2015 Arena Pro Swim Series Minneapolis: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2015 ARENA PRO SWIM SERIES MINNEAPOLIS

• Thursday, November 12th – Saturday, November 14th
• University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Prelims at 9am Central/10am Eastern & Finals at 6pm Central/7pm Eastern
• Psych sheets
• Thursday Prelims Heat Sheets
• Live results
• Live Stream

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – PRELIMS

Legendary Katie Ledecky, who won a history-making 4 individual freestyle events at this summer’s World Championships, dropped the hammer on this morning’s heats, clocking a time of 1:57.39. Ledecky’s time was the only sub-1:58 of the morning and sets her up nicely to be in the middle of the pool against rivals Missy Franklin and Leah Smith who sit as the 3rd and 2nd seeds out of the prelims, respectively.  Franklin registered a time of 1:59.17, while Smith scored the only 1:58-mark with a 1:58.13. Other finalists include Allison Schmitt, Melanie Margalis, Cierra Runge, Sarah Henry and Camille Cheng, whose time of 2:00.26 slid the Cal athlete into the final.

MEN’S 200 FREE – PRELIMS

A few of the usual suspects top the list of the 8 men moving onto tonight’s final, but one notable name is indeed absent. Michael Phelps swam in the 2nd to last heat of the A flights, but couldn’t keep pace with Cardinal Aquatics’ Joao De Lucca, who won that heat in a time of 1:49.68 for the 2nd seed overall.  Phelps would wind up with a time of 1:51.34 for 10th. The heat prior, Conor Dwyer scored a time of 1:48.95 to take the top seed of the morning, while Ryan Lochte wrapped up the final heat in his mark of 1:49.69 for 3rd seed.  Surprise youngster from University of Louisville, Trevor Carroll rocked a time of 1:49.70, less than a second off of his best of the year to come in as the 4th seed.  Also making the final are Michael Weiss, Matthias Lindenbauer, Bobby Hurley and Giovanny Lima.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

Fans hoping to see a stellar Katie Meili follow-up performance to her meet record in Bolzano this past weekend were disappointed, as the SwimMAC Elite star was missing from her heat.  Taking advantage of her absence was University of Louisville’s Andee Cottrell who clocked her 2nd-fastest time of the year, a 1:07.90 to take the top seed.  Meili’s teammate and 2012 Olympian Micah Lawrence also scored a mark of 1:07.90 and will be in women’s final, as will Breeja Larson, Canadian Kierra Smith, Melanie Margalis, Haley Spencer, Melissa Rodriguez and Emily McClellan.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

Took some time to have the results made official, but University of Louisville’s Venezuelan breaststroking ace, Carlos Claverie, earned the top spot, touching in a personal best of 1:01.02.  That time wipes his previous personal best of 1:01.56 from the 2014 Youth Olympic Games way off the map.  Closely behind is 2nd seeded Cody Miller, who touched in 1:01.07, a on-the-sluggish time for the Badger Swim Club athlete, yet enough to get him in the top 8. Pro swimmer Michael Andrew clocked a 1:01.08 for the 3rd seed.  Club Wolverine’s Richard Funk hit a speedy 1:01.65 for 4th seed, but he’s been in the 1:00.-low range multiple times this year, so look for him to take things up a notch come finals. Also coming back tonight in the final are Sam Tierney, Yannick Kaeser, Felipe Lima and Andrew Wilson.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – PRELIMS

A battle is brewing in this women’s sprint fly event, as two-time NCAA Champion and American Record Holder in the yards version of this event, Kelsi Worrell, threw down a quick morning swim of 58.03 to collect a new University of Minnesota Aquatics Center pool reocrd, as well as place herself in the middle of the pool tonight.  But, new mother Dana Vollmer isn’t wasting any time getting back in form, with the former World Record Holder in this event touching in 58.22 to sit just behind Worrell for the final.  Noemie Thomas, Kendyl Stewart and Amanda Kendall were the other swimmers to register times dipping beneath the 59-second threshold.  2012 Olympian and new-to-South-Florida swimmer Claire Donahue wound up in the 6th seed with her time of 59.07, followed by Dayna DePaula in 59.30 and Farida Osman in 59.76.

MEN’S 100 FLY – PRELIMS

In one of the marquis events of this meet (as if every event isn’t a marquis race), the upper echelons of fly society made tonight’s final.  Canadian Santo Condorelli brought the heat early, taking the top seed in a time of 53.25, less than a second off of his personal best of 52.42 from this summers’ Pan American Games. Sitting just .02 behind is 31-year-old Ryan Lochte, who touched in 53.27 to position the SwimMAC Elite athlete nicely to take on the stacked field. Phoenix Swim Club’s Giles Smith wrangled in the 3rd seed with his mark of 53.28, while the studliest of ties comes in as the 4th seed. Michael Phelps and Michael Andrew, both in heat 7, hit the wall 53.70. For each, it was his 2nd race of the night, as Phelps swam the 200 freestyle (10th) and Andrew raced the 100 breaststroke (3rd).  Also in this men’s 100 fly final are Masa Kishida, Matthew Josa (red-shirting this year from Queens University) and Pavel Sankovich.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

It took North Baltimore Aquatic Club’s Becca Mann the entire 400m IM to hold-off the ever-dangerous Katie Ledecky, but the 17-year-old was able to do it en route to clocking the morning’s fastest time of 4:42.27. Ledecky was less than two tenths behind in her 2nd-fastest time of her career in this event, a 4:42.43.  4:41.70 is what Ledecky registered in June of this year to put the women of this event on notice that the quadruple World Champion is a real contender in this multi-discipline race.

American National Teamer Maya DiRado qualified 3rd for the final in 4:44.02, leading what was a fast final heat. Canadian Emily Overholt qualified 4th in 4:44.26, followed by Brooke Zeiger (4:44.54), and Sarah Henry (4:44.71) all out of the same heat.

Elizabeth Beisel came in 7th. this morning with her mark of 4:45.30, followed by Cal Aquatics Caitlin Leverenz‘s time of 4:46.02. Among those qualifying for the B-Final

will be Vien Nguyen, Haley Anderson, Rachael Bradford-Feldman and Sierra Schmidt.

MEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

NBAC’s Chase Kalisz led the men this morning, finishing in a time of 4:19.30 to mark the only sub-4:20 time of prelims.  Over 8 seconds later came Club Wolverine mainstay and newly-minted 1500m freestyle American Record Holder, Connor Jaeger, who touched in 4:27.45. Yet another University of Louisville Cardinal made another final, as team captain Nolan Tesone did what he needed to do to make the final, earning the 4th-fastest time of his career in 4:28.32 for the 3rd seed. Sebastian Rousseau, Luke Reilly, Kyle Whitaker and John Bushman take up spots 4-8 of the top race tonight. Of note, just outside of the final in 9th place was 15-year-old Kieran Smith of Ridgefield Aquatics earned a time of 4:32.54, near the top of his best times ever, and a huge improvement on the range of 4:55 he was in just one year ago.