2021 Speedo Summer Championships — Greensboro: Day 1 Live Finals Recap

2021 Speedo Summer Championships — Greensboro

• Aug 3-7, 2021
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Site
• Meet Packet
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Psych Sheet

Tuesday Finals Heat Sheet

The first finals session of the dual-site 2021 Speedo Summer Championships is about to kick off, first here in Greensboro followed by Irvine’s round of finals later in the day. On the finals program at the Greensboro Aquatic Center will be the top-24 finals of the women’s and men’s 200 fly and 100 free. All but the women’s 200 fly will start off with an 18&U D-final, The fastest-seeded heats of the women’s 800 free and men’s 1500 free will follow the first four events.

The first event will be the women’s 200 fly, headlined by 16-year-old Tess Howley of Long Island and 31-year-old Leah Gingrich of Columbus, both seeded under 2:12. On the men’s side, 18-year-old Matthew Fenlon of Badger comes in with the only sub-2:00 swim from the AM heats. He will be joined by another 18-year-old, Mason Laur of T2 Aquatics, 16-year-old Mitchell Ledford of Treasure Coast, and Indiana’s Corey Gambardella.

The middle lanes of the women’s 100 free A-final will have a showdown between current and former NCAA swimmers, including top seed Chloe Stepanek of Long Island/Texas A&M, Amy Fulmer and Katherine Zenick of Ohio State, and Gabby DeLoof of Club Wolverine/Michigan. SwimMAC Carolina 18-year-old Tim Connery swam a lifetime best to take the top seed in the men’s 100 free A-final, also producing the only sub-50 effort (49.86). Teammate Baylor Nelson will accompany him alongside Indiana teammates Jack Franzman and Brendan Burns.

After swimming the 100 free A-final, 16-year-old Cavan Gormsen of Long Island will switch over to the 800 free timed final, where she is the top seed over 18-year-old Caroline Pennington of TAC Titans and 14-year-old Claire Weinstein of Westchester. The last heat of the men’s 1500 free timed final will feature Wave II Trials finalists Charlie Clark of Ohio State and NC State’s Will Gallant and Ross Dant.

The evening will cap off with two timed finals heats of the men’s 400 free relay, headlined by top three seeds SwimMAC Carolina (NC), Carmel Swim Club (IN), and Ohio State University (OH).

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

Top 3:

1. Leah Gingrich (Columbus), 2:09.82
2. Tess Howley (Long Island), 2:10.13
3. Sara Stotler (Planet Swim), 2:12.33

Tess Howley led the women’s 200 fly race throughout the first 150, with Sara Stotler pacing off of Howley. Into the final 50, however, Leah Gingrich gradually closed on Howley, eventually edging her out at the wall by 0.31s, 2:09.82 to 2:10.13. Gingrich by far had the fastest closing 50 split at 33.34. Gingrich’s season best still sits at 2:09.41 from PSS Indy. Howley, on the other hand, remains at No. 16 all-time in the 15-16 history and No. 15 in the nation this season with her best time of 2:10.13.

Planet Swim’s Sara Stotler finished in third place at 2:12.33, dropping a half second from this morning. In the race for fourth place, Jersey Wahoos’ Lilly Derivaux caught Carmel’s Alex Shackell by a tenth, 2:14.34 to 2:14.44.

Winning the tight race for the B-final win was Coast Guard’s Kyleigh Tankard at 2:16.09, just five one-hundredths off her morning effort.

Holding off SwimMAC’s Grace Rainey for the C-final win was SoFLO’s Maddie Smunty, 2:17.66 to 2:17.84.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

Top 3:

1. Matthew Fenlon (Badger), 1:57.46
2. Corey Gambardella (Indiana), 1:58.89
3. Sebastien Sergile (SwimAtlanta), 1:59.63

Matthew Fenlon controlled this race from start to finish. After cruising to 26.54 on the first 50, Fenlon split a consistent 30.27/30.14/30.51 on his final 150, taking the win at 1:57.46. Fenlon now moves up to No. 11 all-time in 17-18 age group history, but that wasn’t a lifetime best. Fenlon’s best of 1:57.39 came when he was in the 15-16 age group, which would still rank No. 11 even if slightly bettered. Fenlon also ranks 11th in the country this season.

Taking second place was Indiana’s Corey Gambardella at 1:58.89, finishing with the next-best closing 100 splits of 31.10/30.88. SwimAtlanta’s Senastien Sergile rounded out the top three times with the only other sub-2:00 effort of 1:59.63, just notching his Wave I lifetime best performance of 1:59.87.

North Baltimore 17-year-old Ryan Branon pulled away from the B-final field to take the win at 2:00.85, out-swimming his prelims time of 2:02.62

Winning the C-final out of lane two was 15-year-old Richard Poplawski of Scarlet Aquatics, touching the wall at 2:03.59.

Taking the 18&U D-final was Pittsburgh’s Trent Russano, winning by over two seconds at 2:03.18, smashing his morning time of 2:06.38. According to the SWIMS database, Russano has never swum the 200 fly long course.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE — FINALS

Top 3:

1. Gabby DeLoof (Club Wolverine), 55.34
2. Chloe Stepanek (Long Island), 55.37
3. Amy Fulmer (Ohio State), 55.41

It was a stellar race in the women’s 100 free A-final, with a half-second separating the top five and 0.07s separating the top three. At the finish, it was Gabby DeLoof, a Michigan alum, who held off current Texas A&M Aggie Chloe Stepanek by three one-hundredths, 55.34 to 55.37. Narrowly taking third place by four one-hundredths was Ohio State’s Amy Fulmer at 55.41.

Swimming the fourth-fastest time overall by winning the B-final was 18-year-old Madelyn Christman of Carmel Swim Club, smashing her 57.11 prelims lifetime best with a whopping 55.59.

Finishing in fourth in the A-final, with the fifth-fastest time overall, was 15-year-old Erika Pelaez at 55.66, moving her to No. 4 in the 15-16 age group this season.

In the C-final, Greater Somerset 17-year-old Catherine Meisner took the win at 57.13 while Westerville 15-year-old Emily Brown won the 18&U D-final with a blazing time of 56.94.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE — FINALS

Top 3:

1. Tim Connery (SwimMAC), 49.36
2. Baylor Nelson (SwimMAC)/Brendan Burns (Indiana), 49.86
3. –

SwimMAC Carolina 18-year-old Tim Connery shut it down in this 100 free final, taking the race out in a blistering 23.78 before bringing it home in a strong 25.58, totaling out a lifetime best of 49.36. That smashes a half-second off his prelims best of 49.86. Connery now jumps from No. 30 to No. 12 on the all-time 17-18 rankings list. Connery is also No. 3 in the age group for the 2020-2021 season.

Tying for second place was another SwimMAC 18-year-old, Baylor Nelson, and Indiana fly/back specialist Brendan Burns, both breaking 50 seconds at 49.86. Nelson is now No. 31 all-time on the 17-18 age group rankings.

Ohio State’s Shaw Satterfield broke 51 seconds to win the B-final with a time of 50.71. Out of the C-final, 16-year-old Brendan Whitfield of Lynchburg YMCA took the top time at 51.52. Club Kick Start 15-year-old Lucca Battaglini won the 18&U D-final at 51.55, chopping a full second from this morning.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS

Top 3:

1. Claire Weinstein (Westchester), 8:36.46
2. Cavan Gormsen (Long Island), 8:36.49
3. Yara Hierath (Wolfpack Elite), 8:41.42

14-year-old Claire Weinstein was not phased leading the charge of the women’s 800 free, even when 16-year-old Cavan Gormsen split 31.84/30.57 on her closing 100 to give Weinstein a challenge. At the finish, Gormsen accelerated on Weinstein to a photo-finish by 0.03s. It wound up being Weinstein who held off Gormsen, 8:36.46 to 8:36.49, for the win in Greensboro.

Weinstein scorched 5.44s off her 8:41.44 lifetime best to boost from No. 26 to No. 10 all-time in 13-14 age group history. Likewise, Gormsen’s previous lifetime best was 8:39.03, now moving her from No. 59 to No. 37 all-time in 15-16 age group history. Weinstein and Gormsen also rank No. 14 and No. 15 respectively in the nation this season.

Taking third place was Wolfpack Elite’s Yara Hierath at 8:41.42, chopping more than five seconds from her seed time.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS

Top 3:

1. Charlie Clark (Ohio State), 15:04.37
2. Will Gallant (Wolfpack Elite), 15:11.79
3. James Plage (Wolfpack Elite), 15:18.50

Halfway through the race, Charlie Clark took over the lead and never let go, increasing his lead with each stroke he took. Finishing home in an all-out effort of 29.77/28.26, Clark smashed 10 full seconds off his 15:14.11 lifetime best to hit 15:04.37. That moves Clark to No. 3 in the nation this season, only behind Tokyo 2020 Olympians Bobby Finke (14:39.65) and Michael Brinegar (15:00.87). Clark is also the No. 22 U.S. performer all-time in this event.

Also finishing with a lifetime best was Will Gallant of Wolfpack Elite, improving from 15:16.73 to 15:11.79 to rank No. 6 in the U.S. this season. Rounding out the top three times was another Wolfpack swimmer, James Plage, stopping the clock at 15:18.50.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE RELAY — TIMED FINALS

Top 3:

1. SwimMAC Carolina, 3:21.91 *New 17-18 NAG
2. Ohio State, 3:24.22
3. Club Wolverine, 3:25.91

Destroying the men’s 400 free relay field and the 17-18 national age group record (3:23.01) with a 3:21.91, thanks to the efforts of Tim Connery (50.22), Logan Zucker (50.41), Cam Abaqueta (51.52), and Baylor Nelson (49.76).

Roughly two seconds later, Ohio State finished in second place with 3:24.22, keeping off Club Wolverine’s relay (3:25.91). Ohio State’s Shaw Satterfield was the only other sub-50 leg, splitting 49.81.

Team Scores After Day One

Top 5 Men’s Teams

1. SwimMAC Carolina, 111.50
2. Ohio State, 83
3. Club Wolverine, 55
4. Indiana, 52.5
5. Pittsburgh, 47

Top 5 Women’s Teams

1. Long Island, 71
2. Ohio State, 47
3. Jersey Wahoos, 40
4. Scarlet, 36
5. Carmel, 33