MacNeil Doubles With Victories in 100 Fly and 100 Free at Counsilman Classic

2019 COUNSILMAN CLASSIC

• June 12th-15th, 2019
• Indianapolis, Indiana (IUPUI)
• LCM (50m) pool
• Live Webcast
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2019 Counsilman Classic”

Rising University of Michigan sophomore Maggie MacNeil improved upon her impressive prelims performances with two victories this evening at the Counsilman Classic in Indianapolis.

First, MacNeil smashed her 100 fly prelims time of 58.31 with a 57.55, coming within half-a-second of her personal best of 57.04 from the 2019 Canadian Trials in April. Thursday evening, MacNeil opened with a quick 27.13, nearly a full second ahead of runner-up and University of Texas commit Kelly Pash of Carmel Swim Club of Indiana, who touched in 59.90. Compared to her best time from April, MacNeil was out .03 faster tonight on the first 50, but didn’t have the same closing speed, finishing in 30.42 tonight versus her 29.88 closing split from Canadian Trials.

MacNeil later won the 100 free in 55.09, besting U.S. National Teamers Gabby DeLoof (55.34) and Regan Smith (55.73). MacNeil’s splits in the 100 freestyle were a very tight 27.33/27.76. DeLoof, meanwhile, blasted out in a 26.65, but was out-done on the 2nd 50 where she split 28.69. Smith’s time comes as her second PB of the day in the 100 freestyle, and her 4th PB of the day overall. Coming into the meet, Smith’s best time in the 100 free stood at 56.53 from 2017. In prelims, Smith dropped down to 55.87, and tonight in finals lowered that time by another 14/100ths. Smith also notched career best times in the 400 freestyle prelims with a 4:13.38, which she lowered to 4:10.33 in finals, where she finished 2nd behind Kaersten Meitz, who touched in 4:08.58.

Meitz has been consistent in this event this season: in March, Meitz posted a 4:08.87 at a Sectionals meet in Indiana, which she followed up with a 4:09.20 at the Richmond stop of the Pro Swim Series.

Zach Apple narrowly out-touched training partner Blake Pieroni in the finals of the men’s 100 freestyle, posting a season-best time of 48.69 to Pieroni’s 48.80. Apple narrowly got the better of Pieroni in this event at the Bloomington stop of the 2019 PSS as well, where the Hoosier duo posted times of 48.76 and 48.86, respectively.

Distance standout Zane Grothe won the men’s 400 freestyle in 3:48.53, nearly equaling his season best of 3:48.27 from the Bloomington stop of the Pro Swim Series. Grothe touched the wall nearly two seconds ahead of Felix Auboeck who finished 2nd in 3:50.40. 18-year-old rising Indiana University sophomore Mikey Calvillo touched third in 3:54.65, nearly equaling his personal best time of 3:54.39 from last summers’s 2018 U.S. National Championships.

After posting a 53.34 in the pelims of the 100 fly, Michigan’s Miles Smachlo won the 100 fly Thursday evening with a new personal best time of 52.88, taking exactly two-tenths off his previous lifetime best from the 2017 U.S. National Championships. Miami of Ohio’s Iago Moussalem do Amaral took 2nd in 53.38, though it’s worth noting that Amaral has been 52.47 this season with his 2nd-place finish at the Brazil Trophy in April.

The men’s 200 breast was a 1-2 victory for Michigan, with Charlie Swanson touching first in a 2:12.89, followed by Tommy Cope in 2:16.76. Though Cope went out in a 1:04.67 at the 100, out-splitting Swanson by a mere 4/100ths, he couldn’t match Swanson’s back-end speed, and closed in a 1:12.09 to Swanson’s 1:08.18. The women’s 200 breast was a much tighter race, and ultimately won by Michigan’s Miranda Tucker in 2:29.85, narrowly edging out IU’s Noelle Peplowski, who finished in 2:30.26. For Peplowski, tonight’s swim comes as a lifetime best, cleaving nearly a second off her former PR of 2:31.05 from last August’s 2018 Junior National Championships.

Thursday’s finals session can be viewed here: