Michael Andrew Swims More 200 Yard Races at SI Presidents’ Day Senior Classic

2022 SI Presidents’ Day Senior Classic

• February 18-22, 2022
• Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex, Coronado, California
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Event Results
• Combined Team Scores
• Men’s Team Scores
• Women’s Team Scores

After taking most of the post-Olympic 2021 year off from racing, gold medalist Michael Andrew is starting to get back into a high-frequency racing routine that has served him so well for most of his professional career.

His latest racing came over the weekend at the San Diego-Imperial LSC President’s Day Senior Classic – a meet that took advantage of the holiday by running into Monday.

There, Andrew swam, and won, the 100 free (43.58) and 200 breast (1:54.65) individually, and was the top seed in the 200 fly out of prelims in 1:47.03 before scratching the final.

Andrew’s best times in those events are 42.56, 1:54.06, and 1:45.39, respectively.

Long known for his sprint abilities (he has set World Junior Records in the 50 free, 50 back, 50 fly, and 100 breast), Andrew’s schedule has made a marked shift toward 200 yard-and-longer races this season. While he excelled at those races as an age grouper, since he has moved to primarily senior-level competition, he has focused more on 50s and 100s, with the exception of the 200 IM (where he was 5th at the Olympic Games last summer).

But he has raced three meets in the last month, 6 of his 11 event entries have come in races at least 200 yards or meters long.

That includes his first long course meet two weeks ago in Orlando, where he swam the 200 breast and 200 IM.

Two of his three meets in that month have been at the same pool, which is where Andrew trains and is across the street from where he lives.

His 1:54.65 in the 200 breaststroke  and 1:47.03 both new Meet Records at an event that has regularly seen elite competitors in the past – notably from David Marsh’s Team Elite training group that is also in the area.

While Andrew was the headliner of the meet (and dominated San Diego’s swimming sphere on Instagram, taking pictures with local swimmers), he wasn’t the only high performer at the event.

In fact, the meet saw 8 other records broken:

• Women’s 200Y Freestyle Relay – Walnut Creek Aquabears – 1:34.78
• Women’s 100Y Butterfly – Kelsey Zhang/PASA – 54.04
• Women’s 400Y Medley Relay – Walnut Creek Aquabears – 3:48.59
• Men’s 400Y Medley Relay – Coronado Swim Association-Team Elite – 3:21.61
• Women’s 200Y Medley Relay – Walnut Creek Aquabears – 1:45.19
• Women’s 100Y Freestyle – Lily Neumann/LASC – 49.99
• Women’s 200Y Butterfly – Kelsey Zhang/PASA – 1:57.84
• Men’s 200Y Butterfly – Michael Andrew/MASA – 1:47.03
• Men’s 200Y Breaststroke – Michael Andrew/MASA – 1:54.65
• Men’s 400Y Freestyle Relay – Walnut Creek Aquabears – 3:05.70

Individually, that included a 49.99 in the women’s 100 yard freestyle from Lily Neumann of the Los Angeles Swim Club. A high school sophomore, that was just .03 seconds slower than her lifetime best in the race.

PASA’s Kelsey Zhang broke a Meet Record in the 200 fly in 1:57.84. That’s a lifetime best by six-tenths of a second. That ranks her 2nd in the country this season among 13-14s, and as the 22nd-fastest all-time.

She also swam, and won, the 500 free (4:48.16), 1000 free (9:52.72), and 100 back (55.17). The 500 free and 1000 free both also rank her among the top five in the country.

She also broke a Meet Record in the 100 fly in prelims, swimming 54.04, but she was disqualified in finals, keeping her from a 5th win.

Other Meet Highlights:

• 31-year old Belarusian Olympian Artyom Machekin, who trains with Team Elite, swam a best time of 19.56 to win the 50 free.
• 16-year old Nick Mahabir won the 100 breast in 55.13, which is his best time by two-and-a-half seconds. He’s a high school sophomore. That ranks him 14th this season nationally in the age group. He also won the 200 breaststroke in 2:01.09, which slashes his previous best time of 2:05.51. Mahabir, who is training for the Coronado Swim Association/Team Elite, swam a breakout 1:03.2 at the US Open last December, and his short course times are not catching up.
• Cal commit Sam Quarles was 2nd behind Mahabir in the 100 breaststroke, swimming 56.43. That’s his best time by a second-and-a-half. The breaststrokes are not his primary events, but he showed off expanding versatility and his potential as an IMer with that swim. He also won the 200 back, in 1:48.77, which is a best time by more than 13 seconds, was 2nd in the 100 back in 50.28, a best time by half-a-second, crushed his best time in the 400 IM in 4:03.31 in prelims, and swam a big best time of 2:06.39 for 4th in the 200 breast.