2025 Eddie Reese Showdown: Session 3 (Saturday Morning Live Recap)

By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam

2025 EDDIE REESE SHOWDOWN

• • January 24-25, 2025
  • Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center — Austin, Texas
  • 25 Yards (SCY)
  • Meet Info
  • Live Results, also available on MeetMobile as “Eddie Reese Texas Showdown”
  • Friday Morning Live Recap | Friday Night Live Recap

Note: due to logistical complications regarding two teams, Saturday morning’s start time has been delayed to 10:30am CST.

The inaugural Eddie Reese Showdown, a battle between four of the top programs in the NCAA, has been as exciting as promised. Last night, over 2,300 fans packed into the Texas Swimming Center for the Texas band, Bevo XV, and some great swimming, including a new American Record in the 400 medley relay.

The action continues this morning with the typical Day 4 events from the NCAA Championships format: 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 1650 free, and the 400 free relay.

Unfortunately, there’s no livestream this morning, but we’ll be providing a live recap as results roll in, and our own Coleman Hodges is on deck to grab race videos and interview swimmers throughout the session. The scoring is a little funky, with each session and the overall meet being scored differently, but according to the live results page, here are the combined team scores so far:

1. Texas – 715
2. Arizona State – 620.5
3. Virginia – 583.5
4. NC State – 556

Women’s 200 Back

• NCAA Record: 1:46.87, Claire Curzan (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50

Top 8:

1. Claire Curzan (UVA) – 1:49.97
2. Leah Shackley (NC State) – 1:50.88
3. Katie Grimes (UVA) – 1:51.55
4. Kennedy Noble (NC State) – 1:51.86
5. Lillie Nesty (Texsa) – 1:54.10
6. Cambell Stoll (Texas) – 1:54.37
7. Jordan Greber (ASU) – 1:57.46
8. Charli Brown (ASU) – 1:57.53

NC State’s Leah Shackley narrowly led after the first 50, but NCAA Record-holder Claire Curzan moved past her on the next lap and maintained the lead to touch in 1:49.97. That’s three seconds off of her all-time mark of 1:46.87 from a few months, but was still more than enough to win comfortably.

Shackley took 2nd in 1:50.88. However, teammateErika Pelaez won the B-final with a time of 1:50.81, which would’ve put her 2nd in the A-final. Shackley ranks 5th in the country this season with a 1:49.71, while Pelaez ranks 9th with a 1:50.64.

Men’s 200 Back

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37, Destin Lasco (Cal) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80

Top 8:

1. Hubert Kos (Texas) – 1:38.91
2. Oleksandr Zheltiakov (NC State) – 1:40.66
3. David King (UVA) – 1:41.28
4. Will Modglin (Texas) – 1:41.80
5. Jack Wadsworth (ASU) – 1:43.58
6. Jack Aikins (UVA) – 1:43.63
7. Kyle Ponsler (NC State) – 1:44.64
8. Lucien Vergnes (ASU) – 1:44.7

Texas’ Hubert Kos took the win by the better part of two seconds. Oleksandr Zheltiakov made something of a surprise debut for NC State, and took 2nd with a 1:40.66. A Ukrainian national, Zheltiakov won gold in the 200 back at last year’s European Championships and was the Male Swimmer of the Championships at the 2023 World Junior Championships.

Longhorn freshman Kyle Peck continues his strong meet with a 1:39.36 to win the B-final. Teammate Rex Maurer took 2nd in the B-final with a 1:40.59. Both Longhorns were faster than the 2nd place time in the A-final.

Women’s 100 Free

• NCAA Record: 44.83, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10

Top 8:

1. Gretchen Walsh (UVA) – 45.68
2. Anna Moesch (UVA) – 47.63
3. Caroline Bentz (ASU) – 48.27
4. Olivia Nel (NC State) – 48.45
5. Grace Cooper (Texas) – 48.47
6. Lily Christianson (NC State) – 48.63
7. Ava Longi (Texas) – 49.07
8. Erin Milligan (ASU) – 49.33

Gretchen Walsh continues to throw down improbably fast times seemingly whenever she wants. Her winning time of 45.68 is the #6 performance ever, and appears to be the fastest in-season time ever. It also broke the pool record of 46.26 set by Mallory Comerford back in 2019.

Teammate Anna Moesch took 2nd in 47.63, a little less than a second shy of her personal best of 46.76. ASU’s Caroline Bentz touched 3rd in the A-final with a 48.27, just off her best of 48.16. But once again, we had some fast swims in the B-final as well : Texas’ Erin Gemmell won the heat with a 48.22, while UVA’s Maxine Parker took 2nd in 48.27.

Men’s 100 Free

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34

Top 8:

1. Jonny Kulow (ASU) – 41.11
2. Chris Guiliano (Texas) – 41.72
3. Kaii Winkler (NC State) – 42.09
4. Patrick Sammon (ASU) 42.10
5. Jerry Fox (NC State) – 42.57
6. Luke Hobson (Texas) – 42.72
7. Sebastien Sergile (UVA) – 43.50
8. Connor Boyle (UVA) – 43.68

ASU’s Jonny Kulow followed up his 40.4 anchor leg from last night with a 41.11 performance this morning. Kulow and Texas transfer Chris Guiliano were the only two men to hit the halfway point in under 20 seconds, but Kulow extended his lead on the back half, as Guiliano touched in 41.72.

Kulow currently ranks 3rd in the nation with a 40.97 from midseason, while Guiliano moves up to 8th.

Women’s 200 Breast

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73

Top 8:

1. Emma Weber (UVA) – 2:06.97
2. Piper Enge (Texas) – 2:07.90
3. Lisa Nystrand (NC State) – 2:08.42
4. Aimee Canny (UVA) – 2:08.77
5. Abby Arens (Texas) – 2:08.88
6. Emma Gehlert (ASU) – 2:10.96
7. Zoe Summar (ASU) – 2:11.71
8. Aubree Brouwer (NC State) – 2:12.15

US Olympian Emma Weber of UVA went under 2:07 for the first time in her career en route to the win. Weber was tied for 3rd at the halfway point, but put together a pair of sub-33 splits over the last two laps to surge ahead and take the win. That time moves her to $3 in the nation this season.

Texas’ Piper Enge was one of the swimmers who got passed by Weber on the back half, but she still had a strong swim, clocking a 2:07.90 that marks her first time under 2:08. Likewise, NC State’s Lisa Nystrand knocked half a second off of her lifetime best wth a 2:08.42 for 3rd.

Men’s 200 Breast

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65

Top 8:

1. Andy Dobrzanski (ASU) – 1:53.11
2. Will Scholtz (Texas) – 1:53.42
3. Nate Germonprez (Texas) – 1:54.49
4. Cale Martter (ASU) – 1:56.65
5. Arsen Kozhakhmetov (NC State) – 1:56.80
6. Will Heck (NC State) – 1:59.16
7. Matthew Heilman (UVA) – 1:59.73
8. Matt Styczen (UVA) – 2:01.94

ASU’s Andy Dobrzanski tailed Longhorns Will Scholtz and Nate Germonprez with a lap to go, but the Sun Devil split a 29.12 to Scholt’z 29.60 and Germonprez’s 30.65 on the final lap, getting his hands on the wall first with a 1:53.11. That’s a season-best time for Dobrzanski and just a bit off of his lifetime best of 1:52.98.

Scholtz and Germonprez touched in 1:53.42 and 1:54.49, respectively. They rank 8th and 13th nationally this season with their times from midseason.

Women’s 200 Fly

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16, Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.47

Top 8:

1. Emma Sticklen (Texas) – 1:49.87
2. Alex Walsh (UVA) – 1:52.11
3. Olivia Bray (Texas) – 1:53.70