2019 ISL American Derby – Day 2 Live Recap

2019 International Swimming League – American Derby

• Saturday, November 16 – Sunday, November 17, 2019
• 2:00-4:00 PM Local Time (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Eppley Recreation Center – College Park, MD
• Short Course Meters (SCM) format
• American franchises: Cali Condors, LA Current, DC Trident, New York Breakers
• Preview
• Live Stream (ESPN3)
• Full Day 1 Results
• Full Day 2 Results

After the initial round of “Group A” and “Group B” meets, all four American teams in the inaugural International Swim League season square off this weekend in College Park, MD. The top two teams – based on combined results of previous meets and this one – will head to Las Vegas next month for the ISL championship, and the other two teams will head home.

Team Scores through Day 1

1. Cali Condors – 234.5
2. LA Current – 234.0
3. NY Breakers – 167.5
4. DC Trident – 165.0

SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson provides live color commentary on each race in italics, below:

Women’s 100 free

1. Siobahn Haughey – DCT – 51.81 / Beryl Gastaldello – LAC – 51.81 (tie)
2. —
3. Madison Wilson – NYB – 52.35
4. Natalie Hinds – CAC – 52.38
5. Mallory Comerford – CAC – 52.45
6. Pernille Blume – NYB – 52.62
7. Margo Geer – LAC – 52.83
8. Ting Wen Quah – DCT – 53.52

Trident’s Siobahn Haughey, 200 free champ, and Current’s Beryl Gastaldello, 50 free champ, were the heavy favorites in this 100 free. Heading into the halfway mark, Gastaldello looked to snag her 3rd win of the meet. Yet Haughey challenged Gastaldello in the last 25 meters, which ultimately ended in a tie between the sprint sensations.

This event was dominated by European teams in group play, with Sjostrom, Campbell and McKeon winning the four group meets. Haughey was the highest finisher from an American team, and her win is a big one for DC, though their second entrant only takes 8th. Gastaldello has been arguably the highest-impact swimmer for LA so far, and she ties Haughey for the win.

Men’s 100 free

1. Caeleb Dressel – CAC – 45.69
2. Kacper Majchrzak – CAC – 46.48
3. Michael Chadwick – LAC – 47.03
4. Tom Shields – LAC – 47.12
5. Zach Apple – DCT – 47.23
6. Markus Thormeyer – NYB – 47.32
7. Robert Howard – DCT – 47.82
8. Marcelo Chierighini – NYB – 47.95

Condors Caeleb Dressel and Kacper Majchrzak sealed the deal in the 100 free with a huge 1-2 finish, separating themselves from the rest of the field. Meahwhile, Michael Chadwick and Tom Shields secured a 3-4 finish for LA, keeping out DC and NY from the top 4.

A big run for the Cali Condors, with a 1-2 punch led by Dressel’s U.S. Open record. It’s also the fastest time in the ISL this season, breaking what was previously a tie with Kyle Chalmers. That event gives Cali a narrow lead over LA, though the Current went 3-4 with solid swims to keep things close. The Trident and Breakers struggled a little here, as the top two teams hogged the top four spots.

Women’s 100 breast

1. Lilly King – CAC – 1:03.00
2. Annie Lazor – LAC – 1:04.59
3. Breeja Larson – NYB – 1:04.73
4. Molly Hannis – CAC – 1:04.76
5. Bethany Galat – DCT – 1:04.77
6. Emily Escobedo – NYB – 1:05.37
7. Kathleen Baker – LAC – 1:05.62
8. Emma Barksdale – DCT – 1:07.51

Condor Lilly King controlled the race from start to finish, writing her name on the U.S. Open record. Yet the race for second was just as eye-popping with almost a 4-woman race for the 7-point position. In the end, it was Annie Lazor from LA who held off Breaker Breeja Larson, Condor Molly Hannis, and DC’s Bethany Galat by less than two-tenths.

It’s another U.S. Open record, as King wins her third-straight meet in this event. 1:03.00 is the fastest time in the ISL this year by the better part of a second. Cali has dominated women’s breaststrokes so far this year, and Hannis taking 4th just adds to their point lead. LA got second with Annie Lazor and also continued to use backstroker Kathleen Baker as a breaststroker – she was just 7th here, not as good as her overperformance in the 50 breast. Breeja Larson has been a bright spot all year for New York, and she’s third here to help the Breakers outscore DC in the battle for third.

Men’s 100 breast

1. Ian Finnerty – DCT – 56.29
2. Felipe Lima – LAC – 56.95
3. Will Licon – LAC – 57.33
4. Nic Fink – CAC – 57.50
5. Michael Andrew – NYB – 57.56
6. Kevin Cordes – DCT – 57.77
7. Marco Koch – NYB – 58.82
8. Andrew Wilson – CAC – 59.23

Ian Finnerty once again showcases his short course breaststroke capabilities as he distanced himself from LA’s Felipe Lima and Will Licon. In the end, it was another American record for Finnerty as he toppled Lima and Licon for the 9-point top spot.

American teams in Group A struggled mightily in this event, with 4th being the highest finish. So it’s a little surprising to see Group A’s Finnerty crush this field – though he’s definitely a taper swimmer and seems to be swimming with a lot of preparation this week. This is his second American record of the weekend, and only a tenth slower than Adam Peaty went in Group B’s Budapest meet.. LA makes a big charge with a 2-3 finish – Felipe Lima has been oustanding so far as well. Cali struggles to a 4-8 finish that is going to hurt them in team points.

Women’s 400 free

1. Hali Flickinger – CAC – 3:58.95
2. Leah Smith – LAC – 3:59.08
3. Melanie Margalis – CAC – 4:00.99
4. Mikkayla Sheridan – NYB – 4:03.14
5. Leah Neale – DCT – 4:03.44
6. Ella Eastin – LAC – 4:07.26
7. Abbie Wood – NYB – 4:08.78
8. Claire Rasmus – DCT – 4:09.45

It looked like LA’s Leah Smith was leading in one of her specialty races, however, Condor Hali Flickinger gave the Olympic bronze medalist a big challenge in the final 25. In a surprise finish, it was 200 fly specialist Flickinger who toppled Smith for first. Just missing the 4-minute barrier was IM specialist Condor Melanie Margalis, showcasing the Condor women’s lethal strengths.

None of the four group match winners are present here, so Cali’s Flickinger is a new ISL winner for the 400 free. She was third in her only Group A appearance. Her 3:58.95 is almost identical to what she went in that swim, too. LA Current’s Leah Smith had her best event yet in her ISL debut, pushing Flickinger and finishing second by a tenth. It’s a good event for Cali, with a 1-3 finish.

Men’s 400 free

1. Zane Grothe – DCT – 3:40.73
2. Townley Haas – CAC – 3:41.44
3. Velimir Stjepanovic – DCT – 3:41.51
4. Anton Ipsen – CAC – 3:41.56
5. Andrew Seliskar – LAC – 3:42.62
6. Brendon Smith – NYB – 3:44.97
7. Clyde Lewis – NYB – 3:45.04
8. Blake Pieroni – LAC – 3:50.46

Trident’s Zane Grothe has become a true team player in the men’s free events, as him and teammate Velimir Stjepanovic lead the majority of the race. However, both Condor men and LA’s Andrew Seliskar challenged the Trident men for the top three. In the end, Grothe and Stjepanovic went 1-3 as Condor Townley Haas broke up the duo to prevent a 16-point sweep.

Double Group A winner Zane Grothe stays undefeated, winning this event with a marginal time drop from both of his previous wins. Grothe has had a fairly busy weekend, filling in to the 400 IM yesterday, and he’s powering through that tough lineup well. Cali gets a nice swim from Haas, who was 7th and three seconds slower in his other Group A appearance. DC will win this event with a 1-3 punch. Cali also puts two in the top four, and those two teams will outscore rivals New York and LA solidly here.

Women’s 4×100 medley

1. Cali Condors 1 – 3:47.45
2. LA Current 1 – 3:49.60
3. Cali Condors 2 – 3:50.80
4. NY Breakers 2 – 3:50.91
5. DC Trident 1 – 3:52.60
6. NY Breakers 1 – 3:54.80
7. LA Current 2 – 3:55.16
8. DC Trident 2 – 3:56.63

The Condor A-relay of Olivia Smoliga, Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia, and Mallory Comerford led the race from start to finish. The race for second, as always, was mighty intense with the Condors’ B-relay fighting for a 1-2 sweep against LA and NY. Yet it was LA who stormed past the Condors to stop the 1-2 finish and snag 14 points.

Cali has been dominant in the women’s medley so far, and they get their third win of the season today, coupled with a third-place finish. LA hangs tough, but they’ll be down 26.5 points to the Condors with two sessions remaining. DC really struggled in this relay (5th/8th), but they still lead New York by just 3.5 for third place overall.

Score Update After First Session:

1. Cali Condors – 336.5
2. LA Current – 310
3. DC Trident – 227
4. NY Breakers – 223.5

• Results after first session

Men’s 200 IM

1. Andreas Vazaios – DCT – 1:52.95
2. Chase Kalisz – LAC – 1:53.85
3. Josh Prenot – LAC – 1:54.69
4. John Shebat – CAC – 1:54.92
5. Ian Finnerty – DCT – 1:56.51
6. Mark Szaranek – CAC – 1:56.48
7. Brendon Smith – NYB – 1:58.48
8. Tomas Peribonio – NYB – 1:58.70

Storming a talented field with a new Greek national record was DC’s Andreas Vazaios, who stopped IM powerhouses Chase Kalisz and Josh Prenot for the 9-point win. The Condors had John Shebat replace Dressel in this race, which unfortunately did not play well with a 4-6 finish.

DC’s Vazaios wins – he tied for one win in Group A. LA chose not to use double Group B winner Andrew Seliskar here, but still pulled off a 2-3 finish, including new addition Kalisz. The other notable absence was Cali’s Dressel, who was entered in the event, but swapped out for John Shebat late. The Breakers were hurting here, going 7-8. That’s their third straight meet taking the bottom two spots in this event.

Women’s 200 IM

1. Melanie Margalis – CAC – 2:05.18
2. Kelsey Wog – CAC – 2:06.26
3. Ella Eastin – LAC – 2:07.88
4. Bailey Andison – LAC – 2:08.01
5. Abbie Wood – NYB – 2:08.98
6. Emily Overholt – NYB – 2:09.61
7. Emma Barksdale – DCT – 2:10.07
8. Bethany Galat – DCT – 2:10.61

The Condors flexed their big guns in the 200 IM, as Melanie Margalis and Kelsey Wog took a 1-2 finish in the event. Ella Eastin and Bailey Andison maintained a 3-4 finish in the event over the Breakers and the Trident.

Melanie Margalis adds to another event sweep – she’s won all three 200 IM appearances this season. Her 2:05.18 is just a tick slower than her other two wins. Cali goes 1-2 with another clutch swim from Kelsey Wog, one of the underrated MVPs so far this year. LA holds serve a little bit, going 3-4, and the results clumped two swimmers from each team: NY was 5-6 and DC 7-8.

Men’s 50 fly

1. Caeleb Dressel – CAC – 22.21
2. Tom Shields – LAC – 22.72
3. Michael Andrew – NYB – 22.74
4. Jack Conger – LAC – 23.11
5. Giles Smith – DCT – 23.32
6. Jan Switkowski – CAC – 23.61
7. Ryan Coetzee – NYB – 23.62
8. Cody Miller – DCT – 24.09

Caeleb Dressel, who swapped in this event instead of the 200 IM, paid off as he won the 50 fly in American record-breaking fashion. Taking second place was LA’s Tom Shields, who held off Breaker Michael Andrew for the 7-point position.

Dressel goes 22.21 for the second-best time in the ISL this season. Iron’s Szabo was 22.20 in Budapest. It’s another key win for Dressel, and justifies Cali’s decision to leave him out of the 200 IM one event earlier. LA goes 2-4 for a solid finish. Tom Shields has been very reliable this year. DC had to enter breaststroker Cody Miller, and he was 8th, just barely missing the benchmark time.

Women’s 50 fly

1. Beryl Gastaldello – LAC – 24.81
2. Kelsi Dahlia – CAC – 25.27
3. Farida Osman – LAC – 25.31
4. Natalie Hinds – CAC – 26.07
5. Tayla Lovemore – NYB – 26.08
6. Haley Black – NYB – 26.31
7. Quah Ting Wen – DCT – 26.46
8. Remedy Rule – DCT – 26.91

Beryl Gastadello has become a key sprinter for the Current as she dominated the 50 fly over sprint fly sensation Kelsi Dahlia of the Condors. Respective teammates Farida Osman and Natalie Hinds once again maintained top 4 finishes, progressively sealing in their top 2 spots for the Vegas final.

Gastaldello with another key win for LA. She’s undefeated in this event so far this ISL season and has dropped time with each meet. 24.81 is the fastest anyone has gone on the ISL this year, including Sarah Sjostrom. The Current go 1-3, each of their swimmers besting the Cali Condors (2-4). From there, New York is 5-6 and DC 7-8.

Men’s 100 back

1. Matt Grevers – LAC – 50.67
2. Shane Ryan – LAC – 50.93
3. Tristan Hollard – DCT – 51.50
4. Justin Ress – CAC – 51.68
5. Grigory Tarasevich – NYB – 51.71
6. Radoslaw Kawecki – CAC – 52.05
7. Jeremy Stravius – DCT – 52.29
8. Christopher Reid – NYB – 53.81

Matt Grevers and Shane Ryan were solid for LA, as they went 1-2 in the men’s 100 back. Taking the third place spot over Condor Justin Ress was DC’s Tristan Hollard.

Even without Ryan Murphy, LA dominates this event for a 1-2 finish. Matt Grevers‘ 50.67 is actually a tick slower than he was in group play. Newcomer Shane Ryan comes through with a huge swim, 50.93 for second. Ryan DQ’d out of the 50 back yesterday and was part of a relay DQ on an exchange, so he makes up for those points a bit with a great swim here. It’s not great for Cali, which finishes 4th and 7th. New York continues to inexplicably struggle in backstroke despite solid personnel – they’re 5th and 8th.

Women’s 100 back

1. Olivia Smoliga – CAC – 55.97
2. Kathleen Baker – LAC – 56.37
3. Kylie Masse – CAC – 56.75
4. Amy Bilquist – LAC – 57.36
5. Simona Kubova – DCT – 57.68
6. Lisa Bratton – DCT – 57.80 / Ali DeLoof – NYB – 57.80 (tie)
7. –
8. Gabby DeLoof – NYB – 59.38

In a talented field, it was Condor vice captain Olivia Smoliga who held off LA’s Kathleen Baker for the 100 back win. Taking third place was Condor Kylie Masse, stopping Amy Bilquist from aiding a 2-3 finish.

After going 1-2 in both Group A meets, Cali met a little tougher challenge this week in Kathleen Baker. The Condors still go 1-3, with Baker between Smoliga and Masse. Smoliga’s 55.9 is a huge swim checking in behind only two Minna Atherton swims for the tour so far. LA’s Amy Bilquist taking 4th is also big for team points. DC outscores New York in their team battle, taking 5th and 6th to New York’s 7th and 8th.

Mixed 4×100 free

1. Cali Condors 1 – 3:18.56
2. NY Breakers 2 – 3:21.04
3. LA Current 1 – 3:21.66
4. LA Current 2 – 3:22.20
5. DC Trident 1 – 3:22.65
6. Cali Condors 2 – 3:23.00
7. DC Trident 2 – 3:24.18
8. NY Breakers 2 – 3:28.51

The Condors dominated the mixed free relay, winning the race by over 3 seconds. Out of lane 8, the Breakers took second place over both LA Current relays.

LA was second in both Group B meets, and Cali second in one of the Group A meets. It looked like it should be a great showdown, but LA seemed to split up its relays a little more, taking 3rd and 4th. Cali ran away with it in 3:18, faster than their group meets. New York finished behind LA in both Group B meets, but beat both LA relays today. The Current maybe had relays a little too even, and lost to New York by half a second for second place. The more distance-based DC team hurt for points here, losing to all A relays and LA’s B.

Score Update After Second Session:

1. Cali Condors – 431.5
2. LA Current – 411.0
3. DC Trident – 275.5
4. NY Breakers – 273.0

• Results after second session

Women’s 200 fly

1. Hali Flickinger – CAC – 2:03.81
2. Remedy Rule – DCT – 2:05.38
3. Ella Eastin – LAC – 2:06.97
4. Kelsi Dahlia – CAC – 2:07.06
5. Emily Overholt – NYB – 2:08.31
6. Mikkayla Sheridan – NYB – 2:08.87
7. Bethany Galat – DCT – 2:09.06
8. Leah Smith – LAC – 2:13.55

Hali Flickinger picked up a second win this afternoon as she crushed her speciality by 2 seconds over DC’s Remedy Rule. Holding off flyer Kelsi Dahlia for third place (worth 6 points) was LA’s Ella Eastin. Unfortunately for the Current, Leah Smith did not meet the minimum time standard, therefore LA only scored 5 points.

Cali went 1-2 in both Group A meets, though LA’s McLaughlin was faster in losing to Katinka Hosszu. Cali’s Flickinger did what she had to to win, though, going 2:03.81 – that’s easily the fastest swim in the ISL this year, a second and a half faster than Hosszu. DC’s new addition Remedy Rule came through well in her primary event, picking up second place. Another new addition, LA’s Leah Smith, wasn’t so impactful. She took 8th and missed the benchmark time badly, earning no points for the Current. That’s a costly blow late in the meet. Teams were really struggling to fill this event, as DC also had to use breaststroker/IMer Bethany Galat here. She was 7th.

Men’s 200 fly

1. Tom Shields – LAC – 1:51.51
2. Chase Kalisz – LAC – 1:53.13
3. Andreas Vazaios – DCT – 1:53.28
4. Jay Litherland – DCT – 1:54.81
5. Mackenzie Darragh – NYB – 1:55.27
6. Clyde Lewis – NYB – 1:55.81
7. Mark Szaranek – CAC – 1:56.00
8. Jan Switkowski – CAC – 1:57.70

Short course stud Tom Shields came in clutch for the Current as he was already in the obvious lead after the first 50. IMer Chase Kalisz teamed up with Shields for a LA 1-2 finish, which was worth 16 points. 200 IM champ Andreas Vazaios and DC teammate Jay Litherland went 3-4 for the Trident.

With Europeans le Clos and Milak dominating Groups A and B (respectively), the runners-up Vazaios and Shields finally got a chance to shine. Shields pushed the front half aggressively, and no one had the speed to go out with him. That’s a big-time swim for Shields, whose new teammate Kalisz got in for second ahead of Vazaios by a tenth. It’s a great swing for LA as Cali takes 7th and 8th in a poor showing, but Cali still has a 15.5 point lead with great rosters in the skins. A lot of primary IMers filling in here: Kalisz, Vazaios, Litherland, Lewis, Szaranek and Switkowski are all probably better-known as IMers than flyers.

Women’s 50 free skins

Round 1 – Quarterfinal

1. Beryl Gastaldello – LAC – 23.98
2. Pernille Blume – NYB – 24.06
3. Siobahn Haughey – DCT – 24.09
4. Kasia Wasick – CAC – 24.10
5. Margo Geer – LAC – 24.28
6. Madison Kennedy – DCT – 24.36
7. Catie DeLoof – NYB – 24.40
8. Olivia Smoliga – CAC – 24.45

One swimmer from each team in – things were brutally close, and there’s no clear favorite in this field. Gastaldello continues to be the most underrated signing in this meet – she’s tearing it up for LA. But her teammate Margo Geer misses by two tenths, and that hurts. Smoliga taking 8th for Cali is a big blow – she was probably a title contender coming in, but had a busy schedule so far.

Round 2 – Semifinal

1. Beryl Gastaldello – LAC – 24.56
2. Siobahn Haughey – DCT – 24.70
3. Pernille Blume – NYB – 24.74
4. Kasia Wasick – CAC – 25.01

A lot of breathing in this round – the field looked winded. Gastaldello continues to dominate, and Haughey sneaks in by four one-hundredths for DC. It’s been a really rough go for Cali so far – they take 4th and 8th for just 11 points in this event.

Round 3 – Final

1. Beryl Gastaldello – LAC – 24.46
2. Siobahn Haughey – DCT – 25.16

Gastaldello is more of a sprinter and Haughey a 200-type, but Gastaldello still clearly had the training capacity to hold up over three rounds. She gets a well-earned skins win, staying pretty consistent in the 24-mids over the final two rounds. She was actually faster in the final than she was in the semis. Big points for the Current, who needed exactly this scenario to be in the hunt to overtake Cali late.

LA’s Beryl Gastaldello controlled the skins race throughout all three rounds, swimming faster in round 3 than round 2. For DC’s Siobhan Haughey, her start was one of her challenges throughout the meet. She improved her start for the first 2 rounds of the skins, yet fatigue caught up on the third round.

Men’s 50 free skins

Round 1 – Quarterfinal

1. Michael Andrew – NYB – 21.20
2. Caeleb Dressel – CAC – 21.34
3. Michael Chadwick – LAC – 21.39
4. Ryan Held – LAC – 21.48
5. Marcelo Chierighini – NYB – 21.78
6. Bowe Becker – CAC – 21.79
7. Zach Apple – DCT – 21.96
8. Jeremy Stravius – DCT – 22.10

The men’s race is much more defined. Dressel should win this, barring a huge upset. But in the team race, LA putting two into the semifinal is a great swing for them. The Current are showing up in the key moments, even if it doesn’t ultimately swing the score. DC not only missed the semis, they take just 7th and 8th for the minimum of 3 points. That’s odd, considering their personnel (Apple and Stravius) are pretty good. But Apple is mostly a taper swimmer, and probably needs more rest to be closer to his peak.

Round 2 – Semifinal

1. Caeleb Dressel – CAC – 21.39
2. Michael Chadwick – LAC – 21.84
3. Michael Andrew – NYB – 22.44
4. Ryan Held – LAC – 22.81

It’s Dressel and Chadwick moving on. Solid break for LA to get one of their guys in. Dressel is so good in these types of races – it feels like he’s built for the skins more so than almost anyone in the world. The top two were well ahead of the field, and the pure sprinters Andrew and Held both dropped off pretty good from their round 1 swims.

Round 3 – Final

1. Caeleb Dressel – CAC – 21.25
2. Michael Chadwick – LAC – 22.35

Poor Chadwick was overmatched from the start. Dressel was unbelievably fast in all three rounds – to finish at 21.2 is pretty ridiculous. That should seal another MVP award for Dressel, too.

Caeleb Dressel showcased an incredibly consistent skins effort, staying within two-tenths of all three of his swims. Yet LA had the upperhand as Michael Chadwick and Ryan Held advanced to the seminfinals, becoming the only team this afternoon to bring both team members to the double-points round.

• Results from the third session

Final Team Scores

1. LA Current – 495
2. Cali Condors – 489.5
3. DC Trident – 322.5
4. NY Breakers – 317

The LA Current have toppled the Cali Condors for the American Derby title with the DC Trident overtaking the NY Breakers for third place.

While the Trident and the Breakers’ season has come to an end, we will see the LA Current and Cali Condors in the Las Vegas finals which will take place December 20-21.