2017 Arena Pro Swim Series – Mesa: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2017 ARENA PRO SWIM SERIES – MESA

• Mesa, Arizona
• April 13 – 15, 2017
• Series Points/Money after Indy
• Live stream
• Psych sheets
• Thursday prelims heat sheets
• Thursday prelims timeline
• Live results

The third of six stops on the 2017 Arena Pro Swim Series begins today in Mesa, Arizona. Melanie Margalis and Daiya Seto lead the points, but the tour is as close as it’s been in recent memory as it churns toward the halfway point.

This morning’s preliminary events include the 100 freestyles, 200 breaststrokes, 100 butterflys and 400 freestyles.

Women’s 100 Free – Prelims

Results

Olympic co-champ Simone Manuel is back at it in the long course pool, leading all morning qualifiers with a 54.02 in the 100 freestyle. This could be one of the more loaded finals tonight, with a lot of big names both domestic and international.

Louisville’s Mallory Comerford and Stanford’s Katie Ledecky get to continue their rivalry, as Comerford qualified #2 and Ledecky #3 for tonight. The two tied for the NCAA 200 free title last month and swam side-by-side in the same heat this morning. Comerford was 54.62 and Ledecky 54.71.

Swedish national Louise Hansson was 54.79 for Trojan Swim Club, and Olympic flyer Kelsi Worrell was the last swimmer under 55, going 54.99 for fifth. Also into the A final are pros Amanda Weir (55.09) and Amanda Kendall (55.76) plus graduating Stanford senior Lia Neal (55.29).

Top 8:

1. Manuel, 54.02
2. Comerford, 54.62
3. Ledecky, 54.71
4. Hansson, 54.79
5. Worrell, 54.99
6. Weir, 55.09
7. Neal, 55.29
8. Kendall, 55.76

Men’s 100 Free – Prelims

Results

Compared to the women’s event, the men’s 100 free was dominated by post-grad swimmers, with only one current NCAA swimmer making the A final. It was Brazilian Olympian Joao de Lucca who led the way in 49.69, and Venezuela’s Cristian Quintero was the only other man to break 50 seconds at 49.91.

2012 Olympic champ Nathan Adrian was 50.20 and sits third heading into tonight. He’s one of three California postgrads to make the final. Olympic backstroker Jacob Pebley was fifth (50.45) and Olympic flyer Tom Shields tied for 7th (50.59).

A pair of New Zealanders also got into the A main. Daniel Hunter was 50.21 for fourth and Matt Stanley 50.47 for sixth. The only collegiate swimmer in the A final is Marius Kusch, the German national and standout for Queens University in Division II. He tied Shields for 7th.

Top 8:

1. De Lucca, 49.69
2. Quintero, 49.91
3. Adrian, 50.20
4. Hunter, 50.21
5. Pebley, 50.45
6. Stanley, 50.47
7. T-7 Shields – 50.59
8. T-7 Kusch – 50.59

Women’s 200 Breast – Prelims

Results

Texas Longhorn Madisyn Cox rose to the top spot in the women’s 200 breast, going 2:27.02 to lead all qualifiers this morning.

She topped a trio of U.S. Olympians. Katie Meili was second in 2:27.95 – Meili was the bronze medalist in the 100 breast in Rio. 2012 Olympian Breeja Larson was third in 2:28.43. Though Larson has trained out of Texas A&M for years, she was born in Mesa, Arizona and has traditionally been a favorite among fans at this meet. Melanie Margalis took third in 2:28.75. The current series points leader, Margalis was an Olympian in the 200 freestyle as part of Team USA’s gold-medal-winning 800 free relay.

Teenager Zoe Bartel made the final with a 2:31.86 for fifth. It was Louisville’s Andee Cottrell (2:32.46) and USC’s Riley Scott (2:33.27) rounding out the collegiate threats, while Olympian Molly Hannis went 2:32.47 for 7th.

Top 8:

1. Cox, 2:27.02
2. Meili, 2:27.95
3. Larson, 2:28.43
4. Margalis, 2:28.75
5. Bartel, 2:31.86
6. Cottrell, 2:32.46
7. Hannis, 2:32.47
8. Scott, 2:33.27

Men’s 200 Breast – Prelims

Results

IM star Chase Kalisz topped prelims of the 200 breaststroke, showing off his versatility in Mesa. Kalisz was 2:11.98, topping Olympic breaststroker Kevin Cordes (2:12.44) by about half a second.

It was a pretty sleepy morning in the event, but with some big names primed to go faster tonight. Venezuela’s Carlos Claverie was 2:14.13 and American Josh Prenot 2:14.72. Both were Olympians in this event over last summer.

High school junior Daniel Roy joins the A final after going 2:14.94. Roy was part of the U.S. Junior Pan Pacs squad last summer. He’s joined by 16-year-old AJ Bornstein, who went 2:17.33 this morning for 7th and junior Calvin Yang, who was 2:17.59 for 8th.

New Zealand’s George Schroder also made the A final with a 2:16.77.

Top 8:

1. Kalisz, 2:11.98
2. Cordes, 2:12.44
3. Claverie, 2:14.13
4. Prenot, 2:14.72
5. Roy, 2:14.94
6. Schroder, 2:16.77
7. Bornstein, 2:17.33
8. Yang, 2:17.59

Women’s 100 Fly – Prelims

Results not yet available

Swimming the second half of her event double, Kelsi Worrell made her second A final of the day, going 58.42 to win the 100 fly prelims.

Worrell topped USC’s Louise Hansson by a tenth (58.54) for that spot. Hansson is also pulling the 100 free/100 fly double, as are third-place Amanda Kendall (58.83) and fourth-place Kendyl Stewart (59.21). That could make things interesting tonight, as the space between events gets smaller. Depending on who scratches out of one or the other event, the top of this field could see some painful finishes.

Texas freshman Lauren Case went 59.60 for fifth, and the last swimmer joining her under a minute was Ohio State grad Aliena Schmidtke, a German national who went 59.98.

Brazil’s Daynara de Paula is into the A final along with Louisville’s Mallory Comerford, who is also swimming the 100 free.

Top 8:

1. Worrell, 58.42
2. Hansson, 58.54
3. Kendall, 58.83
4. Stewart, 59.21
5. Case, 59.60
6. Schmidtke, 59.98
7. De Paula, 1:00.10
8. Comerford, 1:00.34

Men’s 100 Fly – Prelims

Results not yet available

Tom Shields leads the way for Team USA in the men’s 100 fly, going 53.54 to eke out the top spot over Germany’s Marius Kusch (53.63). Fellow American Tim Phillips (53.67) is also in the mix for tonight’s title.

Two more swimmers snuck under 54 in what was a more tactical morning with some great racing but no eye-popping times. Santiago Grassi was 53.90 while USC standout Dylan Carter went 53.95.

Cal’s Long Gutierrez and Seth Stubblefield are into the final along with Zach Harting of Louisville.

Top 8:

1. Shields, 53.54
2. Kusch, 53.63
3. Phillips, 53.67
4. Grassi, 53.90
5. Carter, 53.95
6. Gutierrez, 54.00
7. Harting, 54.12
8. Stubblefield, 54.19

Women’s 400 Free – Prelims

Results not yet available

Even a smooth morning swim for Katie Ledecky is world-class. Ledecky moved to #1 in the world ranks in her first long course swim of the season, going 4:01.96 to lead prelims of the 400 free. Her Olympic teammate Leah Smith (4:07.31) sits second as those two blew out the prelims field.

Sierra Schmidt and Taylor Ault are in the mix for third and fourth, with open water Olympian Haley Anderson coming in behind them. Texas’s Madisyn Cox will make her second A final appearance after going 4:14.10. Vietnam’s Vien Nguyen and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey round out the A heat for tonight.

Top 8:

1. Ledecky, 4:01.96
2. Smith, 4:07.31
3. Schmidt, 4:12.44
4. Ault, 4:13.07
5. Anderson, 4:13.97
6. Cox, 4:14.10
7. Nguyen, 4:15.08
8. Harvey, 4:15.40

Men’s 400 Free – Prelims

Results

Louisville’s Marcelo Acosta leads the final event of the day, going 3:56.41 to win the men’s 400 free. American youngster Taylor Abbott is second in 3:56.65 and Israeli national Marc Hinawi is third with a 3:57.84.

The A final will also include blue-chip high school senior Sean Grieshop (3:58.40) in the mix with the fourth qualifying spot.

Top 8:

1. Acosta, 3:56.41
2. Abbott, 3:56.65
3. Hinawi, 3:57.84
4. Grieshop, 3:58.40
5. Bayo, 3:58.74
6. Yeager, 3:59.54
7. Bresette, 4:00.79
8. Koski, 4:01.85