2023 U.S. Open Championships — Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2023 U.S. OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• November 29-December 2, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9 AM (ET)
  • Finals: 6 PM (ET)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream Info
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet 

Welcome back for the penultimate night of finals at the 2023 U.S. Open Championships in Greensboro, NC. The session features finals of the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 100 backstroke.

World record holder Summer McIntosh heads into the 400 IM finals as the top seed ahead of Emma Weyant and Regan Smith, the latter of whom swam her first official 400 IM since 2014 this morning. 17-year-old McIntosh broke the U.S. Open meet record in the 400 free yesterday and now takes aim at her own championship record of 4:28.61 here in the IM.

In the men’s race, Carson Foster and Chase Kalisz face off again. After prelims, Foster leads the way with a 4:18.35 but both Kalisz and Jay Litherland are within striking distance after putting up 4:18.54 and 4:18.87, respectively.

Both 100 butterfly races are shaping up to be close. On the women’s side, it’s Claire Curzan holding down the top seed (57.38) but her Virginia teammate Gretchen Walsh less than three-tenths behind. And then there’s Torri Huske sitting comfortably in 3rd (58.10) and a threat for the win as well.

Josh Liendo is top seed in the men’s 100 fly (51.71) after winning a competitive early heat. But ASU’s freshman phenom Ilya Kharun is just four-hundredths behind him (51.74) and Caeleb Dressel (51.83) is back in his first 100 fly ‘A’ final in a while. He qualified 3rd (51.83) thanks to some intriguing back half speed in prelims. Keep an eye on the ‘B’ final as well, which features Shaine Casas in lane 4. In the same position in yesterday’s 200 IM, he popped off a meet record.

There’s lots of swimmers taking on doubles tonight including Smith (400 IM/100 back), Curzan (100 fly/100 back), Hubert Kos (100 fly/100 back), and Siobhan Haughey (200 free/100 breast) which is worth making note of as well.

Watch the live stream here, courtesy of USA Swimming:

WOMEN’S 400-Meter IM – Finals

• World Record: 4:25.87 – Summer McIntosh (2023)
• American Record: 4:31.12 – Katie Hoff (2008)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 4:28.61 – Summer McIntosh (2022)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:28.61 – Summer McIntosh (2022)

Top 8:

1. Summer McIntosh (SYS) — 4:29.96
2. Anastasia Gorbenko (UN) — 4:37.90
3. Regan Smith (SUN) — 4:38.77
4. Emma Weyant (FLOR) — 4:42.11
5. Ella Jansen (CAN) — 4:44.97
6. Lilla Bognar (TG) — 4:48.19
7. Bailey Andison (TQ) — 4:50.36
8. Tess Cieplucha (TNAQ) — 4:51.61

World record holder Summer McIntosh did not mess around in the championship heat of the 400 IM–the first final of the evening in Greensboro. The 17-year-old led the race from the butterfly leg, opening faster than her world record pace with a 59.35. She fell off the pace as the race continued; she was on pace at the halfway point thanks for a 1:07.62 backstroke split then followed up with 1:20.87/1:02.12 on the back half.

Still, she earned the win by 7.94 seconds, touching in a final time of 4:29.96 and breaking Katie Grimes‘ pool record.

Regan Smith held fast to 2nd place at the halfway point courtesy of her 1:00.97/1:09.59 front half splits. But as we saw in the 200 IM yesterday, it’s her breaststroke leg that needs to improve if she wants to be a legitimate contender in the IMs. She split 1:24.96, which allowed Anastasia Gorbenko to overtake her for 2nd.

Gorbenko held on, anchoring her race in 1:02.74 to stay ahead of Smith’s 1:03.25 free split and take 2nd in 4:37.90. Smith held on for 3rd, well ahead of Emma Weyant, and continued to drop time. She swam 4:38.77, hacking another 5.16 seconds off the best time she swam in prelims. Her prelims swim was her first official 400 IM since 2014 and was the first time she officially cleared 5 minutes in the event.

MEN’S 400-Meter IM – Finals

• World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (2023)
• American Record: 4:03.84 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 4:10.09 – Chase Kalisz (2022)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:05.25 – Michael Phelps (2008)

Top 8:

1. Chase Kalisz (SUN) — 4:10.42
2. Carson Foster (RAYS) — 4:13.43
3. Jay Litherland (SUN) — 4:14.50
4. Tristan Jankovics (OSU) — 4:17.70
5. Tommy Bried (UOFL) — 4:18.72
6. Baylor Nelson (TAMU) — 4:20.06
7. Lorne Wigginton (CAN) — 4:20.24
8. Brandon Miller (UTAH) — 4:24.28

And it’s an IM sweep in Greensboro for Chase Kalisz, who backs up his 200 IM win by winning the 400 IM as well. Kalisz employed his typical style of making his move on the breaststroke leg. It was defending Worlds silver medallist Carson Foster who led the race at the halfway mark after 56.08/1:04.59 splits.

Kalisz wasn’t too far behind though (57.06/1:04.70) and exploded on the breaststroke leg, eating into Foster’s advantage and taking over the lead by the 250-meter mark thanks to an opening 34.39 breaststroke split. He didn’t surrender the lead again, splitting 35.09 on the 2nd 50 breaststroke and bringing the race home in 59.18. Kalisz wasn’t too far off his own meet record in 4:10.42, which also slots him in as 3rd fastest in the world this season.

Foster touched 2nd in 4:13.50. Jay Litherland, who didn’t let either Kalisz or Foster completely out of his sight, came charging home on the freestyle leg. He significantly closed his gap to Foster–out-splitting him 58.73 to 59.76–but ran out of room to catch him. Litherland’s 4:14.50 is an improvement on his 4:15.44 from the Pan Am Games in October.

WOMEN’S 100-Meter BUTTERFLY – Finals

• World Record: 55.48 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• American Record: 55.64 – Torri Huske (2022)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 56.61 – Claire Curzan (2020)
• U.S. Open Record: 55.66 – Torri Huske (2021)

Top 8: 

1. Torri Huske (AAC) — 56.21 *Championship Record*
2. Claire Curzan (TAC) — 56.76
3. Gretchen Walsh (UVA) — 56.85
4. Beata Nelson (WISC) — 58.55
5. Katerine Savard (TQ) — 58.59
6. Lillie Nordmann (UN) — 58.91
7. Leah Shackley (BRY) — 58.99
8. Farida Osman (CAL) — 59.34

“It’s good for now,” said Torri Huske after breaking the U.S. Open Meet record in the women’s 100 butterfly with a 56.21. She took the race out hard, opening faster than world record pace with a 25.81. She couldn’t match Sarah Sjostrom‘s pace on the back 50-meters, but her 30.40 split was enough to get her the win ahead of her U.S national teammates Claire Curzan and Gretchen Walsh.

56.21 ranks Huske #2 in the season’s world rankings behind only Zhang Yufei.

Walsh was 2nd at the 50-meter mark in 26.23 with Curzan running 3rd in 26.54. Curzan got the better of Walsh on the back half of the race, out-splitting her by four-tenths. Curzan hit the wall at 56.76, just off the 56.61 she swam in June at U.S. Nationals. Walsh rounded out the podium with a 3rd place finish in 56.85.

MEN’S 100-Meter BUTTERFLY – Finals

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel (2021)
• American Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel (2021)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 51.65 – Tom Shields (2013)
• U.S. Open Record: 49.76 – Caeleb Dressel (2021)

Top 8: 

1. Caeleb Dressel (GSC) — 51.31
2. Ilya Kharun (UN) — 51.32
3. Josh Liendo (FLOR) — 51.42
4. Hubert Kos (UN) — 51.59
5. Santo Condorelli (UN) — 51.90
6. Aiden Hayes (NCS) — 52.10
7. Trenton Julian (MVN) — 52.12
8. Zach Harting (CARD) — 52.18

Caeleb Dressel is back on top of the podium. Like his swim this morning, it was his back half of the race that was the difference maker for him. He was 6th at the halfway mark (24.42) while Santo Condorelli led the field around in 24.03, a hundredth ahead of Josh Liendo.

Dressel tore home with a field-best 26.89 2nd 50 and was the only man in the field sub-27 on the back half. It gave him just enough room in a tightly bunched field to stop the clock first in 51.31 just .01 seconds ahead of Ilya Kharun.

“[The time] is just the cherry on top,” said Dressel post-race, talking about how he’s happy with how his training is going at the moment. His times this weekend continue to show his steady improvement–51.31 is faster than the 51.66 he swam at U.S. Nationals in June.

Kharun continues to impress in his first season training with the Sun Devils. He finished 2nd in 51.32, just a tenth off the PB he swam at 2023 Worlds. His Canadian national teammate Liendo took 3rd in 51.42 and his Sun Devil teammate Hubert Kos clocked 51.59 in his first swim of the session.

For the second time in about 24 hours, Shaine Casas broke the championship record in the ‘B’ final, blasting a 51.03.

WOMEN’S 200-Meter FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 1:52.85 – Mollie O’Callaghan (2023)
• American Record: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:55.47 – Katie Ledecky (2021)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:54.13 – Summer McIntosh (2023)

Top 8:

1. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) — 1:54.20 *Championship Record*
2. Katie Ledecky (GSC) — 1:56.29
3. Simone Manuel (SUN) — 1:57.37
4. Mary-Sophie Harvey (TQ) — 1:57.70
5. Minna Abraham (UN) — 1:57.96
6. Erin Gemmell (TEX) — 1:58.14
7. Anna Peplowski (IU) — 1:58.16
8. Leah Smith (TXLA) — 1:58.97

Siobhan Haughey jumped out to the lead on the first 50-meters of the women’s 200 freestyle and didn’t look back. The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist was under world record pace at the 100-meter mark (55.87) and a second ahead of 2nd place Katie Ledecky. 

The top three at the halfway point: Haughey, Ledecky, and Simone Manuel stayed the same for the rest of the race. Haughey split 58.33 on the back end of the race. She stayed well clear of the field, taking the win by over two seconds and setting a new championship record. Her winning time of 1:54.20 brings the meet record under 1:55 for the first time, bettering the mark of 1:55.47 Ledecky swam in 2021.

For her part, Ledecky split 56.91/59.38 for her second silver medal of the meet (she finished 2nd behind McIntosh in yesterday’s 400 freestyle).

And Simone Manuel continues her steady return to form. Her 3rd place time of 1:57.37 is an excellent swim for her: it’s her 4th best performance and the fastest she’s been since 2019 when she swam her PB 1:56.09.

Mary-Sophie Harvey and Minna Abraham both swam PBs en-route to their 4th and 5th place finishes. Harvey dropped five-hundredths while Abraham, who’s been on a tear as a USC freshman in the NCAA season, broke 1:58 for the first time.

MEN’S 200-Meter FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann (2009)
• American Record: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps (2008)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:45.92 – Townley Haas (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:44.10 – Michael Phelps (2008)

Top 8: 

1. Rafael Miroslaw (IU) — 1:45.92 *= Championship Record*
2. Drew Kibler (SUN) — 1:46.12
3. Henry McFadden (UN) — 1:46.80
4. Luca Urlando (DART) — 1:46.98
5. Kieran Smith (RAC) — 1:47.08
6. Denis Loktev (UOFL) — 1:47.94
7. Patrick Sammon (UN) — 1:48.05
8. Grant House (SUN) — 1:48.07

Indiana’s Rafael Miroslaw controlled the championship final of the men’s 200 freestyle from the start. He set the pace at the first 50-meters with a 24.95 and continued to lead the rest of the way. Miroslaw held off late charges from Drew Kibler and Henry McFadden for the win, equalling the championship record in 1:45.92. It’s a great swim for Miroslaw as it’s less than a tenth from his PB (1:45.83) from this spring.

Behind him it was an absolute battle for the podium. Luca Urlando held onto 2nd place at the halfway mark in 52.03. He was still running 2nd with 50-meters to go but both Kibler and McFadden were making their moves. McFadden, who made the Worlds team courtesy of his 6th place finish in this event at U.S. Nationals, is known for his back half surge. He put it to use here, splitting a field-best 26.97 on the 3rd 50 to move from 7th to 4th.

He continued to charge over the final 50 meters; both he and Kibler caught and passed Urlando. Kibler–who mentioned after his 400m free win that he’s working on trusting his back half–finished 2nd in 1:46.12. McFadden was 3rd in 1:46.80, .18 seconds ahead of Urlando, whose 1:46.80 is his fastest 200 free since 2019 and not far from his PB (1:46.51).

WOMEN’S 100-Meter BREASTSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (2017)
• American Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (2017)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:04.45 – Jessica Hardy (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:04.45 – Jessica Hardy (2009)

Top 8: 

1. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) — 1:06.05
2. Lydia Jacoby (STSC) — 1:06.20
3. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU) — 1:06.96
4. Kate Douglass (NYAC) — 1:07.37
5. Anna Elendt (TEX) — 1:08.01
6. Skylar Smith (UNC) — 1:08.02
7. Hannah Bach (OSU) — 1:08.58
8. Rachel Bernhardt (TEAM) — 1:09.30

15 minutes between events? It’s no problem for Haughey, who took her second win of the session in the 100 breaststroke just after winning the 200 freestyle with a new championship record. Haughey does not usually race the 100 breast, but she did try it on during a couple stops on this year’s World Cup circuit. And with Lilly King disqualified in prelims for a downward dolphin kick, there was a huge opportunity here in the championship final.

Her winning time of 1:06.05 is a huge personal best, dropping 2.33 seconds off the best she recorded in prelims. Much like her 200 freestyle win, Haughey led the race from wire-to-wire, splitting 31.04/35.01. She was fastest in the field on both 50s, out-splitting even Lydia Jacoby, who is known for her closing speed, on the second 50.

Jacoby still took that strategy: her second split (35.09) was just .08 seconds slower than Haughey. She finished .15 seconds back with a 1:06.20 for 2nd. Now, Haughey and Jacoby are #3 and #4 in the season’s world rankings.

Kotryna Teterevkova rounded out the podium with a 1:06.96, making her the third and final swimmer in the field sub-1:07.

MEN’S 100-Meter BREASTSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty (2019)
• American Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew (2021)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 59.28 – Andrew Wilson (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew (2021)

Top 8: 

1. Denis Petrashov (UOFL) — 59.46
2. Michael Andrew (MASA) — 59.52
3. Nic Fink (DM) — 59.79
4. Josh Matheny (IU) — 59.85
5. Matt Fallon (UPN) — 59.92
6. Noah Nichols (UVA) — 1:00.22
7. Mitch Mason (LSU) — 1:00.29
8. Cody Miller (SAND) — 1:00.81

It was a tight race in the men’s 100 breaststroke: seven of the eight championship finalists were separated by less than a second. At the 50-meter mark, American record holder Michael Andrew was in the lead. He was the only one in the field out under 28 seconds, turning in 27.74. Nic Fink was running 2nd in 28.03, .01 seconds ahead of Denis Petrashov.

Petrashov surged over the second half of the race. The Louisville fifth-year split 31.42 on his 2nd 50 and got his hands on the wall first in 59.46. It’s a .32 second drop for Petrashov, whose previous personal best was a 59.78 from 2023 Worlds.

Andrew was 2nd in 59.52, six-hundredths behind Petrashov. Fink finished 3rd in 59.79, just ahead of the U.S.’s 200 breaststroke representatives at Worlds: Josh Matheny (4th, 59.85) and Matt Fallon (5th, 59.92). For Fallon, this marks the first time in his career he’s gotten under the 1:00 barrier.

WOMEN’S 100-Meter BACKSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 57.33 – Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• American Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith (2019)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 57.95 – Regan Smith (2022)
• U.S. Open Record: 57.76 – Regan Smith (2022)

Top 8: 

1. Regan Smith (SUN) — 58.16
2. Claire Curzan (TAC) — 58.35
3. Katharine Berkoff (NCS) — 58.61
4. Olivia Smoliga (SUN) — 59.25
5. Kennedy Noble (NCS) — 59.51
6. Phoebe Bacon (WISC) — 1:00.11
7. Leah Shackley (BRY) — 1:00.14
8. Rhyan White (WOLF) — 1:00.41

Regan Smith, Claire Curzan, and Katharine Berkoff headed under the flags for the final touch together. It was anyone’s guess who the win would go to, but it was the American record holder Smith who held onto her lead from the halfway point. Smith earned the win in 58.16, slotting in ahead of Kylie Masse as #2 in the season’s world rankings.

Curzan out-split Berkoff on the back half, 29.73 to 30.21, to pass the defending Worlds bronze medallist and finish 2nd. Curzan touched in 58.35, shaving four-hundredths from her personal best. That marks her first LCM best time since moving to train at Virginia.

It took sub-59 to make it onto the podium and a sub-1:00 to crack the top 5. Berkoff got on the podium with a 58.61 and Olivia Smoliga (4th, 59.25) and Kennedy Noble (5th, 59.51) also broke the minute mark. The United States of backstroke was firing full cylinder in this event. Not only did Smith break into the top 5 in the world rankings, but so did Curzan, Berkoff, and Smoliga who now rank 3rd through 5th.

MEN’S 100-Meter BACKSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon (2022)
• American Record: 51.85 – Ryan Murphy (2016)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 52.51 – Nicholas Thoman (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 51.94, Aaron Peirsol (2009)

Top 8: 

1. Hubert Kos (UN) — 53.19
2. Hunter Armstrong (NYAC) — 53.72
3. Ryan Murphy (CAL) — 53.74
4. Jack Aikins (SA) — 53.85
5. Vaggelis Makrygiannis (UN) — 54.27
6. Daniel Diehl (CUY) — 54.57
7. Kai Van Westering (IU) — 54.68
8. Michael Laitarovsky (SC) — 55.20

The men’s 100 backstroke also featured a strong field, highlighted by the defending 100 and 200 backstroke world champions, Ryan Murphy and Hubert Kos. It was Kos, the 200 back world champion, who got the win here in Greensboro, just missing his own Hungarian national record of 53.12.

Jack Aikins, who is taking an Olympic redshirt year while training at UVA, was in the lead after the first 50-meters. Aikins flipped in 25.92 ahead of Kos (25.94) and Murphy (26.07). He split 27.93 on the second 50, and while he fell off the podium into 4th, he was still faster than the 54.00 he swam at Pan Am Games with a 53.85.

Meanwhile, Hunter Armstrong charged home in 27.33. Armstrong flipped at the 50-meter mark in 7th place but used that split to fly through the field and finish 2nd in 53.72. He got his hand on the wall two-hundredths ahead of Murphy, 52.72 to 52.74.