Indiana Wins USC Invite as Zalan Sarkany Sets Pool Record with 14:29.87 in the 1650-Yard Freestyle

By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam

USC Invite

• October 11, 2025
• Los Angeles, California
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Full Meet Results
• Team Scores:
  • Women
    • Indiana 190 — USC 162
    • Indiana 235 — UCLA 112
    • Indiana 238 — A&M 108
    • USC 245 — UCLA 107
    • USC 245 — A&M 107
    • UCLA 185 — A&M 151
  • Men
    • Indiana 257 — USC 95
    • Indiana 278 — A&M 74
    • USC 197 — A&M 155

The 2nd day of the USC Invite followed a similar pattern to the first with the Indiana Hoosiers winning most of the events as they swept all five dual meets across both sides of the meet. The highlight of the day was Indiana junior Zalan Sarkany setting a new pool record in the mile.

Men’s Recap

Zalan Sarkany, two-time NCAA Champion in the 1650, won the event at the USC Invite on Saturday in a blistering fast time of 14:29.87. Not only was this a new Uytengsu Aquatics Center Record, but it was also the top time in the country this year, though most teams have not swum a meet with the mile yet, it is also faster than anyone swam during the fall semester last season, including midseason Invites.

At the end of the 2024 calendar year, the fastest mile time in the NCAA was Rex Maurer‘s 14:30.47 from the Texas Invite. Sarkany is already faster than that, and it is only the 2nd weekend in October.

Most of the remaining men’s events followed a similar pattern of Indiana dominance with the Hoosier men winning all but one event.

They started the session with a win in the 200 medley relay with their team of Miroslav Knedla (21.13), Alexei Avakov (23.99), Owen McDonald (20.27), and Mikkel Lee (19.19) touching in 1:34.58 to come in ahead of Indiana’s ‘B’ team who swam 1:35.94

The relay swimmers continued to perform well after that event. Knedla went on to win the 200 back in 1:40.44 and Lee won the 100 free with his time of 43.31. Both were just over a second off their lifetime best times in the event.

The men’s 200 breaststroke also went to Indiana with Noah Cakir, the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke on Friday, winning the event in 1:54.19, just ahead of Texas A&M’s Roberto Bonilla Flores.

The Hoosiers finished the meet off with a win in the 400 freestyle relay. Raekwon Noel led off the ‘A’ in 43.42, and Lee swam 42.25 in the 2nd leg. Dylan Smiley swam 43.01 at 3rd and Owen McDonald brought the team home in 42.30. Notably, Miroslav Knedla led off the ‘B’ relay with a new personal best time in the 100 of 42.48.

The only event that Indiana did not win was the men’s 200 fly, which went to USC’s Krzysztof Chmielewski, who came in at 1:41.16 to win by nearly two seconds over Owen McDonald. This is the 2nd fastest time in the country this season.

Women’s Recap

The women’s meet was, again, led by Indiana freshman Liberty Clark who swam on both winning relays, and won the women’s 100 freestyle in a new personal best time and the 2nd fastest 100 freestyle time in the nation this season.

She touched in 47.39 to come in just three tenths behind Virginia’s Anna Moesch who swam 47.05 at the Virginia vs Florida meet. This was almost exactly a second faster than her preseason best of 48.48 from the Winter Junior Nationals last December. It also makes her three-for-three with lifetime best swims and wins at this meet.

Clark started the session with a win in the 200 medley relay as she anchored the team of Mya DeWitt (24.26), Jonette Lagried (28.02), and Miranda Grana (23.20) in 21.62 to touch in 1:34.58 and win the event.

She also led off the winning 400 freestyle relay in 47.42, just three hundredths off her individual swim. Macky Hodges swam 2nd in 48.12. Miranda Grana was 3rd in 48.44, and Kristina Paegle anchored in 48.20. They swam 3:12.20 to win by nearly two seconds over the USC ‘A’ team.

Miranda Grana was also on both relays, and she had a perfect meet as well. She won both her events on Friday and then won the 200 backstroke by more than four seconds, swimming 1:49.85, which is the top time in the country this season. This swim was about a second off her lifetime best of 1:48.73 from NCAAs last season.

USC won the other three individual events of the day. Justina Kozan took her 3rd individual event win in the 200 butterfly, touching in 1:54.63 to beat A&M’s Ava Whitaker‘s swim of 1:56.09. Her lifetime best in the event stands at 1:54.28 from December of 2021.

Ashley McMillan won the 200 breaststroke in 2:10.33, and she was followed by freshman teammate Bella Brito, who swam 2:11.10 for 2nd place.

Claire Tuggle won the first event of the session for the Trojans, the women’s 1650 in 16:34.79. This is also the top time in the country this season, and it marks only her 4th time swimming the event. Her best time is 16:03.08 from the Big Ten Conference Championships last February.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Zalan Sarkany Sets Pool Record With 14:29.87 In the 1650, Indiana Wins USC Invite