2021 International Swimming League – Match 11, Day 2: Live Recap

2021 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEASON 3, MATCH 11

• Wednesday, September 29 – Thursday, September 30
• 7:00 am – 9:00 Am EST (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Local Time)
• Piscina Felice Scandone, Naples, Italy
• Short Course Meters (25m – SCM) Format
• ISL Season 3 Schedules, Start Times, & More
• Teams Competing: DC Trident, Team Iron, Tokyo Frog Kings, New York Breakers
• Omega Live Results
• Day 1 recap

Thursday is the last day of competition in the first block of ISL’s 2021 season, where the league’s bottom four teams are competing for two spots in the ISL Playoffs in Eindhoven in November.

While there is a gap in prize money between the winning and second-place teams (to the tune of $400 per athlete), the biggest prize is a ticket to continue their season for at least another three matches later this year.

The DC Trident jumped out to a big lead on day one, but we know that Iron has historically performed very well on day two, especially in the skins events, where they’re one of the best teams in the league.

The Trident have never  participated in a Playoff match before, so this is an opportunity for the club to make history.

Skins events for Match #11:

• Women’s – Breaststroke
• Men’s – Freestyle

Scores at the conclusion of Day 1:

1. DC Trident – 277
2. Iron – 226.5
3. Tokyo Frog Kings – 214.5
4. New York Breakers – 193

Women’s 100 Free

1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Iron – 51.85
2. Anna Hopkin, DC Trident – 51.99
3. Barbora Seemanova, Iron – 52.31
4. Isabella Hindley, DC Trident – 52.58
5. Catie DeLoof, Tokyo – 52.68
6. Marrit Steenbergen, New York Breakers – 52.93
7. Daria S Ustinova, New York Breakers – 52.93
8. Mallory Comerford, Tokyo – 53.85

After posting the season’s best 100 freestyle in a relay split on Wednesday, Iron’s Ranomi Kromowidjojo added a win in the individual 100 freestyle in 51.85.

After a rocket opening in the relay, she was out in 24.9 in the individual – .16 seconds behind DC’s Anna Hopkin, but coming off the last turn, Kromowidjojo passed her British counterpart for the win.

Barbora Seemanova matched her lifetime best (from Match #10) with a 52.31 to complete a 1-3 finish for Iron, and Bella Hindley was 4th, for DC, in 52.58.

No Jackpot points, and the top two teams in the standings (Iron and DC Trident) took the top four finish positions to hold serve.

Men’s 100 Free

1. Aleksander Shchegolev, DC Trident – 46.66
2. Matt Temple, New York Breakers – 46.78
3. Stan Pijnenburg, New York Breakers – 46.93
4. Nandor Nemeth, Tokyo – 46.96
5. Pedro Spajaro, Tokyo – 47.25
6. Matt Richards, Iron – 47.34
7. Velimir Stjepanovic, DC Trident – 47.47
8. Thom de Boer, Iron – 47.50

DC Trident inched closer to locking-in their Playoff future when Aleksandr Shchegolev won the men’s 100 freestyle in 46.66. That’s a new lifetime best for the Russian, and is his first-ever ISL win in this event (he has a Match 5 win in the 200 free).

That is an upset, based on what we saw on day one of the meet, where Temple swam a 45.99 to anchor the Breaker’s 400 free relay. He was 46.78 for second place here, getting out-touched after leading most of the race.

The Breakers continue to show strength in the men’s 100 free, even without David Popovici arriving at ISL, going 2-3 with Temple and Stan Pijnenburg. That’s the start of a strong run of events for the Breakers with the women’s 200 fly next, and the 400 IMs to end the session.

Iron didn’t do well here, with Matt Richards placing 6th and Thom de Boer placing 8th.

Women’s 200 Fly

1. Svetlana Chimrova, New York Breakers – 2:03.76
2. Alys Thomas, Iron – 2:04.77
3. Yui Ohashi, Tokyo Frog Kings – 2:06.28
4. Leah Gingrich, Tokyo Frog Kings – 2:06.59
5. Zsuzsanna Jakabos, DC Trident – 2:07.02
6. Ana Catarina Monteiro, New York Breakers – 2:07.80
7. Maria Ugolkova, Iron – 2:07.94
8. Madeline Groves, DC Trident – 2:09.21

The women’s 200 fly saw a second-straight win for Russia, though no team scores are kept for nations in the ISL format. Her 2:03.76 is the fastest time in the ISL this season, bettering the 2:03.9 done by Kelsi Dahlia in Match #4. Chimrova’s previous season-best was 2:04.7 from March #10.

Her swim also broke the Russian Record in the event.

The former New York Breaker, now swimming for Iron, Alys Thomas was 2nd in 2:04.77.

Tokyo entered Yui Ohashi, not normally known as a 200 butterflier but as the world’s best IMer right now certainly capable. She earned them crucial third-place points with a 2:06.28. Tokyo went 4-8 in Match #10 in this race, scoring just 5 points. Head coach Dave Salo’s bold choice here earned them 11 points – a big improvement.

While there were no Jackpots here, DC only scored 4 points and Iron only 9, so the field crept up on them just a little here.

Men’s 200 Fly

1. Daiya Seto, Tokyo Frog Kings – 1:51.29
2. Camden Murphy, DC Trident – 1:51.93
3. Zach Harting, DC Trident – 1:52.60
4. Philip Heintz, New York Breakers – 1:52.91
5. Luiz Altamir Melo, Iron – 1:53.12
6. Jakub Majerski, New York Breakers – 1:53.70
7. Mikhall Vekivushchev, Iron – 1:55.13
8. Maarten Brzowskowski, Tokyo Frog Kings – 1:57.41

After swimming a good time, but still being upended, in the men’s 200 IM, Tokyo’s Daiya Seto won the 200 fly in 1:51.29 – well ahead of the field.

That win helped him secure a Jackpot point, but it was his own teammate that he Jackpotted, so no big team benefit there.

The DC Trident got huge performances from Camden Murphy and Zach Harting for 2nd and 3rd place, meaning that they won the event as they continued to inch away from the field and secure a likely spot in the final. At this point, they’ve grown their lead by 6 points through the first four events of the day, putting themselves further-and-further out of reach.

Iron, meanwhile, scored only 6 points – meaning that both Tokyo and, to a lesser extent, New York continues to creep up on them.

Women’s 100 Back

1. Ali Deloof, DC Trident – 56.83
2. Lienna Mack, DC Trident – 57.11
3. Catie Deloof, Tokyo Frog Kings – 57.27
4. Paulina Peda, New York Breakers – 54.47
5. Ingeborg Loyning, Iron – 58.04
6. Gabby Deloof, Tokyo Frog Kings – 58.44
7. Africa Zamorano, Iron – 58.79
8. Daryna Zevina, New York Breakers – 58.83

Ali DeLoof and Linnea Mack traded leads in this race, but for the team battle the order didn’t matter. Both swimmers posted season-bests, though – DeLoof by a few hundredths and Mack by a bigger three-tenths margin.

Ali’s younger sister Catie DeLoof was 3rd for Tokyo in 57.27.

While New York got a fourth place finish from Paulina Peda in 57.47, who has been a better-than-expected performer for them this season, they still just tied Iron for bottom scoring in the event as their hopes of a day 2 charge like they had in Match #10 slips further-and-further away.

Continuing a day without much in the way of Jackpots, DC’s 16 points in the race broke the day wide open. It gave them +10 on second-place Iron, and should secure their place in the Playoff. The focus now shifts to the battle for second place.

Men’s 100 Back

1. Mark Mikolaev, DC Trident – 49.65
2. Robert Glinta, Iron – 49.71
3. Lorenzo Mora, Iron – 50.44
4. Jacob Pebley, DC Trident – 50.65
5. Ole Braunscheig, New York Breakers – 50.69
6. Grigory Tarasevich, Tokyo Frog Kings – 50.71
7. Mewen Tomac, New York Breakers – 51.41
8. Richard Bohus, Tokyo Frog Kings – 51.53

The cheat codes have clicked in for the DC Trident, with a 1-4 finish representing their second-straight victory and a gap growing between them and the field. Mark Nikolaev, a former US collegian at Grand Canyon University, won in 49.65, just out-touching Iron’s Robert Glinta (49.71) to emphatically put another pin in it. Jacob Pebley, who swam a lifetime best in the 200 back on Wednesday, wasn’t a best time here, but still did what his team needed, placing 4th in 50.65.

New York finished 5-7 and Tokyo 6-8, as the predicted DC-Iron finish looks more-and-more likely at this point.

Women’s 100 IM

1. Constanza Cocconcelli, Iron – 58.54
2. Alicja Tchorz, New York Breakers – 58.77
3. Abbie Wood, New York Breakers – 58.83
4. Chihiro Igarashi, Tokyo Frog Kings – 58.89
5. Klaudia Nazibelo, DC Trident – 59.76
6. Bailey Andinson, DC Trident – 1:00.04
7. Maria Ugolkova, Iron – 1:00.18
8. Paige Madden, Tokyo Frog Kings – 1:02.86

Iron’s Constanza Cocconcelli picked a crucial moment for her first career individual ISL win, taking a Jackpot point away from Tokyo’s Paige Madden in the process.

She swam 58.54, which was right-at her season-best time, to win, using a big back half to pull ahead of the New York Breakers’ Alicja Tchorz (58.77). The Breakers finished 2-3, including the current MVP leader Abbie Wood going 3rd on a quick turnaround before her big showdown with Olympic champion Yui Ohashi in the 400 IM later in the session.

DC Trident ‘held serve’ here, doing what they needed to to keep their lead over 60. Tokyo faded further behind Iron for 2nd place, putting a ton of pressure on Vlad Morozov in the men’s 100 IM to keep hope alive.

Men’s 100 IM

1. Marco Orsi, Iron – 51.62
2. Andreas Vazaios, DC Trident – 51.68
3. Leonardo Santos, Iron – 52.34
4. Joe Litchfield, New York Breakers – 52.78
5. Tommy Cope, DC Trident – 53.03
6. Stan Pijnenburg, New York Breakers – 53.25
7. Danill Pasknkov, Tokyo Frog Kings – 53.32
8. Vladimir Morozov, Tokyo Frog Kings – 53.33

Tokyo was without Vlad Morozov in the first part of the ISL season, and hoped that his return late would result in a huge boost. His 8th place finish in this 100 IM, where he’s a former World Record holder, shows that he hasn’t brought what they needed, as a 7-8 finish here might have sealed their fate.

Iron’s Marco Orsi won in 51.62, beating out the 200 IM winner Andreas Vazaios from DC Trident (51.88) for the win. No Jackpot points for Iron, but a 1-3 finish with Leonard Santos (52.34) was big for the team race. Orsi now has four wins in five 100 IM starts this season.

After this race, DC’s lead sits at 57.5 points, Tokyo was 32 points behind Iron, and New York maintained contact just 4.5 points behind that.

Women’s 100 Breast

After Iron’s Ida Hulkko won the 50 breaststroke on Wednesday, she finished 3rd in this women’s 100 breaststroke behind New York’s Molly Renshaw (30.68) and Tokyo’s Kanako Watanabe (1:05.02). Unsurprisingly, Hulkko led at the turn before fading.

Along with a Miranda Tucker fourth place finish, Tokyo did make up some ground here. Speaking in bigger terms, with the mega-points skins race remaining, this gives New York and Tokyo hopes of making up ground on Iron in the women’s skins race, at least, which is not something that normally happens.

That win for Renshaw was her first 100 breaststroke win of the season.

This is a weak event for DC, and they gave back points to the field here, but they still maintained almost a 60 point lead.

1. Molly Renshaw, New York – 1:04.84
2. Kanako Wantanabe, Tokyo – 1:05.02
3. Ida Hulkko, Iron – 1:05.19
4. Miranda Tucker, Tokyo – 1:05.25
5. Tatiana Belonogoff, DC Trident – 1:05.70
6. Sarah Vasey, New York – 1:05.84
7. Maria Temnikova, DC Trident – 1:06.05
8. Jenna Strauch, Iron – 1:06.06

Men’s 100 Breast

Tokyo’s Yasuhiro Koseki, after an Asian Record in the 50 breaststroke on Wednesday, had no problem extending his success to the 100 breaststroke, winning wire-to-wire in a dominating 56.54. That’s his 5th career win in the event, and his 3rd this season – he opened the year with back-t0-back wins in Matches #2 and #6, before losing in the team’s last two matches.

This swim was his season best by .12 seconds.

He picked the right moment to get back on top of the podium, and a back-half draft from his teammate Alessandro Pinzuti resulted in a 57.20 2nd-place finish. That resulted in 17 points, Tokyo’s biggest score of the day, and they pulled within 24 points of Iron for 2nd place.

New York had a point Jackpotted and finished 7th and 8th in the event via Marco Koch and James Wilby. That puts them 20 points back of Tokyo, more than 30 back of Iron, and essentially ends their season.

1. Yasuhiro Koseki, Tokyo Frog Kings – 56.54
2. Alessandro Pinzuti, Tokyo Frog Kings – 57.20
3. Cody Miller, DC Trident — 57.39
4. Bernhard Reitshammer, Iron -57.64
5. Erik Persson, Iron – 58.00
6. Felipe Silva, DC Trident – 58.10
7. Marco Koch, New York – 58.69
8. James Wilby, New York – 1:00.04

Women’s 50 Fly

1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Iron – 25.23
2. Melanie Henique, Iron – 25.43
3. Linnea Mack, DC Trident – 25.48
4. Svetlana Chimrova, New York Breakers – 25.91
5. Aly Tetzloff, Tokyo – 26.08
6. Alicja Tchorz, New York Breakers – 26.16
7. Madeline Groves, DC Trident – 26.29
8. Chihiro Igarashi, Tokyo – 26.31

There are a few swimmers in this league who can take a competitive team battle and blow it wide open. The demoralizers, the dominators, and Iron has one of the best in Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

She put in a spirit-breaking swim for Iron in the women’s 50 fly, winning in 25.23 and Jackpotting 3 points, including 1 from Tokyo. Iron went 1-2 in the race, scored 19 points (the highest single-event scoring by any team so far on day 2), and broke away from Tokyo. Melanie Henique finished 2nd in 25.43.

That’s Kromowidjojo’s 5th career win in the 50 fly, and she’s the league’s #1-rated swimmer in the event.

In spite of a Linnea Mack 3rd place finish in 25.48, Iron made up a big chunk of time on DC and for the first time in 24 hours moved the margin to under 50 points. Iron is a great team at the end of meets, between the 50 fly and the Skins races, so this one isn’t over, though DC still has some very good 400 IMers to come.

Men’s 50 Fly

1. Nicholas Santos, Iron – 21.81
2. Takeshi Kawamoto, Tokyo – 22.45
3. Camden Murphy, DC Trident – 22.66
4. Matt Temple, New York – 22.88
5. Mikhall Vekovishchev, Iron – 23.02
6. Jakub Majerski, New York – 23.04
7. Zach Harting, DC Trident – 23.05
8. Maarten Brzoskowski, Tokyo – 23.87

Nicholas Santos, the favorite swimmer of the “old guys can do it too” crowd, won his 9th 50 fly in ISL history and remained perfect on the season with a 21.81. That’s his season best, .02 seconds better than he was in Match #10, though he again just missed his own World Record of 21.78 from 2020.

This race finally saw a monster Jackpot, with Santos stealing points from five swimmers for a 24-point win. That was all the points Iron scored, but it whacked another 18 out of DC’s lead to cut the margin to 26.5 points. Ultimately, this race though cemented the play of DC and Iron to Eindhoven, with the gap to 3rd-place Tokyo now over 50 points, so the battle is now for bragging rights and some prize money.

Women’s 200 Free

1. Barbora Seemanova, Iron – 1:53.97
2. Leah Neale, DC Trident – 1:54.90
3. Marrit Steenbergen, New York – 1:55.08
4. Gabby Deloof, Tokyo – 1:55.38
5. Joanna Evans, DC Trident – 1:55.70
6. Daria S Ustinova, New York – 1:55.75
7. Veronika Andrusenkko, Iron – 1:55.86
8. Paige Madden, Tokyo – 1:56.39

After her earlier big performance in the 100 free, Barbora Seemanova had another big swim in the women’s 200 free in 1:53.97. That wasn’t a lifetime best, which came just last weekend in 1:53.31, but it was good enough for a win.

DC Trident’s Leah Neale took 2nd in 1:54.90, almost a second back, picking up 7 points. Combined with Joanna Evans’ 1:55.70 for 5th DC was able to match Iron’s 11-point output in the event, even after Iron’s third-straight win. That’s a lineup change for DC – Evans hasn’t swum the 200 free since Match #5, but she got the nod over Annika Bruhn here (though Bruhn was pretty good for DC in Match #9). That’s a new Bahamian National Record for Evans.

Men’s 200 Free

1. Aleksandr Shchegolev, DC Trident -1:42.37
2. Joe Litchfield, New York – 1:42.84
3. Velimir Stjepanovic, DC Trident – 1:43.30
4. Matt Richards, Iron – 1:43.31
5. Luiz Altamir Melo, Iron – 1:43.60
6. Cristian Quintero, Tokyo – 1:43.69
7. Nandor Nameth, Tokyo – 1:45.58
8. Jakub Kraska, New York – 1:46.98

Aleksandr Shchegolev of DC added a win in the 200 free to his earlier victory in the 100 free, joining him with Duncan Scott of London Roar as the only swimmer to pull that off this season. Shchegolev actually hadn’t won either event yet this season.

He led this race wire-to-wire, holding off an electric final 50 meters from New York’s Joe Litchfield. He closed in 25.26 – nobody else in the field finished in under 26 seconds.

Velimir Stjepanovic placed 3rd in 1:43.30, just beating-out Iron’s Matt Richards in 1:43.31. That’s a 2-point swing that could matter in the final team scoring in what looks like it’s going to be a nail-biter finish.

DC’s 1-3 finish, including a Jackpot point, ‘won’ the event for them, and grew the lead to 33.5 points over Iron. Iron is still lurking with the Skins to come, though, so no lead is comfortable at this point.

This race was another back-breaker for Tokyo via a 6-7 finish.

Mixed 400 Medley Relay

1. Iron – 3:35.50
2. DC Trident – 3:36.11
3. Iron – 3:37.13
4. DC Trident – 3:37.27
5. Tokyo Frog Kings – 3:38.96
6. New York Breakers – 3:40.07
7. New York Breakers – 3:40.16
8. Tokyo Frog Kings – 3:40.21

After a ‘break’ in the 200 free, Iron resumed their winning ways, leading early and throughout the mixed 400 medley relay final to take victory in 3:35.50. DC Trident’s “A” relay kept contact, but with Ali DeLoof on the leadoff swimming through a lot of wash, that final gap was a little too much – even with Camden Murphy trying to run down Emilie Beckmann on the butterfly leg.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo wasn’t as good on the relay anchor as she was to finish her Day 1 yesterday (50.8), but her 51.45 split was still more-than-enough to hold off Anna HOpkin, with whom she’s had a number of big battles at this meet.

Those two teams showed their depth, and why the meet has gone as it has, by occupying all of the top four spots. Iron was able to cut 6 points back from DC’s lead to leave themselves just 27.5 points back of the Trident headed into the final segment of the meet.

Women’s 400 IM

1. Bailey Andison, DC Trident – 4:27.11
2. Abbie Wood, New York – 4:27.76
3. Yui Ohashi, Tokyo – 4:31.23
4. Jakabos Zsuzsanna, DC Trident – 4:33.35
5. Africa Zamorano, Iron – 4:34.96
6. Costanza Cocconcelli, Iron – 4:35.53
7. Madden Paige, Tokyo – 4:41.41
8. Ana Catarina Monteiro, New York – 4:43.33

By the ISL’s rating system, this was the highest-rated event we’ve seen all season in an individual race, and it lived up to billing. There were a lot of ways this race could have gone, with Bailey Andison (DC) having three 400 IM wins in four starts this season, Abbie Wood (New York Breakers) having three 400 IM wins in four stars, and Yui Ohashi (Tokyo) being the defending Olympic champion.

But ultimately, Wood good out to a slow start, which we haven’t seen often from her this year, running in just 6th place at the 200 meter checkpoint, which meant no bonus points. Meanwhile, Andison was 2nd there, and came back to win the race in 4:27.11.

Wood made up a ton of ground on the field with the fastest breaststroke split, but didn’t have enough to continue her charge into the freestyle leg to finish 2nd in 4:27.76.

Andison has been faster twice this season, though that was a small season-best for Wood.

Ohashi, meanwhile, struggled in 4:31.2 (she was 4:28 just a few days ago in Match #10), perhaps the impact of swimming the 200 fly earlier in the session for the first time this season. She did get a break in the 100 IM, but that 200 fly seemed to have taken something out of her.

On a strategy note, Paige Madden, best known as a distance freestyler, has been used heavily as an IMer in this meet. That includes in this 400 IM, where she went full-out to 200 meters to pick up the Checkpoint points. She wound up being Jackpotted by Andison at the finish, though, which means she forfeits those points to Andison as well.

DC stretched their lead back to 45.5 points with a +18 here. We know that Iron has historically been a much better Skins team, though these skins events don’t set up particularly well for them, but DC will appreciate that lead heading into the last few events of the day.

Men’s 400 IM

1. Brendon Smith, New York – 3:59.33
2. Daiya Seto, Tokyo – 4:01.92
3. Andreas Vazaios, DC Trident – 4:03.37
4. Jay Litherland, DC Trident – 4:03.58
5. Brandonn Almedia, New York Breakers – 4:04.00
6. Erik Persson, Iron – 4:05.60
7. Leonardo Santos, Iron – 4:07.97
8. Danill Pasynkov, Tokyo – 4:09.05

Brendon Smith, already with a win and a league-best time in the 400 free on Wednesday, continued his hot streak with another victory in the 400 IM. His 3:59.33 is a season and lifetime best for him, and makes him the second-best swimmer in the league this season in the event.

The only swimmer who’s been faster this season is Daiya Seto of Tokyo. After what’s been a fast meet for him, even if he hasn’t been perfect in victories, Seto showed some signs of ware here at the end with a 4:01.92 for 2nd place.

DC went 3-4 with Andreas Vazaios and Jay Litherland both going 4:03s. Iron struggled in this event, and so that put another 17 points into the Trident’s lead, as they’ll enter Skins 55.5 points ahead.

Smith also took the top score, 6 points, at the 200 meter Checkpoint.

Team Scores

1. DC Trident – 485
2. Iron – 429.5
3. Tokyo Frog Kings – 350
4. New York Breakers – 342

Women’s Skins – Breaststroke

Round 1

The round 1 finish order in the women’s 50 breaststroke was almost identical as it was in the individual event on Wednesday, with the exception of a flip for 6th and 7th between Molly Renshaw and Kanako Watanabe.

That included a 29.72 win for Iron’s Ida Hulkko for 10 points – a win she needed in order to keep Iron in contact with DC. We knew this would be a weak event for DC, and we know that Hulkko will struggle as the rounds go on, so big points early is big for Iron.

Round 2

Miranda Tucker took control of the skins race in round 2, going almost as fast as she did in round 1 – 30.02 versus 29.96. That’s as close of a spread as we’ve seen all season in this race.

She and Hulkko, the big favorites coming in, advance to the final, though Iron’s Jenna Strauch did have a good showing in two rounds of performance.

Round 3

As Hulkko continued to fade, Tucker stayed strong, keeping close again in 30.34 to win her first career Skins race. That 29.96-30.02-30.34 is about as well as we’ve seen anyone swim Skins this year.

That win by her is big for the Trident. While Iron clearly outscored them (31.5 points), the margin wasn’t as big as it could have been, and leaves DC – with Ryan Hoffer – a 34-point margin headed into the final round.

Men’s Skins – Freestyle

Round 1

DC’s Ryan Hoffer got off to a slow start in his ISL season, but has been coming on hard late in the year. That includes a round 1 in the skins event here in 21.03, which was actually faster than he swam in the individual event on Wednesday.

Iron’s Thom de Boer earned 2nd bidding into the final, which is key in their battle, but the New York Breakers kept either of those teams from stamping a victory early in this Skins event by taking the 3rd and 4th positions. With that, the Breakers have put themselves in position to overcome Tokyo for 3rd place, which would be the first non-4th-place finish of the season for the team.

Vlad Morozov continues to struggle, placing 8th.

Round 2

Matt Temple, who has been on fire all match long, grabbed the top spot in round 2. The whole of the field faded in the second round, but Temple held on best as the only swimmer under 22 seconds thanks to a beheamoth turn that blew him past the field.

Thom de Boer snuck in with another second-place finish as Iron got a swimmer into the final, but he really needed a win there if Iron was going to have a chance to catch DC. Even a Jackpot of Matt Temple in the final wouldn’t have done the trick. This second round essentially set the finish order for the meet, with DC winning, Iron 2nd, New York 3rd, and Tokyo 4th, barring Temple getting Jackpotted.

Hoffer faded to 4th, but with 5 points he still became the first and only DC swimmer this season to score points in the 2nd round of a Skins race. They had to the Playoffs 1 for 20 in that category.

Round 3

The points didn’t matter, but Thom de Boer picked up the $4800 Skins round 3 prize (for $8000 total in the event) with a win – his third consecutive win in the Skins. Temple took 2nd, a quarter-of-a-second behind.

Final Team Scores:

1. DC Trident – 506
2. Iron – 497
3. New York Breakers -388.5
4. Tokyo – 385.5