2015 Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa: Day 3 Finals Live Recap
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It’s a bit of Friday Night Lights here at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa as some of the top swimmers in the world battle it out for prize money. Hit refresh for the latest coverage.
Women’s 200 fly
The early favorite looked to be Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu after this morning, but a pair of Pan Pacific Championship teammates wound up winning the 200-meter fly at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Cammile Adams of SwimMAC backhalfed her way past Mission Viejo’s Katie McLaughlin to touch her out 2:08.80 to 2:08.86. Adams has been faster this year with a sixth-ranked time of 2:07.61 from the BHP Super Series. McLaughlin, meanwhile, moved into the top 20 in the world with her swim.
Hosszu wound up dropping back to third with a time of 2:11.83 to finish in the money, while Stanford’s Maya DiRado snared fourth in 2:11.91.
California’s Caitlin Leverenz (2:11.93), Louisville’s Kelsi Worrell (2:12.42) and Gator’s Elizabeth Beisel (2:15.22) finished fifth through seventh with Hannah Saiz falling well back in eighth with a 2:16.66.
Vien Nguyen picked up the B final win by nearly a second with a 2:14.90, while Guatemala’s Valerie Guest touched second in 2:15.80.
Men’s 200 fly
Louis Croenen cleared 2:00 to capture the men’s 200-meter fly title tonight at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Croenen clocked a winning time of 1:59.61. That’s well back of the top 10 in the world anchored by Chad le Clos with a 1:56.13 from Durban, but was fast enough for the win tonight.
Tyler Clary of SwimMAC picked up some valuable series points with a second-place time of 2:00.23 as he continues to fight off an illness.
Mission Viejo’s Grant Shoults hit the wall third overall with a 2:00.25, while Phoenix’s Alex Coci missed the money with a fourth-place 2:00.87.
NBAC’s Tom Luchsinger (2:01.54), Arizona Gold’s Mark Jurek (2:01.85), Andres Felipe Montoya (2:01.89) and Scarlet’s Jonathan Gomez (2:02.00) comprised the rest of the finale.
Singapore’s Zheng Wen Quah threw down a sizzling final 50 to win the B final in 2:00.27. California’s Tom Shields picked up second in the consolation with a 2:01.46.
Women’s 50 free
SwimMAC’s Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace had enough in the tank to win the women’s 50-meter free at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Vanderpool-Wallace threw down a 24.84 for the win tonight, clipping her 13th-ranked season best of 24.85 from the Orlando stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series.
Stanford’s Simone Manuel hit the wall second tonight in 24.98 as the only other sub-25 swimmer tonight.
California’s Natalie Coughlin, the veteran of the bunch at 32 years of age, took third in 25.15.
Abbey Weitzeil (25.38), Tucson Ford’s Margo Geer (25.53), SwimMAC’s Katie Meili (25.56), SMU’s Isabella Arcila (25.62) and SwimAtlanta’s Amanda Weir (25.86) closed out the rest of the top eight.
Kelsi Worrell, typically a butterfly specialist, followed up her 200 fly swim with a 25.27 to win the B final. Lia Neal placed second in the consolation in 25.74.
Men’s 50 free
NYAC’s Josh Schneider touched out Renzo Tjon A Joe for the men’s 50-meter free title at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Schneider hit the wall in 22.52, while Tjon A Joe finished just behind in 22.53.
Both are well off the top 10 in the world currently anchored by Clement Mignon and Shinri Shioura with 22.08s.
Jasper Aerents placed third tonight in the splash-and-dash with a time of 22.58. Phoenix’s Erik Risolvato took fourth in 22.85.
SwimMAC’s Cullen Jones (22.87), Badger’s Derek Toomey (23.09), Grand Canyon’s Marcus Schlesinger (23.16) and Grand Canyon’s Mazen El Kamash (23.34) took fifth through eighth.
SwimMAC’s Mark Weber clipped Scottsdale’s Ryan Hoffer, 23.20 to 23.21, for the B final win. That’s a personal best for Hoffer who wound up being scratched into the B final tonight.
Women’s 100 back
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu collected the title in the women’s 100-meter back tonight at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Hosszu clocked a top time of 1:00.72 for the win as she picked up her second paycheck of the night.
SwimMAC’s Kirsty Coventry, a 31-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist from Zimbabwe, continued her career resurgence with a second-place time of 1:00.89.
Grand Canyon’s Iryna Glavnyk placed third overall in 1:01.84.
Stanford’s Maya DiRado (1:02.04), Courtney Bartholomew (1:02.13), Carolina Colorado (1:02.46), Tucson Ford’s Bonnie Brandon (1:02.94), and Swim Florida’s Kira Toussaint (1:03.11) snagged the rest of the final spots.
Stanford’s Felicia Lee initially won the B final in 1:02.13, but drew a disqualification as Scottsdale 14-year-old Taylor Ruck took the consolation heat in 1:02.16. Tevyn Waddell wound up second in 1:02.97.
Men’s 100 back
Arkady Vyatchanin, the former Russian Olympian now swimming for Serbia, took home the men’s 100-meter back title at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Vyatchanin, who defected from Russia and spent more than a year in limbo before hooking up with Serbia, took the title tonight in 53.84. That time put him 13th in the world rankings.
Tucson Ford’s Matt Grevers, who ranks fourth in the world with a 53.27 from the Austin stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series, took second tonight in 54.23.
NYAC’s David Plummer posted a third-place time of 54.45, while California’s Jacob Pebley placed fourth in 55.37.
Palo Alto’s Eugene Godsoe (55.68), AJAX’s Javier Acevedo (55.85), Luis Rojas (57.21) and California’s Marcin Tarczynski (57.48) closed out the championship heat.
Tucson Ford’s Nick Thoman blasted the B final with a time of 56.14. Paul Le finished a bit behind with a second-place time of 56.97.
Women’s 200 breast
Hometown girl Breeja Larson picked up a big victory in the women’s 200-meter breast at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Larson, an Olympic gold medalist who first began swimming in Mesa, took the title in 2:27.82.
SwimMAC’s Katie Meili, who won the women’s 100-meter breast with a lifetime best, took second in 2:28.53 with that being another personal best for Meili.
SwimMAC’s Micah Lawrence, who stands 13th in the world with a 2:25.19 season best at the BHP Super Series, took third in 2:28.73.
Minnesota’s Haley Spencer (2:30.06), Hurricane’s Katie Hoff (2:30.75), Tucson Ford’s Emma Schoettmer (2:31.96), Louisville’s Andee Cottrell (2:34.19) and Badger’s Emily McClellan (2:35.73) also competed in the championship finale.
SoFlo’s Alia Atkinson topped the B final with a time of 2:32.29. Mercedes Toledo managed to take second in 2:34.94.
Men’s 200 breast
Louisville’s Carlos Claverie swept the breaststroke events as he topped the men’s 200-meter breast tonight at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Claverie stopped the clock in 2:14.31 for the win after taking home the 100-meter breast last night.
Carl Mickelson snared second tonight with a time of 2:16.56, while Palo Alto’s BJ Johnson wound up third in 2:17.63.
SoFlo’s Jorge Murillo Valdes placed fourth in 2:17.73 with Carlos Mahecha earning fifth in 2:18.66.
Uldis Tazans (2:19.14) and Youssef El Kamash (2:20.38) claimed sixth and seventh, while Sean Mahoney drew a disqualification in the finale.
Mike Alexandrov claimed the B final in a time of 2:17.50. Trojan’s Julian Fletcher placed second in 2:18.77.
Women’s 400 free
Katie Ledecky snagged her third title of the meet with a winning 400-meter free at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
Ledecky unleashed a winning time of 4:01.95 as she won by more than eight seconds. That swim is off her world-best time of 4:00.47 from the Austin stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series, but still is her sixth-fastest time all time.
Ledecky has already won the 200 free and 1500 free, and will be looking for more in the 800 free tomorrow.
This morning, Ledecky and Michael Phelps tied each other in the 400-meter free with matching 4:02.67s. The two joked a possible swimoff in the post-race interview as Phelps was up in the broadcast booth.
NBAC’s Lotte Friis took second in 4:10.34 with teammate Allison Schmitt earning third in 4:13.21.
Vien Nguyen picked up fourth overall in 4:15.08, while Chile’s Kristel Kobrich posted a fifth-place 4:16.74.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (4:17.45), Gator’s Elizabeth Beisel (4:19.86) and The FISH’s Madelyn Donohoe (4:22.09) also competed for the title tonight.
Patricia Castro Ortega, fresh off a strong NCAA season with Queens of Charlotte, took the B final in 4:16.75. Bonnie Brandon wound up second in 4:19.02.
Men’s 400 free
The Woodlands’ Michael McBroom took home the men’s 400-meter free at the Arena Pro Swim Series Mesa.
McBroom turned in a top time of 3:50.38 for the win, claiming the victory by nearly a second-and-a-half.
NBAC’s Conor Dwyer took second overall in 3:51.87 for some valuable series podium points, while Club Wolverine’s Michael Klueh placed third in 3:54.99.
Louisville’s Marcelo Acosta (3:55.44), NBAC’s Frank Dyer (3:56.40), Lander Hendrickx (3:56.89), Dion Dreesens (3:57.88) and SwimMAC’s Tyler Clary (4:01.38) also put up times in the finale.
NBAC’s Nezir Karap picked up the B final win in 3:59.80 with Nick Norman taking second in the consolation with a time of 4:00.25.
SCHEDULED EVENTS
- Women’s 200 fly
- Men’s 200 fly
- Women’s 50 free
- Men’s 50 free
- Women’s 100 back
- Men’s 100 back
- Women’s 200 breast
- Men’s 200 breast
- Women’s 400 free
- Men’s 400 free
- Women’s 800 free relay
- Men’s 800 free relay