Relay Analysis: Dressel’s 45.0 Leads Condors To Fastest Mixed Free Of Season

2020 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEMIFINAL #2

• Sunday, November 15th: 6-8pm CET/11-1pm U.S. Central
• Monday, November 16th: 6-8pm CET/11-1pm U.S. Central
• Duna Arena – Budapest, Hungary
• Short Course Meters (SCM) format
• ISL Technical Handbook
• 2020 ISL Scoring Format
• 2020 ISL Prize Money and Bonuses
• How To Watch
• Omega Results 
• Teams: Cali Condors / LA Current / Iron / Toronto Titans
• Startlists Day 2
• Results Day 1
• Full Meet Results

After the Cali women and LA men swept the relays on day one of their semi-final match, it was the Condors who proved to be the superior team in the mixed 4×100 free on day two, posting the top time of the season in 3:14.96. That overtakes the 3:15.17 done by the London Roar in the other semi.

Highlighting the entire match was Cali’s Caeleb Dressel, who put things into an extra gear on day two by setting a new world record in the 100 IM, notching a pair of American Records in the 100 free and 50 fly, and then closed things out with a blistering 45.01 split on this relay. That was the fastest in the field here by well over a second, and gave the Condors a sizeable buffer over LA that they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

Let’s take a closer look into all of the splits on the relay below:

Mixed 400 Freestyle Relay

Male Lead-offs

It was all Maxime Rooney on the lead-off leg, as the LA Current swimmer broke 46 seconds for the first time from a flat-start in 45.86. Rooney had gone a best of 46.26 on day one leading off the men’s free relay, and was also 46.41 earlier in the session individually.

Cali’s Justin Ress, who went a PB of 46.25 at Match 10 and was 46.32 in the individual race, kept the Condors close with a solid 46.46, and Toronto’s Yuri Kisil was the third swimmer under 47 seconds in 46.77. Kisil set a best time on day one in 46.63.

Male Flying Splits

This was Dressel’s fourth swim in just over an hour, but he pulled through in a big way for the Condors with a 45.01 split. That marks his second-fastest ever, trailing only his 44.91 from day one. His individual American Record from earlier was set in 45.20.

That swim gave Cali a lead of six-tenths over LA at the halfway mark, as Tom Shields did everything expected of him for the Current in 46.20. Shields ripped a 46.05 in the men’s event on day one.

Apostolos Christou popped a nice 46.59 for LA ‘B’ squad, half a second under what he went on day one.

Female Flying Splits

The Cali and LA women ultimately balanced each other out, with the Condor duo of Olivia Smoliga and Erika Brown out-splitting the Current’s Andi Murez and Abbey Weitzeil by a combined .07.

Weitzeil had the top split on LA’s anchor in 51.25, just off her 51.22 on yesterday’s medley relay, and Brown had her fastest split of the match for Cali in 51.55 (going 51.67 on day one). Murez has been sub-52, but added a few costly tenths for LA in 52.31.

Claire Fisch broke into the 51s for the first time for Toronto’s ‘B’ team, with her 51.88 proving to be a crucial leg in getting the Titans in for third and fourth. Michelle Coleman also dipped under for the ‘A’ team in 51.99. On day one, the two split 52.26 and 52.27, respectively.