6, Virginia Tech 331; 7, Virginia 306; 8, Florida State 305.5; 9, Pitt 255.5; 10, SMU 239; 11, Georgia Tech 233; 12, Duke 105; 13, Boston College 62; 14, Miami 52; 15, Notre Dame 19.
400 individual medley – Finals: 1, Thomas Bried (Louisville) 3:39.28; 7, Josh Zuchowski (Stanford) 3:42.64; 10, Gibson Holmes (Stanford) 3:41.59 (PB; No. 5 Stanford AT); 19, Rick Mihm (Stanford) 3:45.55. Prelims: 6, Zuchowski 3:42.22 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT); 11, Holmes 3:43.79 (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT); 18, Mihm 3:45.69; 25, Liam Custer (Stanford) 3:47.97.
100 butterfly – Finals: 1, Andrei Minakov (Stanford) 44.27; 7, Aaron Sequeira (Stanford) 45.07; 16, Kaihan Gu (Stanford) 45.86; 23, Avery Voss (Stanford) 46.29. Prelims: 1, Minakov 44.31; 6, Sequeira 45.24; 9, Gu 45.32; 24, Voss 46.21 (PB); 35, Ethan Harrington (Stanford) 46.72 (PB).
200 freestyle – Finals: 1, Henry McFadden (Stanford) 1:31.30 (PB; School record); 10, Andres Dupont Cabrera (Stanford) 1:32.98. Prelims: 1, McFadden 1:32.27; 11, Dupont Cabrera 1:33.22; 29, Jonathan Tan (Stanford) 1:35.26; 46, Gabe Machado (Stanford) 1:37.74.
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
Stanford’s Schedule (all times Pacific)
Friday
Prelims (6:30 a.m.)
200 butterfly (Gibson Holmes, Henry McFadden, Rick Mihm, Andrei Minakov, Josh Zuchowski)
100 backstroke (Finn Harland, Hayden Kwan, Aaron Sequeira, Josh Zuchowski)
100 breaststroke (Ethan Dang, Zhier Fan, Daniel Li, Abram Mueller, Go Nagaoka, Ron Polonsky, Hayden Zheng)
Platform diving (Misha Andriyuk, Hunter Hollenbeck, Jack Ryan)
Finals (2:31 p.m.)
200 butterfly
100 backstroke
100 breaststroke
Platform diving
400 medley relay (Stanford)
Saturday
Prelims (6:30 a.m.)
200 backstroke (Finn Harland, Hayden Kwan, Gabe Machado, Aaron Sequeira, Josh Zuchowski)
100 freestyle (Kaihan Gu, Ethan Harrington, Henry McFadden, Andrei Minakov, Jonathan Tan, Avery Voss)
200 breaststroke (Ethan Dang, Zhier Fan, Daniel Li, Abram Mueller, Go Nagaoka, Ron Polonsky, Hayden Zheng)
1,650 free (Early heats: Liam Custer, Gabe Machado, Henry Morrissey)
Finals (2:31 p.m.)
1,650 free (Later heats: Liam Custer, Gabe Machado, Henry Morrissey)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
400 freestyle relay (Stanford)