Pitt Men’s Swimming & Diving Caps NCAAs with More Points

Wednesday, March 24

Greensboro, N.C.

Pitt

NCAA Men's Championships

Pitt Men’s Swimming & Diving Caps NCAAs with More Points

3/27/2021 9:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Results

GREENSBORO, N.C.—The University of Pittsburgh men's swimming & diving program concluded a successful and historic weekend at the 2021 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Saturday's action was highlighted by senior sprinter Blaise Vera scoring for the Panthers for the second time at the meet, earning NCAA Honorable Mention All-America status in the 100-yard freestyle.

Vera finished 12th in the 100 Free with a final time of 42.40. He previously secured the honor of becoming an NCAA First Team All-American on Thursday as a 50-yard freestyle championship finalist.

A native of Clinton, Miss., Vera is the second Pitt men's swimmer to earn multiple All-America honors in the same season and the first since William Wright also did so in the 50 Free and 100 Free in 1928.

With Vera's five points scored on Saturday, the Pitt men's swimming & diving team leaves Greensboro with two First Team All-Americans and another Honorable Mention All-America recognition. The Panthers finished the 2021 NCAA Championships in 26th place with 28 team points.

The results ranks as Pitt's second-highest scoring NCAA meet ever, trailing only 2016 when Pitt diver Dominic Giordano won the program's only individual national championship in swimming or diving.

The 28 points were also the most ever tallied by Pitt men's swimmers at an NCAA Championships.

Here are Pitt men's swimming & diving's highest-scoring meets at the NCAA Championships:

2016: 22nd, 31.0 points
2020: 26th, 28.0 points
1997: 31st, 25.0 points
2002: 24th, 18.0 points
2017: 31st, 12.0 points

Here are all of Pitt's results from the 2021 NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships:

Blaise Vera (17 points)
50 Free: 7th, 19.17 (12 points) – First Team All-American
100 Free: 12th, 42.40 (5 points) – Honorable Mention All-American
100 Fly: 25th, 46.42

Cooper van der Laan (11 points)
100 Breast: 8th, 51.73 (11 points) – First Team All-American
200 Breast: 34th, 1:56.30

Stephen Hopta, Cooper van der Laan, Blaise Vera, Szymon Pytlarczyk
Men's 200 Medley Relay: 20th, 1:24.56

Dylan Reed
1M Diving: 27th, 283.85
3M Diving: 30th, 317.85

Wesley Ahart
Platform Diving: 39th, 231.15

Josh Parquet
1M Diving: 43rd, 222.25

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