Cardinals Win First-Ever NCAA Championship Relay Title

Friday, March 26

Greensboro, N.C.

All Day

University of Louisville

NCAA Championships (Men)

Cardinals Win First-Ever NCAA Championship Relay Title

March 26, 2021 | Swimming & Diving

Saturday Prelims Heat Sheet Friday Finals Results

Louisville’s 200 medley relay wins the national championship title.

By: Chandler Brandes

GREENSBORO, N.C. - It was a record-setting night for the University of Louisville at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Greensboro, N.C., highlighted by the Cardinals winning their first-ever national relay title.

Mitchell Whyte (20.72), Evgenii Somov (22.87), Nicolas Albiero (20.07), and Haridi Sameh Kamel (18.45) won the 200 medley relay in 1:22.11, three-tenths ahead of the field. Their time broke their own school record of 1:22.71 set at the ACC Championships last month while also lowering NC State's conference standard of 1:22.37 from 2019. It also lowered the Wolfpack's pool record of 1:22.37 from two years prior.

The win is the first national championship relay title in school history and is the ninth-straight NCAA Championships in which the Cardinals have won a title. This is also the first time in history that an ACC school has been crowned the national champion in this event.

Whyte's leadoff split of 20.72 eclipsed his own school record in the 50 backstroke. His previous mark of 20.79 was done on the Cardinals' winning medley relay at the 2021 ACC Championships.

Albiero set the pace for a record-setting night by earning silver in the 100 butterfly. His time of 44.32 lowered his own school record of 44.67 from the ACCs last month and tied the conference standard Virginia Tech's Youssef Ramadan set at this year's conference meet.

His national runner-up performance marks the highest individual NCAA finish for the Cardinal men since Joao De Lucca swept the 100/200 freestyle in 2014. The championship final was also the fastest of all-time in the event, as all eight swimmers posted a time under 45 seconds.

Albiero's time of 44.32 also moved up to the sixth-fastest performance in history.

Somov finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke, getting his hands to the wall in 51.17. He was just off his own school record of 51.03 from the ACC Championships in February.

After placing seventh in both 2018 and 2019, Somov's fourth-place showing is his highest NCAA finish in the event and is the third time he has earned individual All-American honors in his career.

Shortly after his record-breaking swim, Albiero was back in the water to take fifth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 44.86. This also marked his highest-ever finish in the event at the NCAA Championships, and his podium finish is his fifth individual All-American accolade.

Four additional Cardinals raced during prelims, including Dalton Lowe (46.18) in the 100 butterfly and Colton Paulson (1:34.25) in the 200 freestyle. Mitchell Whyte (46.27), Nikos Sofianidis (46.43), and Lowe (47.62) competed in the 100 backstroke.

The final day of competition tomorrow will feature the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and platform diving, as well as the 400 freestyle relay. Prelims will begin at 10 a.m. with finals starting at 6 p.m.

How to Watch:
Saturday, March 27 - Prelims - Watch on WatchESPN
Saturday, March 27 - Finals - Watch on WatchESPN
Saturday, March 27 - Trophy Ceremony - Watch on WatchESPN

Top 10 Team Scores After Day 3: