ATLANTA — Matthew Sates of Georgia and fellow freshman Leon Marchand of Arizona State each won individual events on Thursday night in the NCAA Division I men’s swimming and diving championships.
Sates gave Georgia back-to-back titles in the 500-yard freestyle. Sates set a school record with a time of 4:06.61. Fellow Bulldog Jake Magahey followed up last year’s win in the event with a second-place finish. Record holder Kieran Smith of Florida came in fourth.
Marchand became Arizona State’s first men’s individual national champion since 2000. Marchand won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:37.69 for the fastest time in NCAA history, breaking Caeleb Dressel’s record from 2018.
Brooks Curry gave LSU its first individual national title since Mark Andrew’s 1988 win. Curry finished the 50-yard freestyle in 18.56. California sophomore Bjorn Seeliger secured his second straight runner-up finish in the event.
Texas A&M’s fifth-year senior Kurtis Mathews, a first-time finalist, won the one-meter diving.
Florida claimed its second relay title this event with a school record time of 1:14.11 in the 200-yard freestyle.
Texas leads the team standings with 180 points. Florida sits in second with 159 points and Cal has 158.