2021 Pro Swim Series – San Antonio: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap (Combined)

2021 PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

• January 14-17, 2021
• North East ISD Blossom Athletic Complex, San Antonio, Texas
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Info (Both Sites)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Session Timelines
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)
• Start Times (Central Time): Women’s Prelims: 9:00 a.m. / Men’s Prelims: 90 minutes after women’s prelims (between 11:30-12:00) / Finals: 6:00 p.m.
• Sunday Prelims Timeline

Due to a light three-event slate on Sunday morning, the men’s and women’s prelims will be combined for the first time in San Antonio. Things will get underway at 11 a.m. Central time.

The final day of competition will feature the 200 IM, 200 back and 100 free, with timed final heats in the 1500 free swimming during tonight’s finals session.

On the men’s side, we’ve got an interesting matchup in Heat 2 of the 200 IM, where three winners from the meet — Kieran Smith, Shaine Casas and Carson Foster — will all faceoff. 400 IM winner Chase Kalisz will headline the third and final heat.

Casas will also swim alongside Ryan Murphy in the 200 back, and Zach Apple and Ryan Held will be the ones to watch in the 100 free after going 1-2 in the 50 on Saturday.

Like Casas, Kathleen Baker will take on the 200 back/200 IM double for the women. Regan Smith, who has three event wins thus far at the meet, enters that 200 back as the top seed after setting the world record in 2019, and Olivia Smoliga will also be competitive given her strong efforts in the 200 free and 100 back over the last two days.

In the women’s 100 free, Abbey Weitzeil looks like the favorite based on her decisive win in the 50.

Women’s 200 IM Prelims

• PSS Record: 2:08.66, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:17.39

1. Madisyn Cox, TXLA, 2:13.96
2. Kathleen Baker, TE, 2:14.20
3. Isabel Ivey, UN-PC, 2:16.46
4. Beata Nelson, WA, 2:17.31
5. Bethany Galat, AGS, 2:18.56
6. Evie Pfeifer, TEX, 2:19.14
7. Justina Kozan, MVN, 2:19.29
8. Bella Sims, SAND, 2:19.75

Madisyn Cox and Kathleen Baker cruised to decisive wins in heats one and three, establishing the top two times of the morning in 2:13.96 and 2:14.20, respectively.

Cox ranks second in the world this season, having been 2:10.49 at the U.S. Open, while Baker sits 16th (and third among Americans) at 2:12.97.

Second to Cox in Heat 1 was Isabel Ivey, who was just half a second off her personal best in 2:16.46 to qualify third for the final.

Both Melanie Margalis and Emma Barksdale, seeded second and fifth coming in, were no-shows in Heat 2, leaving Beata Nelson to touch first in the three-swimmer field in 2:17.31 for fourth overall.

Men’s 200 IM Prelims

• PSS Record: 1:56.32, Michael Phelps (USA), 2012
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:04.09

1. Jake Foster, TEX, 2:01.93
2. Kieran Smith, UN-FL, 2:03.01
3. Jay Litherland, DUNA, 2:03.04
4. Carson Foster, TEX, 2:03.82
5. Will Licon, TXLA, 2:04.09
6. Andrew Seliskar, CAL, 2:04.38
7. Tommy Cope, CW, 2:04.49
8. Danny Kovac, UN-MV, 2:04.72

Jake Foster put up a big swim from Heat 3 of the men’s 200 IM, coming in at 2:01.93 for the fastest swim of his career outside of the 2019 Summer Nationals (where he went 1:59.15 and 2:00.30). That slides Foster into sixth among Americans in the 2020-21 season.

Kieran Smith (2:03.01) edged out Jay Litherland (2:03.04) to win Heat 2, with Carson Foster (2:03.82) not too far back in third, as they qualified second through fourth.

Will Licon (2:04.09) won a tight battle in Heat 1, using a 34.80 breast split to take down Nic Fink (2:04.88) and Gunnar Bentz (2:05.07), which proved to be critical as he was the only swimmer in the heat to make the ‘A’ final.

Shaine Casas and Ryan Murphy both no-showed with the 200 back coming up, while Chase Kalisz also didn’t race.

Andrew Wilson swam the race breaststroke, taking the automatic DQ, though he wasn’t at the wall at the finish so may have only done the first 100.

Women’s 200 Back Prelims

• PSS Record: 2:05.94, Regan Smith (USA), 2020
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:14.69

1. Phoebe Bacon, NCAP, 2:11.83
2. Isabelle Stadden, UN-PC, 2:12.14
3. Regan Smith, RIPT, 2:12.99
4. Lisa Bratton, AGS, 2:13.52
5. Katie Grimes, SAND, 2:14.67
6. Emma Weyant,SYS,  2:16.93
7. Natalie Mannion, SYS, 2:18.02
8. Ally McHugh, WA, 2:19.42

After making the 200 IM ‘A’ final, both Baker and Nelson didn’t race the 200 back, nor did Olivia Smoliga, meaning all eight competitors would automatically make the final barring a DQ.

NCAP’s Phoebe Bacon, the fifth-fastest swimmer in the world this season, leads the field with a 2:11.83, beating out world champion Regan Smith (2:12.99) in Heat 2.

Bacon swam her season-best of 2:09.16 at the Des Moines site of the U.S. Open, while Smith went 2:11.74 at the same meet.

Isabelle Stadden clocked 2:12.14 in Heat 1 for second overall, going under her 2:13.70 from the Stanford Invite in November.

Sandpiper of Nevada’s Katie Grimes, the only other swimmer racing in Heat 1, hit a personal best time of 2:14.67, improving on her 2:14.84 from December.

Men’s 200 Back Prelims

• PSS Record: 1:55.04, Xu Jiayu (CHN), 2017
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:02.99

1. Will Grant, VS, 2:01.24
2. Austin Katz, TEX, 2:02.74
3. Ryan Murphy, CAL, 2:03.05
4. Shaine Casas, TAMU, 2:04.09
5. Jack Dahlgren, UN-MV, 2:04.92

Only five men took on the 200 back this morning, led by Veritas’ Will Grant, who beat out Ryan Murphy and Shaine Casas in Heat 2 in a time of 2:01.24. Grant is the second-fastest American in 2020-21 with a 1:59.52 from the U.S. Open.

Murphy and Casas eased their way through the race in 2:03.05 and 2:04.09, respectively.

Austin Katz led Heat 1 in 2:02.74 in what was his first LCM 200 back since August of 2019, qualifying second overall.

Women’s 100 Free Prelims

• PSS Record: 53.12, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2016
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 56.29

1. Abbey Weitzeil, CAL, 55.28
2. Olivia Smoliga, ABSC, 55.32
3. Natalie Hinds, ABSC, 55.52
4. Isabel Ivey, UN-PC, 55.70
5. Margo Geer, MVN, 55.92
6. Mallory Comerford, CARD, 56.08
7. Casey Fanz, CARD, 56.32
8. Melanie Margalis, SPA-FL, 57.21

Abbey Weitzeil and Olivia Smoliga looked fairly controlled in winning the last two heats of the women’s 100 freestyle, qualifying with the top two spots for tonight’s final in 55.28 and 55.32, respectively.

Isabel Ivey, one of the lone swimmers to take on a double during this session, won Heat 1 in 55.70 to qualify fourth overall.

Men’s 100 Free Prelims

• PSS Record: 48.00, Nathan Adrian (USA), 2016
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 50.49

1. Ryan Held, NYAC, 49.70
2. Zach Apple, MVN, 50.20
3. Dean Farris, VS, 50.53
4. Tate Jackson, TXLA, 50.60
5. Brett Pinfold, SHAC, 50.73
6. Andrew Seliskar, CAL, 50.78
7. Daniel Krueger, TEX, 50.93
8. Drew Kibler, TEX, 51.19

Ryan Held looked strong in claiming the top seed in the men’s 100 free, out relatively fast in 23.56 before coming home for a final time of 49.70, the only sub-50 swim of the session.

Held is the top American this season with his 49.00 from the U.S. Open in November.

Zach Apple, who beat Held head-to-head in last night’s 50 free, topped the opening heat in 50.20 to qualify second, while Dean Farris (50.53) touched first in Heat 2 for third overall.

Longhorn Aquatics’ Tate Jackson went under his season-best of 50.78 from October in 50.60 to qualify fourth. Jackson was among the six American men who broke 48 seconds in 2019, which included Held and Apple (Farris was close at 48.07).

Second seed coming in Maxime Rooney, another 47-second swimmer in 2019, was a no-show.