Big Ten Champ Miles Smachlo Swims Lifetime Best in the 100 LCM Fly at Namesnik

2019 ERIC NAMESNIK MEMORIAL OPEN

• July 5th-7th, 2019
• Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• LCM (50m)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

After a breakout junior collegiate season that saw him win the Big Ten title in the 100 yard fly, Miles Smachlo is parlaying that into a breakout long course season as well. Racing Friday on day 1 of the 2019 Eric Namesnik Memorial Open, Smachlo swam a 52.57 that knocked three-tenths of a second off his lifetime best in the race.

That’s the 2nd time in less than a month that he’s been a lifetime best in the 100 fly in long course. In 2017, he swam 53.08. After not swimming the race once in the summer of 2018 in long course, on June 13th he improved his time to 52.88, and now down to 52.57. That makes him now the 8th-fastest American in the event this year. Only 2 of the swimmers ahead of him (Luca Urlando and Andrew Seliskar) have been lifetime bests this season.

The highlight of the women’s meet was the 200 free win by another Michigan rising senior: Chloe Hicks. She swam a 2:01.06, which is an Olympic Trials Cut, and her first. Further, it takes almost 5 seconds off her old lifetime best of 2:05.97 that was set in 2016.

Other Winners on Day 1:

• Kevin Callan won the men’s 200 free in 1:49.94. He’s been as fast as 1:47.3, and has been 1:49.6 this season (which already nabbed his Olympic Trials cut in this event).
• Miranda Tucker won the women’s 100 breaststroke by almost 2 seconds in 1:08.98. She was 1:08.10 at Summer Nationals last year.
• Tommy Cope kept the Michigan run alive on day 1 of the meet, winning the men’s 100 breaststorke in 1:01.02.
• Another Wolverine, Vanessa Kruse, won the women’s 100 fly in 1:00.29. She beat out Tucker, on her 2nd swim of the day, who went 1:00.52 for 2nd place and a new lifetime best. 14-year old Tess Howley, who is a butterfly National Age Group Record holder in yards, placed 4th in 1:00.59. She’s been 1:00.24 this summer already.
• Kaitlynn Sims, who is representing the Magnolia Aquatic Club in Texas but will begin varsity competition for the Wolverines in the fall, won the women’s 400 IM in 4:48.78. That’s half-a-second short of her lifetime best, set at Junior Nationals last summer.
• The first true non-Michigan winner of the meet came via Ross Palazzo, who won the men’s 400 IM in 4:24.85. He is officially representing the Hudson Explorers Aquatic Team (HEAT) in Hudson, Ohio, but just finished his senior season at Florida.