GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UC Santa Cruz men's swim and dive team open the NCAA Division III Swim and Dive Championships with a stellar performance out of
Kyle Reitan in the 50 freestyle along with a strong showing from
Andrew Koika as well. In the evening session,
Kyle Reitan swam his way into the history books, becoming an All-American following a sixth place finish out of lane eight. Reitan's All-American honor is UC Santa Cruz's first swim and dive All-American honor since the 2016-17 season.
Prelims
Racing out of heat four,
Andrew Koika and
Kyle Reitan got set on the blocks, both seeded outside the top 25 in the 50 free. Reitan turned heads at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, winning the heat out of lane six, dropping .40 seconds off his seed time, going from the 28th overall seed to the 8th seed after touching the wall in 19.95 seconds to earn him a spot in the 50 Freestyle Championship Final. Notably, Reitan only made an appearance in this event as a bonus event, swimming a B cut earlier this season but qualifying in a relay, allowing him to swim in the 50 free.
Andrew Koika also improved upon his seed time, dropping .02 seconds to finish in 22nd with a 20.27s.
Finals
Kyle Reitan was the lone Banana Slug swimming in the evening session but did so in style as the sophomore took the stage in his NCAA Championships debut in the Championship Final of the Men's 50 Freestyle. After entering the week as the 28th seed in the event, Reitan got set in lane eight as the 8th seed and stormed down the lane, matching his morning time of 19.95s to take sixth place overall. Reitan's time is also a program record and marks the program's first All-American honor since the 2016-17 season.
