Swimmers break two records on first day of NCAA Division I men’s swimming championships

Written by Dexter Manglicmot on

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University of Texas Longhorns fans display their “Hook Em Horns” hands, a long-standing symbol of “Texas pride” for not only did the university host this year’s 2019 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships but also won first place in the 800-yard freestyle relay on day one of the competition. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service.

AUSTIN, Texas (Eagle News) – Defending National Champions and host Texas Longhorns started Day 1 of the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships on a record-breaking high at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.

Olympic champion Townley Haas led the Longhorns to record the fastest 800-yard freestyle relay in NCAA history with a finishing time of 6:05, which is also a new American record. Fans rallied behind their host team, displaying the “Hook Em Horns” hands, a symbol of the school’s pride.

Later in the competition, another record was broken when Harvard Crimson Tide swimmer Dean Farris smashed Haas’ 200-yard freestyle leg record with a lead-off time of 1:29:15 during the second heat of the 800-yard freestyle relay.

The competition is a four-day event that runs from March 27-30 and features 235 swimmers and 35 divers.

Dean Farris of Harvard fields questions from reporters about his record-breaking swim in the 200-yard open at the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Swimming and Diving Competition. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service.
Dean Harris of Harvard swimming in lane five wins the heap and breaks the world record for the fastest 200-yard freestyle relay in the U.S. and NCAA. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service.
Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service.
Townley Hass in lane two breaks the record for fastest 800-yard freestyle relay in the history of the NCAA. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service.

(Jane Kathleen Gregorio, EBC Texas Bureau, Eagle News Service)