2022 U.S. World Championship Trials: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2022 U.S. World Championship Trials

• April 26-30, 2022
• Greensboro, NC
• Greensboro Aquatic Center
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times: Prelims – 9 am ET / Finals – 6 pm ET
• Worlds Qualifying Criteria
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• SwimSwam Pick ‘Em Contest
• How To Watch
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

TUESDAY NIGHT HEAT SHEET

The first members of Team USA will book their tickets to 2022 World Championships and Junior Pan Pac Championships during tonight’s finals session in Greensboro.

It will be a crowded field seeking to represent the United States in the 200 fly, with Hali Flickinger, Charlotte Hook, Emma Sticklen, Regan Smith, and Olivia Carter all posting sub-2:10s in heats this morning. On the men’s side, Trenton Julian is in a position to earn his first slot on a United States LCM senior team after posting the #3 200 fly time in the world so far this year (1:54.34) in prelims. Olympians Zach Harting and Chase Kalisz will challenge Julian.

The 100 free final will determine not only the qualifiers in the individual races, but also the makeup of the 400 free relays. Natalie Hinds was the only swimmer under 54 seconds this morning (53.77), while Claire Curzan, Torri Huske, Mallory Comerford, and Abbey Weitzeil all qualified for the final with sub 54.2s. Caeleb Dressel led the qualifiers in the men’s race with 48.12; Ryan Held, Drew Kibler, and Brooks Curry were all under 48.4.

Olympic champions Katie Ledecky (8:11.83) and Bobby Finke (14:39.65) will occupy the middle lanes in the timed finals of the 800 and 1500 freestyles, respectively. Olympians Katie Grimes and Leah Smith are the next-fastest seeds in the 800, while Charlie Clark and Will Gallant lead the rest of the field in the 1500.

Racing gets underway at 6:00 PM Eastern time.

Tuesday, April 26

Women’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 2:01.81 – Zige Liu (2009)
• American Record: 2:04.14 – Mary Descenza (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:05.85 – Hali Flickinger (2021)
• Jr World Record: 2:06.29 – Suzuka Hasegawa (2017)
• FINA “A” Cut: 2:09.21
• SwimSwam Preview – W200 Fly

Podium:

1. Hali Flickinger, Sun Devils – 2:06.35
2. Regan Smith, Unattached – 2:07.93
3. Charlotte Hook, TAC Titans – 2:08.80
4. Emma Sticklen, Texas – 2:08.88
5. Olivia Carter, Michigan – 2:08.90
6. Lindsay Looney, Unattached – 2:08.99
7. Rachel Klinker, Unattached – 2:10.15
8. Amanda Ray, Florida – 2:10.70

In a repeat of the outcome at last summer’s Olympic Team Trials, Hali Flickinger and Regan Smith finished in the top two slots, both likely earning berths to World Championships. Flickinger drove the pace from the outset, leading at all four walls. She was up by about a body length at the halfway point, and while Smith looked like she might make a move on the third 50, it was Flickinger all the way. She split 1:00.17-1:06.18 to win in 2:06.35, the third-fastest time in the world so far this year.

Charlotte Hook, Emma Sticklen, Olivia Carter, and Lindsay Looney finished within 1/10 of each other, all four coming to the wall under the FINA “A” standard.

Men’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 1:50.73 – Kristof Milak (2019)
• American Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• Jr World Record: 1:53.79 – Kristof Milak (2017)
• FINA “A” Cut: 1:56.71
• SwimSwam Preview – M200 Fly

Podium:

1. Luca Urlando, DART – 1:54.10
2. Trenton Julian, Unattached – 1:54.22
3. Zach Harting, Cardinals – 1:55.09
4. Chase Kalisz, Athens Bulldog Swim Club – 1:56.03
5. Nicolas Albiero, Louisville – 1:56.27
6. Gabriel Jett, Unattached – 1:56.58
7. Alexander Colson, Unattached – 1:56.98
8. Jace Crawford, Florida – 1:57.09

Luca Urlando snatched a seemingly sure victory away from Trenton Julian over the final 15 meters, edging him 1:54.10 to 1:54.22. Julian was out very fast, leading the field with 25.1-53.5 at the 50 and 100 walls. He led with 1:22.9 at the 150 and turned for home with a body-length lead. Urlando came home in 30.28 over the fourth 50, outsplitting Julian by .96 (31.24), and got the win by .12.

2020 Olympian Zach Harting, who won this event at Trials with 1:55.06, was third in 1:55.09. Chase Kalisz, Nic Albiero, and Gabriel Jett also made the FINA “A” cut with their 3rd through 6th-place finishes.

Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
• American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 52.54 – Simone Manuel (2018)
• Jr World Record: 52.70 – Penny Oleksiak (2016)
• FINA “A” Cut: 54.25
• SwimSwam Preview – W100 Free

Podium:

1. Torri Huske, Unattached – 53.35
2. Claire Curzan, TAC Titans – 53.58
3. Erika Brown, Tennessee Aquatics – 53.59
4. Natalie Hinds, Unattached – 53.65
5. Kate Douglass, Virginia – 53.99
6. Mallory Comerford, Cardinal Aquatics – 54.09
7. Abbey Weitzeil, Cal – 54.41
8. Olivia Smoliga, Sun Devils – 54.55

It’s a changing of the guard in the women’s 100 free, with Torri Huske and Claire Curzan edging the veterans at the top of the list.

Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil, who won this event at Trials last summer, was out first at the 50, flipping in 25.34 ahead of Huske and Curzan. Huske came home in 27.58, powering past Weitzeil by the middle of the second 50, to win in a lifetime-best time of 53.35. Last summer, she was 10th in the semi-final with 54.18. Her previous PB was 53.35 from April 2021.

Curzan, who was 12th at Trials last year (54.39), got her hand to the wall 1/100 ahead of Tennessee’s Erika Brown, last summer’s runner-up. Curzan finished just .03 off her lifetime best, a 53.55 from April 2021.

Natalie Hinds, who had been in second place behind Weitzeil at the 50 wall, finished fourth, just ahead of UVA’s Kate Douglass and Mallory Comerford.

Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 46.91 – Cesar Cielo Filho (2009)
• American Record: 46.96 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 47.39 – Ryan Held / Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• Jr World Record: 47.57 – Andrei Minakov (2020)
• FINA “A” Cut: 48.77
• SwimSwam Preview – M100 Free

Podium:

1. Caeleb Dressel, Gator Swim Club – 47.79
2. Brooks Curry, Tiger Aquatics – 48.04
3. Ryan Held, NY Athletic Club – 48.18
4. (tie) Drew Kibler, Texas / Hunter Armstrong, Ohio State – 48.25
5. –
6. Justin Ress, Mission Viejo – 48.38
7. Kieran Smith, Florida – 48.51
8. Zach Apple, ISC – 48.52

Caeleb Dressel threw down the fastest time in the world for the season, winning the men’s 100 free in 47.79. He was out in an explosive 22.62, three-tenths faster than in morning heats. Ryan Held and Brooks Curry flipped together, about .3 behind Dressel in second and third place.

Dressel came home with 25.17, the third-fastest second 50 behind Hunter Armstrong (24.90) and Kieran Smith (25.05). Dressel’s 47.79 was the top time by .25, and he now leads the world rankings by .09. Curry got to the wall just ahead of Held, while Armstrong moved from seventh place to tie Drew Kibler for fourth place.

The entire championship final made the FINA “A” cut in the 100 free.

Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• World Record: 8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• American Record: 8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 8:06.68 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• Jr World Record: 8:11.00 – Katie Ledecky (2014)
• FINA “A” Cut: 8:37.90
• SwimSwam Preview – W800 Free

Podium:

1. Katie Ledecky, Unattached – 8:09.27
2. Leah Smith, Longhorn Aquatics – 8:17.52
3. Bella Sims, Sandpipers – 8:22.36
4. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers – 8:22.73
5. Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers – 8:29.34
6. Jillian Cox, Longhorn Aquatics – 8:33.83
7. Michaela Mattes, Sarasota Sharks – 8:35.58
8. Tylor Mathieu, Florida – 8:36.85

Katie Ledecky went her best time since 2018 with a dominant 8:09.27 to post the world’s top time for the year in the women’s 800 free. She was already up by a body length at the 100 wall and continued to put a couple of meters of clear water behind her and the rest of the field with every 50.

The race for second place was nowhere near as close as anticipated. Katie Grimes and Bella Sims were running second and third behind Ledecky over the first 100 meters but Leah Smith surged to the front on the third wall. She finished four bodies ahead of Sims, 8:17.52 to 8:22.36, for second place.

16-year-old Jillian Cox of Longhorn Aquatics dropped 8.3 seconds from her PB to win the earlier heats of 800 free with 8:33.83, the 23rd-fastest time ever in the 15-16 age group. Michaela Mattes, 17, of Sarasota Sharks improved on her best time, swum in March, to place second with 8:35.88. University of Florida’s Tylor Mathieu was third this afternoon, clocking in at 8:36.85. All three swimmers made the top-8 overall, finishing with faster times than TAC Titans’ Caroline Pennington.

The top eight swimmers all made the FINA “A” cut.

Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• World Record: 14:31.02 – Yang Sun (2012)
• American Record: 14:39.48 – Connor Jaeger (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 14:45.54 – Peter Vanderkaay (2008)
• Jr World Record: 14:46.09 – Franko Grgic (2019)
• FINA “A” Cut: 15:04.64
• SwimSwam Preview – M1500 Free

Podium:

1. Bobby Finke, Florida – 14:45.72
2. Charlie Clark, Ohio State – 14:51.78
3. David Johnston, Texas – 15:08.90
4. Alec Enyeart, TST – 15:12.70
5. Will Gallant, NC State – 15:20.98
6. Tyler Watson, Florida – 15:28.22
7. Brennan Gravley, Florida – 15:31.30
8. Josh Parent, Bluefish – 15:50.56

Olympic champion Bobby Finke led wire-to-wire in the timed final of the men’s 1500 free, winning by 15 meters ahead of Ohio State’s Charlie Clark, 14:45.72 to 14:51.78. Clark, meanwhile, was entered with a 15:04. He dropped 13 seconds to earn second place and a probable trip to Budapest. Finke clocked the third-fastest time in the world, while Clark posted the #6 time.

Behind the leaders, David Johnston separated himself from the pack at about the 600, pulling away from Texas commit Alec Enyeart.

In the afternoon heats, Cal commit Matthew Chai put up the fastest time of 15:16.42 to jump to #27 all-time for the boys’ 17-18 age group. That put him fifth overall after Enyeart. Brice Barrieault of Sandpipers and Florida commit Giovanni Linscheer from City of Richardson finished second and third in the afternoon heats and their times were both faster than Florida’s Tyler Watson, putting them in the top-8 overall.

Only Finke and Clark swam under the FINA “A” standard.