Andrew Wilson Goes Sub-1:00 Breaststroke in Austin

The American Short Course Championships, while not technically recognized by USA Swimming as a National Championship meet, still play a very important roll in the spring swimming calendar.

• Live meet results available here.

The meet, hosted by Longhorn Aquatics in Austin, Texas, serves a dual purpose both as a high-level meet for Austin-based age groupers and elites, several nation-wide elites who have come in for the meet, as well as a last chance meet for college swimmers.

This year’s meet, in anticipation of the upcoming Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, isn’t technically being held entirely in short course. The first two days will be long course races before reverting back to short course yards for Saturday and Sunday.

In the first day’s prelims, Longhorn Aquatics’ Andrew Wilson, who is training at the University of Texas while taking off the NCAA Division III season at Emory, swam a 59.91 in the 100 meter breaststroke – over three seconds faster than the rest of the field. That’s the third-fastest time of his career and the first time that he’s swum under a minute outside of the 2015 U.S. National Championship meet.

Wilson, who won the U.S. National title in this event over the summer (albeit with the country’s best swimmers away competing at the World Championships), will swim at his first Olympic Trials in 2016 with a chance to win. He’s the fastest American in the 2015-2016 season and the 6th-fastest swimmer in the world so far. For comparison, Cody Miller swam the fastest time in prelims of the parallel Arena Pro Swim Series meet in Orlando of 1:00.53.

Among the other Olympic contenders in attendance is Jessica Hardy from the Golden West Swim Club in California. The two-time Olympic medalist (both on relays) swam a 1:07.65 in the women’s 100 breaststroke that is her season-best time (about 6-tenths better than she was at the Pro Swim Series – Austin meet). She out-raced locally-based Laura Sogar, who qualified 2nd in 1:09.56.

The Canyons Aquatic Club also brought along their roster of younger stars-in-the-making to the meet, and they won both of the 50 freestyle races. In the women’s event, it was Abbey Weitzeil who won in 24.91, beating out Hardy’s 25.97.

On the men’s side, it was American-Canadian Santo Condorelli who took the victory, swimming a 22.49. Condorelli originally represented the United States internationally but last year changed his sporting citizenship to Canada.

Their teammate Stanzi Moseley, a 17-year old USC commit, was the top qualifier in the 200 free in 2:01.21.

Other top qualifiers into the short course yards finals:

• Women’s 400 IM – Kate Krolikowski, Aquazot – 4:53.22
• Men’s 400 IM – Carlos Hunnicut, TCU – 4:30.17
• Men’s 200 Free – Michael McBroom, Texas post-grad – 1:50.50
• Women’s 100 Back – Eva Merrell, Aquazot – 1:02.20
• Women’s 200 Fly – Victoria Navarro, BCH Heatwave – 2:16.82
• Men’s 200 Fly – Chris Taber, Aquazot – 2:02.20
• Women’s 800 Free – Julee Keenan-Rivers, North Coast Aquatics – 9:18.74