Xu sets record in 50 back, qualifies for night session in 100

Claire Xu '22 (photo by Sportspix.com)
Claire Xu '22 (photo by Sportspix.com)

CHICAGO, Ill – Brandeis University junior Tamir Zitelny (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) set three school records and scored his first NCAA qualifying time of the season today in the preliminary rounds of the University Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Chicago today.

Zitelny earned his third career NCAA Championship 'B' cut in the 100-yard backstroke, posting a time of 49.76 seconds, shaving 0.21 seconds off of his own school record. He earned the second seed in the 'A' finals, coming in 0.15 seconds out of first place. Zitelny is about one-quarter of a second off the time that was accepted to the NCAA Championships last year. He will have a chance to get even closer to the NCAA mark later tonight.

Zitelny also qualified for the 'A' finals and set a school record in the 100-yard butterfly. He became the first Judge to break 50 seconds in the event, swimming 49.56 seconds, again lowering his own school mark, this time by half a second. He was 0.12 seconds shy of a second NCAA 'B' cut.

Zitenly opened the day for the Brandeis men with a record in the 50 back as well, leading off the 10th-place 200 medley relay team with a time of 23.57 seconds. The relay's final time was 1:35.66.

Three other Judges qualified for tonight's finals for the men

  • Sophomore Daniel Wohl (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) advanced to tonight's 'B' final in the 200-yard freestyle. His time of 1:41.89 was a season's best and put him in 12th place for the final.
  • Sophomore Richard Selznick (Last Vegas, Nev./Palos Verde) reached the finals in the 400-yard individual medley, posting a time of 4:09.02, a season-best. He placed 16th to reach the 'B' final by 0.18 seconds.
  • Rookie Alex Wang (Surrey, B.C./Southpointe Academy) was 17th to earn the top seed in the 'C' final of the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.25 seconds.

The Brandeis women also qualified their first student-athlete for the finals, as rookie Claire Xu (East Hanover, N.J./Newark Academy) finished in 19th place in the 100 back with a time of 58.64 seconds. She as about one-third of a second off her own school record. Xu did set a record in the 50 back as part of the

The Judges had several other near-misses for swimmers to advance to the evening's finals, coming within three places of the 'C' finals.

  • Senior Sabrina Greer (Greensboro, N.C. / Greensboro Day School) – 400 IM – 27th place – 4:55.48
  • Rookie Brendon Lu (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) – 400 IM - 26th place - 4:17.59
  • Lu – 100 breaststroke – 25th place – 1:01.88
  • Rookie Gazelle Umbay (North Hills, Calif./Sierra Canyon School) – 100 butterfly – 25th place – 1:00.73
  • Sophomore Audrey Kim (Livingston, N.J. / Livingston) – 100 butterfly – 27th place – 1:01.51
  • Junior Matthew Arcemont (Santa Ana, Calif. / Mater Dei) – 100 butterfly – 27th place – 52.33
  • Rookie Olivia Stebbins (Willington, Conn./Edwin O. Smith) – 100 breaststroke – 26th place – 1:10.10
  • Sophomore Emily McGovern (Chatham, N.J. / Chatham) – 100 breaststroke – 27th place – 1:11.03
  • Junior Junhan Lee (Peachtree City, Ga./Stars Mill) – 100 breaststroke – 26th place – 1:06.61