Several individuals and a relay team get second-team accolades
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The men’s swim and dive team came away with two more All-Americans on Thursday night at the NCAA Championships.
Leo Nolles swam in the consolation final of the 100 fly, where he finished seventh in his heat and 15th in the country to earn second-team All-America honors. This marked the first All-America honor in the butterfly distinction for Nolles and a staggering 16th overall All-America award in his career.
Standout freshman Matteo Ballardin competed in the consolation finals of the 400 IM, where he claimed third in the heat and 11th overall for a second-team All-America honor. With the appearance in the consolation final, Ballardin adds his fourth All-America honor in as many events.
The 400 medley relay team of Ballardin, Andrew Tease, Nolles, and Jef Leroux earned a second-team All-America honor in the final event of the evening, finishing 12th overall.
The ‘Cats are back in action tomorrow, with the morning prelims beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Fans can watch at Ncaa.com and follow along with live stats using the Meet Mobile app.
How It Happened
Nolles, who posted a prelim time of 47.22, swam in lane eight of the consolation final in the 100 fly. Nolles posted a 47.55, finishing seventh in the heat but was 0.40 seconds behind third place in the heat. All eight swimmers were 0.12 seconds apart in their prelim times this morning, but it was Elias Noe who posted a blistering 45.53 to smash the rest of the consolation final and post the fastest time in the nation after his swim. His time of 45.53 would have been good enough for second in the ‘A’ final.
Ballardin took to the pool in the consolation finals of the 400 IM, swimming in lane four. Nicholas Cavic pulled away early, but Silas Buessing and Matteo Ballardin fought back to erase extinguish the lead, and Buessing would walk away with the consolation final win with Ballardin coming back to claim third in the heat and 11th overall at 3:49.66, getting edged out by Wyatt Walsh at the buzzer.
The 400 medley relay team ended the evening, swimming in lane two of the first of two heats. Ballardin started in the water for the Green and Gold, opening with the back stroke. Andrew Tease was next in the breast stroke, battling back with good underwater work off of splits. Nolles took to the pool in the fly, and gained a lot of ground for his team heading into the final 100. Leroux hit the jets in the free to anchor,
Morning Prelims
The Thursday morning session at the NCAA Championships for the men’s swim team came to a close, with both athletes competing earning spots into tonight’s finals.
Veteran Leo Nolles earned a place in the consolation finals of the 100 fly, and standout freshman Matteo Ballardin earned a spot in the consolation finals of the 400 IM.
The finals will start at 6:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch live for free on NCAA.com and follow along with live results in the Meet Mobile app.
How It Happened
Nolles swam in heat three of five in the 100 fly, taking off from lane three. Nolles finished fourth in his heat and fifth overall with two more heats of swimmers to go. After the remaining 16 athletes in the final two heats, Nolles would move to 15th, earning a spot in tonight’s consolation final.
Ballardin swam in the second of four heats in the 400 IM, taking off from lane five. Ballardin finished third in his heat and third overall at the time of finish, with a time of 3:49.74. Once it was all said and done, Ballardin slotted into 11th, earning the chance to swim in the consolation final this evening.
Running Event Count Thursday, March 12
Finals
Event 13 – 100 fly: Nolles 15th, 2nd team All-America honors
Event 15 – 400 IM: Ballardin 11th, 2nd team All-America honors
Event 20 – 400 Medley Relay: Ballardin, Tease, Nolles, Leroux 12th
Prelims
Event 13 – 100 fly: Nolles 15th, will swim in ‘B’ final tonight
Event 15 – 400 IM: Ballardin 11th, will swim in ‘B’ final tonight
Wednesday, March 11
Finals
Event 9 – 1-meter diving: Stiles 12th, Thornton 18th, both earn 2nd team All-America honors
Event 6 – 200 IM: Ballardin 14th, 2nd team All-America honors
Event 8 – 50 free: Nolles 15th, 2nd team All-America honors
Event 11 – 200 Medley Relay: Ballardin, Tease, LaCount, Nolles 12th, 2nd team All-America honors
Prelims
Event 6 – 200 IM: Ballardin 12th (will compete in the B finals tonight)
Event 8 – 50 Free: Nolles 10th (will compete in the B finals tonight), Leroux 23rd, LaCount 25th
Event 4 – 1000 Free: Garin 23rd
Event 9 – 1-meter diving: Stiles 11th, Thornton 16th, both competing in the B finals tonight
Tuesday, March 10
Finals
Event 2 – 800 Free Relay: Rosatelli, Khmara, Fulconi, Ballardin 11th place, 2nd team All-America honors
