Top T&T swimmer Dylan Carter swam the third leg as the University of Southern California (USC) closed out the 2017 NCAA Division One Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship with a bronze medal in the men’s 400 yards freestyle relay on Saturday night.
Competing in the eight-team final at the event co-hosted by Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and Indiana Sports Corporation, inside the IU Natatorium the USC quartet of Santo Condorelli, Ralf Tribuntsov, Carter and Reed Malone combined for a time of two minutes, 47.33 seconds behind overall champions for a third straight year, Texas, which won in a new NCAA record mark of 2:45.39, and Florida (2:46.21).
Also in the final were California (2:48.49), Stanford (2:48.80), Arizona State University ((2:49.00), North Carolina State (2:49.09) and Indiana (2:49.53).
In the heats, USC was also third, going under the pool record of 2:48.33 with a time of 2:48.17, behind Texas (2:47.78) and Florida (2:47.90).
On Friday night, he got his first individual medal, when he was joint second in the 200 yard freestyle gold medal splash, in one minute, 31.16 seconds, the same as Indiana’s Blake Pieroni and both , behind reigning NCCA and US Open record holder, Townley Haas whose’s 1:30.65 clocking was a new pool record.
The 21-year-old Carter missed out on another medal after he placed fourth in the men’s100 yard freestyle in 41.76s in the event won by Florida’s Caeleb Dressel, (40 seconds), a new NCCA record, bettering his own record from 2016, 40.46.
Missouri’s Michael Chadwick took silver in 40.95 and Olympic champion, Ryan Held of North Carolina State, bronze in 41.21.
A six-time All-American, Carter also posted the fourth fastest time of 41.73 seconds, a new personal best to trail Dressel (41.00), Held 41.34) and Chadwick (41.58) in the morning heats.
On Thursday, the T&T swimmer was seventh in the men’s 50 yard freestyle final in 19.08 seconds, only ahead of Michigan’s Paul Powers (19.17). The winner of the event was Dressell in 18.23 seconds ahead Held (18.60) and Texas’ Joseph Schooling (18.79).
This after Carter who competed at last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was also seventh in a personal best of 19.04 followed by Powers (19.06).
Also on Thursday night, Carter, second in the 50m butterfly and third in the 50m freestyle at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games helped USC to a fourth placed in the men’s 400 medley relay finals in three minutes, 02.20 seconds.
