Carson Foster, Jake Foster, Lydia Jacoby Record Strong Times at Texas Open
With two-and-a-half weeks remaining until the United States World Championship team is selected in Indianapolis, a handful of the top swimmers training at the University of Texas are racing in their home pool this weekend as a final tune-up. So far, the standouts have been brothers Carson Foster and Jake Foster while Lydia Jacoby recorded a win over Anna Elendt in the 100 breaststroke.
Carson Foster moved to fifth in the world in the 200 butterfly Friday with a strong time of 1:54.68. He will head to Nationals as one of the favorites in the event after swimming a time of 1:53.67 last year at a Sectionals meet. The younger Foster brother, who announced last month that he was foregoing his remaining college eligibility to turn professional, also secured a win in the 200 IM Saturday in 1:56.80, good for No. 7 globally.
Jake secured a win in the 200 breaststroke, his time of 2:09.38 surpassing veteran Will Licon by more than two seconds. Foster was less than four tenths off his best time, and he is less than a tenth outside the top-10 in the world so far this year, becoming the first American to break 2:10 so far. Foster also swam a superb time in the 100 breaststroke, touching in 1:00.22 for a best time by more than a half-second. However, Foster could not keep pace with Caspar Corbeau, who won the event in 1:00.14.
Also on Saturday, a battle of two of the world’s best swimmers in the women’s 100 breast saw Jacoby take the win in 1:06.20, a half-second clear of Elendt’s 1:06.85. Jacoby’s season best of 1:05.82 from the Mare Nostrum circuit last month ranks third in the world.
Among other Texas swimmers, NCAA 200-yard fly champion Emma Sticklen earned a pair of wins in the butterfly events, clocking 2:10.74 in the 200 fly and 58.95 in the 100 fly. Kelly Pash dipped under 55 in the 100 free, touching in a winning time of 54.96.
Several other Texas-trained swimmers raced but did not manage to achieve their usual speedy times as final preparations for U.S. Nationals take priority. Shaine Casas won the 200 backstroke (1:59.81) and 100 fly (53.27).