2019 US Open Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2019 U.S. Open Swimming Championships

• December 4th-7th, 2019
• McCauley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia
• LCM (50m), Prelims/Finals
• Psych sheets
• Pre-scratch timeline
• Live stream (all sessions beside A finals on Friday/Saturday)
• Live results

Day 4 prelims heat sheets

Women’s 200m Backstroke – Heats

• American record: 2:03.35 Regan Smith 7/26/2019 Gwangju (KOR)
• US Open record: 2:05.68 Missy Franklin 6/26/2013 Indianapolis, IN (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 2:08.42 Hayley McGregory

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Phoebe Bacon (NCAP) – 2:11.43
2. Isabelle Stadden (AQJT) – 2:11.62
3. Jade Hannah (HPCV) – 2:12.30
4. Lisa Bratton (AGS) – 2:12.69
5. Gabby DeLoof (TE) – 2:12.83
6. Alex Walsh (NAC) – 2:13.21
7. Ugne Mazutaityte – 2:13.38
8. Kennedy Goss (GGST) – 2:13.53

Fresh off her U.S. Open Meet record in the 100 back on Friday night, Phoebe Bacon led the field through the first 8 heats of 200 backstroke with 2:11.43. She won the final heat over Lisa Bratton (2:12.69), Ugne Mazutaityte (2:13.38), and Beata Nelson (2:14.81).

Isabelle Stadden won the first of the championship-seeded heats in 2:11.62 over Gabby DeLoof (2:12.83) and Rye Ulett (2:14.18). Jade Hannah won her heat in 2:12.30. She was followed by Alex Walsh (2:13.12), Kennedy Goss (2:13.53), and Katharine Berkoff (2:14.27).

Men’s 200m Backstroke – Heats

• American record: 1:51.92 Aaron Peirsol 7/31/2009 Rome (ITA)
• US Open record: 1:53.08 Aaron Peirsol 7/11/2009 Indianapolis, IN (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 1:54.59 Nicholas Thoman

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Jacob Pebley (TE) – 1:59.71
2. Clark Beach (FLOR) – 2:00.15
3. Kieran Smith (FLOR) – 2:00.33
4. Manu Martos Bacarizo – 2:00.93
5. Yeziel Morales (AZFL) – 2:01.22
6. Zachary Poti – 2:01.29
7. Christopher Reid (WOLF) / Harry Homans – 2:01.37 (tie)
8. –

Jacob Pebley put up the top time in the men’s 200 back with the only sub-2-minute swim of the morning. He swam in the final heat and trailed Clark Beach and Kieran Smith for most of the race. He came off the third wall, though, and put it into another gear to grab the win. Pebley’s splits were 28.2/30.5/31.0/29.8 for a final time of 1:59.71. Beach touched out Smith for second, 2:00.15 to 2:00.33. Ryan Lochte was in the hunt through the 150, where he turned 3rd, but he faded to 5th over the final 50 meters and finished in 2:01.99.

Yeziel Morales went 2:01.22 to win his heat ahead of Zachary Poti (2:01.29) and Markus Thormeyer (2:01.41). Thormeyer won the 100 back on Friday night and was the 2nd seed in the 200. Manu Martos Bacarizo won the first circle-seeded heat in 2:00.93. Behind him, Harry Homans and Christopher Reid tied for second with 2:01.37.

Women’s 100m Freestyle – Heats

• American record: 52.04 Simone Manuel 7/26/2019 Budapest (HUN)
• US Open record: 52.54 Simone Manuel 7/25/2018 Irvine, CA (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 53.92 Megan Romano

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Erika Brown (TENN) – 53.97
2. Simone Manuel (ALTO) – 54.03
3. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 54.19
4. Olivia Smoliga (ABSC) – 54.57
5. Margo Geer (MVN) – 54.66
6. Catie DeLoof (TE) – 54.70
7. Mallory Comerford (CARD) – 54.77
8. Allison Schmitt (SUN) – 54.98

University of Tennessee’s Erika Brown broke the 54-second barrier for the first time with 53.97 to win the first circle-seeded heat over Siobhan Haughey (54.19) and Torri Huske (55.61). Brown split 25.85/28.12 for the wire-to-wire win. Margo Geer followed with 54.66 in the next heat, winning over Mallory Comerford (54.77) and Natalie Hinds (55.28).

Simone Manuel wrapped it up with a 54.03 win in the final heat. The wave of finishers behind her included Olivia Smoliga (54.57), Catie DeLoof (54.70), and Allison Schmitt (54.98).

Men’s 100m Freestyle – Heats

• American record: 46.96 Caeleb Dressel 7/28/2019 Budapest (HUN)
• US Open record: 47.39 Ryan Held 7/31/2019 Budapest (HUN)
• US Open Meet record: 48.52 Nicholas Brunelli

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Zach Apple (MVN) – 48.86
2. Dean Farris (HARV) – 49.02
3. Bruno Blaskovic (IU) – 49.23
4. Tate Jackson (TXLA) – 49.44
5. Robert Howard (MVN) – 49.45
6. Marco Ferreira (MTC) – 49.56
7. Cristian Quintero (TROJ) – 49.64
8. Michael Chadwick (TE) – 49.72

Tate Jackson kicked off the circle-seeded heats with a 49.44 to edged Michael Chadwick (49.72) and Joao de Lucca (49.78). Dean Farris dominated the next heat with 49.02 (out in a blazing 23.45 and back in 25.5). Touching behind him were Marco Ferreira (49.56), Khader Baqlah (49.90), and Townley Haas (50.00). Haas came from behind to beat Farris in the 200 free final on Friday night.

Zach Apple won the final heat with the fastest time of the morning, 48.86. Bruno Blaskovic was 2nd with 49.23, just ahead of Robert Howard’s 49.45.

Carter Swift had a big swim in heat 6. He dropped 4/10 and won in 49.84 to earn a spot in the top 16.

Caeleb Dressel, Luca Urlando, and Ryan Lochte were all DFS. Dressel and Urlando swam in the 200 fly, while Lochte competed in the 200 back. There was a three-way swim-off among Armstrong, Connelly and Pinfold to settle a tie for 34th. All were 50.53 this morning. Connelly won with 50.30. Pinfold went 50.55; Armstrong was 50.59.

Women’s  200m Breaststroke – Heats

• American record: 2:19.59 Rebecca Soni 8/2/2012 London (GBR)
• US Open record: 2:20.38 Rebecca Soni 7/11/2009 Indianapolis, IN (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 2:22.51 Kaitlin Freeman

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Lilly King (ISC) – 2:27.32
2. Emily Escobedo (COND) – 2:27.35
3. Laura Morley (BAH) – 2:27.83
4. Rachel Bernhardt (GAME) – 2:27.99
5. Melanie Margalis (SPA) – 2:28.04
6. Annie Lazor (MVN) – 2:28.13
7. Micah Sumrall (GOLD) – 2:28.87
8. Mariia Astashkina (UOFL) – 2:29.39

The first really big swim of the morning came from Rachel Bernhardt of Gamecock Aquatics who dropped nearly 2.4 seconds to win heat 5 by a couple of body lengths with 2:27.99. Her previous PB, from the summer of 2018, was 2:29.66. Bethany Galat touched first in the next heat with 2:27.80 but she was DQd so the win went to Laura Morley with 2:27.83. Morley improved her lifetime best (2:30.21 from Pan Ams this summer) by 2.4 seconds. Melanie Margalis was 2nd with 2:28.04, while Micah Sumrall came in 3rd with 2:28.87.

Lilly King went 2:27.32 to win the penultimate heat in dominant fashion over Melissa Rodriguez (2:30.09) and Emma Barksdale (2:30.26).

Emily Escobedo claimed victory in the final heat with 2:27.35 over top-seeded Annie Lazor (2:28.13) and Mariia Astashkina (2:29.39).

Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Heats

• American record: 2:07.17 Josh Prenot 6/30/2016 Omaha, NE (USA)
• US Open record: 2:07.17 Josh Prenot 6/30/2016 Omaha, NE (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 2:09.73 Andrew Wilson

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Cody Miller (SAND) – 2:10.30
2. Kevin Cordes (ABSC) – 2:10.52
3. Andrew Wilson (ABSC) – 2:10.92
4. Dmitriy Balandin (TROJ) – 2:11.67
5. Daniel Roy – 2:12.08
6. Will Licon (TXLA) – 2:12.28
7. Carlos Claverie (CARD) – 2:12.70
8. Alex Evdokimov (PRVT) – 2:13.68

Rafal Kusto of NC State and Ben Cono of Gamecock Aquatics had a couple of strong performances in early heats, dropping 2.0 and .5 seconds, respectively, to win their heats with 2:17.91 and 2:17.93. Kevin Cordes won the first circle-seeded heat in a dominant 2:10.52 ahead of Daniel Roy (2:12.08) and Carlos Claverie (2:12.70).

Heat 7 featured good racing between Andrew Wilson and Cody Miller. Wilson led for the first half of the race but Miller finished strong and got his hands to the wall first, winning 2:10.52 to 2:10.92. Miller was 1:03.2/1:07.0 to Wilson’s 1:02.8/1:08.1, and his 3rd and 4th 50s were evenly split (33.47/33.57).

The next heat seemed to have 3 different races going on. Alex Evdokimov went out like a rocket, turning nearly a second ahead of the field at the 100 with 1:03.20. Will Licon followed in 1:04.17, then came Dmitriy Balandin in 1:05.47. The second half of the race is where everything played out, as Evdokimov held on through the 150 but was beginning to fade, Licon moved within half a second of the leader, and Balandin crept up on them both. Balandin shut it down over the final 50 meters to win with 2:11.67, splitting 33.2 and 32.9 over the last two 50s. He nearly even-split his race, going out in 1:05 and coming home in 1:06. Licon passed Evdokimov and touched 2nd in 2:12.28. Evdokimov held on for 3rd, and despite his brutal splits, managed to swim his second-best time ever with 2:13.68.

• Balandin – 1:05.47/1:06.20 (second 100 = 33.22/32.98)
• Licon – 1:04.17/1:08.11 (second 100 = 33.88/34.23)
• Evdokimov – 1:03.20/1:10.48 (second 100 = 34.3/36.1)

Nils Wich-Glasen and Gabe Mastromatteo were both DQd in heat 7. Mastromatteo went for a 100 split (he went 1:01.60) and didn’t finish the race.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Heats

• American record: 2:04.14 Mary Mohler 7/29/2009 Roma (ITA)
• US Open record: 2:05.87 Hali Flickinger 7/25/2018 Irvine, CA (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 2:07.20 Susan O’Neill 1999

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Katie Drabot – 2:09.43
2. Megan Kingsley (ABSC) – 2:10.29
3. Olivia Carter (EAC) – 2:10.65
4. Regan Smith (RIPT) – 2:10.79
5. Kathrin Demler (OSU) – 2:10.83
6. Dakota Luther – 2:11.38
7. Lillie Nordmann (MAC) – 2:11.68
8. Charlotte Hook (TAC) – 2:12.19

Katie Drabot posted the top time of the morning in the women’s 200 fly. She won her heat in 2:09.43 over Megan Kingsley (2:10.29 and Dakota Luther (2:11.38). Regan Smith dominated her heat with 2:10.79, touching ahead of Charlotte Hook (2:12.19) and Leah Gingrich (2:12.27). Olivia Carter won the first circle-seeded heat with 2:10.65. Ohio State’s Kathrin Demler dropped 1.1 seconds to finish second in 2:10.83 ahead of Lillie Nordmann (2:11.68).

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Heats

• American record: 1:51.51 Michael Phelps 2/29/2009 Roma (ITA)
• US Open record: 1:52.20 Michael Phelps 7/2/2008 Omaha, NE (USA)
• US Open Meet record: 1:55.64 Sebastien Rousseau

Top 8 Qualifiers through A flight:

1. Luca Urlando (DART) – 1:56.49
2. Jonathan Gomez – 1:57.24
3. Eddie Wang (TPE) – 1:57.32
4. Chase Kalisz (ABSC) – 1:57.60
5. Dare Rose (SCAR) – 1:59.05
6. Jay Litherland (DYNA) / Carson Foster (RAYS) – 1:59.11
7. –
8. Mack Darragh (HPCO) – 1:59.21

Landon Gentry of Nation’s Capital set the tone in heat 2 when he dropped 1.7 seconds to win in 2:02.08. Dare Rose improved his seed time by 9/10 in heat 5, winning in 1:59.05 to take over the lead heading into the circle-seeded heats. Jonathan Gomez won the first of those with 1:57.24, coming to the wall 2 seconds ahead of Christian Ferraro (1:59.37) and Zach Harting (1:59.76).

Eddie Wang led from start to finish in heat 7, edging Chase Kalisz 1:57.32 to 1:57.60. Kalisz came back nearly half a second faster but ran out of room as he tried to overtake Wang. Jay Litherland was 3rd in the heat with 1:59.11.

Luca Urlando blasted a 1:56.49 to win the final heat with the morning’s top performance. Mack Darragh touched out Caeleb Dressel, 1:59.21 to 1:59.37, for second place. Dressel wound up 10th out of heats and Zach Harting was 12th with 1:59.76. Nicolas Albiero was a no-show in the first circle-seeded heat.