On Sunday, the New York University
fifth-ranked men's swimming team concluded the Phoenix Classic in Chicago, IL, as the weekend winners.
The Violets totaled 1482 points to hold a 200-point lead over second-place,
third-ranked host University of Chicago's 1280.5 points. Saint Louis University was third (883.5) while University of St. Thomas Minnestoa was fourth (323), Truman State University placed fifth (295), Illinois Institute of Technology was sixth (270), and Nebraska Wesleyan University was seventh (260).
Over the weekend, NYU won seven events to help secure their overall triumph.
The 200 medley A relay squad kicked off Saturday with a victory in an NCAA Division III selection time of 1:27.37.
Jaeden-Hans Yburan and
Victor Derani went 1-2 in the 400 individual medley, throwing down selection times of 3:55.79 and 3:56.76, respectively.
Connor Vincent slammed the wall just 0.34 seconds behind 200 freestyle winner A.J. Kohler of Truman State. He clocked 1:38.39 to secure a lane at the Nationals Championships next March.
Emmett Ralston posted the Violets' fourth selection cut with his time of 54.88 in the 100 breaststroke, earning him third place in Chicago.
Derek Maas demolished the 100 backstroke final, smashing the team record from 2016-17 and the selection cut with his scorching time of 46.55.
"The men's 200 medley relay was outstanding - they all swam well, which is very exciting," Head Coach
Trevor Miele said. "Derek's 100 back was impressive. His underwater kicks are unbelievable and he finished the race well. Jaeden and Victor had a nice battle in the 400 IM. I'm looking forward to seeing them battle it out at NCAA's."
On Sunday, Maas delivered his third program record of the season, this time destroying the 200 backstroke mark from last season with his NCAA-qualifying win in 1:43.75.
Leo Han nabbed a B cut behind Maas, racing to third with a time of 1:48.99.
Vincent crushed the 1650 freestyle field, posting a selection time of 15:31.05.
Derani claimed the 200 breaststroke victory with a career-best 2:00.61, a B cut.
To round off the dominant weekend, the 400 freestyle A relay team clocked 2:56.97 to lock down the win and the relay squad's ticket to Nationals.
"I thought we had some impressive finals session the last two nights," said Miele. "I'm really proud of the team and I think we're in a great position heading towards the NCAA's."
The swimming teams will take a break from meets before returning in the new year for a dual meet against Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, on January 12.
