USA Swimming Olympic Trials: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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Everything you need to follow along live with day one prelims of the 2016 USA Swimming Olympic Trials. Hit refresh for latest coverage.

Click here to view the heat sheet.

Scheduled Events:

Men’s 400 IM
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Men’s 400 Freestyle
Women’s 400 IM
Men’s 100 Breaststroke

Men’s 400 IM

After speculation about if Ryan Lochte would even include the event in his lineup, the defending Olympic gold medalist led the first of two circle seeded heats through the first 200 meters.

North Baltimore’s Chase Kalisz entered with the fourth best time in the world this year of 4:11.51. He outsplit Lochte on the breaststroke leg and the two battled through freestyle. Kalisz got to the wall first in 4:11.86. Lochte posted a 4:11.98 for the second fastest time of the morning.

Jay Litherland used a strong breaststroke leg to touch in 4:12.57. That time move him to eighth overall in the world rankings this year, and made him tonight’s third seed.

Gunnar Bentz posted a 4:13.68 for fourth, followed by Sean Grieshop of Nitro in fifth with a 4:14.00. The 17 year old swam a new Junior World Record. The old mark stood at 4:14.07, swum by Brandonn Almeida in December.

Josh Prenot, the NCAA Champion from Cal, also charged through the breaststroke leg and stopped the clock in 4:14.19, good for sixth.

Michael Weiss will be tonight’s seventh seed after posting a 4:15.21.

Veteran Tyler Clary of SwimMAC dominated the backstroke leg in heat five but fell to fourth in his heat. He returns tonight as the eighth seed in 4:15.41.

Photo Courtesy: Omega Timing

Women’s 100 Butterfly

NCAA Champion Kelsi Worrell clocked a 56.84 to move up to fourth in the world rankings this year, a four tenth improvement from her previously tenth 57.27. She was under American record pace at the half way mark.

American record holder Dana Vollmer took the second seed with a 57.50. She posted a 56.94 in April.

Sixteen year old Cassidy Bayer of Nations Capital earned the third seed for tonight’s semifinals with a 58.91. Kendyl Stewart won the first circle seeded heat in 59.07, good for the fourth seed. Eva Merrell of Aquazot swim club is fifth in 59.12.

On her comeback trail, Katie McLaughlin returns to semifinals in sixth with a 59.14. Sarah Gibson (59.19) and Hali Flickinger (59.24) are seventh and eighth.

Stanford’s Felicia Lee (59.45) will be ninth. Lauren Case and Kaitlyn Jones tied for tenth in 59.52. 200 butterflyer Cammile Adams posted a 59.56 for 12th. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Claire Donahue will be 13th (59.61)

Ivy Martin (59.65), Hellen Moffitt (59.67) and Natalie Labonge (59.87) also return to tonight’s semifinals.

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Men’s 400 Freestyle

Zane Grothe of Badger Swim Club took the first circle seeded heat in 3:47.03, just ahead of The Woodlands’ Michael McBroom. The two return as the first and third seeds in the final. Grothe entered this year’s world top 20 with that swim.

The top three swimmers in the second circle seeded had a close race that came down to the final 100 meters. Conor Dwyer touched in 3:47.15 for tonight’s second seed. He has been faster this year in 3:46.09, just earlier this month in Santa Clara.

Connor Jaeger stopped the clock in 3:47.97 for fourth overall.

Townley Haas (3:48.09), True Sweetster (3:48.20), Clark Smith (3:48.86), and Grant Shoults (3:50.52) should complete tonight’s final, pending the results of the later heats.

Photo Courtesy: Omega Timing

Women’s 400 IM

Elizabeth Beisel entered with the fourth fastest time in the word this year, with a 4:33.55 swum in Atlanta in May. Today she touched second in heat four with a 4:37.61. 2015 NCAA Champion Sarah Henry put together a fantastic breaststroke leg and wound up winning the first circle seeded heat in 4:36.93. She entered the world’s top 20 with that time.

Bethany Galat of Texas A&M will be third tonight in 4:38.39.

World Championships silver medalist Maya DiRado and 2012 Olympian Caitlin Leverenz jumped out to the early lead in heat 5. DiRado touched first in that heat in 4:38.54, good for the fourth seed tonight. Leverenz clocked a 4:39.55 for the fifth spot.

Madisyn Cox grabbed the sixth spot in 4:40.97. Kate Mills (4:41.40) and Lindsey Clary (4:42.04) complete the A final.

Ella Eastin ended up ninth by .04 in 4:42.08, and will not be in tonight’s final.

Photo Courtesy: Omega Timing

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

Kevin Cordes posted the fastest time of the morning with a 59.05. That swim moves him to second in the world this year. He sat outside the top 20 before that.

Cody Miller swam a 59.33 for the second seed. Andrew Wilson was the first swimmer of the morning to crack a minute, with a 59.76 to win the first circle seeded heat. That time makes him the third seed for semifinals tonight in a tie with Josh Prenot.

Seventeen year old Michael Andrew broke his own National Age Group record and the World Junior Record with a 59.96. He was the former owner of that World Junior Record. Today he took the mark from Anton Chupkov who posted a 1:00.12 in August. He will be fifth in tonight’s semifinal.

Marcus Titus (1:00.44), Brendan McHugh (1:00.46), and Will Licon (1:00.50) are sixth through eighth.

Nic Fink (1:00.58) will return ninth. Alex Evdokimov and Ian Finnerty tied for tenth (1:01.14).

Sam Tierney (1:01.15), Reece Whitley (1:01.20), Connor Hoppe (1:01.38), Brandon Fiala (1:01.40), and Chuck Katis (1:01.41) also earned second swims.

Photo Courtesy: Omega Timing

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