ATLANTA — Hugo Gonzalez set an NCAA record in the 400-yard medley Friday to help California build a slim lead entering the final day of competition in the Division I men’s swimming and diving championships.
Gonzalez dominated the 400 IM, winning by over a second and breaking Chase Kalisz’s record in a time of 3:32.88. Defending champion Bobby Finke of Florida was fourth.
In the final race of the night, Cal took 40 points in the 400-yard medley relay to move ahead of Texas for the top spot in the team standings.
Stanford freshman Andrei Minakov won the 100-yard butterfly in a school-record 43.71. Georgia’s Luca Urlando and Virginia Tech’s Youssef Ramadan also finished under 44.00.
Drew Kibler of Texas took the 200-yard freestyle in 1:30.28. The top three finishers from last season were all in the finals, with defending champion Kieran Smith of Florida getting fifth.
Max McHugh successfully defended his title in the 100-yard breaststroke for Minnesota, leading wire-to-wire to post the second-fastest time in NCAA history at 49.90. It was McHugh’s third NCAA individual title.
North Carolina State’s Kacper Stokowski won the 100-yard backstroke after finishing second last season. Last week at the women’s championship, the Wolfpack’s Katharine Berkoff won the same event for the second straight season.
Texas A&M senior Kurtis Mathews won a diving event for the second straight night, claiming the three-meter crown. The Aggies had never won a diving event before this competition.