2021 Pro Swim Series – Richmond: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2021 PRO SWIM SERIES – RICHMOND

• January 14-17, 2021
• Collegiate School Aquatics Center, Richmond, VA
• Start Times (Eastern Time): Prelims: 9:00 a.m. / Finals: 7:00 p.m.
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Info (Both Sites)
• Schedule/Initial Timelines
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)
• Psych sheets
• Heat sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2021 TYR Pro Swim Series – Richmond”

We’re getting ready for more action this morning in Richmond, as swimmers will contest day three’s event slate today.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 2:06.11, Hali Flickinger (USA), 2020
• Olympic Trials Cut: 2:14.59

Top 8

1. Grace Sheble (NOVA) – 2:13.96
2. Tess Howley (LIAC) – 2:14.60
3. Caroline Sheble (NOVA) – 2:15.02
4. Summer Smith (ABF) – 2:16.87
5. Zoe Dixon (NOVA) – 2:17.95
6. Bailey Nero (NCAC) – 2:18.77
7. Aislin Farris (ABF) – 2:19.53
8. Eleanor Sun (NCAP) – 2:20.93

NOVA of Virginia’s Grace Sheble took the heat one win with ease, setting the pace early and posting a 2:13.96, a little over two seconds shy of her lifetime best.

In heat two, her twin sister Caroline Sheble dueled to the wall with LIAC’s Tess Howley; it was Howley with the quick touch, posting a 2:14.60 for the #2 time of the morning as C. Sheble finished third (2:15.02). Coming off of top finishes in the 400 IM last night, Bluefish’s Summer Smith (2:16.87) and NOVA’s Zoe Dixon (2:17.95) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

MEN’S 200 FLY PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 1:53.84, Luca Urlando (USA), 2019
• Olympic Trials Cut: 2:01.19

Top 8

1. Aiden Hayes (SSC) – 2:01.04
2. Justin Wright (NCAC) – 2:01.29
3. Dylan Porges (TAC) – 2:01.93
4. Tommy Bried (ACE) – 2:02.21
5. Jack Saunderson (WOLF) – 2:03.52
6. Micah Slaton (TRI) – 2:04.85
7. Andy Dorsel (MAC) – 2:06.26
8. Aayush Deshpande (FMC) – 2:06.71

Sooner Swim Club’s Aiden Hayes was out very fast in the second and final heat, going 57-point in the first 100. Despite an expected back-half rush from NCAC’s Justin Wright, Hayes had enough of a lead to keep the top seed out of the prelims. His 2:01.04 is a new lifetime best, just undercutting his 2:01.20 from the 2019 U.S. Summer Junior Nationals.

Wright was second in 2:01.29, and TAC Titans’ Dylan Porges picked up third at 2:01.93. That’s just a few tenths off of a best for Porges, whose sophomore season at Princeton is currently being redshirted (along with the rest of the Ivy League swimmers).

WOMEN’S 50 FREE PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 24.17, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2016
• Olympic Trials Cut: 25.99

Top 8

1. Catie Deloof (CAV) – 25.10
2. Lindsay Flynn (MSA) – 25.59
3. Madison Kennedy (MAC) – 25.69
4. Alexandra Dicks (NCAP) – 26.00
5. Ali Deloof (TNAQ) – 26.01
6. McKenna Stone (FMC) – 26.11
7. Aly Tetzloff (WOLF)/Katrina Konopka Reid (WOLF) – 26.14 *TIE*
8. –

Catie Deloof of Cavalier Aquatics led the women’s 50 free this morning, nearly cracking 25 seconds with a smooth 25.10.

Mecklenburg Swim Association’s Lindsay Flynn (25.59) and veteran Madison Kennedy of SwimMAC (25.69) also got under 26 seconds. Alexandra Dicks of NCAP was 26.00 for a best by .05, just .01 shy of the OT cut.

MEN’S 50 FREE PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 21.51, Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2020
• Olympic Trials Cut: 23.19

Top 8

1. David Curtiss (HACY) – 21.87
2. Austin Surhoff (Unattached) – 22.54
3. Justin Ress (WOLF) – 22.66
4. Michael Chadwick (NCAC) – 22.84
5. Colin Wright (TRIB) – 23.18
6. Diggory Dillingham (Unattached) – 23.54
7. Caleb Hicks (TRI) – 23.75
8. Reid Miller (MAC) – 23.92

18-year-old David Curtiss lit things up in heat one of the 50 free, registering a new best by .08 and hitting a 21.87. He was far-and-away the quickest swimmer this morning, and he now is tied with Olympic champion Ryan Held for the #16 American performer of all-time. Curtiss maintains his #3 spot in the all-time 17-18 age group rankings, sitting behind only Caeleb Dressel (21.53) and Michael Andrew (21.75).

30-year-old Austin Surhoff, an NCAA champion and former National Team-er, registered a lifetime best 22.54 for second place this morning. He took a good chunk out of his old best, a 22.87 from December 2019.

Diggory Dillingham, a 15-year-old from Iowa, sits sixth in the A-final tonight after coming just .06 off of his best.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 2:20.77, Annie Lazor (USA), 2019
• Olympic Trials Cut: 2:33.29

1. Emily Escobedo (COND) – 2:26.61
2. Letitia Sim (TNT) – 2:32.03
3. Miranda Tucker (Unattached) – 2:33.82
4. Samantha Tadder (TIDE) – 2:34.64
5. Grace Rainey (MAC) – 2:35.13
6. Meghan Lynch (GWYD) – 2:37.80
7. Ella Smith (ABF) – 2:38.89
8. Kaylee Hamblin (MSA) – 2:39.02

Coming off of her 100 breast win last night, where she not only went a lifetime best but beat Pro Swim – San Antonio winner and WR-holder Lilly King, Condors’ Emily Escobedo easily took the top time this morning. With beautiful distance-per-stroke, Escobedo rolled to a 2:26.61.

Nobody came close to Escobedo this morning, but TNT Swimming’s Letitia Sim hit a new lifetime best 2:32.03 to finish second. Sim was the only swimmer in the top eight to set a PR.

MEN’S 200 BREAST PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 2:08.95, Andrew Wilson (USA), 2018
• Olympic Trials Cut: 2:17.89

Top 8

1. Dylan Rhee (AGUA) – 2:21.40
2. Aidan Duffy (NOVA) – 2:23.03
3. Tyler Lentine (MACH) – 2:24.14
4. Ethan Browne (Unattached) – 2:24.17
5. Luke Rodarte (Unattached) – 2:24.64
6. Aiken Do (FISH) – 2:26.71
7. Jake Ball (TANK) – 2:26.91

Dylan Rhee of Asphalt Green will lead the men’s 200 breast tonight, posting a 2:21.40 this morning. He was also the top prelims swimmer in the 100 breast yesterday. Only seven swimmers completed swims in this event, so they’ll all make the A-final by default.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 58.18, Regan Smith (USA), 2020
• Olympic Trials Cut: 1:02.69

Top 8

1. Ali Deloof (TNAQ) – 1:01.82
2. Josephine Fuller (NOVA) – 1:01.93
3. Catie Deloof (CAV) – 1:02.07
4. Levenia Sim (TNT) – 1:02.94
5. Summer Smith (ABF) – 1:03.25
6. Tess Howley (LIAC) – 1:03.35
7. Paige Hall (MACH) – 1:03.44
8. Macky Hodges (MVN) – 1:04.12

Ali Deloof swam to the fastest prelims time this morning in 1:01.82, just ahead of NOVA of Virginia’s Josephine Fuller (1:01.93) and her younger sister, Catie Deloof (1:02.07). The Deloof sisters both swam at Michigan collegiately, though Ali now trains with Tennessee Aquatics and Catie with Cavalier Aquatics.

Fuller was just a few hundredths off of her lifetime best.

MEN’S 100 BACK PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 52.40, David Plummer (USA), 2016
• Olympic Trials Cut: 56.59

Top 8

1. Coleman Stewart (WOLF) – 54.69
2. Justin Ress (WOLF) – 54.89
3. Arsenio Bustos (WAC) – 55.80
4. Nick Alexander (TRI) – 56.17
5. Caleb Maldari (ABF) – 57.13
6. Collin McKenzie (Unattached) – 57.21
7. Garrett Boone (MSA) – 57.28
8. Baylor Nelson (MAC) – 57.41

Wolfpack Elite’s Coleman Stewart was within a second of his lifetime best, going 54.69 in the second heat. In heat three, his teammate Justin Ress finished close behind, going 54.89 for the #2 prelims time.

Woodbridge Aquatic Club’s Arsenio Bustos churned out a lifetime best, going 55.80 to take out his old PR of 56.50 from summer 2019.

Finishing in fifth was 15-year-old Caleb Maldari of Bluefish Swim Club, going a lifetime best 57.13 and inching closer to the OT cut.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 3:57.94, Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• Olympic Trials Cut: 4:16.89

Top 8

1. Ashley Twichell (TAC) – 4:13.26
2. Cavan Gormsen (LIAC) – 4:14.69
3. Claire Weinstein (WEST) – 4:17.45
4. Caroline Pennington (TAC) – 4:18.15
5. Claire Dafoe (NOVA) – 4:18.95
6. Sophia Karras (LIAC) – 4:19.54
7. Erin Gemmell (NCAP) – 4:19.78
8. Paige McKenna (NCAP) – 4:19.97

All of the A-final qualifiers this morning in the women’s 400 free were able to get under 4:20, led by TAC Titans’ Ashley Twichell. After winning the 800 free on night 1, Twichell looks to add another victory to her weekend.

15-year-old Cavan Gormsen (4:14.69) and 13-year-old Claire Weinstein (4:17.45) dropped nearly two seconds apiece from their old bests, as Weinstein is now within striking distance of a second OT cut. Weinstein nabbed her first OT cut in the 800 free on Thursday night, which made her the youngest qualifier for the 2021 Olympic Trials.

In fifth, NOVA of Virginia’s Claire Dafoe broke 4:20 for the first time, clocking a 4:18.95.

MEN’S 400 FREE PRELIMS

• PSS Record: 3:43.55, Sun Yang (CHN), 2016
• Olympic Trials Cut: 3:57.29

1. Anders Aistars (MVN) – 3:59.84
2. Jeff Newkirk (TXLA) – 4:00.21
3. Josh Parent (ABF) – 4:02.73
4. Peyton Werner (FMC) – 4:06.92
5. Jack Stelter (WFS) – 4:07.83
6. Kevin Jackson (KING) – 4:14.34

There were just six swimmers in the 400 free prelims, with 16-year-old Anders Aistars leading the pack at 3:59.84. That’s a new best for Aistars, dropping just over a second and cracking four minutes for the first time.

Longhorn Aquatics’ Jeff Newkirk was 4:00.21 for second, followed by another 16-year-old, Josh Parent of Bluefish Swim Club (4:02.73).