Cardinals Post Record Finish at NCAA Championships

Saturday, March 30

Austin, Texas

All Day

University of Louisville

Men's NCAA Championships

Cardinals finish fifth at the NCAA Championships.

March 30, 2019 | Swimming & Diving

Complete Results

Louisville finished fifth in the team standings, surpassing the program's previous highest finish of ninth place.

By: Kylie Klotzbach

AUSTIN, Texas – History was made on the final night of the NCAA Championships as the University of Louisville men's swimming and diving team capped off a highly successful week with a program-record fifth place finish on Saturday evening at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The Cardinals' 212 points were also the most scored by a Louisville team at an NCAA Championships.

Following the Louisville women's fourth place finish at last week's NCAA Championships, the Cardinals become the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish among the top-five in the team standings at NCAAs in the same year.

Prior to this year's NCAA Championships, the Louisville men's top finish occurred in both 2018 and 2012 when the Cardinals placed ninth overall.

"I'm somewhat speechless, which is not normal for me," said UofL head coach Arthur Albiero. "What we've been able to achieve over the last two weeks is nothing short of remarkable. We've come so far as a program, men and women, to have the women be fourth and the men battle to be fifth is a great honor. I'm so grateful to all the people who have come before us, all the athletes that put a lot of work into this, and the support of the administration. A lot of people put a lot of work into helping us get here, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this organization."

In total, seven Cardinals earned individual All-American honors in a combined 10 events and in all five relays. Louisville also wraps up a historic weekend with seven new program records.

Highlighting tonight's finals was Nicolas Albiero, who finished fourth overall in the 200 fly in a school record time of 1:40.08. Albiero's fourth place showing marks the Cards' best finish in program history in the event and was the top finish for Louisville on the weekend.

Senior Marcelo Acosta closed out his collegiate career with a sixth place finish in the 1650 free in a time of 14:38.92, marking the second consecutive year he has earned All-American honors in the event.

Freshman Mitchell Whyte picked up the first Honorable Mention All-American honors of his career, finishing third in his heat and 11th overall in the 200 back. His time of 1:40.28 was a personal best and ranks second all-time in UofL history.

Sophomore Evgenii Somov finished 14th in the 200 breast with a time of 1:53.59, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors in the event for the first time in his career.

Albiero (42.89), Andrej Barna (42.27), Colton Paulson (43.25) and Zach Harting (41.80) wrapped up the final event of the NCAA Championships with a sixth place finish in the 400 free relay, stopping the clock in a time of 2:50.21.

NCAA Championships Notables

As a team, the Cardinals recorded their highest finish in program history, placing fifth with 212 points, also the most points scored at an NCAA Championships in UofL history.
- The previous top finish was ninth, which occurred in both 2018 and 2012. The highest tally of points scored was in 2016 when the Cards finished 11th with 164.5 points.
- The Cards' record fifth place finish comes just one week after the Louisville women made history with a fourth place finish, earning the program's first-ever team trophy.
Louisville becomes the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season.
The Cardinals join an elite list of programs (Arizona, Auburn, California, Florida, Georgia, Southern California, Stanford and Texas) to have both the men's and women's teams finish in the top five in the same year over the past 20 seasons.
The Cardinals broke a total of seven records at the NCAA Championships.
- Nicolas Albiero – 100 fly (45.14), 200 fly (1:40.08)
- Evgenii Somov – 100 breast (51.77)
- Daniel Sos – 200 IM (1:43.39)
- Andrej Barna, Mihalis Deliyiannis, Albiero, Tanner Cummings – 200 free relay (1:16.34)
- Albiero, Zach Harting, Bartosz Piszczorowicz, Colton Paulson – 800 free relay (6:11.36)
- Albiero, Somov, Harting, Barna – 400 medley relay (3:03.01)
Seven Cardinals earned individual All-American honors in a combined 10 events.
- Marcelo Acosta (1650 free)
- Albiero (100 back, 200 fly, HM 100 fly)
- Barna (HM 50 free)
- Harting (200 free)
- Somov (100 breast, HM 200 breast)
- Sos (HM 400 IM)
- Whyte (HM 200 back)
The Cardinals had four individuals compete in an A final, which ties the most A final swims in school history (2012, 2016).
Louisville qualified four relays to the A final for the first time in program history.
Albiero recorded the Cards' top finish of the meet with a fourth place showing in the 200 fly. The sophomore's finish was also the highest for the Cards in the event in program history.
Albiero also came from behind on the final 25 yards to win the 100 fly B final in a school record time of 45.14. The sophomore's ninth place finish was the best in the event in program history.
Somov broke the oldest record in the books in the 100 breast (51.77), surpassing Carlos Almeida's mark (51.78) from the 2012 NCAA Championships by just .01.
The 200 medley relay team of Whyte, Somov, Harting and Barna placed fifth overall, marking the fifth straight year the Cards have earned All-American honors in the event.