Note: There are two Pro-Am meets this week in Oklahoma City; we’ll identify them by their host teams: KMSC (King Marlin Swim Club) and AESC (American Energy Swim Club). This recap is about the KMSC Pro-Am.
PRIZE STRUCTURE
In the professional divisions, the top three pro athletes in Championship Finals will receive a cash prize BASED ON THEIR ABSOLUTE FINISH in individual events as follows:
- $600
- $300
- $100
The winner’s prize is doubled for the 1650 free to $1,200, as do prize winnings in eight “bounty events” if the OCCC Pool Record is broken:
Women Bounty Events:
Day 1- 1000 Free Pool Record 2009 Chloe Sutton – 9:26.58
Day 2- 100 Fly 2007 Rachel Komisarz – 50.88
Day 3- 500 Free 2004 Rachel Komisarz – 4:36.80
Day 4- 200 back 2007 Kristy Coventry – 1:52.88
Men Bounty Events:
Day 1- 1000 Free 2006 Robert Margalis – 8:46.77
Day 2 – 100 Fly 2007 Ian Crocker – 45.60
Day 3 – 500 Free 2003 Chad Carvin – 4:14.56
Day 4 – 100 Free 2002 Jason Lezak – 42.22
The 50 free shootout, in a bracket-style format, will award $1,200 to the winner, $600 to the runner-up, and $200 to the 3rd-place finisher.
Pros are limited to 4 individual entries for the meet, and amateur athletes can also accrue “Amateur Points” for prizes, in allowance with NCAA rules.
DAY 4 RECAP
The final night of the KMSC Invite began with the fastest finals of the women’s and men’s 1650y freestyle. On the women’s side, Kansas City Blazers’ Lauren Peterson ran away with the win in a time of 16:53.01, surpassing her season best of 17:05.03 from mid-November. Jessica Storer from Lincoln Select Swimming earned second place in 17:11.56, off of the 17:00.90 she also clocked last month, while Mission Viejo’s Samantha Nassif rounded out the top three with her time of 17:15.13.
The men’s 1650y free race saw Mission Viejo’s Nicholas Norman top the field in his time of 14:50.78, ranking him third in the country for 17-year-olds in this event, only behind swift sensations True Sweetser and Townley Haas. Norman’s season best swim tonight was just over a second off of the pool record held by Michael Klueh at 14:49.68 from 2010. Second in this evening’s race was Norman’s teammate, 16-year-old Shane Forker, who threw down a monster swim himself, in a time of 15:21.35. The now eighth-fastest 16-year-old in the country this year was sitting at a best time of 15:58.50 prior to tonight. Minki Kang (Arkansas Dolphins Swim Team) touched just a half second behind Forker, earning third place in his time of 15:21.87.
One of the mega-forces at this meet, 17-year-old Katie McLaughlin, earned yet another win tonight, touching the wall first in the women’s 200y backstroke in a time 1:57.60, just sliding by her previous best thus far this year at 1:57.76, set at the Minneapolis Grand Prix. King Marlin Swim Club’s Rylee Linhardt was the other swimmer tonight who dipped under the 2:00 mark, finishing in 1:59.88, notably faster than her 2:01.74 Junior Nationals swim just last week. Carla Gonzalez, the 100y backstroke 3rd place finisher from the Fort Worth Area Swim Team, came in third again here with her time of 2:00.86.
Eugene Godsoe, the meet’s 100y backstroke winner, made it happen again tonight, as he took the 200y distance in a time of 1:41.08. That time was off his pool record of 1:38.21 set back in 2012, but fast enough to edge out second place finisher, Schroder YMCA’s Adam Mania who touched in 1:43.73. 17-year-old Brennan Balough, from Lincoln Select Swimming, held his own and ended up third with a time of 1:46.85. That was off his mark of 1:44.29 from Winter Junior Nats this past week, but still logs him as twelfth for 17-year-olds nationally in this event.
The women’s 100y freestyle final was loaded with youngsters, as 15-year-old Lauren Pitzer (Lakeside Aquatic Club) came away with the victory in a time of 49.50. Pitzer now owns the top two times in the country for 15-year-olds in this event, with her #1 time of 49.06 coming from Winter Junior Nats. 14-year-old Samantha Shelton (Mission Viejo) scored a major swim herself, earning second place in a time of 50.02, crushing her 52.01 from the Minneapolis Grand Prix and lowering herself below the 51-point for the first time in her young career. Gillian St. John, 17-years-old from Lobo Aquatics, came in third tonight with a time of 50.78.
Things shook up a bit in the men’s 100y freestyle finals from what transpired during prelims, as professional swimmer, Jimmy Feigen, raced to the top of the podium tonight, winning in a time of 42.75 (splits: 20.30/22.45). This was quite a move from the 7th-seed-46.07 Feigen clocked this morning. Giles Smith, the winner of the 100y butterfly earlier in the meet, dropped some time of his own from prelims to finals, getting his hand on the wall for second place in 43.38, a solid time for this pro swimmer. In perspective, Smith’s time from NCAA Championships this past March was 43.20. BJ Hornikel also stepped it up tonight, earning earned third place in a time of 43.60, quite faster than his 45.35 from prelims.
The dynamo Katie McLaughlin doubled up AGAIN and went on to win her second event of the night, the women’s 200y butterfly, and she did it in meet-record breaking fashion. McLaughlin’s time of 1:54.18 cleared her own previous meet mark of 1:54.48 set in 2013. McLaughlin’s 1:54.18 time also dethroned Ella Eastin (1:54.37) as the top 17-year-old in the country in the event. Hannah Saiz touched in second in 1:56.12, while Macie Beairsto finished in third place in 2:01.41. McLaughlin’s victory in this event simply adds to her treasure chest of wins from this meet to total: 200y free, 100y fly/200y fly and 200y backstroke.
Bobby Bollier won the men’s 200y butterfly tonight, in a time that came dangerously close to knocking down the standing meet record as well. Bollier’s 1:43.68 time was just .33 off of his own meet mark of 1:43.35 from 2013. Phoenix Swim Club’s Alex Coci clocked a 1:44.00 for second place. Coci has had a heck of a meet, already claiming second place in the men’s 100y fly and third in the 200y IM. Another multiple event winner, 500y-freestyle victor, Grant Shoults rounded out the top three in the men’s 100 fly with his result of 1:46.26. That time now sits fifth on the top 200y fly times in the country for 17-year-olds; Shoults already owns the second-fastest time at 1:45.32 from the Minneapolis Grand Prix.
Make that four individual wins for SwimMAC Elite’s Katie Meili, as she simply smashed the meet record tonight in the women’s 100y IM. Her winning time of 53.02 just annihilated the previous meet mark of 54.53 set by Fort Worth’s Whitney Burnett in 2011; Meili now owns the meet records for both IM distances, with her 200y IM time of 1:56.47 from 2013. For this meet, Meili has logged victories in the 100y/200y breaststroke events and now the 100y/200y IM = girl is on fire. Karlee Bispo, from Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, swam a stellar effort, touching behind Meili for second place in a time of 53.82, also clearing the previous record. City of Midland’s Kile Carriger (15-years-old) clocked a 59.24 to earn third for her efforts.
For the men, it was a 1-2-3 pro-swimmer finish in the 100y IM event, as Adam Mania closed out the final race of the night with the top time of 48.26. Giles Smith finished in second place in 48.42 and BJ Johnson earned third in 49.21.