Relay Analysis: Dressel Splits 45.2, Anderson Hits 50.7 On Day 1 of Match 10

2020 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – MATCH #10

• Monday, November 9: 4:00 PM-6:00 PM CET (10 AM-12 noon U.S. Eastern, 12 AM-2 AM J+1 Japan)
• Tuesday, November 10: 4:00 PM-6:00 PM CET (10 AM-12 noon U.S. Eastern, 12 AM-2 AM J+1 Japan)
• Duna Arena – Budapest, Hungary
• Short Course Meters (SCM) format
• ISL Technical Handbook
• 2020 ISL Scoring Format
• 2020 ISL Prize Money and Bonuses
• How To Watch
• Teams: Aqua Centurions / Cali Condors / LA Current / London Roar
• Omega Results

With three of Match 10’s four clubs having locked up a spot in the semi-finals, you’d expect teams to step off the gas a little bit here to prepare for the semis. That certainly was not the case in the relays at least, as some scintillating splits were recorded across the board on the opening day of competition.

Below, we’ll dive into the splits:

Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay

Lead-offs

The Cali Condors got off to a surprise lead in the women’s 400 free relay thanks to Olivia Smoliga, who broke 52 seconds for the first time individually in 51.95. Smoliga’s previous best was 52.24 set just a few days ago in Match 8.

Anna Hopkin has consistently been rattling off 51-second splits with a takeover for the London Roar, but was a little off her season-best of 52.08 leading off in 52.29. Though it was still a solid split, it put London in third, with LA’s Andi Murez setting a new Israeli National Record in 52.16 to put the Current second. Murez had previously been 52.26 in Match 3.

Flying Splits

An even bigger surprise than Smoliga taking out Hopkin was the fastest split in the field going to Anastasia Gorbenko, who has become a Swiss Army Knife for the LA Current.

Gorbenko threw down a 51.69 on the second leg, briefly putting LA into the lead over London and Cali. The second and third-fastest splits also came on that leg from London’s Freya Anderson (51.76) and Cali’s Erika Brown (52.00).

Down the stretch it was the Roar’s Maria Kameneva splitting 52.08 on the anchor leg to edge out the Condors’ Natalie Hinds (52.25) for the victory. That was a new best for Kameneva, who split 52.11 in Match 5.

Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay

Lead-offs

Dylan Carter exploded out of nowhere to post the fastest lead-off leg for LA’s ‘B’ team in the men’s free relay, breaking 47 seconds for the first time in 46.56. In Carter’s only other flat-start 100 free this season he went 47.55, and previously held a personal best of 47.29 from last season’s finale.

Aqua Centurion Alessandro Miressi, who has frequently been used on the anchor leg of this relay, led off for his club here in 46.58, which is actually his slowest flat-start of the season (the fastest being 46.03 from Match 2).

Kacper Majchrzak was solid for Cali in 46.9, while Marco Ferreira was well off for LA in 47.59 which dug them an early hole.

Flying Splits

The Condors only sat fourth at the 200m mark, but an NCAA dream duo of Townley Haas (46.22) and Caeleb Dressel (45.28) brought them in to claim the win and end the Centurion’s winning streak in the event. The split for Dressel is his fastest ever, overtaking the 45.40 he did last season, and is just over a tenth outside of the top split we’ve seen this season (Zach Apple, 45.15).

Marcelo Chierighini has been under 46 seconds multiple times for the Centurions this year, and was strong again in 46.07 despite getting run down by Dressel. Pedro Spajari, who usually leads off, was also impressive in 46.25.

Making Cali’s win even more impressive was that they didn’t even use Justin Ress, who would end up splitting 46.00 on the medley later in the session.

Tom Shields had the top split for LA, and Mikhail Vekovishchev backed up his 45.9 from two matches ago with a 46.09 for London.

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

Backstroke Lead-offs

Breaststroke Splits

Butterfly Splits

Freestyle Splits

Following her personal best leading off the free relay, Smoliga sent Cali out into the lead once again in the medley, clocking 56.24 for the 100 back to be the only women sub-57. Lilly King followed her in 1:03.03, marking her fastest of the season (previously going 1:03.11) and tying what Energy Standard’s Benedetta Pilato did earlier in the day.

The Smoliga/King combo put Cali up by over a second and a half on London, and then after Kelsi Dahlia extended it with a 56.37 fly leg, Erika Brown finished things off in a PB of 51.49.

Anderson closed like a freight train, home in 50.74 to improve on her 50.96 from Match 8’s mixed relay. She remains the second-fastest relay swimmer this season behind Sarah Sjostrom (50.67).

Abbey Weitzeil also had a fast anchor leg in 51.29 for LA, especially after her 52.85 on the free relay.

Back on the eighth-place Aqua Centurions, Arianna Castiglioni had the second-fastest breast leg, beating out London’s Alia Atkinson (1:03.75), in 1:03.48.

Men’s 400 Medley Relay

Backstroke Lead-offs

Breaststroke Splits

Butterfly Splits

Freestyle Splits

Swimming out in lane one, Ryan Murphy got the LA Current out to a big lead on the backstroke in 49.80 and it was smooth sailing from there.

Felipe Lima had the second-fastest breast leg in 56.54, Tom Shields split sub-49 again on fly in 48.92, and Maxime Rooney was 46-flat to anchor them home.

Despite sitting seventh after the backstroke, the Aqua Centurions moved up to second at the end with impressive legs from Nicolo Martinenghi (56.13), Szebasztian Szabo (49.32) and Miressi (45.94).

The Cali Condors got clipped by the London Roar for third, due in part to Kirill Prigoda (56.77) taking 1.41 seconds out of Nic Fink (58.18) on breast. They also would’ve been better off having Ress on the ‘A’ team on the anchor leg. He was .19 quicker than Majchrzak, while they lost to the Roar by only .04.

Dressel was only the fourth-fastest man on fly in 49.55, with Vekovishchev dropping a 49.30 for London’s ‘B’ team.