50s Shootouts, Mystery IM, Molly Hannis Near World Record Close Out Austin Pro Series (Video)
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The final night of action from the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series at Austin was a really long one but it debuted new events with the 50 shootouts and the Mystery IM. Nathan Adrian, Amanda Kendall, Molly Hannis, Nic Fink and Regan Smith were among some of the winners in the 50 shootouts as Hannis was the main swimmer of the night with the fourth fastest swim ever in the 50 breast.
The new Mystery IM events, where the swimmers don’t know the order of the 200 IM until they are behind the blocks debuted tonight as well with Madisyn Cox and Carson Foster winning those inaugural events. Those events and formats are a new edition to the TYR Pro Swim Series this year.
Tonight’s events:
- Men’s 400 Free
- 50 Free Semis
- 50 Back Semis
- 50 Free Finals
- 50 Back Finals
- Women’s 400 Free
- 50 Breast Semis
- 50 Fly Semis
- 50 Breast Finals
- 50 Fly Finals
- 200 Mystery IM
Men’s 400 Free
Zane Grothe got the session started with a win in the 400 free for his third win of the meet. Grothe touched first at 3:48.59 to be the only swimmer to break 3:50. Grothe finished ahead of Anton Ipsen (3:50.43) and Clark Smith (3:52.56) in the race as Smith had the fastest last 50 in the field.
Grothe has been a new man since joining the post grad group at Indiana. Grothe is the new American Record holder in the 500 and 1650 yard freestyle events and made his first major US team this past summer at the World Championships. Grothe is 25 years old but still improving as if he was an age grouper and is looking to be the new face of American distance swimming after the retirement of Connor Jaeger.
Shogo Takeda (3:52.93), Jeremy Bagshaw (3:53.09), Marcelo Acosta (3:55.92), Trey Freeman (3:57.02) and Kohei Yamamoto (3:58.24) also swam in the championship final.
Event 24 Men 400 LC Meter Freestyle ========================================================================= World: W 3:40.07 7/26/2009 Paul Biedermann American: A 3:42.78 8/10/2008 Larsen Jensen Meet: M 3:43.55 2016 Sun Yang Pool: P 3:45.21 Peter Vanderkaay Name Age Team Prelims Finals Points ========================================================================= === Championship Final === 1 Grothe, Zane 25 Una Mvn-CA 3:53.53 3:48.59 26.43 55.20 (28.77) 1:24.36 (29.16) 1:53.42 (29.06) 2:22.31 (28.89) 2:51.27 (28.96) 3:20.49 (29.22) 3:48.59 (28.10) 2 Ipsen, Anton Oe 23 NC State Univers 3:53.38 3:50.43 26.81 55.61 (28.80) 1:24.88 (29.27) 1:54.48 (29.60) 2:23.63 (29.15) 2:52.89 (29.26) 3:21.99 (29.10) 3:50.43 (28.44) 3 Smith, Clark 22 Longhorn Aquatic 3:54.50 3:52.56 26.28 54.96 (28.68) 1:24.68 (29.72) 1:54.60 (29.92) 2:24.85 (30.25) 2:54.77 (29.92) 3:24.80 (30.03) 3:52.56 (27.76) 4 Takeda, Shogo 22 JAPN-ZZ 3:53.22 3:52.93 27.34 56.58 (29.24) 1:26.42 (29.84) 1:56.37 (29.95) 2:26.56 (30.19) 2:55.32 (28.76) 3:24.61 (29.29) 3:52.93 (28.32) 5 Bagshaw, Jeremy 25 Island Swimming- 3:54.76 3:53.09 26.98 55.71 (28.73) 1:25.18 (29.47) 1:54.60 (29.42) 2:24.53 (29.93) 2:54.60 (30.07) 3:24.48 (29.88) 3:53.09 (28.61) 6 Acosta, Marcelo 21 Univ Louisville- 3:56.11 3:55.92 27.34 56.63 (29.29) 1:26.75 (30.12) 1:57.45 (30.70) 2:27.50 (30.05) 2:57.64 (30.14) 3:27.26 (29.62) 3:55.92 (28.66) 7 Freeman, Trey 17 Baylor Swim Club 3:57.25 3:57.02 26.63 55.92 (29.29) 1:25.81 (29.89) 1:56.01 (30.20) 2:26.36 (30.35) 2:56.92 (30.56) 3:27.40 (30.48) 3:57.02 (29.62) 8 Yamamoto, Kohei 26 JAPN-ZZ 3:57.37 3:58.24 27.56 56.96 (29.40) 1:26.91 (29.95) 1:57.52 (30.61) 2:27.61 (30.09) 2:57.99 (30.38) 3:28.88 (30.89) 3:58.24 (29.36)
Women’s 50 Free Quarters
Margo Geer is another 25-year-old swimmer that is still finding improvements. Geer is the top seed going into the final later on in the session as she swam a 24.89 in the semi-finals on Saturday night in Austin. Geer will race Zhang Yufei (25.21), Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (25.29) and Ky-lee Perry (25.64) later on in the session.
Rebecca Millard (25.75), Grace Ariola (25.89), Grace Cooper (25.98) and Hellen Moffitt (26.14) also swam in the semi-finals.
Event 25 Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle ================================================================== World: W 23.67 7/29/2017 Sarah Sjostrom American: A 23.97 7/30/2017 Simone Manuel Meet: M 24.17 2016 Sarah Sjostrom Pool: P 24.17 Sarah Sjostrom Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Geer, Margo 25 Una Mvn-CA 24.83 24.89 2 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ 25.38 25.21 3 Vanderpool-Wall 27 Wolfpack Elite-N 25.50 25.29 4 Perry, Ky-lee 19 NC State Univers 25.67 25.64 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Millard, Rebecc 22 Univ of Texas-ST 25.65 25.75 6 Ariola, Grace 17 Waves Bloomingto 25.92 25.89 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Cooper, Grace 15 DLTA-IL 25.98 25.98 8 Moffitt, Hellen 22 Una TE-NC 25.87 26.14
Men’s 50 Free Quarters
Sprint sensation Michael Andrew got his busy night started with a leading time in the 50 free semis. Andrew swam a 22.12 just ahead of Nathan Adrian (22.54) as those two will swim again later on in the session in the final. Ryan Held (22.54) and Matias Koski (22.83) will join them in the final later on.
Kyle Robrock (22.87), Oleksandr Loginov (23.03), Ruslan Gaziev (23.11) and Giovanni Izzo (23.22) also competed in the semi-finals.
Event 26 Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle ================================================================== World: W 20.91 12/18/2009Cesar Cielo American: A 21.15 7/29/2017 Caeleb Dressel Meet: M 21.56 2015 Nathan Adrian Pool: P 21.44 Fred Bousquet Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M 22.04 22.12 2 Adrian, Nathan 29 California Aquat 22.62 22.47 3 Held, Ryan 22 NC State Univers 22.78 22.54 4 Koski, Matias 23 Athens Bulldog S 23.04 22.83 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Robrock, Kyle 24 Unattached-CO 23.08 22.87 6 Loginov, Oleksa 25 Swim Ontario-ZZ 23.02 23.03 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Gaziev, Ruslan 18 Swim Ontario-ZZ 23.10 23.11 8 Izzo, Giovanni 20 NC State Univers 23.17 23.22
Women’s 50 Back Quarters
Olivia Smoliga and Regan Smith will go head to head in the 50 back final later on as the 23-year-old Smoliga swam a 28.21 for the top seed ahead of Smith’s 28.34. Smoliga, now a veteran in the sport, is eight years older than the next oldest swimmer in the field as Peng Xuwei (28.66), Jade Hannah (28.71) and Smith are all 14 or 15 years of age.
Isabel Stadden (28.86), Claire Adams (29.02), Danielle Hanus (29.06) and Grace Ariola (29.25) also competed in the semi-finals.
Event 27 Women 50 LC Meter Backstroke ================================================================== World: W 27.06 7/30/2009 Jing Zhao American: A 27.48 7/26/2017 Kathleen Baker Meet: M 27.51 2015 Natalie Coughlin Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Smoliga, Olivia 23 Athens Bulldog S 28.49 28.21 2 Smith, Regan 15 Riptide Swim Tea 28.32 28.34 3 Peng, Xuwei 14 CHINA-ZZ 29.10 28.66 4 Hannah, Jade 15 Island Swimming- 28.93 28.71 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Stadden, Isabel 15 Aquajets Swim Te 29.08 28.86 6 Adams, Claire 19 Univ of Texas-ST 29.00 29.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Hanus, Danielle 19 Island Swimming- 29.25 29.06 8 Ariola, Grace 17 Waves Bloomingto 29.37 29.25
Men’s 50 Back Quarters
Matt Grevers got his night started with a win in the semi-finals of the 50 back with a 25.20 on Saturday night at the Austin Pro Swim Series. Grevers will be the top seed in the shootout final later on in the session. Grevers is the old man in the field as 17-year-old Nicholas Pyle of Great Britain is the second seed at 25.39. Justin Ress (25.40) and Jacob Pebley (25.50) will also swim in the final as they will be looking to use their 200 speed to their advantage.
Taylor Dale (25.65), Bryce Bohman (25.92), Xavier Castelli (26.05) and Hennessey Stuart (26.26) also competed in the semi-finals.
Event 28 Men 50 LC Meter Backstroke ================================================================== World: W 24.04 8/2/2009 Liam Tancock American: A 24.33 12/5/2008 Randall Bal Meet: M 24.74 2015 Junya Koga Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Grevers, Matt 32 Tucson Ford Deal 25.61 25.20 2 Pyle, Nicholas 17 GBR-ZZ 25.79 25.39 3 Ress, Justin 20 NC State Univers 25.42 25.40 4 Pebley, Jacob 24 California Aquat 25.98 25.50 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Dale, Taylor 23 Athens Bulldog S 25.80 25.65 6 Bohman, Bryce 27 Longhorn Aquatic 25.86 25.92 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Castelli, Xavie 27 Swim Wales-ZZ 26.32 26.05 8 Stuart, Henness 22 NC State Univers 26.28 26.26
Women’s 50 Free Semi-Finals
Margo Geer and Zhang Yufei will move on to the two-person shootout final with Geer staying under 25 seconds in her second swim of the night. Zhang was also right at her quarter-final time with a 25.25 the second time around.
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (25.42) and Ky-lee Perry (25.48) were eliminated in the round.
=== Finals === 1 Geer, Margo 25 Una Mvn-CA 24.89 24.91 2 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ 25.21 25.25 3 Vanderpool-Wall 27 Wolfpack Elite-N 25.29 25.42 4 Perry, Ky-lee 19 NC State Univers 25.64 25.48
Men’s 50 Free Semi-Finals
Nathan Adrian got his hand on the wall first in the semi-finals of the men’s 50 free as he was 0.01 ahead of Michael Andrew in the semi-finals. Adrian swam a 22.08 to Andrew’s 22.09 as the final will be a huge grudge match between the two. Adrian improve three tenths on his quarter-final time as both swimmer’s aerobic base will be put to the test in the final in a few minutes.
Ryan Held (22.48) and Matias Koski (22.62) did not advance past the semi-finals.
=== Finals === 1 Adrian, Nathan 29 California Aquat 22.47 22.08 2 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M 22.12 22.09 3 Held, Ryan 22 NC State Univers 22.54 22.48 4 Koski, Matias 23 Athens Bulldog S 22.83 22.62
Women’s 50 Back Semi-Finals
Olivia Smoliga and Regan Smith advanced in the 50 back semi-finals as the two were separated by 0.09 seconds. Smoliga dipped under 28 seconds with a 27.98 to lead Smith’s 28.07. Both swimmers swam at the World Championships this past summer in Budapest. Smith is only 15-years-old and could be the next great backstroker for USA swimming.
Jade Hannah (28.60) of Canada and Peng Xuwei (28.71) of China did not make the final. Both of those swimmers are under 16 years of age and should have bright futures in this sport.
=== Finals === 1 Smoliga, Olivia 23 Athens Bulldog S 28.21 27.98 2 Smith, Regan 15 Riptide Swim Tea 28.34 28.07 3 Hannah, Jade 15 Island Swimming- 28.71 28.60 4 Peng, Xuwei 14 CHINA-ZZ 28.66 28.71
Men’s 50 Back Semi-Finals
Justin Ress touched out Matt Grevers in the semi-finals of the 50 back on Saturday night in Austin at the TYR Pro Swim Series. Ress swam a 25.10 ahead of Grevers’ 25.11. Ress and Grevers will have a grudge match similar to the one in the 50 free where both swimmers are separated by 0.01 seconds.
Nicholas Pyle (25.41) and Jacob Pebley (25.46) did not advance in the shootout 50 back.
=== Finals === 1 Ress, Justin 20 NC State Univers 25.40 25.10 2 Grevers, Matt 32 Tucson Ford Deal 25.20 25.11 3 Pyle, Nicholas 17 GBR-ZZ 25.39 25.41 4 Pebley, Jacob 24 California Aquat 25.50 25.46
Women’s 50 Free Final
In the first edition of the 50 shootout events at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Austin, Margo Geer collected the first win in the 50 free final. Geer swam a 24.90 to out-duel Zhang Yufei of China (24.99). Geer swam a 24.89 in the quarters, 24.91 in the semis and finished her third swim with a time in between both of those.
Zhang improved on her 25.21 in the quarters and 25.25 in the semis to make the final a little more interesting with her first sub-25 swim of the meet.
For more information on Geer and her comeback, read our feature on her here.
Event 25F Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle ========================================================================= World: W 23.67 7/29/2017 Sarah Sjostrom American: A 23.97 7/30/2017 Simone Manuel Meet: M 24.17 2016 Sarah Sjostrom Pool: P 24.75 Dara Torres Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Geer, Margo 25 Una Mvn-CA NT 24.90 2 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ NT 24.99
Men’s 50 Free Final
Veteran Nathan Adrian still has it in him against 18-year-old Michael Andrew as the 29-year-old Adrian swam a 22.21 to win the shootout final ahead of Andrew (22.34). Both swimmers were slower in the final as Adrian was a 22.47 in the quarters and a 22.08 in the semis. He swam a little slower the third time around but still hung on for the win.
Both swimmers were separated by a hundredth after the semis. Andrew also swam slower in the final after he went 22.12 in the quarters and 22.09 in the semis. He will also have to swim in the 50 fly shootout later on in the session.
Event 26F Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle ========================================================================= World: W 20.91 12/18/2009Cesar Cielo American: A 21.15 7/29/2017 Caeleb Dressel Meet: M 21.56 2015 Nathan Adrian Pool: P 21.44 Fred Bousquet Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Adrian, Nathan 29 California Aquat NT 22.21 2 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M NT 22.34
Women’s 50 Back Final
Regan Smith saved her best 50 back for last as she swam a 27.85 to just barely beat Olivia Smoliga (27.89). Smith is just 15 years old as she is showing no signs of slowing down as she gets her 2018 campaign off to a good start. Smith descended each of her swims as was a 28.34 in the quarters and a 28.07 in the semi-finals.
Smoliga also saved her best for last as she was a 28.21 in the quarters and a 27.98 in the semis. She is in her first full year as a postgrad swimmer after she swam four years collegiately at Georgia. She is also not showing signs of slowing down in her 2018 campaign.
Event 27F Women 50 LC Meter Backstroke ========================================================================= World: W 27.06 7/30/2009 Jing Zhao American: A 27.48 7/26/2017 Kathleen Baker Meet: M 27.51 2015 Natalie Coughlin Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Smith, Regan 15 Riptide Swim Tea NT 27.85 2 Smoliga, Olivia 23 Athens Bulldog S NT 27.89
Men’s 50 Back Final
Matt Grevers perfectly descended his three 50 backs as he finished the night with a 24.81 for the shootout win over NC State’s Justin Ress (25.04). Both Grevers and Ress were on the World Championship team this past summer and both are solid members for the national team moving forward.
Grevers descended from a 25.20 in the quarters to a 25.11 in the semis. He swam the first sub-25 swim of the entire meet in the 50 back event. Ress descended from a 25.40 in the quarters to a 25.10 in the semis. He also had his best swim last but could not get by the legendary Grevers.
Grevers scored points for Lenny Krayzelburg and Ress is on the Jason Lezak swim squad.
Event 28F Men 50 LC Meter Backstroke ========================================================================= World: W 24.04 8/2/2009 Liam Tancock American: A 24.33 12/5/2008 Randall Bal Meet: M 24.74 2015 Junya Koga Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Grevers, Matt 32 Tucson Ford Deal NT 24.81 2 Ress, Justin 20 NC State Univers NT 25.04
Women’s 400 Free
15-year-old Chinese rising star Li Bingjie swam a 4:06.87 to win the 400 free on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Austin. Li was looking Ledecky-esque in her swim as she was well ahead of the rest of the swimmers in the final with NC State senior Hannah Moore finishing second at 4:11.48. Louisville’s Sophie Cattermole finished third at 4:12.04.
Ashley Neidigh (4:13.80), Joanna Evans (4:15.05), Kristel Kobrich (4:15.89), Kaitlynn Sims (4:15.89) and Tamila Holub (4:16.47) also swam in the championship final.
Moore was the lone swimmer in the field who scored points for a swim squad as she represents Natalie Coughlin‘s team.
Women’s 50 Breast Quarters
Molly Hannis got the second half of the session started with a meet record in the first of three potential swims in the 50 breast. Hannis swam a 30.27 to break King’s 30.35 meet record from the 2016 Austin meet. Hannis is the top seed headed into the semi-finals ahead of Katie Meili (30.74).
The average age of the 50 back earlier in the night was 16 years old as Olivia Smoliga was the outlier being 23 years of age among the 15-year-olds. The 50 breast semis are a completely different story with the average age being 25.
Rachel Nicol (31.03) and Breeja Larson (31.24) will also swim in the semis later on.
Faith Knelson (31.53), Chloe Tutton (31.67), Kennedy Lohman (31.88) and Melanie Margalis (32.14) did not advance.
Event 30 Women 50 LC Meter Breaststroke ================================================================== World: W 29.40 7/30/2017 Lilly King American: A 29.40 7/30/2017 Lilly King Meet: M 30.35 2016 Lilly King Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Hannis, Molly 25 Una Tnaq-SE 30.55 30.27M 2 Meili, Katie 26 New York Athleti 30.98 30.74 3 Nicol, Rachel 24 UCSC-ZZ 31.50 31.03 4 Larson, Breeja 25 New York Athleti 31.48 31.24 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Knelson, Faith 16 Island Swimming- 31.84 31.53 6 Tutton, Chloe 21 Swim Wales-ZZ 32.13 31.67 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Lohman, Kennedy 19 Univ of Texas-ST 31.82 31.88 8 Margalis, Melan 26 Saint Petersburg 31.95 32.14
Men’s 50 Breast Quarters
China has continued its strong meet with Yan Zibei claiming the top spot in the 50 breast quarter finals with a 27.76 on Saturday night in Austin. Yan is just ahead of Andrew Wilson (27.77) who is swimming the meet in his home pool. The Texas men have not been known to swim well in-season but the home pool seems to be working to their advantage as they have been swimming well at the Pro Swim Series in Austin this weekend.
Nic Fink (28.03) and Alexander Milanovich (28.07) will also swim in the semi finals later on in the session.
Nick Zito (28.34), Jake Foster (28.73), Jacob Molacek (28.74) and Gabe Mastromatteo (28.82) did not advance.
=== Semi-Finals === 1 Yan, Zibei 22 CHINA-ZZ 27.81 27.76 2 Wilson, Andrew 24 Longhorn Aquatic 28.19 27.77 3 Fink, Nic 24 Athens Bulldog S 28.19 28.03 4 Milanovich, Ale 15 Etobicoke Swim C 28.67 28.07 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Zito, Nick 23 West Swim Club-I 28.74 28.34 6 Foster, Jake 17 Mason Manta Rays 28.90 28.73 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Molacek, Jacob 22 NC State Univers 28.94 28.74 8 Mastromatteo, G 15 Swim Ontario-ZZ 28.79 28.82
Women’s 50 Fly Quarters
It has been a big weekend for the 25 and 26-year-olds as Amanda Kendall has had quite the resurgence in her swimming career. Kendall swam a 26.27 to advance to the semi-finals in the 50 fly shootout. She is ahead of Zhang Yufei (26.57) and Hellen Moffitt (26.63). Harriet Jones of Wales is the last swimmer in the semi-finals with a 26.75 swim in the quarters.
Yui Yamane (26.93), Sarah Gibson (26.97), Emma Carlton (27.06) and Krista Duffield (27.16) also competed in the quarter finals.
Event 32 Women 50 LC Meter Butterfly ================================================================== World: W 24.43 7/5/2014 Sarah Sjostrom American: A 25.48 7/29/2017 Kelsi Worrell Meet: M 25.80 2012 Dana Vollmer Name Age Team Prelims Semis ================================================================== === Semi-Finals === 1 Kendall, Amanda 26 Una Mvn-CA 26.49 26.27 2 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ 26.62 26.57 3 Moffitt, Hellen 22 Una TE-NC 26.67 26.63 4 Jones, Harriet 20 Swim Wales-ZZ 27.25 26.75 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Yamane, Yui 23 JAPN-ZZ 26.97 26.93 6 Gibson, Sarah 22 Una TE-NC 27.28 26.97 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Carlton, Emma 17 Bellingham Bay S 27.21 27.06 8 Duffield, Krist 21 NC State Univers 27.35 27.16
Men’s 50 Fly Quarters
Michael Andrew is looking to redeem himself after losing to Nathan Adrian earlier in the 50 free shootout final. Andrew leads the 50 fly quarters with a 23.75 ahead of Texas’ Jack Conger (23.90) swimming in his home pool. Ryan Held (23.94) and Paul Le (24.24) will join them in the semi finals later on.
Jacob Peters (24.29), Tripp Cooper (24.38), Lewis Fraser (24.39) and Tim Phillips (24.43) did not advance.
=== Semi-Finals === 1 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M 23.55 23.75 2 Conger, Jack 23 Nation's Capital 23.99 23.90 3 Held, Ryan 22 NC State Univers 24.34 23.94 4 Le, Paul 25 Missouri State U 24.52 24.24 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Peters, Jacob 17 GBR-ZZ 24.63 24.29 6 Cooper, Tripp 24 Longhorn Aquatic 24.69 24.38 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Fraser, Lewis 17 Swim Wales-ZZ 24.30 24.39 8 Phillips, Tim 27 Una TE-NC 24.25 24.43
Women’s 50 Breast Semis
Molly Hannis continued her strong night with a 30.35 in the semi-finals to move on to the final with Katie Meili (30.77). Both Hannis and Meili swam at the Olympics in 2016 for Team USA. Hannis was just off her meet record of 30.27 she set earlier in the night.
Rachel Nicol (30.92) and Breeja Larson (31.23) did not advance to the final.
=== Championship Final === 1 Hannis, Molly 25 Una Tnaq-SE 30.27 30.35 2 Meili, Katie 26 New York Athleti 30.74 30.77 3 Nicol, Rachel 24 UCSC-ZZ 31.03 30.92 4 Larson, Breeja 25 New York Athleti 31.24 31.23
Men’s 50 Breast Semis
In a minor upset, China’s Yan Zibei will not swim in the final as he was beat to the wall by Texas’ Andrew Wilson (27.43) and Georgia’s Nic Fink (27.59). Yan was third with a 27.76 as he still went faster than he did in the quarters but fell short of advancing. Wilson and Fink will instead go for the win in the final.
Alexander Milanovich of Canada did not advance as the 15-year-old placed fourth at 27.93 for his best time of the meet.
=== Championship Final === 1 Wilson, Andrew 24 Longhorn Aquatic 27.77 27.43 2 Fink, Nic 24 Athens Bulldog S 28.03 27.59 3 Yan, Zibei 22 CHINA-ZZ 27.76 27.63 4 Milanovich, Ale 15 Etobicoke Swim C 28.07 27.93
Women’s 50 Fly Semis
Zhang Yufei of China is another swimmer looking to redeem herself as she swam a 26.23 to lead the 50 fly semis ahead of Amanda Kendall (26.31). Those two will go at it in the final as Zhang is looking to win the final after she was beat by Margo Geer earlier in the 50 free.
Hellen Moffitt (26.42) and Harriet Jones (26.63) did not advance.
=== Championship Final === 1 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ 26.57 26.23 2 Kendall, Amanda 26 Una Mvn-CA 26.27 26.31 3 Moffitt, Hellen 22 Una TE-NC 26.63 26.42 4 Jones, Harriet 20 Swim Wales-ZZ 26.75 26.63
Men’s 50 Fly Semis
Michael Andrew is headed to another final as he tied for the top spot in the 50 fly with Jack Conger (23.59). Conger is swimming in his home pool and will be looking to win another event on the weekend after taking out the 100 fly on Thursday. Andrew is still looking for his first win of the meet. This is almost deja vu for Andrew after he was 0.01 behind Nathan Adrian after the 50 free semis. He will be looking for a better result this time.
Ryan Held (23.90) and Paul Le (24.16) did not advance past the semi-finals.
=== Championship Final === 1 Conger, Jack 23 Nation's Capital 23.90 23.59 1 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M 23.75 23.59 3 Held, Ryan 22 NC State Univers 23.94 23.90 4 Le, Paul 25 Missouri State U 24.24 24.16
Women’s 50 Breast Finals
2016 Olympian Molly Hannis may have missed the 2017 World Championship team, but she got her 2018 off to a sizzling start as she swam a 29.71 in the 50 breast final at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Austin, Texas. Hannis broke Lilly King‘s meet record in the quarter finals and even flirted with King’s world record as she was not far off of the 29.40 King set at World Championships this past summer.
Hannis has been a part of a rising crop of 25-year-olds at this meet who have had struggles in the last few years but have used 2018 as a fresh start and showed they are stronger than ever. Hannis is now the second fastest American all-time in the 50 breast to move ahead of Jessica Hardy. Hannis is also fourth all-time as she is behind King, Ruta Meilutyte and Yulia Efimova.
Katie Meili was second in the race with a 30.87 as she scored points for Kaitlin Sandeno.
Event 30F Women 50 LC Meter Breaststroke ========================================================================= World: W 29.40 7/30/2017 Lilly King American: A 29.40 7/30/2017 Lilly King Meet: M 29.71 1/13/2018 Molly Hannis, Una TNAQ-SE Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Hannis, Molly 25 Una Tnaq-SE NT 29.71M 2 Meili, Katie 26 New York Athleti NT 30.87
Men’s 50 Breast Finals
Nic Fink out-touched Andrew Wilson in the 50 breast final shootout at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Austin. Fink swam a 27.44 to just hold off Wilson at 27.47. Both swimmers are 24 years old and have yet to make an Olympic team. The breaststroke events on the men’s side have been extremely deep the last few years and it has been one of the most difficult events to make the US team in. Fink made the World Championship team in the 200 this past summer.
Fink picked up points for Lenny Krayzelburg while Wilson picked up points for Kaitlin Sandeno.
Event 31F Men 50 LC Meter Breaststroke ========================================================================= World: W 25.95 7/25/2017 Adam Peaty American: A 26.76 8/4/2015 Kevin Cordes Meet: M 27.39 2016 Cody Miller Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Fink, Nic 24 Athens Bulldog S NT 27.44 2 Wilson, Andrew 24 Longhorn Aquatic NT 27.47
Women’s 50 Fly Finals
Amanda Kendall has been on a resurgence since moving to Indiana for post grad. Kendall swam a 26.07 to win the 50 butterfly shootout ahead of China’s Zhang Yufei (26.21). Kendall had a good career at LSU where she was an All-American. She has not made a major team since the 2011 Pan American Games. USA Swimming has not had a solid second 100 butterflyer after Kelsi Worrell. Kendall could fill that void as a major comeback story for USA swimming.
Event 32F Women 50 LC Meter Butterfly ========================================================================= World: W 24.43 7/5/2014 Sarah Sjostrom American: A 25.48 7/29/2017 Kelsi Worrell Meet: M 25.80 2012 Dana Vollmer Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Kendall, Amanda 26 Una Mvn-CA NT 26.07 2 Zhang, Yufei 19 CHINA-ZZ NT 26.21
Men’s 50 Fly Finals
Swimming in his home pool, Jack Conger out-raced Michael Andrew in the 50 fly the third time around on Saturday night in Austin at the TYR Pro Swim Series. Conger won the final race of the night with a 23.37 ahead of Andrew’s 23.43. Conger descended from a 23.90 to a 23.59. Both swimmers were tied after the semi-finals and the final was expected to be pretty much a shootout. Pun intended.
Conger held off Andrew to give him his second loss of the night after the latter lost to Nathan Adrian in the 50 free final. Both swimmers scored points for Kaitlin Sandeno‘s swim squad.
Event 33F Men 50 LC Meter Butterfly ========================================================================= World: W 22.43 4/5/2009 Rafael Munoz American: A 22.76 7/23/2017 Caeleb Dressel Meet: M 23.11 2012 Matt Targett Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Conger, Jack 23 Nation's Capital NT 23.37 2 Andrew, Michael 18 Race Pace Club-M NT 23.43
200 Mystery IM
The first ever Mystery IM events at the TYR Pro Swim Series were claimed by Madisyn Cox and Carson Foster at the Pro Swim Series in Austin. Cox won her race at 2:16.12 and Foster won the men’s race at 2:03.18. Cox finished her race with backstroke as she had freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and back. Cox finished ahead of Alicia Wilson (2:16.81) and Kathleen Golding (2:18.83).
Swimmers would draw their lane assignment that had the designated stroke order written on the board behind their block. Most swimmers had different stroke orders so the lead changed multiple times throughout each race.
Event 34 Women 200 LC Meter IM Mystery IM ========================================================================= Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Cox, Madisyn 22 Longhorn Aquatic 2:15.85 2:16.12 27.54 1:05.85 (38.31) 1:40.90 (35.05) 2:16.12 (35.22) 2 Wilson, Alicia 17 GBR-ZZ 2:17.78 2:16.81 29.17 1:08.56 (39.39) 1:43.85 (35.29) 2:16.81 (32.96) 3 Golding, Kathle 17 South Florida Aq 2:19.35 2:18.83 35.26 1:06.45 (31.19) 1:42.14 (35.69) 2:18.83 (36.69) 4 Schlosshan, Cia 16 GBR-ZZ 2:18.72 2:19.89 28.46 1:01.44 (32.98) 1:37.51 (36.07) 2:19.89 (42.38) 5 Poole, Julia 18 NC State Univers 2:17.76 2:20.32 28.85 1:03.17 (34.32) 1:40.57 (37.40) 2:20.32 (39.75) 6 Rajic, Ema 17 HEAT-IL 2:19.43 2:20.38 34.49 1:08.01 (33.52) 1:47.40 (39.39) 2:20.38 (32.98) 7 Dunn, Diana 17 Austin Swim Club 2:18.50 2:22.70 28.62 1:04.74 (36.12) 1:41.03 (36.29) 2:22.70 (41.67) -- Moore, Hannah 21 NC State Univers 2:18.08 DQ 37.53 1:11.79 (34.26) 1:44.47 (32.68) DQ (33.56)
The men’s race was won by Foster who swam breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly and backstroke as he won with a 2:03.18 ahead of Britain’s Brodie Williams (2:04.06) and NC State’s Andreas Vazaios (2:04.22).
Event 35 Men 200 LC Meter IM Mystery IM ========================================================================= Name Age Team Seed Finals Points ========================================================================= 1 Foster, Carson 16 Mason Manta Rays 2:03.52 2:03.18 31.37 1:00.86 (29.49) 1:31.93 (31.07) 2:03.18 (31.25) 2 Williams, Brodi 18 GBR-ZZ 2:05.70 2:04.06 30.64 1:01.77 (31.13) 1:32.44 (30.67) 2:04.06 (31.62) 3 Vazaios, Andrea 23 NC State Univers 2:02.96 2:04.22 25.63 1:00.96 (35.33) 1:33.61 (32.65) 2:04.22 (30.61) 4 Hill, Robert 21 UOFC-ZZ 2:04.80 2:05.03 27.10 57.42 (30.32) 1:29.33 (31.91) 2:05.03 (35.70) 5 Whitley, Reece 18 Penn Charter Aqu 2:06.48 2:05.47 30.42 1:01.28 (30.86) 1:35.04 (33.76) 2:05.47 (30.43) 6 Castelli, Xavie 27 Swim Wales-ZZ 2:05.55 2:05.89 25.47 56.73 (31.26) 1:29.31 (32.58) 2:05.89 (36.58) 7 Cote, Tristan 22 UOFC-ZZ 2:05.88 2:08.12 26.06 1:01.74 (35.68) 1:34.21 (32.47) 2:08.12 (33.91) 8 Foster, Jake 17 Mason Manta Rays 2:04.50 2:08.73 25.38 59.95 (34.57) 1:33.21 (33.26) 2:08.73 (35.52)