2017 U.S. Open: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2017 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, August 2nd – Sunday, August 6th, 2017
• East Meadow, New York
• LCM (50m)
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Info
• Wednesday Finals Heat Sheet
• Live Results

Swimmers are gearing up for the first night of finals at the 2017 U.S. Open in New York. Tonight, we’ll see competition in the 200 fly and 100 free for both the men and women, while distance swimmers will be competing in the 800 free for the women and 1500 free for the men. One of the top swimmers to watch tonight is U.S. Olympian Gunnar Bentz, who is the top seed for the men’s 200 fly final.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY

• American Record: 2:04.14, Mary Descenza, 2009
• U.S. Open Record: 2:05.96, Mary T. Meagher, 1981
• U.S. Open Meet: 2:07.20, Susie O’Neill, 1999

1. GOLD- Ruby Martin, IFLY, 2:10.18
2. SILVER- Francesca Stoppa, PPST, 2:11.05
3. BRONZE- Vanessa Krause, UN-1, 2:11.13

NCAP’s Cassidy Bayer was off to blazing start, splitting 1:01.24 for the lead at the halfway mark. She extended her lead over IFLY’s Ruby Martin with a 33.6 split on the 3rd 50, but Martin started to reel her in down the final stretch.

Bayer began to fall off the pace, clocking a 36.58 on the final 50. That made way for Martin to run her down with a 33.91 closing split. Martin touched in 2:10.18 for the win, while PPST’s Francesca Stoppa (2:11.05) and Michigan’s Vanessa Krause (2:11.13) were able to move ahead of Bayer (2:11.45) for the 2nd and 3rd place honors. SSTY’s Hannah Saiz was the only other woman to break 2:12 as she rounded out the top 5 in 2:11.94.

MEN’S 200 FLY

• American Record: 1:51.51, Michael Phelps, 2009
• U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20, Michael Phelps, 2008
• U.S. Open Meet: 1:55.64, Sebastien Rousseau, 2013

1. GOLD- Gunnar Bentz, ABSC, 1:56.34
2. SILVER- Miles Smachlo, UN-1, 1:57.73
3. BRONZE- Bowen Gough, WAIS, 1:59.15

U.S. Olympian Gunnar Bentz of the University of Georgia led this race from start to finish. He took it out in 55.67 to lead by a body length early on. Michigan’s Miles Smachlo began to make up some ground on the final 50, but Bentz still won by a large margin with his 1:56.34 to Smachlo’s 1:57.73.

A tight battle for 3rd saw every other man in the field finish in the 1:59-low range. WAIS’ Bowen Gough (1:59.15) picked it up big time down the home stretch with a 29.95 to out-touch Louisville’s Zach Harting (1:59.26) and MOR’s Zach Brown (1:59.29). Gough had the fastest final 50 meters of the field and was the only man to break 30 seconds on that lap.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

• American Record: 52.27, Simone Manuel, 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 52.81, Mallory Comerford, 2017
• U.S. Open Meet: 53.92, Megan Romano, 2012

1. GOLD- Marie Wattel, FRA, 54.27
2. SILVER- Amanda Kendall, UN-03, 55.20
3. BRONZE- Claire Adams, CSC, 55.26

France’s Marie Wattel flipped in 26.21 to give herself the early lead. The field was never able to close in on her as she finished in 54.27 to win the race by nearly a full second. Wattel’s winning time was a significant improvement from her 55.15 from the French Championships earlier this year.

FORD’s Margo Geer, who was a member of the U.S. World Championships squad in 2015, had the fastest back half of the field aside from Wattel with a 28.34 coming home. Geer came up just short of the top 3, however, as she touched in 55.32 behind Indiana’s Amanda Kendall (55.20) and Texas’ Claire Adams (55.26). NC State’s Courtney Caldwell was also in the race for a top 3 spot, but finished just a tenth shy with her 55.38 for 5th place.

MEN’S 100 FREE

• American Record: 47.17, Caeleb Dressel, 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 47.58, Jason Lezak, 2008
• U.S. Open Meet: 48.52, Nicholas Brunelli, 2009

1. GOLD- Robert Howard, BAMA, 49.04
2. SILVER- Tate Jackson, TXLA, 49.11
3. BRONZE- Maxime Rooney, PLS, 49.25/BJ Hornikel, UN-01, 49.25

Alabama’s BJ Hornikel was out with the lead in 23.10, but couldn’t hold off the back-half charge from teammate Robert Howard and Texas’ Tate Jackson. Into the final meters, Howard and Jackson were stroke-for-stroke, but Howard had the momentum and successfully ran Jackson down to win it in 49.04 ahead of Jackson’s 49.11.

Hornikel held on to tie with Florida’s Maxime Rooney for the bronze in 49.25.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE

• American Record: Katie Ledecky, 8:04.79, 2016
• U.S. Open Record: Katie Ledecky, 8:06.68, 2016
• Meet Record: Stephanie Peacock, 8:24.36, 2012

1. GOLD- Ashley Twichell, NCAC, 8:30.63
2. SILVER- Ashley Neidigh, UN-03, 8:34.71
3. BRONZE- Taylor Ault, RMDA, 8:36.26

Ashley Twichell‘s lead was never in question, as the NCAC swimmer and open water world champion led from start to finish with an 8:30.63 to top the field by over 4 seconds. Indiana’s Ashley Neidigh overtook Georgia’s Stephanie Peters at the halfway mark and held onto 2nd position with an 8:34.71.

RMDA’s Taylor Ault made a big move to get into position to battle with Peters for the bronze in the last 100 meters. Ault pulled ahead on the 2nd to last 50 with a 31.91 and continued to stretch out her lead with a 31.13 to close. She touched in 8:36.26 for 3rd, while Peters wound up 4th in 8:37.95.

MEN’S 1500 FREE

• American Record: Connor Jaeger, 14:39.48, 2016
• U.S. Open Record: Peter Vanderkaay, 14:45.54, 2008
• Meet Record: Glen Housman, 14:58.55, 1991

1. GOLD- Damien Joly, FRA, 14:55.46
2. SILVER- Logan Houck, SAND, 15:01.70
3. BRONZE- Andrew Brady, UN-01, 15:17.90

France’s Damien Joly took down the oldest Meet Record in the books, turning in a 14:55.46 to knock 3 seconds off the former mark. Joly now becomes the 10th fastest man in the world this year by a hundredth over Jan Micka. That time was a season best time by 12 seconds for Joly and was 14 seconds fster than he was at the French Championships earlier this year.

SAND’s Logan Houck closed in on the 15:00-barrier, finishing in 15:01.70 for 2nd place. Snow Swimming’s Andrew Brady swam fast enough in the morning heats to get the bronze with his 15:17.90, as France’s Joris Bouchaut was the 3rd fastest man in tonight’s final with a 15:18.72.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY

• American Record: Comerford, Worrell, Ledecky, Manuel, 3:31.72, 2017
• U.S. Open Record: Coughlin, Hardy, Weir, Vollmer, 3:35.11, 2010
• Meet Record: Stubbins, Kukla, Groves, Sheridan, 3:42.38, 2015

1. GOLD- Aggie Swim Club, 3:44.50
2. SILVER- Wisconsin Aquatics, 3:44.56
3. BRONZE- Kentucky Aquatics, 3:48.10

Wisconsin Aquatics and Aggie Swim Club battled closely the whole way through the final of the 400 free relay. Wisconsin got a lead boost on the 3rd leg with a 55.80 from Abby Jagdfeld, but the Aggies’ Claire Rasmus had enough to run them down with a 55.24 anchor split. At the touch, the Aggies won it by just 6 hundredths of a second, with Rasmus putting up the fastest split of anyone in the field.

*Editor’s Note: Indiana’s Ashley Neidigh is the sister of author Lauren Neidigh*