2021 Speedo Summer Championships — Greensboro: Day 3 Live Prelims 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

Thursday Prelims Heat Sheet

It will be a lighter AM prelims session at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, with only the women’s and men’s 400 IM and 100 fly heats on the schedule this morning.

In the women’s 400 IM, Big Ten names top seed Mac Looze of Indiana, Katie Trace of Ohio State, Kaitlynn Sims of Club Wolverine, along with 200 fly champ Leah Gingrich, highlight the two circle-seeded heats with their sub-4:50 entries. On the men’s side, 2019 Pan American event champion Charlie Swanson of Club Wolverine will put up his morning bid. Yesterday, he became the 17th American to break 2:10 in the 200 breast. Florida Gator Grant Sanders will take lane four of the first circle-seeded heat before Swanson’s heat.

Leah Gingrich of Columbus is also the top seed in the women’s 100 fly heats, along with sub-1:00 entries Tess Howley of Long Island and Sara Stotler of Planet Swim. Nine heats of the men’s 100 fly will follow, featuring Indiana teammates Iago Moussalem and Corey Gambardella in the middle lanes of the last circle-seeded heat.

Women’s 400 Individual Medley — Prelims

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Mac Looze (Indiana), 4:50.29
2. Erin Cavanagh (Jersey Wahoos), 4:52.72
3. Emily Thompson (Greater Somerset), 4:53.56
4. Leah Gingrich (Columbus), 4:54.05
5. Yara Hierath (Wolfpack Elite), 4:55.22
6. Katie Trace (Ohio State), 4:55.44
7. Kaitlynn Sims (Club Wolverine), 4:56.14
8. Meaghan Harnish (York YMCA), 4:56.34

Indiana’s Mac Looze leads her second prelims event in Greensboro following her top 200 breast times in prelims and the A-final last night. Looze touched the wall at 4:50.29, powered by her strong 100 breast splitting 40.76/40.93, the best 100 split by at least two seconds.

Jersey Wahoos’ Erin Cavanagh came in with the second-best time at 4:52.72, ahead of Greater Somerset 15-year-old Emily Thompson (4:53.56), who had the fastest 100 back splits of 36.47/36.39. Columbus’ Leah Gingrich put together a strong front-half and closing 50 to go 4:54.05, the fourth-fastest time of the session.

Seeded just 0.22s apart for the 5th and 6th seeds include Wolfpack Elite’s Yara Hierath (4:55.22) and Ohio State’s Katie Trace (4:55.44). Rounding out the top eight times in the 4:56-range include Club Wolverine’s Kaitlynn Sims (4:56.14) and York YMCA’s Meaghan Harnish (4:56.34).

Men’s 400 Individual Medley — Prelims

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Charlie Swanson (Club Wolverine), 4:19.17
2. Baylor Nelson (SwimMAC), 4:25.04
3. Gus Rothrock (Carmel), 4:28.02
4. Jared Daigle (Club Wolverine), 4:28.13
5. Richard Poplawski (Scarlet), 4:30.17
6. Logan Zucker (SwimMAC), 4:30.30
7. Bode Ringenbach (Marlins of Raleigh), 4:30.73
8. Maxwell Reich (Indiana), 4:30.85

Charlie Swanson took the top 400 IM time this morning, cruising to the wall at 4:19.17. At Wave II Olympic Trials, Swanson placed 13th in prelims at 4:18.77. He owns a lifetime best of 4:11.46, which won the 2019 Pan American title.

SwimMAC 18-year-old Baylor Nelson has been swimming well in Greensboro, putting up a morning lifetime best of 4:25.04, dropping from his 4:27.36 entry time. It would take 4:23.66 to enter the top 100 all-time 17-18 age group rankings. He already ranks among the top-50 fastest age groupers in the sprint free events.

Swimming just 0.11s apart to round out the top-four seeds were Carmel’s Gus Rothrock (4:28.02) and Club Wolverine’s Jared Daigle (4:28.13). Separated by 0.13s for the 5th and 6th seeds include Scarlet 15-year-old Richard Poplawski (4:30.17) and SwimMAC 18-year-old Logan Zucker (4:30.30). Another 18-year-old, Marlins of Raleigh’s Bode Ringenbach, swam the No. 7 seed at 4:30.73 while Indiana’s Maxwell Reich rounded out the top 8 times at 4:30.85.

Women’s 100 Butterfly — Prelims

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Sara Stolter (Planet Swim), 1:00.23
2. Leah Gingrich (Columbus), 1:00.31
3. Alex Shackell (Carmel), 1:00.34
4. Gabby DeLoof (Club Wolverine), 1:00.49
5. Tess Howley (Long Island), 1:00.50
6. Katherine Zenick (Ohio State), 1:00.51
7. Gigi Johnson (SwimAtlanta), 1:01.00
8. Kyleigh Tankard (Coast Guard), 1:01.22

The entire top 6 of these prelims heats were separated by a quarter of a second. Taking the top seed this morning was 18-year-old Sara Stotler of Planet Swim, punching the wall at 1:00.23. Taking the second seed was Columbus’ Leah Gingrich at 1:00.31, who won the 200 fly earlier in the week. Both Stolter (31.97) and Gingrich (31.62) were the only two swimmers to close under 32 seconds.

Carmel 14-year-old Alex Shackell split her race 28.17/32.17 to drop three-tenths from her personal best, hitting the wall at 1:00.34. Shackell now moves up from No. 24 to No. 15 all-time in the 13-14 rankings.

Also dropping a personal best was Gabby DeLoof (1:00.49), touching one one-hundredth ahead of Long Island 16-year-old Tess Howley (1:00.50). Seeded another one one-hundredth behind Howley for the No. 6 seed is Ohio State’s Katherine Zenick (1:00.51).

SwimAtlanta 17-year-old Gigi Johnson (1:01.00) and Coast Guard’s Kyleigh Tankard (1:01.22) rounded out the top 8 A-finalists. Taking the top B-final seed with her No. 9 prelims time was Ohio State’s Morgan Kraus at 1:01.33

Men’s 100 Butterfly — Prelims

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Corey Gambardella (Indiana), 53.75
2. Mitchell Ledford (Treasure Coast), 54.00
3. Aaron Sequeira (Cincinnati Marlins)/Tim Connery (SwimMAC), 54.15
4. –
5. Bence Szabados (Club Wolverine), 54.16
6. Ryan Branon (North Baltimore), 54.35
7. Lain Weaver (Ohio State), 54.57
8. Iago Moussalem (Indiana), 54.60

Coming within two-tenths of his seed time to led the men’s 100 fly with a sub-54 effort was Indiana’s Corey Gambardella, touching in at 53.75. Swimming a quarter of a second behind for the No. 2 seed was 16-year-old Mitchell Ledford of Treasure Coast, swimming in a time of 54.00.

Tying for the No. 3 seed this morning was Cincinnati Marlins’ Aaron Sequeira and SwimMAC’s Tim Connery, both going times of 54.15. Coming in just 0.01s behind for the No. 5 seed was Club Wolverine’s Bence Szabados at 54.16.

North Baltimore 17-year-old Ryan Branon swam 54.35 to grab the No. 6 seed ahead of Ohio State’s Lain Weaver and Brazilian native Iago Moussalem of Indiana (54.60).