2024 FRAN CRIPPEN SWIM MEET OF CHAMPIONS
- April 11-14, 2024
- Marguerite Aquatic Center, Mission Viejo, CA
- Hosted by Mission Viejo Nadadores
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Information
- Livestream
- Live Results available via Meet Mobile: “2024 CA MVN Fran Crippen SMOC”
The final night of action at the 2024 Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions featured the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 IM, and 800 freestyle.
In the women’s 800 free, Katie Grimes posted her fastest official 800 freestyle (8:21.57) time since the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. She was slightly faster taking out her silver medal-winning 1500 free at the 2022 Budapest World Championships (8:21.26), but her time tonight represents her fastest individual 800 since she placed 4th at the Olympics. Her best time is 8:17.05 from the heats in Tokyo before she clocked 8:19.38 in the final. Grimes now sits 9th in the world on the season and undercut her previous post-Tokyo best of 8:21.87 from this same meet last year.
It was a very promising swim for Grimes, who hasn’t made an international U.S. team in this distance since those Olympic Games. She has however qualified for the past two World Championship meets in the 400 IM, 1500 freestyle, and 10k Open Water.
2022 relay World Champion Claire Weinstein, who won this event at the Westmont Pro Swim Series stop last month, touched the wall in 8:29.35 for a clear 2nd place finish over 17-year-old Sammie Hamilton (8:51.85). Cal commit Weinstein was 8:23.73 last month in Westmont.
Mark Schubert-trained Marwan Elkamash won the men’s 800 free. He led a 1-2 punch with teammate Michael Brinegar, with both breaking the 8-minute threshold. Elkamash recorded a time of 7:56.44 while Brinegar stopped the clock in 7:58.75. The pair also claimed 1st and 2nd in the 1500m distance on Thursday, where Elkamash hit a 15:10.86 and Brinegar checked-in at 15:16.34. Brinegar represented Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in both the 800 and 1500 freestyles.
Cal’s Isabelle Stadden double up on backstroke victories with a win in tonight’s 100m distance. She punched a final time of 59.80 to represent the sole individual under the elusive minute barrier. 200 Backstroke World Junior Champion and future Cal Bear, Teagan O’Dell, nearly dipped under with her 1:00.13 outing. Splits are unavailable for the race.
O’Dell later went on to win her first title of the meet in the 200 IM (2:14.37). Her best time stands at the 2:12.53 that she posted in August of 2021.
In the men’s 100 back, 2016 Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy logged a season-best 53.17 to steal victory. His previous best time this season was recorded last month in Westmont, where he clocked-in at 53.23. He was a bit more aggressive on the front half of tonight’s race, as he opened in 25.53 compared to 25.70 last month. Saturday’s 200 backstroke winner and training partner of Murphy, Keaton Jones, posted a best time of 54.31 in prelims before scratching the final.
Former USC Trojan Isabelle Odgers won the women’s 100 breast in 1:09.65. 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose nearly made it a sweep of the sprint breaststrokes, as she touched just 0.03 behind in 1:09.68. Rose won the 50 breast title yesterday in a sub-32 second time (31.92). SwimSwam chatted with Rose a few months back when she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and you can listen to the full podcast episode here.
The men’s 100 breast win went to Luke Rodarte, who represents Cal Aquatics. The 26-year-old glided into the finish at 1:01.78 with Rose Bowl’s Daniel Li touching 2nd in 1:01.92. Liam Bell, who broke the NCAA record in the 100-yard breaststroke last month, put his hands on the wall in 1:01.66 in prelims but opted out of the final.
37-year-old Brooke Boak, who made the Olympic Trials cut in her first 50 free since 2008 last month, won the event in 25.55. She undercut her prelim time (25.57) by just 0.02 but was a little shy of her 25.24 season-best from the Westmont Pro Swim Series.
Tokyo Olympian Brooks Curry staked his claim on the men’s 50 free, where he won in 22.40. Earlier in the week, he put up a solid 48.86 in-season 100m time. 27-year-old Santiago Grassi (22.78) was 2nd and 18-year-old Quin Seider (23.06) took 3rd. Seider is commited to swim under Herbie Behm at Arizona State University in just a few months time. Grassi, who owns the Argentine record in the 100 fly at 51.88, went on to win that event in 53.44 near the end of tonight’s session.
Cal graduate Rachel Klinker was the only individual to win under a minute in the women’s 100 fly. She put a time of 59.66 on the board to lead teammates Morgan Brophy (1:00.55) and Ava Chavez (1:00.62). Klinker broke through in a big way at the recent Doha World Championships, where she dropped a big-time personal best in the 200 fly semifinals (2:07.70). She went on to place 4th in the final at those championships. Klinker’s best time in the 100m distance is 58.39 from the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.
The final individual event of the meet was the men’s 200 IM, where 2023 U.S. World Championship team member Destin Lasco shined. Lasco, who recently captured a new American record in the yards version of this race, touched 1st in 2:02.04 to clear the field by over three seconds. He’s been as swift as 1:57.97 in this event. Splits from Lasco include 25.97 on the fly leg, 30.68 on back, 36.80 on breast, and 28.59 on the way home.
Rose should be a bigger story. Beyond impressive
What happened?
I think the OP is about Gabby being 46 years old, a two time Olympian, and now heading to trials and kicking butt.
Unfortunately, I think Claire is a 200 freestyler or nothing else. I hope she is on point to make the team but outside of that, no dice.
1:58 isn’t going to make the team. Entirely possible the 1:57 she went last year in Fukuoka won’t be good enough either.
No kidding but expect she’ll be back in the 1:55s. Great shot in 400 and 800 as well… maybe favorite for 2nd slot in the 4.
Claire Weinstein and Bella Sims are neck and neck in 400.
Yes and I’d thrown in Madden who just went 4:04 this weekend.
Katie Grimes has awoken from her winter slumber like a bear emerging from hiberation.
Has she tapered at all the last few years? I wonder how much or if she will taper for Olympic trials. Surely she will have to?
from what i remember it wasnt as much as the other sandpipers did or what she did since the last olympics
That is a question for the SwimSwam staff to ask Ron Aitken. I, for one, have no inside information whatsoever.
Is grimes the one who said that she wasn’t going to have a proper taper until Paris? I remember someone said that but forgot who
yes
I have no idea of the current thinking, but historically distance swimmers don’t taper (or in some cases at all) as much as sprinters.
Grimes was really good, Weinstein not so much. So were they tapered or not?
Why would they want to taper for this meet?
Why not? Or at least back off a bit for a few days. It’s not like the old days when swimmers only tried to swim fast once or twice a year. Anyone who says they aren’t resting for more than 6 months is lying, living in the 1980’s, or has a coach that is living in the ‘80’s. I’m guessing from Grimes’ swims they did back off a bit.
There’s a difference between a taper and a few days light training.
I was responding to someone who asked “So were they tapered or not?”
Ron is from the 80’s. Time to buckle up IMO
Sadly he is very much from the ‘80’s, in every way.
How should I know? I’m not Ron Aitken.
As for Claire Weinstein, she’s all over the map from one meet to the next.
https://www.swimcloud.com/swimmer/1639488/