Profiles in Excellence: The 2013 14 College Swimming & Diving Honors
Best Race of the 2014 Season DI NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships; 200 Free. "Missy Franklin
obliterates NCAA record (1:40.31) to earn first individual NCAA title.” Every year in college swimming, the NCAA Championships are the pinnacle of the season. Day in, day out, teams train relentlessly to make the meet and, for that one moment of swimming glory, to put their stamp on the season. Each swimmer strives to leave a mark in his or her own way, yet many times those swims that were trained for so tirelessly go unrecognized. Then, undoubtedly, there is that one swim that everyone seems to recognize and which becomes the most memorable swim of the entire year. At the 2014 Women’s NCAA Championships, that swim was Missy Franklin’s 200 free. It is the Best Race of the Year.
NDJunior smashes own conference record in 200 breaststroke finals.
Emma Reaney, ND ACC 200 Breaststroke
Now, Missy Franklin is no stranger to big-time swims. She has been a household name in the sport for the better part of the past five years. Terri McKeever also has a history of coaching her athletes to eye-popping results. So it makes perfect sense that when these two forces came together, it was only a matter of time before we would all be scratching our heads in amazement. The 200 free at the NCAA Championships can be summed up in one word— over. The race was over from the start. After the first 50, Missy was nearly a second ahead of the second-place
Bogdanovski splits a 48.48 on anchor leg to come from behind to secure win
Ana Bogdanovski, JHU NCAA 400 Medley Relay Page 41
The 200 free at the NCAA Championships can be summed up in one word— over. The race was over from the start. After the first 50, Missy was nearly a second ahead of the second-place split with a 23.49, then increased her lead to a full 1.38 seconds by the halfway point of the race with a 100 split of 48.71. By the 150-yard mark and with more than a two-second lead, the race was over, and the only thing Missy had left to do was finish for the win. But why just win when you can make history? With a final 50 split of 25.78, Missy shattered the NCAA, American, and U.S.
Georgia distance ace closes the race to set a NCAA record.
Brittany MacLean, UGA
NCAA 500 Freestyle