Ryan Murphy, Abbey Weitzeil Post Quick Times at Swim Meet of Champions
The first two days of the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo have produced a handful of quick performances from west-coast-based U.S. swimmers who are preparing for the upcoming U.S. International Team Trials later this month in Greensboro, N.C. Two-time Olympians Ryan Murphy and Abbey Weitzeil have been among those posting victories so far.
Murphy swam a time of 1:56.43 for the easy win in the 200 backstroke, quicker than his winning time of 1:56.78 from the TYR Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Ill., in early March. Murphy will compete in the 100 back Sunday, and he will have a chance at a sub-53 performance after he swam a 53.03 in a head-to-head triumph over rising star Shaine Casas in Westmont.
On the women’s side, Weitzeil won the 100 freestyle in 54.01, a time quicker than any swimmer except one (Claire Curzan) recorded at the concurrently-held TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio. Weitzeil was an Olympic finalist for the U.S. in both the 50 and 100 free at the Tokyo Games. Weitzeil also swam a 25.10 in prelims of the 50 free in Mission Viejo before withdrawing from the event, and the final went to Polish sprinter Kasia Wasick in a quick time of 24.58.
In other events, Grant Shoults won the 400 free in 3:51.51. Shoults announced on social media this week that he would swim his final race at SMOC, held in the pool he grew up training in, after completing his college career at Stanford (which lasted for six years because of an injury redshirt and the COVID-19 waiver allowing an extra year).
Veteran Justin Ress swam a quick time of 24.74 in the men’s 50 backstroke. In the women’s 200 breaststroke, USC swimmer Isabelle Odgers swam a time of 2:28.73 for the win, while Katie Crom put up a 2:12.94 in the 200 butterfly.