Photo by Griffin Scott
Editorial coverage for U.S. Senior Nationals proudly sponsored by Master Spas!
IRVINE, California, August 5. THE first morning of preliminary competition certainly set up a loaded set of finals tonight as a handful of Top 10 times in the world went up on the scoreboard at the USA Swimming Senior Nationals. Additionally, some storylines began to play out as Michael Phelps qualified third in the 100 free behind highly-favored Nathan Adrian, and Ryan Lochte snuck into the event in eighth. SwimMAC looked tough with two top seeds in Cammile Adams and Tyler Clary, while Simone Manuel and Missy Franklin will make some noise in the 100 free.
Scheduled Events
- Women’s 200 fly
- Men’s 200 fly
- Women’s 100 free
- Men’s 100 free
- Women’s 800 free
- Men’s 1500 free
Women’s 200 fly
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Two-time defending long course champion Cammile Adams of SwimMAC scorched prelims with a 2:08.06. That performance jumped her from 16th in the world (2:08.45) to 13th ahead of Miyu Nakano’s 2:08.18 from the Japan Open in Tokyo. We should see Adams dip into the top 10 in the world at least, currently anchored by Franziska Hentke’s 2:07.67 from German Nationals. Adams may even take a run at her lifetime best of 2:06.52 from the 2012 Olympic Team Trials.
Adams is looking to extend her streak of national titles, although she still has a ways to go to equal the five-straight long course wins from Kathleen Hersey (2009, 2010, 2011, 2011).
Plenty of other swimmers in the championship heat have a shot at breaking into the top 20 in the world, currently anchored by Sakiko Shimizu’s 2:09.19 from the Japan Open. Bulldog Hali Flickinger raced to second in 2:09.31, clipping her personal best of 2:09.48 from the Bulldog Grand Slam just last month. Mission Viejo’s Katie McLaughlin touched third in 2:09.49, while Flint Y’s Courtney Weaver blasted her personal best of 2:10.95 with a fourth-seeded 2:09.51 as second through fourth could easily make an impact on the world rankings this evening.
SwimMAC’s Kate Mills (2:10.66) finished fifth, while the ever-busy Elizabeth Beisel of BlueFish claimed sixth in 2:10.72. NOVA of Virginia’s Emma Nunn (2:10.73) and NCAP’s Cassidy Bayer (2:11.88) also made the championship heat. Beisel scratched shortly after prelims, pushing Maya DiRado into the championships heat.
Men’s 200 fly
Photo Courtesy: David Farr
SwimMAC collected its second-consecutive top seed as Tyler Clary bashed the preliminary session with a 1:56.11. That swim vaulted him to seventh in the world, just ahead of Leonardo de Deus’ 1:56.21 from the Maria Lenk Trophy Meet. No other American had broken into the top 20 so far this year. Clary definitely has more in his tank with a 1:54.93 unsuited lifetime best from the 2012 London Olympic Games. If Clary is able to pick up the win, that would make the fifth different person to win the long course national title in the 200 fly since Phelps rang off three straight from 2008-2010.
NBAC’s Chase Kalisz also broke into the top 20 at 20th in the world with a 1:56.75 for second. That’s a massive personal best for the 400 IM king, coming down from a 1:58.09 from the Bulldog Grand Slam earlier this summer. If Kalisz is doing that in an individual event, it is downright scary to see what he does in the 400 IM.
Club Wolverine’s Kyle Whitaker posted a personal best time of 1:56.80 for third, while NCAP’s Andrew Seliskar charted a 1:56.95 for fourth as the other swimmer to break 1:57.
Two other long course national champions made the top eight as Stanford’s Bobby Bollier (1:57.63) and NBAC’s Tom Luchsinger (1:57.74) took sixth and seventh behind Tom Shields’ fifth-place 1:57.21. Luchsinger is the defending champion, while Bollier won in 2011. Longhorn’s John Martens also made the finale with an eighth-place 1:57.80.
Women’s 100 free
Photo Courtesy: David Farr
Two of the top 10 swims in the world this year went down during prelims as Team USA’s women’s sprinters look to answer the Australian and European shots fired this championship season. First Colony’s Simone Manuel ripped off a 53.60 to move to sixth in the world rankings. That’s a personal best, lowering the 53.86 she clocked during last summer’s nationals. She’s stalking Missy Franklin’s 17-18 national age group record of 53.36 from 2013. Franklin, meanwhile, also cleared 54 seconds to take second in the event with a 53.76. That swim pushed her to 10th in the world rankings.
Arizona’s Margo Geer and Bulldog’s Shannon Vreeland also entered the top 20 in the world this year. Geer posted a third-ranked 54.17 to move to 18th, while Vreeland’s 54.26 has her 20th in the world now.
The rest of the championship finale is stacked as AGUA’s Lia Neal (54.34), Canyons’ Abbey Weitzeil (54.41), SwimAtlanta’s Amanda Weir (54.43) and California’s Natalie Coughlin (54.65) all kept in contention for a National Team spot in the event.
The B final is pretty loaded with names as well with NBAC’s Allison Schmitt (54.71), SwimMAC’s Madison Kennedy (54.72), Bulldog’s Megan Romano (54.82), Wisconsin’s Ivy Martin (54.92), NCAP’s Andi Murez (54.97), Stanford’s Maddy Schaefer (54.98) and SwimMAC’s Katie Meili (55.05) comprised the consolation heat. Trojan’s Jessica Hardy, who admitted that an injury is hampering her freestyle, placed 18th with Hurricane’s Katie Hoff making her return to national competition for the first time with a 27th-place 55.79.
Men’s 100 free
Photo Courtesy: David Farr
In what will prove to be a veteran-laden finale, with an age range of 21-33, California’s Nathan Adrian is definitely the class of the field at this early stage. He cruised his way to a 48.24 to pace prelims, a bit off his third-ranked season-best of 48.08 from the Barcelona stop of the Mare Nostrum circuit. He will be gunning for his first 47-second swim tonight during finals to close the distance with James Magnussen (47.59) and Cameron McEvoy (47.65). Adrian will also be looking to win his sixth long course national title, and keep a three-consecutive streak going as he won in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Adrian’s wingman Anthony Ervin, the oldest swimmer at the meet, raced to second in 48.71. That performance jumped him to 17th in the world rankings, just ahead of a threeway tie at 48.72 involving Marcelo Chierighini, Mehdy Metella and Tommaso D’Orsogna.
Michael Phelps, in his first shaved meet since returning from his retirement, qualified third in prelims with a 48.77. He turned seventh in the heat with Adrian, and managed to still get his hand on the wall second in the heat and third overall. Although Adrian looks untouchable tonight in the final, Phelps could make his way into an individual 100 freestyle National Team spot.
The rest of the championship heat was equally as loaded as NYAC’s Jimmy Feigen (49.06), California’s Seth Stubblefield (49.09), NBAC’s Conor Dwyer (49.10) and SwimMAC’s Ryan Lochte (49.21) all kept hopes alive for at least a National Team relay spot this evening by making the A final.
Former South African Olympian Darian Townsend, in his first major competition as an American, finished 10th in prelims with a time of 49.30.
Women’s 800 free
Although everyone is expecting a dynamic time from world-record holder Katie Ledecky tonight, Badger’s Lindsay Vrooman still managed to put up the early time to beat with an 8:29.06. That’s a personal best, lower than her 8:33.77 from last summer’s U.S. Open. PASA’s Katy Campbell (8:30.46) and Cavaliers’ Leah Smith (8:30.86) finished second and third in the early heats.
Men’s 1500 free
It wasn’t in the realm of his three sub-15:00 best times, including a 14:52.19 from 2012 Trials, but Andrew Gemmell of NCAP managed to put up the time to beat tonight with a 15:07.82 in the slower seeded heats of the metric mile. Mission Viejo’s Janardan Burns (15:11.35) and Club Wolverine’s Michael Klueh (15:11.37) placed second and third.
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