Day 3 of the 2012 Fran Crippen Memorial Swim Meet of Champions was a Trojan domination, as USC-trained swimmers (attached or unattached) took victories in all but two of the night’s eight individual events.
They kicked the night off with a sweep of the men’s and women’s 200 freestyles. Katinka Hosszu won the ladies’ event in 1:58.94, while Ricky Berens got his birthday weekend underway right with a win in 1:48.25.
In the women’s race, Hosszu was followed by fellow Trojan Jessica Hardy, who rarely swims a race over 100 meters, in 2:00.57. Out of the handful of meets at which she’s tried this race in her career, this is the second-fastest swim she’s ever done (even with a majority of those swims coming in the last few years while she’s been working with Dave Salo). A future Trojan, national teamer Jasmine Tosky, was 3rd in 2:00.64.
The run was broken by Cal sophomore-to-be Catherine Breed in 2:00.90.
In the men’s race, after being disappointed in his 100 free on his birthday Friday, Ricky Berens atoned with an excellent swim the day-after for the big win. That’s pretty-well the fastest he’s ever been at this time of year, and he should have high-hopes of making a 2nd Olympic Team.
The group from Fullerton took the next three spots in the A-Final, with Tyler Clary taking 2nd in 1:48.96 that is the best time of his career. Is there a chance that he goes after a relay spot in this race at June’s Olympic Trials?
Matt McLean closed extremely well, better in fact that anyone in the field, but just barely ran out of real-estate to take 3rd in 1:48.99. Michael Klueh looked a bit better than he did in his 400 to take 4th in 1:49.67.
Not surprisingly, the Trojans also swept the 200 breaststrokes.
Rebecca Soni, the reigning everything in the world in the event, took the women’s race in 2:24.32. It would be easy to perceive that time as a small chip in her facade, as other Americans have been almost that fast in-season this year, but it’s still a far-shot faster than she was at this point last season. Roughly two-and-a-half seconds, in fact, though last year’s swim was done while travelling to Brazil for the Maria Lenk Trophy.
Andrea Kropp, who will begin competing for USC in the fall, continues to see big dividends from working with Dave Salo at USC. She took 2nd in 2:26.99, which marks the second time in the last month that she’s gone under 2:27 (she’s only done so one other time in her career).
Eric Shanteau ran away with the men’s race in 2:12.06.
The big guns from cal were the fastest in the morning prelims of the men’s 50 free, but in the finals they deferred the race to Joey Hale of the Redlands Swim Team, who won in 23.16. In the AM, Cal Aquatics’ William Copeland (22.99) and Nathan Adrian (21.90) took the top two seeds, but both scratched the final. As for Adrian, that’s the 10th time since the end of the 2008-2009 shiny suit era that he’s gone sub-22 seconds in the 50 free. The only swimmer who has done so more times in that period is Brazil’s Cesar Cielo, whose been there 15 times.
In the women’s sprint, Jessica Hardy won in 25.03, which is a great time for her even without consideration for the 200 free she’d put up earlier in the evening. Cal’s Liv Jensen was about a stroke behind, but ended up finishing in the fourth-best time of her career of 25.50. Stanford’s Sam Woodward was well-behind for 3rd in 25.80.
Ok, it’s not Yulia Efimova but it’s Yuliya Efimova.
There’s also a good win for the young Katie McLaughlin in the B-Final of the 200 free in 2.01.91 ahead of her training partner Chloe Sutton.
I think Rebecca Soni is alone in the water in USA in breaststroke and unlike many of other american swimmers she can qualify at the trials at 80% to be at her best at the olympic games. It will be very important for her to peak at the right time because Yulia Efimova will be very fast. Andrea Kropp can take the second spot in the 200 breast. She’s the future of american breaststroke with Emma Schoettmer, Breeja Larson or the young Allie Szekely and I see her in 2.24 this summer.
There’s also a good win for the young Katie McLaughlin in the B-Final in 2.01.91 ahead of her training partner Chloe Sutton.
I think Rebecca Soni is alone in the water in USA in breaststroke and unlike many of other american swimmers she can qualify at the trials at 80% to be at her best at the olympic games. It will be very important because Yulia Efimova will be very fast. Andrea Kropp can take the second spot. She’s the future of american breaststroke and I see her in 2.24 this summer.