Erica Sullivan Clocks 4:06.35 in 400m Free at GAIN Prelims After Weather Delay

2021 GAIN INVITATIONAL

• April 9-11, 2021
• Selby Aquatic Center, Sarasota, Florida
• Short Course Yards (25 yards) Prelims/Long Course Meters (50 meters) Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Central

A storm system at the end of last night’s long course finals pushed the women’s and men’s 400 free finals to this morning, tacked on at the beginning of the day before the scheduled yards prelims.

Sandpipers of Nevada went 1-2-4-5 in the women’s 400, with Erica Sullivan shaving a hundredth off of her lifetime best with a 4:06.35. She now moves to #5 in the world this year, two-hundredths ahead of what Leah Smith did yesterday at the Pro Swim Series – Mission Viejo.

Bella Sims was 4:10.25 for second, dropping a second off of her old best, ahead of Sarasota Sharks’ Emma Weyant (4:12.86), and Sandpipers Katie Grimes (4:13.82) and Paige Kuwata (4:14.50) as Kuwata dropped almost five seconds. Yesterday in yards prelims, in the 500 free, Sims posted a massive 4:32.13 ahead of Sullivan (4:34.07) and Grimes (4:38.26).

For Sims, that makes her the #8 performer ever, her new lifetime best by six seconds moving to #2 all-time in the 15-16 age group behind only Katie Ledecky (4:28.71).

In the men’s 400 free A-final this morning, Brice Barrieault (SAND) and Rex Maurer (unattached) both took over five seconds off their old bests. Barrieault won in 3:57.10 ahead of Maurer’s 3:57.27, each going under the Wave I cut.

After the 400s, the regularly scheduled prelims session began. Sims, coming off her lifetime best in the 400 free, posted the only sub-2:00 in the 200 IM prelims with a 1:58.50 to lead the way. That’s a little over two seconds off of her best.

In the 100 free, Sims returned again, smashing through the 50-second barrier to post a lifetime best 49.16. Her old best of 50.01 was from December 2019 when she was 14. Club Wolverine’s Gabby Deloof was also under 50, going 49.70, just ahead of Denver Hilltoppers’ Anna Shaw (49.88).

In the women’s 200 back prelims, Weyant led the field with a 1:57.62, coming almost three seconds off of her best.

Bowe Becker and Blake Pieroni, both attached to Sandpipers, went 1-2 in the 100 free prelims. Becker was 43.28, just ahead of Pieroni (43.67), while Maurer took third in a lifetime best 45.39.

OTHER NOTABLE SWIMS:

• Sebastian Wolff of the Denver Hilltoppers swam to a 1:49.17 in the men’s 200 IM prelims.
• In the men’s 200 back prelims, Bluefish Swim Club 15-year-old Caleb Maldari came six-tenths off of his lifetime best, going 1:45.31 for the top time of the morning by over a second.