2024 Pro Swim Series – San Antonio: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

• April 10-13, 2024
• Northside Swim Center, San Antonio, TX
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times
  • Wednesday Distance: 5pm (Central Time)
  • All Prelims: 9am (Central Time)
  • Thurs-Sat Finals: 6pm (Central Time)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Livestream (USA Swimming Network)
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second finals session of the San Antonio stop of this year’s Pro Swim Series. We’ve left the 1500 freestyles behind and are diving straight in with the 100 freestyle. After that, there’s finals of the 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and 400 freestyle.

Order of Events

• Women’s 100 freestyle
• Men’s 100 freestyle
• Women’s 100 breaststroke
• Men’s 100 breaststroke
• Women’s 200 butterfly
• Men’s 200 butterfly
• Women’s 400 freestyle
• Men’s 400 freestyle

Siobhan Haughey leads a stacked field in the women’s 100 freestyle. Haughey clocked 53.67 in prelims and was joined by Simone Manuel (53.88) and Torri Huske (53.91) under 54 seconds in prelims. Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh (54.00) and Kate Douglass (54.08) are still very much in the picture for the win this evening as well.

Douglass has a tight turn around after the 100 freestyle as the 100 breaststroke is the very next event. She’s seeded third there behind Texas breaststroke duo Lydia Jacoby and Anna Elendt. The Longhorns will swim side-by-side in the middle of the pool this evening and were separated by just five-hundredths after prelims. Jacoby secured lane 4 in 1:06.76, but Douglass, Lilly King, and Kaitlyn Dobler are within striking distance of the top two.

On the other hand, in the women’s 200 fly Regan Smith put herself well clear of the field this morning. Smith, who already took down the Pro Swim Series record this year, popped 2:05.92 this morning. She’ll take a run at her record of 2:04.80 tonight.

The Sun Devils will aim for a sweep of the 200 butterfly in San Antonio. The top four qualifiers on the men’s side all train in Tempe (though that may not be true for long). Chase Kalisz posted the top time out of prelims in a 1:57.54. Luca Urlando, Leon Marchand, and Ilya Kharun are right behind him though. Urlando swam a 1:57.64 in prelims with Marhand just a hundredth behind him and Kharun three-hundredths back.

The college swimmers took control of the men’s 100 freestyle prelims, claiming the top four spots as Rafael Miroslaw qualified first overall (48.77). That could mean we’ll see some outside smoke from the pros tonight–Caeleb Dressel will swim from lane 8 (49.10) and Ryan Held from lane 2 (48.95)

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
• American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 53.12 – Kate Douglass (2024) & Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• US Open Record: 52.54 – Simone Manuel (2018)

Top 8:

1. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) — 52.74
2. Kate Douglass (NYAC) — 52.98
3. Torri Huske (AAC) — 53.08
4. Gretchen Walsh (UVA) — 53.17
5. Simone Manuel (UN) — 53.25
6. Abbey Weitzeil (CAL) — 53.67
7. Catie Deloof (NYAC) — 53.88
8. Erin Gemmell (UN) — 54.59

This was a deep women’s 100 free field, and the final delivered. Siobhan Haughey led the race around at halfway mark, turning in 25.35. She was followed by Gretchen Walsh eight-hundredths behind, with Torri Huske in 3rd.

Haughey holds the fastest time in the world this season in a lifetime best 52.02 that also makes her the third-fastest performer in history. She followed that up with a silver medal at Doha Worlds and she held on for the win here in San Antonio, stopping the clock in 52.74.

Kate Douglass was 4th at the turn and she moved up two places over the final 50 meters with a 27.46 back half. That charge earned her second place and a 52.98 as she joined Haughey under 53 seconds this evening.

Huske moved up into third, improving on her time from Westmont with a 53.08. Walsh finished 4th nine-hundredths behind Huske. Simone Manuel finished fifth, improving by a tenth on her swim from Westmont by putting together a 53.25.

Anastasia Gorbenko won the ‘B’ final by almost four-tenths with a 54.29.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 46.80 – Pan Zhanle (2024)
• American Record: 46.96 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 48.00 – Nathan Adrian (2016)
• US Open Record: 47.39 – Caeleb Dressel / Ryan Held

Top 8:

1. Caeleb Dressel (GSC) — 48.40
2. Ryan Held (NYAC) — 48.48
3. Matt King (TFA) — 48.62
4. Rafael Miroslaw (IU) — 48.63
5. Peter Varjasi (GER) — 48.70
6. Jonny Kulow (UN) — 48.75
7. Luis Dominguez Calonge (VT) — 48.83
8. Andrej Barna (CARD) — 48.91

It was all about the outside smoke in the men’s 100 freestyle as the top three all came from outside lanes. It was Caeleb Dressel who got his hand on the wall first way down in lane 8. Dressel just keeps improving; he turned in a season-best 48.40 for the win, coming from fifth at the turn. Dressel split 23.35 on the way out, then came back strong in a field-best 25.05.

It was Matt King on the other side of the pool in lane 1 who was in control at the 50 meter mark. King, coming from an appearance at 2024 Worlds, ended up third in 48.62. Another pro in the field, Ryan Held, was 2nd to King at the turn but was able to out-split him by over two-tenths on the second half of the race. That gave Held the room he needed to stop the clock 2nd just eight-hundredths behind Dressel in 48.48.

King finished 3rd (48.62), just a hundredth ahead of Indiana’s Rafael Miroslaw.

Hubert Kos won the ‘B’ final, beating Santo Condorelli by .06 seconds, 48.87 to 48.93. Before today, Kos had not broken 50 seconds. He broke that mark in prelims (49.19), then dropped another .32 seconds in the final for a 1.18 second drop on the day.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (2017)
• American Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (2017)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 1:05.32 – Lilly King (2021)
• US Open Record: 1:04.45 – Jessica Hardy (2009)

Top 8:

1. Lydia Jacoby (UN) — 1:05.74
2. Emma Weber (UVA) — 1:06.50
3. Lilly King (ISC) — 1:06.53
4. Kaitlyn Dobler (UN) — 1:06.71
5. Anna Elendt (UN) — 1:06.81
6. Kate Douglass (NYAC) — 1:06.85
7. Macarena Ceballos (ARG) — 1:07.91
8. Sydney Pickrem (AGS) — 1:08.39

Lydia Jacoby mentioned worry about feeling “tired in the water” after the 2024 NCAA Championships, but that didn’t seem to impact her too much in this final. Jacoby led the race from start to finish. She split 30.97 on the way out, then came home in 34.77 for a final time of 1:05.74.

That slots Jacoby in as the third-fastest swimmer in the event this season, just a hundredth ahead of Benedetta Pilato.

Virginia’s Emma Weber turned in a huge personal best to grab second in a stacked field. Weber helped UVA win their fourth-straight NCAA Championship last month. At that meet, she swam a personal best in the 100-yard breast. She’s now followed that up with a drop in the LCM pool, clocking 1:06.50 for her first sub-1:07 outing. Her previous best stood at 1:07.39 from June 2023.

She split 34.81 on the baack half and got the better of Lilly King by .03 seconds. King, who’s been as fast as 1:05.67 this season, took 3rd in 1:06.53.

About 20 minutes removed from her 100 freestyle final, Douglass finished 6th in 1:06.85, not too far off her lifetime best of 1:06.67 from January 2024.

Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova got her hands first in the ‘B’ final, collecting the win in 1:08.13, .03 seconds ahead of Alex Walsh.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – Finals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty (2019)
• American Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew (2021)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 58.58 – Adam Peaty (2017)
• US Open Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew (2021)

Top 8:

1. Denis Petrashov (UOFL) — 59.83
2. Nic Fink (NYAC) — 1:00.03
3. Ron Polonsky (UN) — 1:00.24
4. Michael Andrew (MASA) — 1:00.32
5. Noah Nichols (UVA) — 1:00.64
6. Matt Fallon (UPN) — 1:00.75
7. Lyubomir Epitropov (TNAQ) — 1:00.90
8. Tommy Cope (CW) — 1:01.40

It was a tight race all the way through the men’s 100 breaststroke championship final. At the turn there were three swimmers–Michael Andrew, Denis Petrashov, and Nic Fink–under 28 seconds. Andrew held the slight lead at 27.93, with Petrashov splitting 27.97 and Fink right behind in 27.98.

It was Petrashov who had the fastest closing speed. That was the difference maker for him; he split 31.86 which helped him edge out ahead of the field for the win. Petrashov touched in 59.83, the only swimmer in the field to break 1:00 in the final.

Fink, the reigning world champion, followed him with a 1:00.03. Ron Polonsky took third, getting ahead of Andrew, who faded down the stretch.

Virginia Tech’s Carles Coll Marti won the ‘B’ final with a 1:00.68, six-tenths ahead of Andy Dobrzanski.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Finals

• World Record: 2:01.81 – Zige Liu (2009)
• American Record: 2:03.87 – Regan Smith (2023)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 2:04.80 – Regan Smith (2024)
• US Open Record: 2:03.87 – Regan Smith (2023)

Top 8:

1. Regan Smith (UN) — 2:05.97
2. Dakota Luther (TXLA) — 2:09.51
3. Lindsay Looney (UN) — 2:09.64
4. Caroline Bricker (UN) — 2:09.89
5. Kelly Pash (UN) — 2:10.12
6. Emma Sticklen (UN) — 2:10.32
7. Tess Howley (UVA) — 2:11.73
8. Leah Gingrich (KA) — 2:12.37

Regan Smith had a monster prelims swim, turning in a 2:05.92. After her win here in the championship final, she said that she tried to stick to that same strategy that she had in the morning. Sticking to that strategy gave her almost the same time; she claimed the win in 2:05.97, just five-hundredths off her prelims swim.

This could turn out to be a preview of how this race is going to shape up at U.S. Olympic Trials with Smith out ahead and the rest of the field fighting for that second spot. In this final, it was Dakota Luther who got her hands on the wall second, out-touching Smith’s teammate Lindsay Looney.

Luther held off the charging Looney on the closing meters, clocking 2:09.51. Looney rounded out the podium with a 2:09.64.

After improving in bounds during her freshman year at Stanford, Caroline Bricker kept that momentum rolling in long-course. Bricker turned in a  big lifetime best of 2:09.89 for 4th place. That’s her first swim under 2:11; her previous best was a 2:11.92 from July 2023. That’s a 2.03 second drop for Bricker as she puts herself on the radar for that second spot at Trials.

Lucy Bell and Carli Cronk tied for first in the ‘B’ final. They both pushed the final 50 meters, passing Lillie Nordmann and tying in 2:12.67.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Finals

• World Record: 1:50.34 – Kristof Milak (2022)
• American Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps (2009)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 1:53.84 – Luca Urlando (2019)
• US Open Record: 1:52.20 – Michael Phelps (2008)

Top 8:

1. Leon Marchand (SUN) — 1:54.97
2. Luca Urlando (DART) — 1:55.63
3. Chase Kalisz (SUN) — 1:55.97
4. Jack Dahlgren (TRI) — 1:57.06
5. Trenton Julian (MVN) — 1:58.01
6. Ilya Kharun (SUN) — 1:58.37
7. Vili Sivec (CSUB) — 1:58.72
8. Zach Harting (CARD) — 1:59.97

It was a trio of the Tempe training partners on the podium, as Leon Marchand, Luca Urlando, and Chase Kalisz went 1-2-3 in the men’s 200 butterfly.

Marchand, the 2023 world champion, was fifth at the first turn (26.06). After that, he steadily made his way through the field, turning third at the 100 (55.24). He was second at the final turn to his training parter Luca Urlando, and out-split Urlando on the way home–30.15 to 30.95–to get his hands on the wall first.

Marchand turned in a 1:54.97 to win the race, making him the 10th fastest performer in the event this season.

After leading for the majority of the race, Urlando took second behind Marchand. He swam 1:55.63, a season-best that improves on the 1:56 he swam at the Westmont Pro Series. Kalisz also did his best to chase down Urlando but ran out of room. The veteran touched third in 1:55.97.

The podium was well clear of the rest of the field as Jack Dahlgren was 4th in 1:57.06, more than a second behind Kalisz.

Hector Ruvalcaba Cruz won the ‘B’ final in 2:00.20.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus (2023)
• American Record: 3:56.46 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 3:57.94 – Katie Ledecky (2018)
• US Open Record: 3:57.94 – Katie Ledecky (2018)

Top 8:

1. Katie Ledecky (GSC) — 4:01.41
2. Paige Madden (NYAC) — 4:04.86
3. Jillian Cox (TXLA) — 4:07.61
4. Aurora Roghair (UN) — 4:10.87
5. Erin Gemmell (UN) — 4:11.16
6. Cavan Gormsen (UN) — 4:12.50
7. Hayden Miller (TAMU) — 4:15.30
8. Anna Peplowski (IU) — 4:18.11

Katie Ledecky went about her business in the women’s 400 freestyle. She collected the win with a season best time of 4:01.41, which is her first sub-4:02 of the 2023-24 season (she was 4:02.38 at the U.S. Open). The time moves her ahead of Li Bingjie and Lani Pallister in the world rankings and up to third-fastest in the world this season.

She split the race 57.70/1:01.24/1:01.39/1:01.08.

After winning the 1500 freestyle to open the meet, Paige Madden followed up with a second-place finish here in the 400 free. Madden’s time was also a season-best for her as she dropped down into the 4:04 range after a 4:05.94 in Westmont. Her 4:04.86 is a 1.08 second improvement.

Jillian Cox made it 3-for-3 on the podium with season-best times. Cox swam 4:07.61 for third place, coming within about a second of her lifetime best (4:06.60). Aurora Roghair got even closer to her lifetime best. After an impressive NCAA season, she swam 4:10.84 for 4th place here, just .03 seconds off her lifetime best.

Each of the three podium finishers were largely in their own race; Ledecky finished over three seconds ahead of Madden, who in turn was almost three seconds ahead of Cox.

Agostina Hein won a tight race in the ‘B’ final, beating Madi Mintenko with a 4:10.62 that would’ve placed 4th in the championship final.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Finals

• World Record: 3:40.07 – Paul Biedermann (2009)
• American Record: 3:42.78 – Larsen Jensen (2008)
• Pro Swim Series Record: 3:43.55 – Sun Yang (2016)
• US Open Record: 3:43.53 – Larsen Jensen (2008)

Top 8:

1. Guilherme Costa (RKF) — 3:46.61
2. Alfonso Mestre (GSC) — 3:47.14
3. Carson Foster (RAYS) — 3:47.64
4. Lucas Henveaux (CAL) — 3:48.05
5. Ilia Sibirtsev (UOFL) — 3:48.60
6. Kieran Smith (RAC) — 3:48.70
7. David Johnston (TST) — 3:48.75
8. Drew Kibler (NYAC) — 3:52.53

Guilherme Costa, the South American record holder in the 400 freestyle, claimed the win in the event tonight in San Antonio. It was Alfonso Mestre who led for the majority of the race. But Costa began to inch up on Mestre, and overtook him at the 300-meter mark.

After taking the lead, Costa powered home in 56.49, taking the win in 3:46.61. This season, Costa’s been as fast as 3:44.22, which he swam for fourth place at 2024 Worlds.

Behind him, Mestre held off a late push from Carson Foster and took second place in 3:47.14, less than a second from his personal best from summer 2023.

There’s been a lot of intrigue about what Foster can do in this event over the last couple years–since he put up a 3:45.29 in July 2022. This season, he’s swum the event twice; this 3:47.64 is his fastest effort to date, beating the 3:48.05 from November 2023.

Bobby Finke won the ‘B’ final in 3:50.33, more than two seconds ahead of Luka Mijatovic. Mijatovic touched in 3:52.64, about a second and a half off the lifetime best 3:51.18 he swam a montha ago.