The pressure is on! Day three prelims at the 2025 Minnesota Invite could make or break these athletes' chances at NCAA glory. Let's dive into the morning's action and see who's setting themselves up for a shot at the podium tonight.
2025 Minnesota Invite: Day 3 Prelims – Live Recap
Event Details:
- Dates: December 4-6, 2025
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota – Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
- Course: SCY (Short Course Yards – 25 yards)
- Meet Central: Minnesota Invite Official Page – This is your go-to for all official meet info!
- Psych Sheets: Dive into the Psych Sheets – See who's seeded where and analyze the competition.
- Live Results: Track the Action Live – Get real-time results as the races unfold.
- Live Stream: Watch the Races on YouTube – Don't miss a single stroke!
- Live Recaps: Stay tuned right here for up-to-the-minute analysis.
Catch Up On Previous Days:
Today's Event Schedule:
- Women’s 200 Backstroke
- Men’s 200 Backstroke
- Women’s 100 Freestyle
- Men’s 100 Freestyle
- Women’s 200 Breaststroke
- Men’s 200 Breaststroke
- Women’s 200 Butterfly
- Men’s 200 Butterfly
Day three prelims are underway, featuring heats in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly for both men and women. Let's break down who to watch and how they performed this morning!
Leading the charge this morning are Cal's Teagan O'Dell and Keaton Jones, seeded first in the women's and men's 200 backstroke, respectively. Can they hold onto their top spots and set themselves up for a dominant performance in the finals?
O'Dell entered the 200 backstroke seeded a whopping four seconds ahead of her Cal teammate, Ella Cosgrove. Her seed time of 1:51.83, achieved in late October, currently ranks her 10th nationally. She's aiming for her third victory of the meet tonight, and a strong prelims swim is crucial. But here's where it gets controversial... can she handle the pressure of being the frontrunner, or will someone else rise to the occasion?
Jones, an Olympic finalist in the 200 backstroke at the 2024 Games, came in with a seed time of 1:40.40, placing him outside the top ten nationally. However, after winning the 200 freestyle in 1:33.62 on day two and improving his season-best, he's looking primed to crush it today. It's all about momentum in swimming!
Cal freshman Mia West leads the pack in the women's 100 freestyle. Claire Weinstein is seeded third, also representing Cal. Nans Mazellier, another Cal Bear, holds the top seed in the men's 100 freestyle. It seems like Cal is dominating the freestyle events!
The women's and men's 200 breaststroke feature Cal swimmers Silje Slyngstadli and Yamato Okadome as the top seeds, respectively. Lilou Ressencourt, another Cal Bear (sensing a theme here?), is the top seed in the women's 200 butterfly. Minnesota's own Jacob Johnson leads the field in the men's 200 butterfly, giving the home crowd something to cheer about!
Prelims Results Breakdown:
Women’s 200 Backstroke
- NCAA Record: 1:46.82, Claire Curzan (UVA) – 2025
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:54.80
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:53.31
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Teagan O’Dell (CAL), 1:54.77
- Ella Cosgrove (CAL), 1:56.42
- Finley Anderson (CAL), 1:56.43
- Anya Mostek (HARV), 1:56.83
- Kiley Wilhelm (HARV), 1:57.25
- Mire Keller (MINN), 1:58.07
- Grace Wharton (UNLV), 1:58.15
- Angelica Bath (RU), 1:58.62
Teagan O’Dell secured the top spot, clocking in at 1:54.77, leading a 1-2 Cal freshman finish and earning a spot in tonight's 'A' final. While this time is three seconds slower than her season-best of 1:51.83 from late October, she's demonstrated the ability to close the gap in finals. She's already challenged her season-bests in the 200 and 400 IM finals, winning both. Will she continue her winning streak?
Ella Cosgrove followed closely behind, touching the wall in 1:56.42 to advance as the second-overall qualifier. This time was less than half a second off her personal best of 1:55.99, set in late October. She's clearly in top form and ready to contend for the win tonight.
Finley Anderson completed the Cal sweep of the top three, finishing in 1:56.43, her fastest time in the event this season. Anderson barely edged out Anya Mostek of Harvard, who also posted her fastest time of the season in 1:56.83. The depth of Cal's backstroke squad is truly impressive!
Men’s 200 Backstroke
- NCAA Record: 1:34.21, Hubi Kos (TEX) – 2025
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:42.14
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:40.13
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Keaton Jones (CAL), 1:40.76
- Casper Puggaard (CAL), 1:41.58
- Adriano Arioti (HARV), 1:44.42
- Tommy Roder (CAL), 1:44.70
- Alberto Hernandez Garcia (MINN), 1:45.22
- Humberto Najera (CAL), 1:45.38
- Ryan Slonac (MINN), 1:45.57
- Ian Steffen (MINN), 1:45.59
Keaton Jones and Casper Puggaard delivered a 1-2 punch for Cal, finishing more than three seconds ahead of the rest of the field and securing 2026 NCAA Championship qualifying times. They're setting a high bar for the rest of the competition.
Jones clocked in at 1:40.76, just four-tenths of a second shy of his season-best and two-and-a-half seconds off his lifetime best. If he can replicate the prelims-to-finals improvement he showed in his 200 freestyle victory earlier in the meet, he's poised to challenge his season-best tonight. What do you think, can he drop the time?
Puggaard, a Cal freshman, swam the fastest 200-yard backstroke of his young college career, earning the second-place seed for finals. His time of 1:41.58 improved upon his previous best of 1:42.38, swum against Stanford and Arizona State earlier this season. He's showing remarkable progress and could be a dark horse in the finals. And this is the part most people miss... the pressure of finals can either make or break a freshman. Will he rise to the occasion, or will the veterans take over?
Sophomore Adriano Arioti from Harvard secured the third-place seed with a time of 1:44.42. Two other Cal swimmers, Tommy Roder (1:44.70, 4th) and Humberto Najera (1:45.38, 6th), also made it into the top eight, further solidifying Cal's dominance in this event.
Women’s 100 Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 44.71, Gretchen Walsh (UVA) – 2025
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 48.60
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 48.11
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (CAL), 48.10
- Claire Weinstein (CAL), 48.69
- Mia West (CAL), 48.79
- Erika Carlson (UNLV), 49.12
- Mina Kaljevic (MINN), 49.21
- Anna Vlachou (RU), 49,35
- Sydney Griscavage (CAL), 49.35
- Morgan Thomas (MINN), 49.46
Men’s 100 Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 38.83, Jordan Crooks (TEN) – 2025
- NCAA Qualifying Time: 42.55
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 41.95
Top 8 Qualifiers:
(Results Pending)
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
- NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (UVA) – 2023
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 2:11.27
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 2:09.58
Top 8 Qualifiers:
(Results Pending)
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
- NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:54.95
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:52.89
Top 8 Qualifiers:
(Results Pending)
Women’s 200 Butterfly
- NCAA Record: 1:49.11, Emma Sticklen (TEX) – 2025
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:57.11
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:55.82
Top 8 Qualifiers:
(Results Pending)
Men’s 200 Butterfly
- NCAA Record: 1:36.41, Luca Urlando (UGA) – 2025
- 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:43.79
- 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:41.45
Top 8 Qualifiers:
(Results Pending)
In This Story:
- Claire Curzan
- Emma Sticklen
- Gretchen Walsh
- Jordan Crooks
- Kate Douglass
- Keaton Jones
- Leon Marchand
- Luca Urlando
Final Thoughts:
Cal is looking incredibly strong across multiple events. Will they continue their dominance through the finals? Are there any dark horses lurking, ready to upset the established order? And, perhaps the most controversial question of all: Is Cal's success due to superior training, exceptional recruiting, or simply a bit of luck? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below! We want to know who you think will take home the gold!
