U.S. Nationals: Kaitlyn Dobler Holds off Lilly King for Top Seed in 100 Breaststroke
Lilly King came into the 100 breaststroke prelims having won the 200 and 50 breaststroke events at the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis.
On Friday, she began her quest for the breaststroke sweep.
Standing in her way are the usual suspects, Lydia Jacoby, Annie Lazor, Kaitlyn Dobler, but not Kate Douglass, who scratched the event.
In the final prelims heat, Dobler was ahead at the halfway point at 30.94 and held off a late King surge. Dobler, a former NCAA champion, finished in 1:05.86. King was second in 1:05.95.
Dobler, who won the 100 breaststroke at the NCAA championships last year for USC, used her strategy of getting out fast, touching the halfway point much faster than the rest of the field.
King, meanwhile, was out fast too, but used her closing speed to make the race extremely close.
Jacoby was out fast and hung on to win her heat in 1:06.69, ahead of Emma Weber (1:07.72) and Isabelle Odgers (1:08.76).
But it took a 1:08.20 to make the finals at U.S. Nationals.
Dobler and King led the field, followed by Jacoby, Rachel Bernhardt (1:07.38), Lazor (1:07.70), Weber (1:07.72), Skyler Smith (1:08.20) and Hannah Bach (1:08.20).
