Ohio State Swimmers Dominate on Final Night of Columbus Sectionals

2024 COLUMBUS SECTIONALS

Ohio State ended Columbus Sectionals on Sunday the same way it began, with wins in all but two events at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

Rising Buckeye junior Krista Marlin continued her tear with her fifth lifetime best in the past four days, a 200 IM victory in 2:14.60. She dropped almost a second off her previous-best 2:15.31 from last November, going almost two seconds faster than her 25th-place finish at Olympic Trials last month.

Marlin’s new lifetime best would have placed 14th in prelims at Trials and earned her a second swim in the semifinals. She already clocked personal bests in the 100 back (1:00.78) and 100 breast (1:10.49) on Saturday, 400 IM (4:47.05) on Friday, and 200 back (2:10.19) on Thursday.

Marlin took the women’s 200 IM title over Tennessee commit (’24) Emily Brown (2:16.89), who was within a couple seconds of her best time from 2022 (2:14.93). Brown returned later in the session to place 3rd in the 100 free (56.93) behind Ohio State standouts Kit Kat Zenick (56.02) and Teresa Ivan (56.29). Zenick was just a tenth off her Trials time of 55.92 that placed her 44th and within a second of her personal-best 55.05 from last June. Ivan touched about a second behind her personal-best 55.18 that she registered en route to 10th place at the European Championships last month.

In the men’s 200 IM, rising Ohio State senior Alex Metzler outdueled classmate Will Bansberg (2:03.99) with a winning time of 2:03.65, narrowly missing his personal-best 2:03.49 from his runner-up finish at last month’s Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet. Bansberg reached the wall more than a second off his lifetime best of 2:02.62 that placed him 44th at Trials last month.

Rising Northern Colorado sophomore Kyra Rabess triumphed in the women’s 1500 free with a personal-best time of 17:13.10. The Northern Kentucky Clippers 19-year-old knocked more than a second off her best time from May (17:14.73).

Rising Ohio State junior Mason Edmund emerge victorious in the men’s 800 free (8:13.35), well off his lifetime best of 8:00.26 from last July. He placed 44th at Trials last month in 8:12.18. Rising Ohio State sophomore Josh Bedford was next to the wall in 8:21.42, just a second off his personal-best 8:20.35 from last August.

Another fun Buckeye showdown took place in the men’s 100 free, where rising junior Evan Fentress (50.56) eked past rising senior Daniel Baltes (50.64) by less than a tenth of a second. Fentress is coming off a 39th-place showing at Olympic Trials last month with a personal-best 49.86. Baltes fired off a personal-best 49.88 last month before clocking a 50.24 at Trials the following week.

Rising Cincinnati junior Joleigh Crye captured the women’s 50 breaststroke crown in 31.51, dropping almost two tenths off her previous-best 31.70 from last November. Rising Ohio State senior Karl Helmuth claimed the men’s 50 breast title in 28.07, almost two tenths quicker than her previous-best 28.25 from last June.

The Buckeyes swept the 400 medley relays, with the women winning in 4:11.67 and the men triumphing in 3:44.25. Marlin (1:01.70 back), Reese Dehen (1:11.65 breast), Zenick (1:01.48 fly), and Ivan (56.84 free) combined for the women’s victory while Eli Stoll (57.70 back), Helmuth (1:01.98 breast), Fentress (53.48 fly), and Baltes (51.09 free) worked together for the men’s win.