Missy Franklin Swims Lifetime Best in 400 Free at Plantation Sectional

2016 SOUTHERN ZONE SOUTH SECTONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Plantation, Florida
• March 10th-13th, 2016
• Live results
• Saturday Finals results
• Team Standings after day 2
• Individual high points after day 2
• Saturday heat sheets

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin is swimming a bit of an off-primary lineup at the 2016 Plantation Sectionals this week in southern Florida, which on Friday included a swim in the 400 meter freestyle.

She won that race by over 8 seconds, and in the process put in a new lifetime best of 4:12.33.

In yards, Franklin ranks as the 8th-fastest performer ever in the closest equivalent, the 500 yard free, but hasn’t focused much on the event in long course. She swam it only one time across the entire 2015 calendar year, and only twice (prelims-finals) in the year prior.

Her previous best in the race was a 4:12.56.

That was one of only two Franklin swims on the night. For the second time of the meet, she raced the breaststroke leg of a medley relay, which this time had her split 1:14.95 as the Stars finished in 3rd place behind the winners from the South Florida Aquatic Club (whose world-class breaststroker Alia Atkinson split 1:08.57). Of the top three teams in that relay, only the runners-up from the Gator Swim Club, with 4 15-year olds, was without any professional swimmers.

With Franklin absent, 17-year old Erin Voss grabbed a win in the women’s 100 meter backstroke in 1:02.26. She beat out Franklin’s training partner, Fernanda Gonzalez of Mexico, who placed 2nd in 1:03.19 – six-tenths from her prelims time.

The aforementioned Alia Atkinson won her 2nd breaststroke event of the meet, finishing in 31.45 to break the Florida Gold Coast LSC Open Record in the event. Atkinson had previously finished 9th in the 100 backstroke as well by winning the B Final. Her 1:04.04 in that race is a new Jamaican National Record by over a second, even though backstroke isn’t her primary stroke.

Canadian 15-year old Penny Oleksiak also grabbed a new FGC LSC Open Record by winning the women’s 50 fly in 26.59. That beat-out 2012 U.S. Olympian Claire Donahue (26.84) to top the podium.

American 16-year old pro Michael Andrew picked up double sprint victories on Friday evening. First he won the 50 breaststroke in 28.13, and then he swam 24.01 to win the 50 fly as well. That 50 breaststroke swim was just a tenth from his lifetime best as he builds on his second weekend of four-straight racing in the state of Florida.

By his third sprint event of the night, Andrew slid to 3rd-place in the 50 free with a 23.56. Beating him out was Daytona Beach 18-year old Viktor Toth (23.53) and former Auburn standout-turned-Canadian Karl Krug, who swam 22.81 to win.

Other Day 3 winners:

• Kevin Lindgren won the men’s 100 backstroke in 58.10, topping Zachary Poti (58.18).
• 15-year old Isabel Ivey of the Gator Swim Club won the women’s 200 IM in 2:18.36, topping South Florida’s Kathleen Golding (2:19.85). That was the same finish order of the earlier 400 IM on Thursday.
• Quinn Cassidy won the men’s 200 IM in 2:06.02, just a hair ahead of SwimAtlanta’s Alex Taylor (2:06.15). Cassidy took the lead on the breaststroke leg of the swim, his strongest and Taylor’s weakest, and had just enough to hang on to it coming home.
• Canadian Chantal van Landeghem won the women’s 50 free in 25.34. Her training partners Sandrine Mainville (25.39) and Michelle Williams (25.41) were just behind her.
• Azura Florida Aquatics’ Marcelo Acosta won the men’s 400 free in 3:56.20. While his 1500 frees have been impressive over the last two weeks, his 400 hasn’t been to the same level.
• Acosta also anchored Azura Florida to a win in the men’s 400 medley relay.