2023 U.S. Pro Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2023 U.S. PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 26-29, 2023
• LCM (50m)
• William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, Irvine, California, United States
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet

The fourth day of the 2023 TYR Pro Championships continue with prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly on Saturday morning in Irvine, California.

Phoebe Bacon owns the top seed time in the women’s 200 back (2:05.08), Jack Aikins in the men’s 200 back (1:56.04), Catie Deloof in the women’s 100 free (53.75), Brooks Curry in the men’s 100 free (47.90), Mikayla Smith in the women’s 200 breast (2:26.08), Charlie Swanson in the men’s 200 breast (2:08.84), Dakota Luther in the women’s 200 fly (2:07.02), and Trenton Julian in the men’s 200 fly (1:54.22).

Stay tuned for live updates below:

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• American Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:03.80 – Regan Smith (2023)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:04.76 – Regan Smith (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:13.59

Top 8:

1. Phoebe Bacon – 2:11.63
2. Hannah Fredericks – 2:12.97
3. Josephine Fuller – 2:13.40
4. Anna Freed – 2:14.65
5. Caroline Bentz – 2:14.67
6. Elyse Heiser – 2:14.96
7. Emma Weyant – 2:15.28
8. Alicia Wilson – 2:15.52

Tokyo Olympian and rising Wisconsin senior Phoebe Bacon cruised to the top qualifying spot in prelims with a 2:11.63, more than a second ahead of runner-up Hannah Fredericks (2:12.97). Bacon went 2:06.59 at U.S. Trials a month ago en route to 5th place and owns a personal-best 2:05.08 from last year’s International Team Trials.

Fredericks, a 20-year-old Aussie, was only about a second off her best time from April’s Australian Championships (2:11.72) with a 2:12.97. Rising Tennessee junior Josephine Fuller qualified 3rd in 2:13.40, a few seconds off her season-best 2:10.59 from last month’s U.S. Trials. Fuller has been as fast as 2:09.77 at last December’s U.S. Open.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• American Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:55.04 – Xu Jiayu (2017)
• World Junior Record: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov (2017)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:01.69

Top 8:

1. Ty Hartwell – 1:58.85
2. Jack Aikins – 1:59.19
3. Landon Driggers – 2:00.59
4. Sam Powe – 2:00.76
5. Tristan Jankov – 2:01.16
6. Thomas Hauck – 2:01.18
7. Ian Grum – 2:01.86
8. Tim Gallagher – 2:01.91

We should be in for a fun Aussie vs. American showdown in the men’s 200 back tonight after Australia’s Ty Hartwell (1:58.85) edged rising UVA junior Jack Aikins for the top qualifying spot in prelims.

Hartwell clocked his lifetime best of 1:57.84 at the Australian Championships in April while Aikins just hit his personal-best 1:56.04 at U.S. Trials last month, just missing the World Championships roster with a 3rd-place finish.

Rising Tennessee junior Landon Driggers qualified 3rd with a new lifetime best of 2:00.59, dropping .39 seconds off his previous-best 2:00.98 from U.S. Trials, where he placed 27th in prelims.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
• American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 52.54 – Simone Manuel (2018)
• Pro Swim Record: 53.12 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• World Junior Record: 52.70 – Penny Oleksiak (2016)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 55.79

Top 8:

1. Catie Deloof – 53.98
2. Simone Manuel – 54.44
3. Grace Cooper – 54.97
4. Kristina Paegle – 55.05
5. Isabel Ivey – 55.08
6. Amy Fulmer – 55.20
7. Alexandria Perkins – 55.28
8. Tie: Chloe Stepanek / Katherine Zenick – 55.41 *Swim-off required

Catie Deloof dipped under 54 seconds in the women’s 100 free prelims with the top qualifying time of 53.98. The 26-year-old Michigan graduate has been red-hot this season, coming off a personal-best 53.75 from U.S. Trials last month.

Deloof was almost half a second ahead of Simone Manuel, who clocked her best time since the Tokyo 2021 Olympics with a 54.44 to qualify 2nd for tonight’s final. The 26-year-old Olympic and world champion took a lengthy break from training after Tokyo and skipped last month’s U.S. Trials, but she took another step forward today by shaving .06 seconds off her previous season best (54.50) from May’s Pro Swim Series stop in Mission Viejo.

Rising Texas senior Grace Cooper snuck under 55 seconds for the third time in her career to snag the 3rd qualifying spot in 54.97. The 21-year-old clocked her personal-best 54.85 in prelims of last month’s U.S. Trials before matching it later that day in the C-final.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 46.86 – David Popovici (2022)
• American Record: 46.96 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 47.39 – Ryan Held/Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• Pro Swim Record: 48.00 – Nathan Adrian (2016)
• World Junior Record: 46.86 – David Popovici (2022)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 49.99

Top 8:

1. Brooks Curry – 48.29
2. Maximillian Giuliani – 48.63
3. Blake Pieroni – 48.69
4. Jamie Jack – 48.97
5. Jonny Kulow – 49.16
6. Brett Pinfold – 49.24
7. Jezze Gorman – 49.28
8. Luke Maurer – 49.43

In his first meet after leaving LSU, Brooks Curry fired off a 48.29 to lead the men’s 100 free prelims. The 22-year-old Olympic gold medalist was just a few hundredths off his season-best 48.26, and only a few tenths off his personal-best 47.90 from last year’s World Championships.

Australia’s Maximillian Giuliani qualified 2nd with a 48.63, one of three other men to finish under 49 seconds in prelims. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Blake Pieroni posted a season-best 48.69 to qualify 3rd, the 27-year-old American’s best time since the Tokyo Olympics two summers ago (48.13). 20-year-old Aussie Jamie Jack also went under 49 seconds with a 48.97 to qualify 4th.

Luca Urlando (49.48) and Santo Condorelli (49.54) barely missed the A-final in 9th and 10th place, respectively.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova (2023)
• American Record: 2:19.59 – Rebecca Soni (2012)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:20.38 – Rebecca Soni (2009)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:20.77 – Annie Lazor (2019)
• World Junior Record: 2:19.64 – Viktoria Gunes (2015)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:31.69

Top 8:

1. Ella Ramsay – 2:29.54
2. Isabelle Odgers – 2:29.92
3. Mikayla Smith – 2:30.01
4. Emma Weyant – 2:33.10
5. Kaitlyn Nguyen – 2:33.54
6. Josie Panitz – 2:33.91
7. Channing Hanley – 2:35.20
8. Brearna Crawford – 2:35.60

19-year-old Aussie Ella Ramsay led the women’s 200 breast prelims with a 2:29.54, edging USC graduate Isabelle Odgers (2:29.92) for the top qualifying spot in tonight’s final. Ramsay was significantly faster than her 2:31.66 from April’s Australian Championships and within a second of her seed time (2:28.85). Odgers was a couple seconds off her personal-best 2:27.31 from earlier this month.

25-year-old Aussie Mikayla Smith should also be in the mix for the title tonight after qualifying 3rd in 2:30.01. Her seed time of 2:26.08 is the fastest in the field.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang (2023)
• American Record: 2:07.17 – Josh Prenot (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:07.17 – Josh Prenot (2016)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:08.95 – Andrew Wilson (2018)
• World Junior Record: 2:08.83 – Zhihao Dong (2023)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:15.99

Top 8:

1. Will Licon – 2:11.72
2. Max Reich – 2:11.74
3. Nick Mahabir – 2:11.87
4. Jake Foster – 2:11.91
5. Charlie Swanson – 2:12.50
6. Jason Louser – 2:13.31
7. Ben Dillard – 2:13.66
8. Joshua Yong – 2:13.67

The men’s 200 breast final tonight should be a thriller with four men separated by less than two tenths in prelims this morning. Will Licon led the way in 2:11.72, and Max Reich was just .02 seconds behind in 2:11.74.

At just 17 years old, Nick Mahabir claimed the 3rd qualifying spot with a new Singaporean record of 2:11.87. He improved upon his previous-best 2:12.07, lowering Maximillian Ang‘s previous national record of 2:11.93 from last May. Mahabir broke the Singapore national record in the 100 breast twice yesterday, bringing it under a minute for the first time in the final (59.96).

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• World Record: 2:01.81 – Liu Zige (2009)
• American Record: 2:03.87 – Regan Smith (2023)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:03.87 – Regan Smith (2023)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:05.05 – Summer McIntosh (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:04.70 – Summer McIntosh (2023)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:13.69

Top 8:

1. Dakota Luther – 2:08.71
2. Emma Sticklen – 2:09.86
3. Kelly Pash – 2:10.09
4. Greta Pelzek – 2:11.75
5. Leah Gingrich – 2:12.28
6. Lillie Nordmann – 2:12.54
7. Alyssa Graves – 2:12.94
8. Brittany Castelluzzo – 2:13.01

Texas went 1-2-3 in prelims with Dakota Luther leading the way in 2:08.71. She owns a lifetime best of 2:07.02 from last July and a season best of 2:07.67 from earlier this month.

Her Longhorn teammate, Emma Sticklen, also reached the wall under 2:10 with a 2:09.86, not far off her personal-best 2:08.28 from last month. Kelly Pash placed 3rd in prelims with a 2:10.09, a couple seconds off her personal-best 2:08.13 from last month.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• World Record: 1:50.34 – Kristof Milak (2022)
• American Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:53.84 – Luca Urlando (2019)
• World Junior Record: 1:53.79 – Kristof Milak (2017)
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:00.49