AUSTIN, Texas, November 30. THE American record book took a pair of hits tonight as Tucson-based Matt Grevers and Kevin Cordes both posted national records at the U.S. Winter Short Course Nationals. Meanwhile, plenty of other meet records took a tumble, and Missy Franklin also pulled off a double gold night.
Women's 200 medley relay
Arizona's Lauren Smart (24.57), Ellyn Baumgardner (26.79), Megan Lafferty (23.67) and Margo Geer (21.43) put on a show in the sprint medley relay with a meet-record time of 1:36.46. That performance cleared the meet record of 1:3679 set by California back in 2010. USC's Joan Christel Simms (25.09), Kasey Carlson (26.73), Kendyl Stewart (23.14) and Katarzyna Wilk (22.45) turned in a second-place time of 1:37.41 as both teams turned in NCAA A cuts, beating the automatic standard of 1:38.42.
Texas just missed the A cut as Sarah Denninghoff (25.10), Laura Sogar (27.23), Skylar Smith (24.00) and Ellen Lobb (22.34) took third in 1:38.67. Arizona B (1:39.43), USC B (1:40.56), UCLA (1:40.74), Indiana (1:40.82) and West Virginia (1:41.75) also competed in the championship finale.
Men's 200 medley relay
Arizona has been so dominant in relays this week, not only did its A team beat the meet record, its B team took second in the men's sprint medley. Mitchell Friedemann (21.37), Kevin Cordes (23.77), Giles Smith (20.22) and Nicholas Popov (19.48) won the finale in 1:24.84, bettering the meet mark of 1:25.12 set by SwimMAC in 2010. Additionally, Michael Sheppard (22.18), Carl Mickelson (23.64), Ellis Miller (20.94) and Jeffrey Amlee (19.82) took second for the Wildcats in 1:26.58, nearly giving Arizona a pair of NCAA A cuts (1:26.38). The fastest time is all that matters, but that's impressive.
USC's Luca Spinazzola (21.75), Sergio Lujan-Rivera (24.31), Chase Bloch (21.08) and John Wagner (19.63) took third in 1:26.77. Texas (1:27.53), USC B (1:28.44), Indiana (1:29.53), NYAC (1:30.08) and NCAP (1:31.41) rounded out the top eight.
Women's 400 IM
USC's Stina Gardell smashed the field in the distance medley finale with a scintillating time of 4:03.79. That performance far surpassed the NCAA A cut of 4:05.98 to lock down Gardell for this event at NCAAs. Her time also clipped her lifetime best of 4:03.89 from the 2011 USC vs. UCLA dual meet, but did not move her out of 15th all time as Ava Ohlgren still owns 14th with a 4:03.70 from the 2009 SEC Championships.
Pleasanton's Celina Li, who clinched the 200 IM title last night, cruised to second this evening in 4:07.95, a second off her best of 4:06.94 from 2011 sectionals. USC's Haley Anderson (4:08.60) and Jessica Schmitt (4:09.50) earned third and fourth.
Texas' Kaitlin Pawlowicz picked up fifth-place honors in 4:09.98, while USC's Andrea Kropp (4:12.21), Indiana's Dorina Szekeres (4:12.95) and UCLA's Anna Senko (4:14.60) also vied for the national title. Arizona's Shannyn Hultin put on a show in the B final with a winning time of 4:11.80 that would have put her sixth overall in the championship heat.
Men's 400 IM
NBAC's Chase Kalisz overtook Tucson Ford's Austen Thompson with a monster final 100 en route to a 3:43.06 to 3:44.60 victory. That swim cracked his previous lifetime best of 3:45.51 set during prelims, and is under the NCAA A cut of 3:43.88. However, with Kalisz still working on his academic eligibility, he will have to replicate the swim next semester for Georgia to guarantee a spot at NCAAs. Thompson has been much faster with an eighth-ranked 3:39.37 from the 2011 Texas Invitational.
Olympic legend Michael Phelps, a former NBAC teammate of Kalisz's before retiring after the 2012 London Olympics, even showed he's paying attention with a congratulatory tweet.
Congrats to @chasekalisz !!! Nice 4im kid!!!
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) December 1, 2012
Trojan's Alexander Tikhonov took third in 3:45.32, while Dynamo's Gunnar Bentz beat NCAP's Andrew Seliskar for fourth, 3:45.81 to 3:46.13. Matt Thompson (3:47.87), Max Williamson (3:49.30) and Tucson Ford's Samuel Rowan (3:50.71) rounded out the A final. Michael McBroom of Texas topped the B final in 3:49.13.
Women's 100 fly
After turning in a 52.13 during prelims, Tucson Ford's Christine Magnuson touched out USC's Kendyl Stewart in the finale, 51.86 to 51.89. Magnuson has been faster with a fifth-ranked 50.70 at the 2008 NCAA Championships while swimming for Tennessee. Stewart, however, cleared 52 seconds for the first time bettering her 52.43 from her 2010 high school championship meet. She also punched her ticket in the event to NCAAs by besting the A cut of 52.11. Longhorn's Kathleen Hersey completed the top three with a swift 52.04.
NCAP's Janet Hu downed Stewart's 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record of 52.43 from 2010 with a 52.40 to place fourth. USC's Jasmine Tosky touched fifth in 52.42, while Arizona's Lauren Smart placed sixth in 52.49. Texas' Kelsey Amundsen (52.93) and Arizona's Megan Lafferty (52.96) also swam in the A final. Texas' Ellen Lobb earned the B final win in 52.92.
Men's 100 fly
California's Tom Shields blitzed his prelim meet record of 45.07, that had tied the previous meet mark set by Matt Grevers, with a sizzling 44.88 this evening. That time nearly cleared his lifetime best of 44.76 set in March at the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Championships. Davis Tarwater, now swimming with Tennessee after his Olympic success, took second in 45.32. That swim blasted his lifetime best of 45.94 from prelims, that beat his former best of 46.16 from back in 2006. Arizona's Giles Smith rounded out the top three with a 45.81 to beat the NCAA A cut of 45.94.
MSU's Jacob Jarzen (46.19), USC's Chase Bloch (46.86), Texas' Tripp Cooper (47.18), MSU's Bryan Wiliams (47.21) and UCSB's Wade Allen (47.56) also competed in the championship heat. USC's Paul Davis won the B final in 47.24.
Women's 200 free
Colorado Stars' Missy Franklin took a run at the meet record of 1:42.36 set by Dana Vollmer back in 2009, but managed only to give it a scare with a swift time of 1:42.42. That performance also nearly beat Franklin's personal best of 1:42.28 from the Minneapolis Grand Prix earlier this month.
T2's Erika Erndl raced to second-place honors with a 1:43.46, lowering her own U.S. Masters Swimming 30-34 age division national record of 1:44.92 set during prelims. That swim beat the previous record of 1:50.13. Erndl now owns the 50, 100 and 200 free short course yard records in the division.
Longhorn's Karlee Bispo touched third in 1:43.99, while NCAP's Katie Ledecky turned in a fourth-place 1:44.56. Ledecky clipped her personal best of 1:44.58 set during prelims, while Bispo has a 1:42.78 to her credit from 2012 NCAAs.
FCST's Simone Manuel (1:44.86), Dynamo's Kylie Stewart (1:45.26), Quinn Carrozza (1:45.67) and Olympian Lia Neal of AGUA (1:45.95) comprised the rest of the A final. Arizona's Margo Geer nabbed the B final title in 1:44.43. No collegiate swimmer managed to clear the NCAA A cut of 1:43.99.
Men's 200 free
The meet nearly had its first American record as Olympian Ricky Berens rocked the finale in 1:31.96. That time beat Michael Phelps' meet record of 1:32.13 from 2007, and nearly bested David Walter's American record of 1:31.72 set in 2009. The swim is Berens' first sub 1:32 effort, bettering his 1:32.01 lifetime best set at the 2009 Big 12 Championships. He is now one of just four swimmers under 1:32, joining Shaune Fraser (1:31.70), Walters and Conor Dwyer (1:31.73).
Louisville's Joao De Lucca raced his way to second with a sterling 1:32.57, clearing the NCAA A cut of 1:33.63, while Olympic star Ryan Lochte checked in third with a 1:33.26. Lochte has had a busy schedule away from the pool as of late and is just working himself back into shape. De Lucca moved into the top 15 all time with his swim, while Lochte has a 1:32.40 best.
Trojan's Nikita Lobintsev (1:33.66), Texas' Clay Youngquist (1:33.89), Texas' Dax Hill (1:34.19), USC's Chad Bobrosky (1:35.92) and Bolles' Ryan Murphy (1:36.23) made up the rest of the championship field. AGUA's Michael Domagala, 16, downed the 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record of Matt Belecanech 1:36.05) with his 12th-place 1:35.49.
Women's 100 breast
The Texas Swimming Center had its second partisan win as Texas' Laura Sogar topped the event in a meet-record time of 58.32. The effort clipped Jessica Hardy's meet record of 58.41 from the 2010 event, and crushed Sogar's previous lifetime best of 58.83 from the 2011 Big 12 Championships. She's now in the top five all time among the likes of Jillian Tyler (58.22) and Hardy (58.41). Breeja Larson (57.53) and Tara Kirk (57.77) are the only sub 58s in the event.
Arizona's Ellyn Baumgardner raced to second in 58.86, while Hardy took a close third in 58.89. USC's Kasey Carlson took fourth in 59.10 as Sogar, Baumgardner and Carlson each beat the NCAA A cut of 59.51.
Columbia's Catherine Meili (59.65), Tyler (59.99), Arizona's Chelsey Salli (1:00.27) and USC's Andrea Kropp (1:01.30) placed fifth through eighth. Indiana's Ashley Specht won the B final in 1:00.43.
Men's 100 breast
Arizona's Kevin Cordes collected the first American record of the meet after a few close calls as he scorched the field with a 51.10. That scintillating performance not only bettered Mike Alexandrov's meet record of 51.35 from 2010, but also blasted his national record of 51.32 set at the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships. Cordes is getting closer and closer to Damir Dugonjic's NCAA and U.S. Open record of 50.86 from the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Alexandrov, meanwhile, took second in 51.62, while Tucson Ford's Clark Burckle wound up third in 51.99. Tennessee's Brad Craig placed fourth in 52.30, while Arizona's Carl Mickelson took fifth in 52.41. With an NCAA A cut of 52.60, Cordes, Craig and Mickelson assured their attendance at NCAAs.
Arizona's Kevin Steel just missed the A cut with a sixth-place 52.66, while Imri Ganiel (53.12) and UCSB/s Tim Freeman (53.81) placed seventh and eighth. USC's Sergio Lujan-Rivera won the B final in 53.22.
Meanwhile, NCAP's Andrew Seliskar finished 15th in 54.26, missing his preliminary time of 54.11. His morning time had beaten the 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record of 54.38 set by Cody Miller in 2008.
Kevin Cordes American record video
Women's 100 back
Missy Franklin doubled up from her 200 free with a winning time of 51.87, winning by nearly a second. She's been a bit faster with a 50.97 from the Minneapolis Grand Prix earlier this month, but she's also had a crazy personal schedule as of late. Texas' Sarah Denninghoff touched second in 52.57, while Arizona's Lauren Smart placed third in 52.59.
Longhorn's Kathleen Hersey (52.84), NCAP's Janet Hu (52.85), Dynamo's Kylie Stewart (53.05), USC's Kendyl Stewart (53.09) and GTAC's Olivia Smoliga (53.22) also swam in the finale. No collegiate swimmer bested the NCAA A cut of 52.13. Indiana's Brooklyn Snodgrass topped the B final in 53.20.
Men's 100 back
With Kevin Cordes throwing down an American record, fellow Tucsonian Matt Grevers decided to track down a national record of his own with a blistering 44.55. The seemingly effortless performance clipped Ryan Lochte's American and U.S. Open record of 44.60 set at the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Championships for Florida. Incidentally, it also claimed Grevers' meet record of 44.82 from 2010, which had stood as Grevers' best time ever. He also leapfrogged former Hoosier Ben Hesen (44.72) en route to the American record.
Stanford's Eugene Godsoe, back with the Cardinal as a volunteer assistant, took second in 45.36. That time crushed his previous best of 45.94 and shot him into the top 15 all time. Gator's Arkady Vyatchanin finished third in 45.92, while Arizona's Mitchell Friedemann was the top collegian with a fourth-place 45.93 that cleared the NCAA A cut of 46.02.
Bolles' Ryan Murphy finished fifth in 45.96, while Lochte turned in a sixth-place 46.01. USC's Nick Karpov (47.13) and Luca Spinazzola (47.51) placed seventh and eighth. USC's Alex Lendrum turned in a swift 46.89 during the B final for the consolation win.
Matt Grevers American record video
Women's 800 free relay
USC's Jasmine Tosky (1:45.39), Stina Gardell (1:45.59), Lynette Lim (1:46.44) and Kate Shumway (1:48.27) broke the meet record in the distance freestyle event with a time of 7:05.69. That swim eclipsed the 7:05.80 set by Auburn back in 2008. Meanwhile, Texas' Skylar Smith (1:48.62), Sarah Denninghoff (1:46.12), Kelsey Leneave (1:47.19) and Samantha Tucker (1:45.94) placed second in 7:07.87 as the top two teams both cleared the NCAA A cut of 7:07.89.
Indiana's Cynthia Pammett (1:48.00), Lindsay Vrooman (1:47.37), Haley Lips (1:47.27) and Brooklyn Snodgrass (1:46.71) wound up taking third in 7:09.35. UCLA (7:13.76), USC B (7:17.63), Villanova (7:19.22), TCU (7:19.36) and UCLA B (7:26.34) completed the top eight in the finale.
Men's 800 free relay
USC's Chad Bobrosky (1:35.81), Alex Lendrum (1:35.48), John Wagner (1:37.04) and Cristian Quintero (1:34.89) touched out Texas' Dax Hill (1:35.15), Austin Surhoff (1:36.67), Tripp Cooper (1:37.91) and Clay Youngquist (1:33.75) by a 6:23.22 to 6:23.48 margin for the win. Both times beat the NCAA A cut of 6:25.90.
Indiana's James Barbiere (1:37.52), Donald Hurley (1:38.18), Cody Miller (1:40.54) and Eric Ress (1:37.12) placed third in 6:33.36. Michigan State (6:34.40), USC B (6:37.83), Texas B (6:37.99), Dynamo (6:40.06) and TCU (6:43.44) made up the rest of the top eight.
