2019 Pro Swim Series – Greensboro: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2019 USA SWIMMING PRO SWIM SERIES – GREENSBORO

• November 6th-9th, 2019
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• 50m (LCM)
• Prelims at 9:00AM Eastern Time/Finals at 6:00PM Eastern Time (4:00 Eastern for Wednesday timed finals)
• Psych Sheets
• Thursday Finals Heat Sheets
• Live Stream
• Live Results

World champ Simone Manuel made her 2019-2020 season debut this morning with the fastest prelims 100 free by more than a second. She looks to move up from #8 in the world this season in her finals swim tonight.

Meanwhile Katie Ledecky hit the world’s fastest 400 free this morning: a 4:02.87. She’ll try to challenge the four-minute barrier in tonight’s final, and a big swim could put her in the driver’s seat for the $10,000 series title, given to the best FINA points swim at any of the Pro Swim Series’ five stops.

17-year-old Luca Urlando had the top men’s point swim this morning, going 1:57.74 in the 200 fly. He leads a junior-heavy field where the top three qualifiers are all 18 or younger. Worlds silver medalist Hali Flickinger is the favorite on the women’s side after pacing the field by two seconds this morning.

Other top qualifiers: NC State’s Nyls Korstanje was the only 49 in the men’s 100 free this morning, but he faces World University Games standout Dean Farris tonight. Tennessee pro Molly Hannis leads the 100 breast against NC State sophomore Sophie Hansson. Alabama alum and Icelandic national Anton McKee is the top 100 breast qualifier for the men. And Gator Swim Club’s Mitch D’Arrigo topped the men’s 400 free this morning.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 53.12 – Sarah Sjostrom, 2016
• Olympic Trials cut: 56.29

Top 3:

1. Simone Manuel (Alto Swim Club)- 53.44
2. Allison Schmitt (Sun Devil)- 54.41
3. Catie DeLoof (Team Elite)- 55.02

Simone Manuel repeats as the top swimmer in the 100 free, putting up the fastest time in the nation again at 53.44, the 5th-fastest time in the word thus far.

Second-place finisher Allison Schmitt stopped the clock at 54.41, which is #2 in the US behind Manuel. Team Elite’s Catie DeLoof rounded out the top 3 at 55.02, now third in the United States. On the world rankings, Schmitt ranks 8th and C. DeLoof is now 13th this season.

MEN’S 100 FREE Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 48.00 – Nathan Adrian, 2016
• Olympic Trials cut: 50.49

Top 3:

1. Dean Farris (Harvard)- 49.74
2. Nyls Korstanje (NC State)- 49.90
3. Coleman Stewart (NC State)- 50.02

Harvard’s Dean Farris blasted out of the tight field in the remaining meters to take the first men’s title of the 2020 PSS season. Farris posted a sub-50 swim of 49.74, now the fastest US time this season. His time just makes the top 16 times in the world thus far.

Dutch native Nyls Korstanje, representing NC State, also stayed under 50 seconds with his runner-up time of 49.90. Training-mate Coleman Stewart rounded out the top 3 at 50.02, now the 2nd-fastest US time this season. Team Elite’s Jacob Pebley took a close 4th-place finish at 50.05, ranking 3rd in the nation.

While Ryan Lochte, swimming for Gator Swim Club, finished in 8th place at 50.57, the veteran nearly negative-split the race 25.04/25.53.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 1:05.57 – Rebecca Sonni, 2011
• Olympic Trials cut: 1:10.99

Top 3:

1. Sophie Hansson (NC State)- 1:07.89
2. Molly Hannis (Tennessee)- 1:07.95
3. Rachel Bernhardt (Gamecock)- 1:08.04

With 35 meters left in the race, the top 4 swimmers were all in a tight bunch. At the finish, it was NC State Wolfpack member Sophie Hansson who touched first at 1:07.89, the 10th-fastest time in the world. Taking second place was Tennessee’s Molly Hannis, who broke 1:08 and posted the fastest US time at 1:07.95.

Gamecock Aquatics’ Rachel Bernhardt took third place at 1:08.04, ranking second in the US. Longhorn Aquatics’ Madisyn Cox finished in a narrow fourth place finish at 1:08.10, now third in the nation.

MEN’S 100 BREAST Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 58.86 – Adam Peaty, 2017
• Olympic Trials cut: 1:03.29

Top 3:

1. Andrew Wilson (Athens Bulldogs)- 1:00.76
2. Jorge Murillo (TAC Titans)- 1:00.99
3. Anton McKee (Pinnacle Racing)- 1:01.25

The lone American in the A-final, Andrew Wilson, topped the event with a 1:00.76, easily the fastest US time this season. At the FINA World Cup Tokyo stop back in August, Wilson posted a 59.02, the third-fastest time in the world.

Colombian native Jorge Murillo snagged second behind the American at 1:00.99 while Icelandic native Anton McKee took third at 1:01.25.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 2:06.76 – Cammile Adams, 2012
• Olympic Trials cut: 2:14.59

Top 3:

1. Hali Flickinger (Unattached)- 2:07.65
2. Charlotte Hook (TAC Titans)- 2:10.10
3. Megan Kingsley (Athens Bulldogs)- 2:10.26

Worlds runner-up Hali Flickinger once again flexed her impressive butterfly endurance by easily pulling away from the field in the back-half of the race. Flickinger now ranks 3rd in the world this season, as well as reaffirming her top US time. Last year, Flickinger’s opening season time was a 2:07.22, which was swum at the 2018 US Winter Nationals.

TAC Titan Charlotte Hook (2:10.10) blasted ahead of Athens Bulldog Megan Kingsley (2:10.26) at the finish to now file in as the #2 and #3 times in the nation. Hook and Kingsley also rank 6th and 7th in the world this season.

MEN’S 200 FLY Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 1:53.84 – Luca Urlando, 2019
• Olympic Trials cut: 2:01.19

Top 3:

1. Luca Urlando (DART)- 1:56.00
2. Matthew Fenlon (Badger)- 1:58.15
3. Carson Foster (Mason Manta Rays)- 1:58.61

The teens dominated the men’s 200 fly A-final as national champion Luca Urlando crushed the field with the top US time and 2nd-fastest time in the world this year.

Rounding out the top 3 were fellow teenagers Matthew Fenlon (1:58.15) and Carson Foster (1:58.61). Foster’s third-place time smashed his personal best of 1:59.32, ranking just outside the top 20 time in boys’ 17-18 age group history.

The next finisher in the A-final was Worlds silver medalist Jay Litherland (1:58.93). Out of the B-final, Khader Baqlah set a new Jordanian national record with his new lifetime best of 2:01.43.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 3:57.94 – Katie Ledecky, 2018
• Olympic Trials cut: 4:16.89

Top 3:

1. Katie Ledecky (NCAP)- 4:01.68
2. Allison Schmitt (Sun Devil)- 4:10.52
3. Ally McHugh (Wisconsin)- 4:10.68

Katie Ledecky led the race from start to finish, winning the race by 9 seconds and chopping a second off her prelims time. Ledecky reaffirmed her top time in the world from this morning, now leading by 5 seconds. Ledecky’s time was just 1.33 seconds behind her 2018-19 season opening time of 4:00.35.

Allison Schmitt added another second-place finish as she held off Wisconsin’s Ally McHugh by 0.14s. The pair now rank second and third in the nation this year.

Behind 4th-place finisher Kaersten Meitz (4:11.28), Hali Flickinger and Ashley Twichell tied for 5th at 4:13.36. Flickinger’s fifth place finish occurred just 22 minutes after she won the 200 fly A-final.

MEN’S 400 FREE Finals

• Pro Swim Series record: 3:43.55 – Sun Yang, 2016
• Olympic Trials cut: 3:57.29

Top 3:

1. Zane Grothe (Boulder City)- 3:48.80
2. Mitch D’Arrigo (Gator Swim Club)- 3:51.82
3. Santi Corredor (Gator Swim Club)- 3:55.08

Zane Grothe added another distance win, after taking the 1500 on Wednesday, with his 400 free winning time of 3:48.80, smashing his morning swim by 6 seconds. Grothe’s time is not only the fastest US time thus far but is the 2nd-fastest time in the world behind Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys.

Mitch D’Arrigo and Santi Corredor filed in behind Grothe to make a Gator 2-3 finish. Just 25 minutes after winning the men’s 200 fly, Luca Urlando put forth a valiant 4th-place finish with a 3:55.88, just 3 seconds off his lifetime best of 3:52.96.

FINA Point Leaders

The swimmer with the single best swim in FINA points for the full 2019-2020 Pro Swim Series will win the $10,000 prize – one for women and one for men. Here are the current leaders – we’ll try to update these as tonight’s session progresses:

Thursday Finals Update: Both Katie Ledecky and Zane Grothe maintain their top FINA swims, with Grothe now leading with his 400 free winning time. Luca Urlando‘s 200 fly winning time (1:56.00) was worth 888 points, which was one point below Grothe.

• Women: Katie Ledecky, 400 free, 4:01.68 (936 FINA points)
• Men: Zane Grothe, 400 free, 3:48.80 (889 FINA points)