Allison Schmitt goes 4:32.08 in 500 free to top day 1 finals at American Short Course Championships

Editor’s note: to avoid confusion for some of our readers less familiar, or who are internationals, this meet is an American Championship largely in name only, and is not sanctioned by USA Swimming, the NCSA, or the YMCA that we’re aware of as an actual national championship meet.

Day 1 prelims recap

2015 AMERICAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, March 5 – Saturday, March 7, 2015
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas
• Psych Sheets
• Timeline 
• Results available on Meet Mobile under “2015 American Short Course Championships

The swim of the night came in the women’s 500 free, the evening’s first individual race. In that event, third-seed Allison Schmitt of North Baltimore crushed a 4:32.08, a new lifetime-best, go win the event.

That puts Schmitt just inside the all-time top 5 in the event, bumping out last year’s NCAA champ Brittany MacLean and slotting in just behind Cal freshman Cierra Runge‘s NCAA record from last week. The full top 5:

1. Katie Ledecky – 4:26.58
2. Katie Hoff – 4:30.47
3. Dagny Knutson – 4:31.18
4. Cierra Runge – 4:31.90
5. Allison Schmitt – 4:32.08

Also fast in the event was her North Baltimore teammate Lotte Friis, who was 4:33.47, and 17-year-old Becca Mann rebroke her own lifetime-best with a 4:34.77 for third.

The men’s race was a showdown between North Baltimore’s Frank Dyer and Seminole’s Zane Grothe. Dyer, a Notre Dame grad, was 4:14.00 for the win, with the former Auburn Tiger Grothe going 4:15.65 for second. Fellow pros Bobby Bollier (4:19.81) and Tom Luchsinger (4:19.93) also cracked 4:20.

Aquazot 17-year-old Sonia Wang held onto her top qualifying spot in the 200 IM, going 1:57.65, a new PR by almost a second. Her teammate Daniela Georges was second in 1:59.79.

The men’s 200 IM went to NBAC’s Austin Surhoff, who bested his prelims time by about half a second with a 1:43.06. That easily outpaced Australian Daniel Tranter (1:44.54), who recently moved to join Surhoff and the NBAC training group.

17-18 NAG record-holder Abbey Weitzeil couldn’t quite match her prelims speed in the 50 free, but still won in 21.84 over SwimAtlanta’s Amanda Weir. Weitzeil, the national high school record-holder in the event, had an amazing run through December that included a mixed relay world record at Short Course Worlds and an American record 100 free at US Winter Nationals. She still has her senior season of high school swimming coming up this spring.

In the men’s sprint race, Texas A&M’s Cory Bolleter further improved his NCAA bid, going .03 faster than prelims with a 19.36. Bolleter, possibly on the NCAA bubble before this meet, should be into college’s big show with his performances this week.

Trinity Prep’s team of Ariel Weech, Claire Maiocco, Grace Olivardia and Caroline White won the 200 free relay to open the meet, going 1:33.24 on a 22.91 split from Maiocco. In the men’s event, Texas A&M took the title in 1:19.19, getting a 19.26 split from Bolleter. Also on the squad were Luke Shaw, Jacob Gonzales and Turker Ayar.

The night closed with the 400 medley relays. Aquazot won the girls race in 3:43.19, pairing their 1-2 finishers in the 200 IM, Wang and Georges, with Eva Merrell and Catherine Lowengrub. On the men’s side, college program SMU took the win with Samuel Straughan, Ziga Cerkovnik, Tyler Rauth and Christian Scherubl going 3:11.23.