Men’s swimmers leave competitors in their wakes at NC State

Saturday, October 14

Raleigh, NC

9:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

NC State University

Liberty swimmers (in blue caps) take off from the starting blocks against competitors from around the region in their CCS opener over the weekend at North Carolina State University. (Photos by Kate Foelsch)

Men’s swimmers leave competitors in their wakes at NC State

10/16/2023 6:25:00 PM | Men's Swimming

The Flames will look to carry the momentum into the Nov. 11-12 Eastern Regional Championships at the Liberty Natatorium.

Despite not entering any women's competitors, Liberty University's men's swim team was the overall champion in Saturday's and Sunday's Raleighwood Invitational, a College Club Swimming (CCS) meet hosted by North Carolina State at its Casey Aquatic Center in Raleigh, N.C.

The Flames accumulated 461 points — more than three times more than any other program — to dominate the men's standings. They were followed by Georgia Tech (152), host NC State (107), Virginia (82), Auburn (55.5), UNC Charlotte (19), Coastal Carolina (8), VCU (6), Georgia Southern (3), William & Mary (2), and Radford (1.5).
Combined, Liberty's point total was enough to eclipse the men's and women's teams from the host Wolfpack (370), Virginia (269), Georgia Tech (222), UNC Charlotte (142), and Coastal Carolina (109), and the rest of the pack.

Liberty-butterfly-swimmer-NC-State

Liberty's men's swimmers, including Max Phillipps, dominated several events.

"We did well and had a good group of showings for the guys," Flames Head Coach Heath Grishaw said, noting that the field was stronger this year with Georgia Tech and Virginia competing. "There were a good group of guys, and our men swam well against everyone."

Liberty posted first-place finishes in 13 out of 20 events and swept the top three or more spots in multiple races. That included a remarkable 1-10 sweep in the 500-yard freestyle, led by freshman Thomas Hill (4:52.17) and followed by sophomore Whittman Brown (4:56.60), freshman Carter Rice (4:57.27), freshman Byron Long (5:02.73), and junior Jonah Rhodenizer (5:04.00) as well as a first-through-fifth-place performance in the 200 backstroke, paced by freshmen Grant Shimer (2:04.86) and Thomas Grabinski (2:09.33) and sophomores Jeffrey Serle (2:11.26) and Benjamin Bizeau (2:11.90).

It also featured first-through-fourth-place finishes in the 200 individual medley, sparked by Rhodenizer (2:01.63), Brown (2:02.39), Hill (2:04.39), and Long (2:04.85); the 100 freestyle, led by sophomores Max Phillipps (47.55), Brown (48.29), and Jimmy Blackstone (48.73), and junior Trent Kolter (49.80); the 200 breast stroke, paced by sophomore Dillon Delaney (2:17.97), Long (2:22.01), junior Tyler Suchyj (2:22.20), and freshman Trevor Urbanic (2:24.12).

Hill (10:15.13), Rice (10:17.80), and Long (10:27.75) finished 1-2-3 in the 1,000 free. Liberty also had 1-2 showings in the 200 free relay, with the first-place team of Brown, Delaney, Kolter, and Phillipps touching the wall in 1:28.43, ahead of teammates Connor Woods, a freshman, Rhodenizer, sophomore Malick Ibela, and Kierro Stubbs (second in 1:29.80); the 200 free behind Brown (1:45.24) and Phillipps (1:48.37); and the 50 breaststroke from Delaney (26.65) and Suchyj (29.00).

Liberty's 400 free relay team of Kolter, Delaney, Brown, and Phillipps won by nearly five seconds in 3:14.63. Hill led a 1-3-4-5 Flames finish in the 400 IM in 4:21.15, followed by Long (4:28.30).
Rhodenizer (1:59.97) and freshman Aiden Walter (2:00.51) placed first and third, respectively, in the 100 butterfly and Kolter won the 100 backstroke in 25.81 followed by Woods in third in 26.16.

Swimmer-Malick-Ibela-turns

Liberty sophomore Malick Ibela comes up for air during a turn at NC State.

Delaney also came in second in the 100 IM in 54.67 and third in the 100 breast in 1:01.45. Phillipps placed third in an extremely tight 50 free finish in 22.06. Rhodenizer finished third in the 50 fly in 23.90.

In the meet-opening race, Liberty's 200 medley relay team of Kolter, Delaney, Blackstone, and Phillipps finished second behind Georgia Tech in 1:38.03.

Complete results are available online.

"Times-wise, our 200 (yards races) and above were really great swims," Grishaw said. "Our 50s and 100s lacked a little bit on the speed side of things. We're getting into that speed training now and will see that when we get into our Eastern Regional Meet."

The three-time-defending champion Flames will host that competition for the second time in three years at the Liberty Natatorium on Nov. 11-12, the same weekend the South, Midwest, and West meets will be contested.

Grishaw expects Virginia to be the biggest challenger in that field, though NC State and Ohio State may also compete in Lynchburg, Va., rather than at their South and Midwest Region meets, due to Liberty's closer proximity and having a faster pool. However, those programs' points will not count toward the team standings since they are not in the region.

The Flames have three-plus weeks to prepare for regionals and Grishaw expects to see many national qualifying times in the last meet of the semester.

"That will be a suited meet (with buoyant suits allowed) and it will have both preliminary heats and finals and our guys will be tapered for it, so it gives our guys the best opportunity to swim their fastest races," Grishaw said.

He said the swimmers developed great camaraderie over the Fall Break weekend, their first road trip of the year, even going to a high ropes course before Saturday's races.

"We wanted to do a fun team bonding trip so went to Tree Runner, which has a ropes course adventure, and it was cool to watch our guys participate in that," Grishaw said. "It was a really good way to build team culture on our first travel meet off campus. Outside of practices and meets, the team has done a really good job this year of getting to know each other, and they have gotten very close, very fast."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer