Dean Farris Skips 200 Free, Goes Best in 100 Fly by 1.6 Seconds in Knoxville

2020 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• Thursday, January 16 – Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Knoxville, TN – Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center – University of Tennessee
• Long course meters (LCM) format
• Thursday distance session: 4 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Fri-Sun.: 9:30 AM Prelims / 6:30 PM Finals
• Meet site
• Live Stream
  • All Prelims, B finals, Thursday & Sunday finals
  • Friday & Saturday A Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Live results

Between the 200 free and 100 fly this morning in Knoxville, Dean Farris opted out of the former and instead raced the latter.

Farris was 53.43 in the 100 fly prelims today, good enough for third overall going into tonight’s final, and just under two-tenths back of prelims leader Giles Smith (53.25). In terms of his own resume, it’s the first time he’s broken 55 seconds in the 100m fly, destroying his old best of 55.08 from the 2018 Atlanta Classic in May. For someone with a 47.69 yards best from 2016, when he was in high school, it’s not entirely surprising that he has this kind of speed, but fly is his third-best stroke and it’s not something we often see him race.

Moreover, Farris is one of the leading sprint freestylers in the country in meters, and is the 200 free American Record-holder in yards (1:29.15). At 48.07 in the 100m free and 1:46.45 in the 200m free from last summer, his best shots at making the U.S. Olympic team this year are undeniably in those two events, if not for an individual spot then a relay spot. Past that, his 50 free (22.32) and 100 back (53.93) are his strongest third and fourth events right now.

Farris skipped the 200 free at the 2019 NCAA Championships last spring with Harvard. He would’ve won the 200 free title by almost an entire second with his 800 free relay lead-off leg from night one of the meet, but his move to the 100 back still paid the same points-wise as he won the national title there anyways.