From University of Chicago Athletics
The 2020 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships concluded with a bang on Saturday night, as a packed crowd inside the Myers-McLoraine Pool reached a deafening roar during the final race of the weekend.
Throughout the night, the University of Chicago men's swimming and diving team was hunting Emory University in the standings. The Eagles had won 21-straight UAA team titles, and the Maroons were intent on breaking the streak.
It all came down to the final race of the four-day meet – the men's 400-yard freestyle relay, with only 8.5 points separating the two squads. With everyone on their feet and cheering, the three-minute race unfolded with plenty of drama. Ultimately, the Eagles rallied late in the race to seize first place in three minutes flat while the Maroons were runners-up in 3:00.83.
In the men's final team standings, Emory prevailed with 1,595.5 points while UChicago was a close second at 1,579 points – a difference of a mere 16.5 points.
The Maroon men made a big push throughout Saturday's final to get within striking distance. The two races where UChicago made up the most ground were the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard butterfly. The 200 back saw Byrne Litschgi win the title in 1:47.17, with teammates John Paul Phillips (1:47.21) and Keda Song (1:48.23) right on his heels in second and fourth place, respectively. Then right before the 400 free relay, the hosts captured three of the top five positions in the 200 butterfly. Jota Iwase closed strong to win in 1:48.70, George Reuter was second (1:49.28) and Justin Park was fifth (1:50.05).
Arthur Kiselnikov continued his assault on the record books by winning the 100-yard freestyle in 44.30 – a new UAA and school record. He reset that record again as the lead leg of the 400 free relay with a split of 44.29. Teammate Jonathan Mendley was runner-up in the 100 free at 45.45.
The men's one-meter dive saw all-UAA finishes by the first-year duo of Andrew Chen and Logan Sherwin. Chen placed second with 531.40 points, followed by Sherwin in third with 493.00 points.