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Manuel, Ledecky Highlight Day 3 Prelims In Santa Clara

2019 SANTA CLARA SWIM CLUB INTERNATIONAL MEET

Reigning Olympic champions Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky were both in action this morning at the Santa Clara International meet, both claiming the top seed in the women’s 50 and 400 free respectively.

Manuel threw down a season-best in the 100 free during the heats on Friday before scratching the final, while this was Ledecky’s first swim of the competition as Stanford students are currently midway through their finals.

Manuel clocked a time of 24.40 in the women’s 50, her fastest of the 2019 calendar year by .01 (was 24.41 at the Bloomington PSS). She sits sixth in the world for 2019 with that swim, while her 24.39 from the U.S. Winter Nats in November ranks her seventh for the 2018-19 season.

Abbey Weitzeil, who won the 100 free last night after Manuel scratched, qualified second for the final in a time of 25.28, and her Cal teammate Katie McLaughlin was third in 25.35 (0.16 off her lifetime best).

The three of them were also the top-three qualifiers in the 50 fly, and all hit personal best times. Weitzeil led the way in 26.42, followed by McLaughlin (26.59) and Manuel (26.66).

Ledecky produced the top time of the morning by over 11 seconds in the 400 free in a time of 4:02.44, with teammate Ella Eastin second in 4:13.57. Ledecky sits second in the world this year with her 3:59.95 from Bloomington (trailing Ariarne Titmus‘ 3:59.66). Eastin’s swim was a new PB, improving on her 4:14.08 from the 2018 Indianapolis PSS.

OTHER EVENTS

  • Zoe Bartel (2:29.63) and Allie Raab (2:30.71) both put up season-best times for the top two spots in the women’s 200 breast.
  • Swim Ontario’s Eli Wall qualified first into the men’s 200 breast final in 2:17.75, followed by Brody Lewis (2:18.97) who was just over two-tenths off his lifetime best from 2017 (2:18.74).
  • Nate Biondi of Cal narrowly missed his best time by .05 in the men’s 50 free, putting up the top time of the session in 22.98.
  • Cal’s Keaton Blovad was the top qualifier in the women’s 100 back in a time of 1:01.49, leading last night’s 200 back runner-up Erin Voss (1:02.36). Blovad was a season-best 1:00.97 at the Speedo Grand Challenge a few weeks ago.
  • Alto Swim Club’s Johannes Calloni, who also scratched last night’s finals session after putting up the top prelim time in the 200 back, leads the men’s 100 back this morning in 55.80. That crushes his old best of 56.72 set in April at the Italian Championships.
  • Lleyton Plattel of the Pleasanton Seahawks leads the men’s 400 free in 4:00.82.
  • Kyler Van Swol of Santa Clara topped the men’s 50 fly field in 24.43, his fastest swim since the 2014 U.S. Nationals.

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Sccoach
5 years ago

Yozhik is my favorite poster. Sometimes comes with super insightful thoughts with interesting statistics, other times makes it seem like he doesn’t know how competitive swimming works. I think it’s incredibly entertaining and I’m looking forward to more posts!!!

Yozhik
Reply to  Sccoach
5 years ago

Should I knew how it works I would never be here. Obtaining new knowledge – what can give more satisfaction. And I don’t afraid to go wrong way sometimes because I know there always be some nice people like OL’ LONGHORN who are ready 24/7 to show me right direction. 😀
Hearing warm words is always a great pleasure. But please don’t flatter me again because there is a danger that I begin to believe that that is true.

Love to Swim
Reply to  Sccoach
5 years ago

I concur. At the very least Yozhik knows numbers and quite insightful with analyses. He’s much better than that insufferable Bobo Gigi ugh

Harry
5 years ago

KL seems like she’s on her way to a 🌏 #1 time in the 400 freestyle.

Iron Bowls
5 years ago

26.4 for Abbey in fly after 25.2 in free… For a girl who’s 24.2 at her best in free, is a 25 mid 50 fly something she’s capable of? I know the young 14 year old is coming up on 25 high for that event, but right now is Kelsi the only 25s American 50 flyer? Not sure it will have any impact on Olympics but for Abbey to have an elite 50 fly could help her in a professional sense for euro prize money meets or ISL, etc.

Yozhik
5 years ago

400FR – 200FR – 200IM
That is Ledecky’s program at this meet. What is that? An attempt to complete with 3:58 and 1:54 the unfinished business in Bloomington? Just making Titmus a little bit nervous before trials? Or this meet is a required duty she had to perform as a professional swimmer? We will have an answer soon.

Smh
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Stanford has finals this week, the first of which were yesterday. Don’t read too far into this meet homie.

Pvdh
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

comment image

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
5 years ago

Can you please, show my happy emotions, since Katie was only two tenths of a second shorter of my prediction.
Ple-e-e-e as. You are so good with that.

Hswimmer
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

What lol

FLSwimmer
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Dude, chill. She’s a student at Stanford (who are in finals week) as well. She’s going to crush Titmus at Worlds

Yozhik
Reply to  FLSwimmer
5 years ago

I like people who can foresee the future making “my troubles like bubbles to vanish in air” 😀

JudgeNot
Reply to  FLSwimmer
5 years ago

I faintly remember finals. I can’t fathom trying to swim a meet in the middle of that. I seem to remember too many all-nighters and a lot of stress/fatigue/insanity. I expect Katie’s got her poop in a group better than I did…

phelps swims 200 breast rio
Reply to  JudgeNot
5 years ago

Exactly

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  JudgeNot
5 years ago

Srelax . She is majoring in Pol Sci .

Old Man Chalmers
Reply to  FLSwimmer
5 years ago

Rumour has it Ledecky said she’ll smash titmus like a guitar at worlds.

Samesame
Reply to  Old Man Chalmers
5 years ago

Lol. I think it will be close actually this year .

Eagleswim
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

It’s the best swimmer in the world getting some racing in at a small-time meet in her back yard.

Dunc1952
Reply to  Eagleswim
5 years ago

Small-time meet? Santa Clara International meet? It’s been going well over a half century and while it may be down a bit this year (Down? Ledecky, Manuel, Eastin, Weitzel, McLaughlin, etc.), after having been left off the PSS series, if you average the quality of the meet over the half-century you will not find a non-team selection or championship meet with a better history. Not Mare Nostrum, not Sette Colli, not any.

Eagleswim
Reply to  Dunc1952
5 years ago

Oh sorry I thought we were talking about the 2019 meet that’s happening this weekend. My bad.

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  Eagleswim
5 years ago

Yes not much happening but I did take a look at the regional news. I am pleased that several 1970s murders have been recently solved with new dna tests & access to ancestry sites . . All such killers must be freaking out as relatives get the heritage bug & put their sample up .. Good times .

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Move over to the Hosszu channel at Mare Nostrum.

Daboss
5 years ago

Both ladies are on the downside…just my opinion – Time for new blood and HUNGRY athletes to become the next sensations.

PASWIM
Reply to  Daboss
5 years ago

Holy Bad Takes, Batman

Dunc1952
Reply to  Daboss
5 years ago

Who are you talking about? You insult (“on the downside”) “both” ladies, when the article mentions about 10.

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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