Erin Gemmell Time Trials 1:57.26 in 200 FR at Longhorn Elite Invite, Now US #4 This Season

2024 LONGHORN ELITE INVITE

• May 15-18, 2024
• University of Texas, Austin, Texas
• Long Course Meters (50 meters), Prelims/Finals
• Meet Site
• Live Results
• Day 1 & 2 Recap
• Day 3 Recap

Saturday Finals Livestream Video

On Saturday, the last finals session of the 2024 Longhorn Elite Invite, part of the Club Excellence Challenge Series, concluded and is in the books. This finals session in Austin, TX featured the women’s and men’s 800 free, 100 back, 200 breast, 200 IM, and 50 free.

After winning the 200 free on Friday with a season best of 1:57.51, Erin Gemmell time trialed the 200 free again on Saturday, swimming another season best time of 1:57.26. Gemmell now moves up to 4th in the US this season, only 0.01s behind 3rd-ranked Paige Madden, and is also among the top 30 times worldwide. Gemmell made up her quarter-second drop in her second 100, swimming 30.23/30.33 to even out her two closing 50 splits.

Gemmell does own a lifetime best of 1:55.90 from the 2023 World Championships.

Splits Comparison

• Friday Finals: 27.21/29.61/30.61/30.08 – 1:57.51
• Saturday TT: 27.18/29.52/30.23/30.33 – 1:57.26

2023-2024 US Rankings- Women’s 200 FR LCM

1. Katie Ledecky, 1:54.97
2. Anna Peplowski, 1:56.99
3. Paige Madden, 1:57.25
4. Erin Gemmell, 1:57.26**
5. Simone Manuel, 1:57.37
6. Addison Sauickie, 1:57.98

Texas Longhorn Gemmell, swimming for Nation’s Capital, was also featured in the women’s 50 free, where she took third at 25.53, three-tenths off her entry time of 25.29. Taking the win with a monstrous 24.28 was Polish native Kasia Wasick. Touching in for second was confirmed Texas fifth-year Grace Cooper at 25.10. At the April San Antonio Pro Swim Series, Wasick put up 24.20. However, she was faster at the February 2024 World Championships, where she posted 23.95 Polish national record for bronze. For Cooper, her 25.10 matched her season best from the 2023 US Open. While Kasick remains third in the world this season, Cooper rests at 16th in the US for the season.

Women’s 50 Free Race Video

Peering at the rest of Saturday’s regular finals session results, Shaine Casas dominated the men’s 100 back with a winning time of 53.89, ahead of Texas first-year Will Modglin‘s 54.74 runner-up time. Casas came three-tenths from his 53.54 season best from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series, which ranks fourth in the nation this season. Modglin also set a new SB, dropping from his 55.22 from February’s TCU dual meet to now rank 14th in the US this season.

Men’s 100 Back Race Video

The men’s 200 breast featured a showdown between multi-time World champion Nic Fink and multi-time Worlds teamer Will Licon. With Fink out-splitting Licon by a full second on the last 50, he took the win by 0.26s over Licon, 2:11.51 to 2:11.77. Jake Foster, 2024 Worlds event finalist, finished in third at 2:12.55. For Fink, this is his fastest in-season swim outside of 2024 World Champs and fall 2023’s World Cup Series. The same went for Foster, who swam his fastest in-season swim outside of October 2023 Pan American Games and his season best of 2:08.78 from 2024 Worlds. Meanwhile, Licon was just outside his SB of 2:10.96 from the March Westmont Pro Swim Series, which ranks 7th in the US this season.

Men’s 200 Breast Race Video

Additional Notable Day 4 Highlights

After Texas’ Nate Germonprez gained a lead after breaststroke in the men’s 200 IM final, TXLA-trainee Rex Maurer dropped 27.74 on the freestyle to attempt to catch him. However, it was Germonprez who took out the win at 2:00.16, with Maurer settling for second at 2:00.85. Both swimmers had just missed their respective personal bests by a few tenths, yet were also both easily under the US Olympic Trials cut of 2:03.49. Germonprez and Maurer currently rank 13th and 14th, respectively, in the US for this season’s 200 IM times.

In the men’s 50 free, Texas’ Camden Taylor went 2-for-2 personal bests, first hitting 22.93 in prelims then winning the final at 22.91. Taylor’s 22.97 former PB came from a February TCU dual meet. Finishing second by a tenth was Harvard’s Sonny Wang at 23.01, 0.05s off his 22.96 PB from the March 2023 Sectionals Series. The US Olympic Trials cut needed for the duo is a 22.79. Taking the men’s 50 free prelims lead before scratching finals was Canadian-Italian-American Santo Condorelli of North Texas’ Dallas Mustangs, hitting the wall at 22.77. At Westmont, Condorelli posted 21.89, which was hundredths off his 21.83 PB from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

More Day 4 Finals Winners

• Abby Grottle of Texas A&M’s Aggie Swim Club won the women’s 800 free with an 8:51.94, swiping seven seconds off her season best of 8:58.25 from the San Antonio Pro Swim Series. Grottle’s US Olympic Trials-qualifying lifetime best of 8:40.70 came from the 2023 US Nationals, which ranked 26th in the US at the end of that season.
• South Carolina’s Connor Fry of South Carolina set a new personal best in the men’s 800 free at 8:14.70, eclipsing his former PB of 8:15.20 from the 2023 US Open. The US Olympic Trials cut in this event is 8:09.69.
• Texas’ Emma Kern took the women’s 100 back at 1:01.00, 0.64s ahead of training mate Berit Berglund (1:01.64). Both Kern and Berglund were under the US Olympic Trials cut of 1:01.89. Kern’s swim was good enough to shave one one-hundredth off her former 1:01.01 personal best from San Antonio. For Berglund, it was a season best, taking down her 1:02.00 SB from San Antonio.
• Aquajets teammates 17-year-old Grace Rabb and 27-year-old Olivia Anderson raced to a photo finish in the women’s 200 breast. Looking at the scoreboard, Rabb got the tenths upper-hand on Anderson for the win, 2:32.39 to 2:32.83. The US Olympic Trials cut is a 2:31.69. While not a Trials cut, Rabb’s 2:32.39 did mark a new personal best, dropping from her 2:32.74 from San Antonio. For Anderson, she did set a season best by almost four seconds from her 2:36.31 in San Antonio.
• Setting a personal best to win the women’s 200 IM by over two seconds was Texas’ Angie Coe, swimming 2:14.64 to drop from her 2:15.18 PB set at Knoxville. Taking second was Campbell Stoll at 2:17.06, ahead of fly specialist and fellow Longhorn Emma Sticklen‘s 2:19.60. Sticklen was faster in prelims, clocking in at 2:17.82, which flirted with her 2:17.19 PB from May 2023. The US Olympic Trials cut is a 2:16.09.