2021 Pro Swim Series – San Antonio (March): Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2021 Pro Swim Series – San Antonio (March)

• March 3-7, 2021
• North East ISD Blossom Athletic Complex, San Antonio, TX
• LCM Format
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Session Timelines
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)
• Live Stream (Olympic Channel)
• Start Times (Central Time): Women’s Prelims: 10 AM / Men’s Prelims: 90 minutes after women’s prelims (between 11:30-12:00) / Finals: 7 PM

The penultimate day of the San Antonio Pro Swim Series will see Regan Smith contest one of her World Record-holding events – the 200 back. On the men’s side, the 200 back is the 2nd event of the meet for Cal’s Ryan Murphy who is ranked 1st by nearly 3 seconds.

With World Record-holder Caeleb Dressel out for the rest of the meet, Florida alumni Maxime Rooney of Pleasanton has taken the top seed spot in the 100 fly, ranked over half a second ahead of Michael Andrew. Rooney scratched the 200 free this morning, which is also a potential Olympic Trials event for him, to focus on the 100 fly.

The women’s 400 IM is set up for some exciting races from top seed and Olympian Melanie Margalis and U.S. National Team member Madisyn Cox who posted a lifetime best in the 400 yard IM of 3:58.55 just last month.  Friday morning’s full event lineup includes the 200 free, 200 back, 400 IM, and 100 fly.

Friday Prelims Heat Sheet

Women’s 200 Freestyle

• World Record: 1:52.98 – Federica Pellegrini (2009)
• American Record: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:54.40 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• Junior World Record: 1:55.43 – Junxuan Yang (2019)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:54.43 – Katie Ledecky (2016)

Top 8

1. Katie Ledecky, Nation’s Capital – 1:57.09
2. Kathryn McLaugh, California Aquatics – 1:59.35
3. Madisyn Cox, Longhorn Aquatics – 1:59.74
4. Andi Murez, Team Elite – 1:59.91
5. Joanna Evans, Longhorn Aquatics – 2:00.00
6. Olivia Smoliga, Athens Bulldog – 2:00.20
7. Bella Sims, Sandpipers of Nevada – 2:00.26
8. Leah Smith, Unattached – 2:00.33

Katie Ledecky kicked things off with a heat 5 win in a time of 1:57.09. She touched the wall about 2.5 seconds off her seed time so we may see a faster swim from her tonight in the ‘A’ final. It was a tight race for the rest of the event with places 2 through 8 separated by about 1 second.

In this mix is 15-year-old Bella Sims of Sandpipers of Nevada who touched the wall 7th overall with a time of 2:00.26. This was a solid swim for Sims, about one-third of a second within her lifetime best from November 2020. Ranked 2nd going into finals tonight is Cal’s Katie McLaughlin with a time of 1:59.35 followed by U.S. National Team member Madisyn Cox at 1:59.74.

Men’s 200 Freestyle

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann (2009)
• American Record: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:44.10 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• Junior World Record: 1:46.13 – Elijah Winnington (2018)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:44.82 – Sun Yang (2016)

Top 8

1. Jeff Newkirk, Longhorn Aquatics – 1:49.84
2. Jorge Iga, Unattached – 1:50.13
3. Marwan El Kama, Indiana Swim Club – 1:50.59
4. Blake Pieroni, Sandpipers of Nevada – 1:50.61
5. Ryan Lochte, Gator Swim Club – 1:50.72
6. Khader Baqlah, Gator Swim Club – 1:50.90
7. Andrew Seliskar, California Aquatics – 1:50.96
8. Erge Gezmis, NC State University – 1:51.03

Jeff Newkirk of Longhorn Aquatics is the top seed going into the ‘A’ final tonight, as he touched the wall with a time of 1:49.84. In 2nd is Jorge Iga who had a significantly faster seed time than Newkirk, 1:47.14 compared to Newkirk’s 1:48.31, and has the possibility of going off tonight. Marwan El Kama from Indiana Swim Club out touched Blake Pieroni by .02 to claim a spot in the top 3.

Gator Swim Club’s Ryan Lochte and Khader Baqlah will highlight the ‘A’ final tonight as well, going in with times of 1:50.72 and 1:50.92, respectively. This is a solid swim for Lochte who posted a 1:52.05 at the Sarasota U.S. Open in November.

In heat 1, Michael Andrew went for a 50 free split and clocked a 22.17. He did not finish the race and therefore won’t appear in this event in tonight’s finals session. Andrew is not on entered in the individual 50 free tomorrow, so the logic behind this may have just been to get the swim in today within the 200 free where he was ranked 33rd and had less of a chance to make finals. Instead of the 50 free, he will be racing the 200 IM tomorrow where he is ranked 2nd. Cal’s Zheng Quah and Tate Jackson of Longhorn Aquatics are listed as declared false starts.

Women’s 200 Backstroke

• World Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
• American Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:05.68 – Missy Franklin (2013)
• Junior World Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:05.94 – Regan Smith (2020)

Top 8

1. Lisa Bratton, Aggie Swim Club – 2:10.19
2. Regan Smith, Riptide – 2:10.33
3. Kathleen Baker, Team Elite/NYAC – 2:10.55
4. Hali Flickinger, Sun Devil Swimming – 2:11.91
5. Tevyn Waddell, Unattached-UOFM – 2:13.87
6. Natalie Mannion, Sarasota Sharks  2:14.82
7. Beata Nelson, Wisconsin Aquatics – 2:15.15
8. Erica Sullivan, Sandpipers of Nevada –2:16.12

Lisa Bratton of Aggie Swim Club claimed the top finals spot tonight with a time of 2:10.19, not too far ahead of World Record-holder Regan Smith from Riptide (2:10.33). Team Elite’s Kathleen Baker will make the ‘A’ final a close race as she touched the wall with a time just .22 behind Smith.

17-year-old Natalie Mannion of the Sarasota Sharks will be the youngest member of the top 8, ranked 6th with a time of 2:14.82. Sandpipers’ distance star Erica Sullivan earned the final spot in the ‘A’ final, bumping Sherridon Dressel to the top spot in the ‘B’ final (2:16.42). All swimmers who made the ‘A’ final tonight were a ways off their seed times so, again, we can look forward to potential time drops tonight.

Men’s 200 Backstroke

• World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• American Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• U.S. Open Record:  1:53.08 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• Junior World Record: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov (2017)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:55.04 – Xu Jiayu (2017)

Top 8

1. Ryan Murphy, California Aquatics – 1:59.34
2. Alex Gliese, Wolfpack Elite – 2:00.69
3. Chris Reid, Wolfpack Elite – 2:01.74
4. Anthony Ricon, Veritas Swimming – 2:02.67
5. Andy Xianyang, California Aquatics – 2:03.62
6. Drew Carbone, Unattached – 2:04.08
7. Nick Alexander, Team Triumph – 2:04.73
8. Billy Swartwout, Long Island Aquatics – 2:05.34

Cal’s Ryan Murphy took 1st place with ease this morning, touching the wall with a time of 1:59.34 nearly 5 seconds off his seed team. Murphy’s splits on this race tapered off throughout the race, ultimately resulting in a last 50 meters that was 2.5 seconds slower than his 3rd 50: 28.77/28.85/29.62/32.10. Creeping up on Murphy’s prelims time is Wolfpack Elite’s Alex Gliese (2:00.69) and his teammate Chris Reid (2:01.74).

Veritas’ Anthony Rincon came the closest to his seed time out of the entire event, finishing the race less than a second off it with a time of 2:02.67. One swimmer to watch out for in finals will be #7 Nick Alexander of Team Triumph who has the 3rd fastest seed time (1:58.30) but clocked a prelims time of 2:04.73. With 11 swimmers entered in the event, the ‘B’ final will be an exciting three-person battle between 16-year-olds Zach Stump and Liam Custer, and CSUB’s Kristofer Rogic.

Women’s 400 Individual Medley

• World Record: 4:26.36 – Katinka Hosszu (2016)
• American Record: 4:31.12 – Katie Hoff (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:31.07 – Katinka Hosszu (2015)
• Junior World Record: 4:35.94 – Yiting Yu (2020)
• Pro Swim Record: 4:31.07 – Katinka Hosszu (2015)

Top 8

1. Emma Weyant, Sarasota Sharks – 4:42.42
2. Melanie Margalis, Saint Petersburg – 4:44.52
3. Ally McHugh, Wisconsin Aquatics – 4:45.96
4. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada – 4:46.37
5. Brooke Forde, Alto Swim Club – 4:48.18
6. Haley Anderson, Mission Viejo Nadadores – 4:48.35
7. Bailey Andison, Unnatached ISC – 4:48.39
8. Bella Sims, Sandpipers of Nevada – 4:53.88

In heat 3, 15-year-old Katie Grimes posted a lifetime best of 4:46.37 which ranked her #45 out of the all-time fastest 15-16 year-olds in the event. She crushed her previous best time from November 2020 by more than 1 second. From heat 2, U.S. National Teamer Emma Weyant of the Sarasota Sharks snagged the top spot in the ‘A’ final tonight with a time of 4:42.42 and a 2 second lead over Olympian Melanie Margalis who was seeded with a time of 4:32.53.

Wisconsin Aquatic’s Ally McHugh touched the wall 3rd overall (4:45.96). Bella Sims of Sandpipers earned herself another ‘A’ final after her 7th place finish in the 200 free earlier, touching the wall now at 4:53.88 and bumping Katie Crom of Mission Viejo into the ‘B’ final by .01. Notably, Olympian Leah Smith was disqualified and Madisyn Cox no-showed the race after competing in the 200 free earlier. We were expecting fast swims from Cox in this race after she lowered her lifetime best in the 400 yard IM last month.

Men’s 400 Individual Medley

• World Record: 4:03.84 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• American Record: 4:03.84 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:05.25 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• Junior World Record: 4:11.50 – Ilia Borodin (2020)
• Pro Swim Record: 4:08.92 – Chase Kalisz (2018)

Top 8

1. Abrahm Devine, Team Elite – 4:22.43
2. Josh Prenot, California Aquatics – 4:22.64
3. Chase Kalisz, Athens Bulldog – 4:24.54
4. Jacob Heidtman, Team Elite – 4:24.59
5. Grant Sanders, Gator Swim Club – 4:24.97
6. Jay Litherland, Dynamo Swim Club – 4:25.09
7. Will Licon, Longhorn Aquatics – 4:26.33
8. Sam Stewart, YMCA Hub Fins – 4:27.70

Team Elite’s Abrahm Devine and Josh Prenot of Cal battled it out in heat 1, finishing with times of 4:22.43 and 4:22.64, respectively. Devine finished within 1 second of his seed time, but Prenot was about 4 seconds off.

Dyanmos’ Jay Litherland, who posted a 4:09.22 at the 2019 World Championships to win silver, claimed the 5th spot in finals with a time of 4:25.09. In 3rd is Chase Kalisz who finished the race with a time of 4:24.54, also a ways off his seed time. The amount of swimmers who swam significantly slower than their seed times hints at much bigger swims in the finals session tonight.

Women’s 100 Butterfly

• World Record: 55.48 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• American Record: 55.98 – Dana Vollmer (2012)
• U.S. Open Record: 56.38 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• Junior World Record: 56.46 – Penny Oleksiak (2016)
• Pro Swim Record: 56.38 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)

Top 8

1. Regan Smith, Riptide – 58.61
2. Kelsi Dahlia, Cardinal Aquatic – 58.87
3. Aly Tetzloff, Wolfpack Elite – 59.03
4. Linnea Mack, Team Elite – 59.06
5. Beryl Gastaldello, Aggie Swim Club – 59.43
6. Katie McLaughlin, California Aquatics – 59.90*
7. Hali Flickinger, Sun Devil Swimming – 59.90*
8. Natalie Hinds, Athens Bulldog – 1:00.29

In heat 2, Riptide’s Regan Smith earned the top spot in the ‘A’ final tonight with a time of 58.61. Close behind is Kelsi Dahlia of Cardinal Aquatics (58.87) who was seeded first going into prelims at 57.06, about one-third of a second ahead of Smith. National Teamer Smith now has two ‘A’ finals tonight after she claimed the 2nd spot in the 200 backstroke.

Wolfpack Elite’s Aly Tetzloff and Linnea Mack of Team Elite are neck-and-neck, separated by .03, as we head into the finals tonight. There was an actual tie this morning between Cal’s Katie McLaughlin and Hali Flickinger of Sun Devil Swimming who both finished with a time of 59.90.

4 swimmers no-showed the event: Madisyn Cox of Longhorn Aquatics, Cardinal Aquatic’s Mallory Comerford, Team Elite’s Alyssa Marsh, and Lillie Nordmann from Alto Swim Club. Comerford was ranked the highest going into the meet at 9th.

Men’s 100 Butterfly

• World Record: 49.50 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• American Record: 49.50 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 50.22 – Michael Phelps (2009)
• Junior World Record: 50.62 – Kristof Milak (2017)
• Pro Swim Record: 50.92 – Caeleb Dressel (2020)

Top 8

1. Luis Martinez, Unattached – 52.76
2. Tom Shields, California Aquatics – 52.96
3. Maxime Rooney, Pleasanton Seahawks – 52.99
4. Michael Andrew, Race Pace Club – 53.08
5. Coleman Stewart, Wolfpack Elite – 53.17
6. Zheng Quah, California Aquatics – 53.27
7. Marius Kusch, Team Elite – 53.29
8. Jack Saunderson, Wolfpack Elite – 53.36

In heat 4, Auburn graduate and Guatemalan Olympian Luis Martinez touched the wall 1st with a time of 52.76, about .70 off his seed time. Pleasanton’s Maxime Rooney was seeded 1st going into the race at 50.68 but finished prelims with a time of 52.99, behind Olympic medalist Tom Shields of California Aquatics. Last November, Martinez bested Shield’s U.S. Open Meet record in the 200 fly, but Martinez did not race the event on Thursday. We may see a great dual between them tonight.

Michael Andrew snagged the 4th spot in the ‘A’ final tonight after a slow turn at the 50 where he appeared to pause for a split-second before launching himself into the turn. His seed time of 51.33 ranks him 2nd though, and this event will be his only race in the finals. If he redeems that turn we may see a faster swim from him tonight.