2014 LA Invite
- Thursday, July 17th-Sunday, July 20th
- Thursday 4PM, Friday-Sunday Prelims 8:30AM/Finals 5PM (Pacific Time)
- Uytengsyu Aquatics Facility, University of Southern California
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
Day Three
Men’s 1500 Free Final
Jordan Wilimovsky. Photo: Anne Lepesant
As alone as he was in the prelim swim on Thursday evening, Team Santa Monica’s Jordan Wilimovsky couldn’t completely shake off Jack McLoughlin during the final. The two traded stroke for stroke through about the 500. Wilimovsky pulled ahead by not-quite-a-body-length and stayed there through about the 1100. He extended his lead to about two seconds for the remainder of the race.
Wilimovsky split his thirds 5:07-5:04-5:04, and finished just off his prelims time with 15:15.86. McLoughlin went 5:07-5:05-5:04, finished with a 59-high, and came up with a second-place 15:17.80.
Sandpipers’ Logan Houck dropped another 15 seconds and finished third with 15:27.26.
Women’s 200 IM Final
It was a close race over the fly leg, but the middle lanes –Maya DiRado and Caitlin Leverenz– broke away during the backstroke and the pool fanned out.
DiRado had the lead on the back-to-breast turn, which is imperative given Leverenz’s strong breast. DiRado hung with Leverenz enough to keep herself within striking distance. While Leverenz turned first into the free, DiRado put her legs into it and brought it home in a winning 2:12.30. Leverenz was second with 2:12.67.
Australia’s Mikkayla Sheridan took third with 2:15.79 over Celina Li‘s 2:16.08.
Men’s 200 Free Final
The all-international final of the men’s 200 free couldn’t have been much more exciting. Australia’s Kurt Herzog led for 3/4 of the race, making the turn at the 150 in 1:19.92. Nearly a second behind him, out in lane 7, was Trojan Swim Club’s Alexander Sukhorukov. As he started to creep up on Herzog, his coaches and teammates raised the noise level.
Meanwhile on the other side of the pool, another Trojan was making his move. Cristian Quintero got his legs into it and looked like he might get there first.
As the deck got louder and louder, three men touched almost together. When the dust -or waves- settled, it was Sukhorukov with 1:48.15, Herzog with 1:48.21, and Quintero with 1:48.44.
Women’s 200 Breast Final
The excitement continued into the women’s 200 breast final. Jessica Hansen of Australia, top-seeded Andrea Kropp of Canyons, and Stanford’s Katie Olsen were locked into a tight race that looked like it could go any which way.
Kropp was out first in 1:11-mid, a half-second in front of Hansen, and 9/10 ahead of Olsen. At the 150 Kropp still led by a half a second, but now Olsen had moved in front of Hansen. The last 50 was all Hansen, though. She outsplit Olsen by 1.2 and Kropp by 1.8.
Final times: Hansen 2:28.71, Kropp 2:29.46, Olsen 2:29.64.
Men’s 200 Breast Final
The much-anticipated return of meet record-holder Kosuke Kitajima was the story line of the men’s 200 breast. But the final belonged to Anton McKee. He swam in front wire-to-wire and finished with a new meet record of 2:10.72.
Australian teammates Nicholas Schafer and Buster Sykes finished second and third with 2:11.25 and 2:12.88, respectively. Kitajima was fourth in 2:15.68.
Women’s 50 Free Final
One lap of freestyle, really fast. The big names were in the “A” final of the 50 and it was a tight race. But Australia’s Yolane Kukla clearly led the pack and she touched first in 25.36. Her teammate Holly Barratt got to the wall next, in 25.50. Third place went to Canyons’ Abbey Weitzeil with 25.57.
Men’s 50 Free Final
With Nathan Adrian’s scratch Utah’s Nick Soedel took stepped up to the block in lane 4. To his right, Matt Grevers; his left, Seth Stubblefield. They went off and Grevers swam… fly. The seven others were pretty even but Stubblefield and Joey Hale pulled away. They finished 1-2: Stubblefield with 23.09, Hale with 23.11. Soedel took third with a 23.24.
Women’s 400 Free Final
It was an excellent final in the women’s 400 free, with the top five all coming in between 4:10 and 4:12. And were it not for Trojan Swim Club’s Haley Anderson it would have been an Aussie sweep of the podium.
Top qualifier out of prelims, Chelsea Chenault went out in a 1:00-mid, at least .5 ahead of everyone else. Anderson pulled even with her at the 200, the three Australians at their heels.
The 400 is often worn or lost in the third 100 and this was the case tonight. Kylie Palmer and Leah Neale of Australia caught Anderson at the 300. Australian Katie Goldman started to move up on Chenault.
At the end it was Palmer (4:10.03), Neale (4:10.81), Anderson (4:11.96), Goldman (4:12.55), Chenault (4:12.59).
Men’s 400 IM Final
The 400 IM pitted top seed Corey Okubo of AquaZot against Cal teammates Josh Prenot and Adam Hinshaw. Hinshaw was out in the fly with 58.8. Hayden Duplechain of Fullerton was right behind with 59.2, while Okubo trailed with 59.7. Prenot was sitting fourth with 1:00.
Josh Prenot. Photo: Anne Lepesant
Okubo took over the lead with the backstroke and had built up a two-body length lead going into the breast. Prenot closed the lead down to a second, and then closed it down with a strong freestyle leg.
Prenot took gold with 4:18.97; Okubo, silver 4:20.01; Hinshaw, bronze 4:24.94.
What? No Anthony Ervin in the 50 free final?
He would have won easely …..
It looks like the US is lucky Phelps and Lochte are trying to continue their careers, because so far this season we’re not looking impressive in the 200 free! No US men even qualified for the final, yikes!
LOL! I was all excited to find out the US had a rising, new 200 breast star until I googled Anton McKee and found out he’s from ….. Iceland! For all I know Anton McKee is as common in Iceland as John Smith is in the US, but my keyboard doesn’t even have the right characters to spell his hometown!
Correction. Stephens and Bollier are American and qualifed for the 200 free A-Final.
They finished 7th and 8th.
But I agree about the state of US men’s 200 free overall.
It’s the total opposite of the women’s side.
On the women’s side, the girls push each other and there are a lot of young talents very promising for the future. The depth in 1.58 and under is impressive.
On the men’s side, apart from Conor Dwyer, I don’t see anyone else able to win a medal in 2016 in that event against Yannick Agnel, Sun Yang or Park Tae-Hwan.
And where are the new talents? I think that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz have… Read more »
Exactly ! Since 2011 worlds where Lochte popped a 1.44.44 and Phelps a 1.45 , only Dwyer was close to those times . Where is Houchin and Mac lean in their training for the 200 free ?
The young guns have to step up at Nationals . So , it’s a mystery how things will unfold in that race beginning of August .
I sure hope we’ll get some good news in the 100/200 free the first week of August!
I hope so too ! it’s time .
Did Coughlin scratch the 50 final and head home with her bff Adrian? If so it’s a good thing I didn’t drive over, as they were the 2 main swimmers I wanted to see. Very odd day here in L.A. where it looked and felt like it might rain all day!
How on earth did Cordes DQ in a 200 prelims in a low-pressure meet?
Anyone know?
Watch out for McKee – just a sophomore next year
Roll Tide to that swim. David Pursley has them breaststrokers swimming out of there minds.
Like I said, Chloe is hurting!!!
Whatever happened with Cordes, I still believe. He’s just getting those obligatory DQ’s out of the way before he starts really tearing it up.
I really hope so ! he can’t afford to do that in the medley relay at Pan Pacs .