2016 Arena Pro Swim Series – Mesa: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

Arena Pro Swim Series at Mesa

• Thursday, April 14 – Saturday, April 16, 2016
• Skyline Aquatic Center
• Mesa, Arizona (same as Pacific Daylight Time, GMT -7 hours)
• Prelims 9AM / Finals 5PM (12PM/8PM Eastern Daylight Time)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Meet Central
• Saturday AM Program

Women’s 200 Meter Individual Medley – Prelims

• FINA A: 2:14.26
• S. Olympic Trials: 2:18.69

The leading time headed into the circle-seeded heats of the women’s IM belonged to Ruby Martin of Iowa Flyers Swim Club, who went 2:18.41 to win heat 5. Melanie Margalis of Saint Petersburg claimed heat 6 with a solid morning swim of 2:13.73. She was pushed at the end by Sara Henry of Aggie Swim Club; Henry finished second in 2:15.29 ahead of Cassidy Bayer from Nation’s Capital (2:17.24).

Stanford Swimming’s Maya DiRado won the next heat with 2:13.48, in a close contest against Madisyn Cox of University of Texas (2:14.11) and SwimMAC Carolina’s Kirsty Coventry (2:14.32).

Katinka Hosszu of Hungary ran away with the final heat in 2:11.06. Ella Eastin had managed to keep up with Hosszu over the first 100 meters but the Iron Lady’s back half was too much for the Stanford freshman; Eastin finished second in the heat with 2:12.97, the number two time overall. Caitlin Leverenz of California Aquatics was third in 2:15.32.

Top 8:

1. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary, 2:11.06
2. Ella Eastin, Unattached, 2:12.97
3. Melanie Margalis, Saint Petersburg, 2:13.73
4. Maya DiRado, Stanford Swimming, 2:13.84
5. Madisyn Cox, University of Texas, 2:14.11
6. Kirsty Coventry, SwimMAC Carolina, 2:14.32
7. Sarah Henry, Aggie Swim Club, 2:15.29
8. Caitlin Leverenz, California Aquatics, 2:15.32

Men’s 200 Meter Individual Medley – Prelims

• FINA A: 2:00.28
• S. Olympic Trials: 2:05.09

Alex Liang, unattached out of Palo Alto Stanford, clocked a 2:07.97 in heat 2 to lead the field heading into the three fastest heats of the morning. Gunnar Bentz of Athens Bulldogs led off the circle seeds with a swift 2:02.57 ahead of Max Williamson’s 2:00.12. University of Louisville’s Nolan Tesone, who came to the wall third in the heat, was disqualified.

SwimMAC’s Lochte led the entire race in heat 6, but cruised to an easy finish and was passed flags-to-the-wall by Andrew Seliskar. Seliskar notched a 2:02.81 to Lochte’s 2:03.19. Nitro Swimming’s Sean Grieshop went 2:04.98 for third in the heat. Tesone’s DQ sent Grieshop into the top 8 for tonight’s final.

The final heat was a showdown between North Baltimore Aquatic Club training partners Michael Phelps and Chase Kalisz. Phelps had a 1.7-second lead by the 100 wall, but Kalisz outsplit him by 2 seconds on the breaststroke and took over at the 150. Phelps came home a bit faster but Kalisz got the touch, 2:01.56 to 2:01.68. The pair have the leading times headed into tonight’s final. Third in the heat was another North Baltimore teammate, David Nolan, who finished with 2:02.98

Top 8:

1. Chase Kalisz, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2:01.56
2. Michael Phelps, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2:01.68
3. Gunnar Bentz, Athens Bulldog Swim Club, 2:02.57
4. Andrew Seliskar, California Aquatics, 2:02.81
5. David Nolan, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2:02.98
6. Max Williamson, Unattached, 2:03.16
7. Ryan Lochte, SwimMAC Carolina, 2:03.19
8. Sean Grieshop, Nitro Swimming, 2:04.98

Women’s 200 Meter Backstroke – Prelims

• FINA A: 2:10.60
• S. Olympic Trials: 2:16.59

Cammile Adams of SwimMAC Carolina went 2:17.16 to win her heat and set the bar for the circle seeds in the women’s 200 back. 16-year-old Erin Earley of Hopkins Mariner took over the lead with her heat 3 win in 2:14.46, ahead of Matea Samardzic (2:15.10) and Lisa Bratton (2:15.99).

The next heat featured an exciting race in the middle lanes of the pool, as SwimMAC’s Kirsty Coventry took it out early to set the pace, then successfully held off the hard-closing Maya DiRado of Stanford Swimming. Coventry touched in 2:12.45, a mere 1/100 ahead of DiRado. The pair easily moved to the top of the leaderboard with their swims. Melanie Klaren of California Aquatics went 2:15.00 for third, and was now fourth overall with one heat to go.

Katinka Hosszu went a strong 2:11.88 for a win in the final heat, while Kaitlin Harty of YMCA of the North Shore improved her seed time by .26 to finish second with 2:12.68. Halime Zeren of Ohio State University put up the third-fastest time in the heat, 2:14.81.

Top 8:

1. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary, 2:11.88
2. Kirsty Coventry, SwimMAC Carolina, 2:12.45
3. Maya DiRado, Stanford Swimming, 2:12.46
4. Kaitlin Harty, YMCA of the North Shore, 2:12.68
5. Erin Earley, Hopkins Mariner Swim Team, 2:14.46
6. Halime Zeren, Ohio State University, 2:14.81
7. Melanie Klaren, California Aquatics, 2:15.00
8. Matea Samardzic, Scarlet Aquatics, 2:15.10

Men’s 200 Meter Backstroke – Prelims

• FINA A: 1:58.22
• S. Olympic Trials: 2:03.79

16-year-old Johannes Calloni of Scarlet Aquatics jumped out to the early lead with a 2-second drop to win heat 1 in 2:05.03. His time held up through the next heat to set the standard for the circle seeds. Sean Lehane, unattached out of Tennessee Aquatics, answered with a commanding 1:59.06, winning his heat over Trojan Swim Club’s Omar Pinzon (2:01.52) and NBAC’s Kalisz (2:03.30).

Bryce Mefford was the next heat winner in 2:04.18; he got out to an early lead and managed to hold on despite the strong back halves from Arkady Vyatchanin of New York Athletic Club and Dynamo Swim Club’s Michael Taylor in the next lanes. Vyatchanin edged Taylor for second in the heat, 2:05.15 to 2:05.19.

Lochte, in his second consecutive event of the morning, won the final heat in 2:01.31. Connor Green touched second in 2:02.61, while North Baltimore’s Drew Cosgarea came in third in 2:04.46.

Top 8:

1. Sean Lehane, Unattached-Tennessee Aquatics, 1:59.06
2. Ryan Lochte, SwimMAC Carolina, 2:01.31
3. Omar Pinzon, Trojan Swim Club, 2:01.51
4. Connor Green, Unattached, 2:02.61
5. Chase Kalisz, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2:03.30
6. Bryce Mefford, Unattached, 2:04.18
7. Drew Cosgarea, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2:04.46
8. Nolan Tesone, University of Louisville, 2:04.65

Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Prelims

• FINA A: 54.43
• S. Olympic Trials: 56.49

Amber Carter from Tiger Aquatics’ 57.04 was the time to beat heading into the circle-seeded heats. Right away Dana Vollmer of California Aquatics set the tone, winning heat 8 with 54.73. Vollmer has had a very strong meet so far, upsetting American record-holder Kelsi Worrell to win the 100 fly on Day 1, and placing second in the 50 free on Day 2. Lia Neal was second in the heat with 55.06; Hosszu was third in 55.65.

Abbey Weitzeil of Canyon Aquatic Club went 54.23 to take over the lead in the next heat; Worrell was second in 54.80, while Allison Schmitt of North Baltimore was third in 55.51.

The final heat went to Simone Manuel in 53.93, the only sub-54 of the morning. SwimAtlanta’s Amanda Weir edged Katie Ledecky of Nation’s Capital, 55.00 to 55.17, for second.

Top 8:

1. Simone Manuel, Unattached, 53.93
2. Abbey Weitzeil, Canyons Aquatic Club, 54.23
3. Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics, 54.73
4. Kelsi Worrell, University of Louisville, 54.80
5. Amanda Weir, SwimAtlanta, 55.00
6. Lia Neal, Unattached, 55.06
7. Katie Ledecky, Nation’s Capital Swim Club, 55.17
8. Margo Geer, Tucson Ford, 55.40

Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Prelims

• FINA A: 48.99
• S. Olympic Trials: 50.69

Dynamo Swim Club’s Matias Koski was the only one to clear 51 seconds in the early heats; his 50.28 was the time to beat as the circle-seeded heats began. Michael Chadwick of University of Missouri won the first in 49.96; Seth Stubblefield of California Aquatics (50.55) and Matthias Lindenbauer (50.63) finished just behind.

Trojan Swim Club’s Cristian Quintero won the next heat in 49.68, getting to the wall just ahead of SwimMAC’s Jimmy Feigen (50.07). Quintero’s teammate Dimitri Colupaev touched third in 50.55.

Nathan Adrian blasted a 48.06 to lead the field in the final heat. Lochte, in his third morning performance, out-touched Trojan Swim Club’s Conor Dwyer, 49.78 to 49.89, for second place in the heat and the third-fastest time overall.

Top 8:

1. Nathan Adrian, California Aquatics, 48.06
2. Cristian Quintero, Trojan Swim Club, 49.68
3. Ryan Lochte, SwimMAC Carolina, 49.78
4. Conor Dwyer, Trojan Swim Club, 49.89
5. Michael Chadwick, University of Missouri, 49.96
6. Jimmy Feigen, Unattached-SwimMAC Carolina, 50.07
7. T7 Daniel Ramirez, Unattached, 50.28
8. T7 Matias Koski, Unattached-Dynamo Swim Club, 50.28

Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Slower Heats

• FINA A: 8:33.97
• S. Olympic Trials: 8:49.99

17-year-old Madison Runge of North Baltimore Aquatic Club won the only morning heat of women’s 800 free with 8:55.72. Kirsten Jacobsen of Barrington Swim Club was second in 9:04.36, and Mansfield Aquatic Club’s Haley Yelle was third in 9:15.32.

Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Slower Heats

• FINA A: 15:14.77
• S. Olympic Trials: 15:49.99

In his first recorded 1500 since 2010, University of Texas’ Clark Smith cleared the Olympic Trials cut by a country mile with the fastest time of the morning heats, 15:19.08. While it is a 1:42 improvement over his previous best time, it is nonetheless way off the conversion of the 1650 time with which he was seeded, 14:31.29.

Chris Weiser, unattached out of University of Arizona, and his teammate Ty Fowler went stroke-for-stroke for 1500 meters. Weiser led by about a second throughout the first 1000 meters, when Fowler began to descend. Fowler pulled ahead at the 1150 wall, and by the 1200 had built up a 1.3-second lead over his teammate. He increased his lead by a half-second over each of the next two 100s, and held a two body length lead at the start of the bell lap. Weiser cranked it into gear, though, and come home in a 57-low. He out-touched his teammate by .22 to win the heat, 15:38.16 to 1:58.38, for the second- and third-fastest times out of the morning heats. Third in their heat was Arturo Perez Vertti of Caan Swim Team with 15:46.69.

Scarlett’s Johannes Calloni, who had begun the day with a PB in the 200 back, came within 2 seconds of his seed time and won his heat in 15:41.08. Mission Viejo’s Grant Shoults came in second with 15:48.38.