Ray Looze Previews Lilly King’s 200 Breast (Video)

^{Reported by Lauren Neidigh.}

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST:

• NCAA Record: Lilly King (Indiana), 2017, 2:03.18
• American Record: Lilly King (Indiana), 2017, 2:03.18
• Championship Record: Lilly King (Indiana), 2017, 2:03.18
• 2017 Champion: Lilly King (Indiana), 2:03.18

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Lilly King, Indiana, 2:05.49
2. Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M, 2:06.61
3. Bethany Galat, Texas A&M, 2:07.10
4. Bailey Bonnett, Kentucky, 2:07.68
5. Lindsey Kozelsky, Minnesota, 2:07.75
6. Miranda Tucker, Michigan, 2:07.85
7. Anna Belousova, Texas A&M, 2:07.99
8. Esther Gonzalez Medina, Texas A&M, 2:08.01

The Aggies will have 4 women in tonight’s final. Texas A&M’s Sydney Pickrem and Bethany Galatqualified out of the final heat, running down Minnesota’s Lindsey Kozelsky as all 3 landed top 8 spots. Another Aggie, Esther Gonzalez, took 4th in that heat and snuck into the final at 8th. Teammate Anna Belousova used her back-half speed to out-touch USC’s Maggie Aroesty and Arizona State’s Silja Kansakoski in heat 5.

Indiana’s reigning champ Lilly King led from start to finish in heat 6, turning in 59.76 halfway. King won by a body length in 2:05.49. She looked like she had shut it down a bit by the 3rd 50, but still led prelims by over a second. Former teammate Miranda Tucker, now of Michigan, came in behind her at 2:07.85.

South Carolina’s Emma Barksdale shaved over half a second from her best to dominate heat 1 in 2:10.16. Teammate Albury Higgs won heat 4 in a lifetime best 2:08.90, leading as we head into circle seeded heats. Eastern Michigan’s Delaney Duncan, a 100 breast finalist, was body lengths ahead in heat 2 with a 2:08.91. That was a best time by over 2 seconds. Cal’s Ali Harrison clipped her best time to win heat 3 in 2:10.21.