2021 Speedo Summer Championships – Irvine: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2021 Speedo Summer Championships – Irvine

• August 3-7
• William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, Irvine, CA
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Website (USA Swimming)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)

TUESDAY FINALS HEAT SHEET

Day 1 – Tuesday, August 3 

• 200 Butterfly
• 100 Freestyle
• Women’s 800 Freestyle (fastest heat swum in finals)
• Men’s 1500 Freestyle (fastest heat swum in finals)
• Men’s 4 x 100 Free Relay (Finals only)

The first finals session of the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships West is here, and during the next 2 hours we’ll see finals of the 200 fly, 100 free, women’s 800 free, men’s 1500 free, and the men’s 4×100 free relay.

In the first A final of the evening, Mission Viejo’s Justina Kozan will be chasing making a run at winning her first title of the week. Kozan seemed fairly relaxed in the 200 fly this morning, swimming a 2:12.31. Tonight, Kozan will be looking to get back under 2:10.

Cal’s Trenton Julian is also swimming his first of (likely) many finals tonight. Julian took the top seed in the men’s 200 fly by over 2 seconds. He swam a very relaxed first 100 this morning, which is very different from how he raced at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. If Julian takes the race out harder tonight, he may take a crack at his 1:55.35 personal best.

Irvine Novaquatics 14-year-old Teagan O’Dell took the top seed in the women’s 100 free this morning, with teammate Ella Ristic coming in 2nd. O’Dell swam a 56.34 this morning, which was ties for #14 all-time for 13-14 girls.

A tight race is set for the men’s 100 free, as this morning Jesse Novak, Destin Lasco, and Cristian Quintero all swam within 0.12 seconds. Quintero has the fastest personal best of the field, and is the Venezuelan Record holder in the men’s 100 free.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

Podium:

1. Justina Kozan (MVN) – 2:10.21
2. Mia Kragh (RSD) – 2:11.65
3. Megan Van Berkom (UofM) – 2:13.93

Justina Kozan got the job done, using an excellent final 50 to blow past Mia Kragh. Kozan split a blistering 32.89 on the final 50, out-splitting Kragh by over 2 seconds. Although Kozan was off her personal best of 2:09.68, the swim was her fastest of 2021 by 3 seconds.

Mia Kragh posted a another big lifetime best tonight after dropping 2 seconds in prelims. Kragh entered the meet with a best of 2:16.74, which she then lowered to 2:14.15 this morning. With her 2;11.65 tonight, Kragh has now dropped 5.09 seconds in the event today. Most impressively, Kragh’s previous lifetime best was from May of this year, just 3 months ago.

University of Minnesota’s Megan Van Berkom also swam a lifetime best. Van Berkom’s 2:13.93 marks a 1.19-second drop from her previous best of 2:15.22.

16-year-old Campbell Stoll of Elmbrook Swim Club clocked a huge new lifetime best to win the consolation final. Swimming a 2:13.79, Stoll improved by nearly 4 full seconds. Stoll entered the meet with a personal best of 2:17.59.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

Podium:

1. Trenton Julian (ROSE) – 1:54.71
2. Harry Homans (TASC) – 1:59.32
3. Jack Lustig (SSTY) – 2:00.22

Trenton Julian blew the field away in this 200 fly final. The 22-year-old did what we were expecting: take the race out fast. Turning at 53.85 at the 100m mark, Julian was right on pace with his first 100 split from his lifetime best he swam in semifinals at the Olympic Trials (53.65). However, this race would not turn out to be like his Trials race, where he split 1:01.70 on the final 100. Instead, Julian held it together much better, splitting 29.51 and 31.35 on the final 2 50s, for a 1:00.86 on the final 100.

Julian touched in 1:54.71, which was a personal best by over half a second. With the swim, Julian is now the fastest American in the event this year, and the 7th-fastest swimmer in the world this year. He also rises to the #9 American all-time in the event. The 200 fly was just the first event in a full schedule for Julian this week, so we’ll be watching eagerly the rest of this week.

Harry Homans was slightly faster tonight than he was this morning, taking 0.35 seconds off his prelims time. The swim was off his personal best of 1:58.18.

Schroeder Y’s  Jack Lustig chipped another 0.39 seconds off his lifetime best from this morning, taking 3rd.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINALS

Podium:

1. Teagan O’Dell (NOVA) – 55.82
2. Anna Shaw (TOPS) – 55.91
3. Ella Ristic (NOVA) – 56.40

14-year-old Teagan O’Dell has gotten off to an electric start here in Irvine. After becoming the #14 all-time performer for 13-14 girls this morning, O’Dell dropped another half-of-a-second from her time, swimming to victory in 55.82. The time makes O’Dell the #5 performer all-time in the 13-14 girls age group.

O’Dell swam a well-paced race, taking it out in 27.27, then coming home in 28.55. O’Dell entered the meet with a personal best of 56.65, marking an overall improvement of 0.83 seconds today.

Anna Shaw also swam a big best time, taking 2nd in 55.91. Shaw entered the meet with a lifetime best of 56.38, which she had swum  just over 2 months ago. Shaw led the race at the halfway mark, splitting 26.77 on the first 50. She came home in 29.14, and was edged out by O’Dell right at the finish.

Ella Ristic, the top seed coming into the meet, came in 3rd with a 56.40. Ristic was off her best of 55.82, which she swam in late June, just over a month ago.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINALS

Podium:

1. Jesse Novak (NOVA) – 49.46
2. Destin Lasco (CAL) – 49.50
3. Luke Maurer (UN-CA) – 49.82

Jesse Novak got the job done, using a great 2nd 50 to charge into the wall first. Novak was off his personal best of 49.18, but 49.46 is his fastest time of the year. His best time is from 2019 Summer Nationals, exactly 2 years ago.

Cal’s Destin Lasco touched in 49.50, which is also his fastest time of the year. Similarly, Lasco was off his personal best. Lasco’s lifetime best checks in at 49.40 from the 2018 Summer Nationals meet.

Stanford’s Luke Maurer took 3rd with a 49.82. Unlike Novak and Lasco, it wasn’t his fastest time of the year. Maurer’s lifetime best is a 49.57 from the Olympic Trials Wave II meet in June.

The top seed coming into the meet, Cristian Quintero, came in 4th with a 49.85. The swim was a tick faster than Quintero swam this morning, but was still nearly a second off his personal best of 48.94.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINALS

Podium:

1. Jillian Cox (ASC) – 8:42.11
2. Aurora Roghair (IFLY) – 8:45.10
3. Juli Arzave (TAC) – 8:48.79

16-year-old Jillian Cox got out the lead early, and was pushed by 13-year-old Kayla Han through the first half of the race. Han faded down the stretch, but Cox kept pushing the pace, ultimately getting into the finish well ahead of the field. Cox split 4:19.50/4:22.61 on her 400s, marking a consistently split race. The swim was a best for Cox by half a second.

Aurora Roghair, 18, hung back with the field for the first half of the race, then opened up a very strong last 200 meters. Roghair actually negative split the race, swimming a 4:23.32 on the first 400, and coming home in 4:21.78. On the final 200, Roghair split 2:08.90, which is 8:35 800 pace. Roghair’s final time of 8:45.10 marks a personal best by 10 full seconds.

Juli Arzave made the top 3 from the slower heat swum this afternoon. Arzave’s time was 0.01 seconds faster than her previous personal best of 8:48.80, which she swam just over 2 weeks ago.

Kayla Han ended up 4th, swimming an 8:50.59. The swim was 0.01 seconds off her personal best.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINALS

Podium:

1. David Johnston (TXLA) – 15:16.07
2. Alec Enyeart (TST) – 15:22.66
3. Chris Nagy (UofM) – 15:32.52

Texas’ David Johnston led the race wire-to-wire, establishing a new personal best in the process. Johnston has done well in the 1500 this summer, making the Olympic Trials final, and finishing 7th with his then-best of 15:18.61. Johnston’s time from tonight took another 2.5 seconds off his best.

TST 17-year-old Alec Enyeart blasted a massive lifetime best to take 2nd, swimming a 15:22.66. The time was a personal best by 30 seconds, and most impressively, his previous best of 15:52.20 was swum in June of this year. Enyeart swam a personal best at the 800 mark, splitting 8:10.75. That comes in just under his best time of 8:11.66, which bodes well for his 800 later this week. He also swam a very consistent race, splitting 7:40.10 on the first 750, and 7:42.56 on the 2nd 750.

Chris Nagy also posted a huge lifetime best, swimming a 15:32.52 for 3rd. The swim marks an improvement of 13 seconds for Nagy. His previous best was from 2019.

MEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINALS:

Podium:

1. California Aquatics A – 3:19.44
2. Irvine Novaquatics A – 3:19.61
3. California Aquatics B – 3:23.22

California’s A team won a very tight race of Irvine Novaquatics. The fastest leg in the entire field came from Cal’s Destin Lasco, who split 48.87 on the 2nd leg. Cal was led off by Dylan Hawk in 50.98, Matthew Jensen went 3rd in 50.07, and Dare Rose anchored in 49.52.

Trenton Julian led the Rose Bowl team off in 49.97, which marks a new personal best for the 22-year-old. Julian’s time marked a personal best by over 1.5 seconds, just 90 minutes removed from his electric 200 fly. The Rose Bowl squad finished 5th.