2020 U.S. Open – Richmond Friday PM Session: Huske Nearly Clips Smith’s NAG

2020 U.S. OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, November 12-Saturday, November 14
• SwimRVA – Collegiate School Aquatics Center, Richmond, VA
• LCM/timed finals
• Streaming Info/Races to Watch
• Meet Central – Richmond 
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 Toyota US Open – Richmond”
• Livestream Info

WOMEN’S 400 IM – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 4:31.12 – Katie Hoff (2008)
• U.S. Open record: 4:31.07 – Katinka Hosszu (2015)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 4:51.79

Top 3:

1. Grace Sheble (NOVA) – 4:45.23
2. Samatha Tadder (TIDE) – 4:45.71
3. Zoe Dixon (NOVA) – 4:46.59

In a battle of the 17 year-olds, Grace Sheble of NOVA ran down Samantha Tadder of Tide over the last 100m, finishing about a half second ahead, 4:45.23 to 4:45.71. That’s Sheble’s 3rd-best time ever, and a new best time for Tadder by just over one second.

About a second behind that pair, and in the next two lanes over, there was  battle for 3rd, with NOVA’s Zoe Dixon touching just ahead of Bluefish’s Summer Smith, 4:46.74.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 55.98 – Dana Vollmer (2012)
• U.S. Open record: 56.38 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 1:00.69

Top 3:

1. Torri Huske (AAC) – 57.36
2. Kate Douglass (UVA) – 57.43
3. Alex Walsh (UVA) – 59.58

We saw some serious speed in this event tonight, as 17 year-old Torri Huske shaved 0.07s off of her lifetime best and came within a tantalizing 0.02s of Regan Smith’s National Age Group record. 18 year-old Kate Douglass was just a touch behind, improving her own best mark by 1.05s and moving into 3rd place all-time in the 17-18 age group. Douglass’s UVA teammate Alex Walsh took 3rd in 59.58, knocking over two seconds off of personal best of 1:01.97 from 2018.

MEN’S 200 FREE – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• U.S. Open record: 1:54.40 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 2:01.69

Top 3:

1. Paige Madden (UVA) – 1:57.64
2. Kayla Wilson (TIDE) – 2:00.60
3. Erin Gemmell (NCAP) – 2:00.63

UVA senior Paige Madden put up a new best time to take the win here tonight, with her time of 1:57.64 a 0.20s improvement on her previous best time from last summer’s Nationals. Madden was already the only USA woman under 2:00 so far this season (although there hasn’t been a ton of LCM racing yet), and that’s nearly three seconds faster than Mallory Comerford was over Indianapolis this evening.

Flanking Madden in the final heat were 16 year-old Kayla Wilson of Tide and 15 year-old Erin Gemmell of NCAP. Wilson ran down Gemmell over the final 50m to take 2nd, 2:00.60 to 2:00.63.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (2017)
• U.S. Open record: 1:04.45 – Jessica Hardy (2009)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 1:10.99

Top 3:

1. Jaycee Yegher (Unattached) – 1:09.12
2. Anna Keating (UVA) – 1:09.15
3. Jenna Van Camp (MACH) – 1:11.21

Jaycee Yegher, who’s swimming unattached but competes for Harvard collegiately, out dueled UVA’s Anna Keating, 1:09.12 to 1:09.15. That appears to be Yegher’s 2nd-fastest swim ever, behind only a 1:07.98 from last November. Meanwhile that’s a new personal best for Keating, who’s been under 1:10 on eight occasions, but hadn’t put up a new personal best since she went 1:09.45 in 2018.

27 year-old Jenna Van Camp of Machine took 3rd in 1:11.21 in what appears to the former Towson swimmers first swim in this event since  2016 Olympic Trials.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 57.57 – Regan Smith (2019)
• U.S. Open record: 58.00 – Kathleen Baker (2018)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 1:02.69

Top 3:

1. Marie Schobel (Unattached) – 1:02.31
2. Josephine Fuller (NOVA) – 1:02.60
3. Tatum Wall (NCAP) – 1:20.92

Marie Schobel, who is officially unattached but swims for Penn State collegiately, swam her first best time in over two years to take the win with a 1:02.31. NOVA’s Josephine Fuller (1:02.60) and NCAP’s Tatum Wall (1:02.92) were the only other two women under 1:03 here tonight.

The men’s session is scheduled to begin at 7:45 EST, and we’ll update with results later on this evening.

MEN’S 400 IM – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 4:03.84 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open record: 4:05.25 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 4:25.99

Top 3: 

1. Joshua Parent (ABF) – 4:26.17
2. Connor Hunt (RAC) – 4:26.31
3. Aidan Duffy (NOVA) – 4:31.02

Joshua Parent held off Connor Hunt, 4:26.17 to 4:26.31, as both men set new personal bests, albeit just outside of grabbing OT cuts. That’s the second victory for Parent and the second runner-up finish for Hunt, after Parent won the 800 last night and Hunt took 2nd in the 400 free this morning. NOVA’s Aidan Duffy also set a new personal best with his 3rd-place time of 4:31.02.

MEN’S 100 FLY – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 49.50 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• U.S. Open record: 50.22 – Michael Phelps (2009)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 54.19

Top 3:

1. Arsenio Bustos (WAC) – 52.88
2. Jack Conger (CA-Y) – 53.33
3. Landon Gentry (NCAP) – 53.45

Arsenio Bustos knocked over a second off of his lifetime best to take the win here in 52.88. Veteran Jack Conger took 2nd in 53.33, just ahead of 16 year-old Landon Gentry (53.45).

But the big story here was the 4th-place finisher, 13 year-old Thomas Heilman, who downed a National Age Group record with his 54.45.

MEN’S 200 FREE – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open record: 1:44.10 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 1:50.70

Top 3:

1. Matthew Fenton (BAD) – 1:49.75
2. Jan Karolczak (UVA) – 1:52.24
3. Daniel Diehl (Unattached) – 1:52.86

Matthew Fenlon set a new personal best for the second day in a row, winning tonight with a 1:49.75 after setting a new personal best, but just missing the OT cut, in a 1:50.81 time trial yesterday. UVA’s Jan Karolcczak, a Polish national, took 2nd in 1:52.24. 15 year-old Daniel Diehl, who recently aged up after laying waste to the 13-14 record book, knocked nearly nine seconds off of his previous lifetime best, a 2:01.40 from last summer, as he took 3rd.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 58.64 – Kevin Cordes (2017)
• U.S. Open record: 58.74 – Kevin Cordes/Jaoa Gomes (2017)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 1:03.29

Top 3:

1. Joshua Matheny (PEAQ) – 1:01.26
2. Connor Morikawa (Unattached) – 1:01.38
3. Jacob Ball (TANK) – 1:03.17

Joshua Matheny and Connor Morikawa battled it out, with Matheny winning by 0.12s, 1:01.26 to 1:01.38. That’s a new best time for Morikawa by nearly 3 seconds. Tank’s Jacob Bell took 3rd in 1:03.17.

MEN’S 100 BACK – TIMED FINALS

• American record: 51.85 – Ryan Murphy (2016)
• U.S. Open record: 51.94 – Aaron Piersol (2009)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 56.59

Top 3:

1. Daniel Diehl (Unattached) – 55.46
2. Maxwell Edwards (Virginia) – 56.47
3. Tommy Janton (WEST) – 56.59

Shortly after dropping a 9-second lifetime best in the 200 free, Diehl returned win this event with a 55.46. That’s a 3 second improvement for him, and moves him to #8 all-time in the 15-16 age group despite the fact that he only recently turned 15.

UVA’s Maxwell Edwards and WEST’s Tommy Janton also both set personal bests en route to 2nd and 3rd place finishes. Edwards dropped 0.67s, to 56.47, while Janton knocked off a whopping 2.50s to exactly match the OT cut of 56.59.