A tale of two races and both finishing with Mona McSharry just short of becoming US collegiate swimming champion. Twice runner-up, two excellent swims nonetheless.
Now in her senior year at the University of Tennessee, McSharry went to the NCAA Championships as the top seed in the women’s 100 yard breaststroke, the event she’d finished runner-up in last year, only to be denied again by fifth-year senior Jasmine Nocentini, who produced the second fastest time in event history.
Staged at the University of Georgia in Athens, Nocentini took the win in 56.06 seconds, the Italian, who swims with Virginia, taking .87 off her previous best (US collegiate swimming still uses yards). McSharry closed fast, just not quite fast enough, touching home second in 56.64, moving to equal third-fastest on the NCAA all-time list. Lydia Jacoby, the Olympic champion swimming for Texas, ended up fifth.
McSharry then came out on Saturday and clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 200 breaststroke, just ahead of Alex Walsh, also from Virginia. Come the final, however, Walsh stepped up another gear, winning in 2:02.07, with McSharry again closing fast in the last 50m to take second in 2:04.07.
Flash of inspiration from Amad casts Amorim’s dropping of Rashford and Garnacho as a masterstroke
Unbreakable, a cautionary tale about the heavy toll top-level rugby can take
The top 25 women’s sporting moments of the year: top spot revealed with Katie Taylor, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kellie Harrington featuring
Irish WWE star Lyra Valkyria: ‘At its core, we’re storytellers. Everything comes down to good versus evil’
The 23-year-old Sligo swimmer was also part of the Tennessee 400 relay team which finished fifth, helping them to a fourth-place team finish overall. It was her fourth NCAA runner-up position in all during her time in Tennessee, McSharry now turning her attention to the Paris Olympics in July.
- Listen to our Inside Politics Podcast for the latest analysis and chat
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
