2016 Longhorn Elite Invitational: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2016 LONGHORN ELITE INVITE

• June 3rd-5th, 2016
• Austin, Texas (University of Texas Jamail Swim Center)
• Prelims start at 9:30 AM, Finals start at 6:30 PM, except Sunday, 5:30 PM (U.S. Central Time)
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Central
• Timeline
• Live Results 
• Finals Live Stream (Longhorn Network)

Women’s 400 IM – Finals

1. Regan Barney, Unattached: 4:52.32
2. Elizabeth Bailey, Dynamo: 4:55.82
3. Maddie Myers, TOPS: 4:56.27

After two big scratches (top seeds Madisyn Cox and Annie Zhu) left the field whittled down to just six swimmers, it was up to 17-year-old Regan Barney to lead the women’s 400 IM. She ended up coming in three and a half seconds ahead of her competitors, touching the wall in 4:52.32.

Second went to Georgia High School State runner-up in the 100 fly Elizabeth Bailey of Dynamo in 4:55.82. University of Denver rising junior Maddie Myers took third in 4:56.27.

Danielle DellaTorre of Athens Bulldogs dropped over six seconds from her prelims swim to finish fourth in 4:57.49.

Men’s 400 IM – Finals

1. Chase Kalisz, North Baltimore: 4:11.51
2. John Martens, Texas: 4:20.85
3. Kei Hyogo, Yale: 4:20.97

North Baltimore’s Chase Kalisz dominated the men’s 400 IM throughout, dropping nearly ten seconds from his swim this morning and taking a huge leap up to fourth in the world rankings. His previous season best was a 15th-ranked 4:14.64 from the Arena PSS – Austin, but now only Japan’s Kosuke Hagino (4:08.85), Japan’s Daiya Seto (4:10.53), and Australia’s Thomas Fraser-Holmes (4:11.09) are ahead of him.

This swim bodes incredibly well for Kalisz’s upcoming performance in Omaha. With this swim, he leapfrogs ahead of both Ryan Lochte and Jay Litherland in the world standings. Kalisz is the number two seed in the event in Omaha, coming in with a 4:09.62 from 2014 Pan Pacs, just behind Tyler Clary’s 4:09.03 from the same meet.

Texas’s John Martens battled Yale’s Kei Hyogo for the second slot, and it was Marten’s first 100 (59.84) that ended up building a deficit that Kyogo wasn’t quite able to overcome.

Swim Atlanta’s Aidan Sweeney landed fourth in 4:29.40, followed by Singapore’s already Rio-bound Longhorn Joseph Schooling in 4:32.28.

Women’s 200 Free – Finals

1. Allison Schmitt, North Baltimore: 1:56.87
2. Missy Franklin, Colorado Stars: 1:57.78
3. Cierra Runge, North Baltimore: 1:57.97

North Baltimore’s defending Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt took the win tonight in what will certainly be one of the most hotly-contested events in Omaha at the end of this month. Her 1:56.87 came in nearly a second ahead of fellow Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, who took second in 1:57.78.

Schmitt nearly hit her season-best tonight, a 13th-in-the-world 1:56.52 from the Arena PSS at Mesa earlier this spring. That Mesa time sits her second in the U.S. rankings (behind only Katie Ledecky), but Leah Smith and Franklin are well within reach, and Simone Manuel and Maya DiRado have also been under 1:58 this season.

Franklin’s season best is a 1:56.73 from the Arena PSS in Minneapolis in the fall. There is a question of whether Franklin will take on this event in Omaha. She is never one to back down from a tight schedule, but the semifinals of the 200 free come just one event before finals of the 100 back, and the backstroke features an incredibly crowded field.

Schmitt’s teammate Cierra Runge, who will be tranferring from Cal to Wisconsin this fall after sitting out this NCAA season to train with Bob Bowman at NBAC, fought Franklin all the way to the finish, but came up short in 1:57.97. However, today’s swim was nearly a second faster than her previous season best, a 1:58.88 from Mesa.

Madisyn Cox of Longhorn Swim Club finished fourth in 2:00.81, after dropping the 400 IM to focus on this race. Texas’s Joanna Evans hit fifth in 2:01.73, followed by North Baltimore’s Sierra Schmidt in 2:01.76.

North Baltimore’s Danish Olympic medalist Lotte Friis came up seventh in 2:02.33.

Men’s 200 Free – Finals

1. Townley Haas, NOVA: 1:47.86
2. Clark Smith, Texas: 1:47.97
3. Clay Youngquist, Longhorn Aquatics: 1:48.48

Defending NCAA champion and 2016 breakout swimmer Townley Haas (who appears to be representing NOVA over the summer instead of the University of Texas) blasted his fastest long course time this season, swimming 1:47.86 to cut nearly half a second from his previous season best 1:48.35 from Mesa.

Second went to Haas’s Texas teammate Clark Smith in 1:47.97. Smith, like Haas, is also a former NCAA Champion in middle-distance freestyles, his coming in the 500 free in 2015.

Another Texas swimmer, albeit a post-grad, Clay Youngquist rounded out the top three, out-swimming Michael Phelps for the bronze.

Phelps, meanwhile, took fourth in 1:48.73. Earlier this week, Phelps told Sports Illustrated that he wanted to swim fast enough this weekend to forgo the need to swim the 200 at Trials and still make the 800 relay squad, but he definitely didn’t make that mark tonight.

Nation’s Capital’s Jack Conger finished fifth in 1:49.54, followed by North Baltimore’s David Nolan in 1:50.36.

Women’s 200 Back – Finals

1. Missy Franklin, Colorado Stars: 2:09.45
2. Tasija Karosas, Texas: 2:10.98
3. Quinn Carrozza, Texas: 2:12.12

Missy Franklin of the Colorado Stars won her signature event by a second and a half tonight, finishing the race in 2:09.45. That time is over two seconds off her season-best, a sixth in the world 2:07.24 from Minneapolis last fall. However, only two other Americans have gone under the mark Missy set tonight, Maya DiRado (2:08.19, Arena PSS – Austin) and Kathleen Baker (2:09.36, Arena PSS – Austin).

Texas team captain and Big 12 record-holder Tasija Karosas came up second in 2:10.98, followed by her teammate Quinn Carrozza in 2:12.12.

Tucson Ford’s Cameron McHugh scored fourth in 2:15.39, followed by Austin Swim Club’s Kendall Shields in 2:15.86. McHugh’s teammate Bonnie Brandon finished sixth in 2:17.01.

Men’s 200 Back – Finals

1. Jonathan Roberts, Texas: 1:58.74
2. Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford: 2:00.01
3. Will Glass, CMSA: 2:00.69

Texas’s Jonathan Roberts surprised the crowd with a big-time over-a-second victory over defending Olympic champion in the 100 distance Matt Grevers. Roberts, a rising Texas junior who didn’t even make the B final at NCAAs this year in this event, swam 1:58.74 to Grevers’s 2:00.01 tonight.

Roberts’s performance tonight makes him the 10th fastest American this season in this event. Grevers’s best performance this season is an 18th-in-the-world 1:57.24 from AT&T Winter Nationals in December.

Will Glass scored third place in 2:00.69, followed by Egypt native Mohamed Hussein in 2:02.88.

Women’s 50 Free – Finals

1. Rebecca Millard, Texas: 25.39
2. Margo Geer, Tucson Ford: 25.54
3. Lauren Pitzer, LAC: 25.95

Texas’s Rebecca Millard swam her season best to win the women’s 50 free tonight in 25.39.

Tucson Ford’s Margo Geer missed her own season best, a 25.35 from AT&T Winter Nationals in December, swimming a 25.54 for the silver medal.

Lauren Pitzer finished third in 25.95, followed by Texas’s Anelise Diener in 26.09, Texas’s Mimi Schneider in 26.26, and Santa Barbara’s Kimmie Kreuzberger in 26.48.

Men’s 50 Free – Finals

1. Brad Tandy, Unattached: 22.31
2. Kyle Robrock, TOPS: 22.90
3. John Murray, Texas: 22.93

The University of Arizona’s Brad Tandy swam his season-best 22.31 to take a huge win in the men’s 50 free tonight, outswimming the field by over a second and a half.

Tandy, a South Africa native, has already punched his ticket to Rio, where he will be competing in this event.

Kyle Robrock scored second place in 22.90, followed by Texas’s John Murray in 22.93. Fourth went to Colorado Star Kent Olson-Stavrakas in 23.10, followed by Texas’s Jeremy Nichols in 23.33.