A number of tight battles between high-profile names dotted the third night of the Speedo Champions Series Charlotte Sectional, with Cullen Jones most notably topping Ryan Lochte in a 50 (SCY) free showdown.
Jones went 19.58 to touch out Lochte, 19.66 in just his second meet back from the knee injury that cost him most of the winter months. The SwimMAC teammates powered away from the field from the get-go, the only two athletes under 20.
The next men’s race was another close one between teammates. In fact, the 200 breast wound up in a tie between former and future Louisville Cardinals. Incoming freshman Todd Owen, competing already for Cardinal Aquatics, went 1:56.31 to tie former Louisville collegiate star and now-professional Carlos Almeida. The race was as exciting as they come: Almeida led early but Owen slowly reeled in his older counterpart, trailing by just .01 at the 150-mark. Neither man could gain an advantage in the final 50 and the pair ended up tied for the title.
Another showdown closed the meet, with the men’s 500 free pitting Hungarian Laszlo Cseh against Dion Dreesens of the Netherlands. The two were seeded tight coming into finals, but Dreesens turned on the jets at night, roaring to a win in 4:20.10. Cseh dropped two seconds off his prelims time but still could only follow Dreesens into the wall from a distance, going 4:28.41 for second place.
Cseh also opened the meet by winning the 200 fly, going 1:43.42 after blowing out to a two-plus second lead by the halfway marker.
17-year-old SwimMAC sensation Kathleen Baker put up an outstanding time in winning the 100 back. Baker tested out her butterfly and breaststroke the night before to great success, but showed why she’s still clearly first and foremost a backstroker by chopping one full second off her lifetime-best to go 51.51. How outrageous is that time? Not only would it be an NCAA “A” cut this season, it would rank Baker 9th in what is perhaps the strongest 100 backstroke field in NCAA history.
That backstroke field featured some other big age group names who topped events earlier in the meet.SwimMAC’s Madison Kennedy was second in 53.60, her teammate Nora McCullagh third in 53.86 and Mount Pleasant’s Megan Kingsley fourth in 54.79.
Kennedy was coming off a 50 freestyle win just two events earlier – the former Cal Bear went 22.05 to beat her professional teammates Katie Meili (22.56) and Kelsi Hall (22.58). 16-year-old McCullagh won the 200 free one night earlier and Kingsley opened up the night 3 action with a win in the 200 fly. The 17-year-old went 1:55.06 to top Chattahoochee Gold’s Lauren Case.
Meili got a win of her own just one event after that 50 free in her signature stroke. The Columbia grad went 2:09.95 to pace the 200 breaststroke field for SwimMAC.
Despite losing that 50 free battle to Jones, Lochte went out on top for the night, blazing to a 45.34 win in the 100 back. Lochte went practically unchallenged, splitting 21.5/23.8 for the win.
The women’s 500 went to 13-year-old Madison Homovich out of North Carolina Aquatic Club. She dropped over two seconds from her lifetime-best to go 4:44.99 and win the event with flying colors, despite being easily the youngest swimmer in the entire field.
Results can be found on Meet Mobile under “2014 ESSZ Speedo Championship Series.”
I had a feeling that Ryan Lochte would swim well at some point after coming off the knee injury.
Kathleen Baker seems to be one to watch for the future.
Thank heavens that Cullen Jones won a race!! It has seemed like ages
I was pulling for him, too. I’d feel bad if Lochte beat him at his own race.
Although I wouldn’t be worried if he’d lost. He’s admitted that he’s a terrible in-season swimmer. A 50 free with tapered Jones vs. tapered Lochte? Cullen Jones all day long.
Crazy week for Miss Baker!
She’s a beast in yards.
Amazing versatility!
1.43.61 in the 200 free/59.37 in the 100 breast/51.51 in the 100 back!
And like John Sampson, I can’t wait to see what she will be able to do in the 200 IM today.
She has a PB of 1.56.29. The 17/18 NAG record is 1.53.77 by Katie Hoff.
Why not?
😎
Another name to mention is 13-year-old Madison Homovich.
New PB in the 200 free in 1.48.31.
New PB in the 200 fly in 1.59.38.
New PB in the 500 free in 4.44.99.
I mentioned last December at the Tom Dolan Invitational she swam faster times… Read more »
Baker was 1:57.75 in prelims, but seemed to hold back a bit on the back leg (split 29.29, was the only split where she wasn’t the fastest in the field).
Ledecky was 4:45.6 when she finished as a 13-year-old. Homovich swam it coming off the 200 fly and 100 back finals as well. She’s arguably better in the 1000 too, so there’s a definite possibility for Rio in 400/800.
Any idea where Baker is looking for college. A 1:43 200 free + 59.3 100 breast + 51.5 100 back is the type of range that has coaches head over heels. She will be the most sought after swimmer in her class (and yes I am including ledecky into this equation; I still think she will go pro). I would love to see Baker go to the dawg pound! She has many bright years ahead of her; her 200 IM should be sick tomorrow! Can’t wait
Baker’s unofficially visited Stanford and Cal for the Arizona meets this season. She visited both schools with Ella Eastin and Katie McLaughlin.
I’d be surprised if that were not close to Lochte’s best 50 yard free time.
Lochte’s best in the 50 according to the heat sheet at the meet is 19.51. He went 19.22 at Winter Nationals in 2007.
Sick 100 back out of Lochte. Coming back from a knee injury and being just 0.7 off his best time? Madness. And looking at his splits, there seems to be a lot he could do on the back half… A 2.3 second spread would be too big of a gap even on the 100 free when you have a dive, let alone the backstroke. It’s to be expected, though, and I’d rather him be a bit out of condition but fully recovered than pushing the conditioning so early that his knee doesn’t heal fully.
And Kathleen Baker is a little stud. Should be exciting to see what she can do in the coming years.
Lochte went a best time by 1.2 in the 100 fly yesterday, and a best time by .8 in the 200 free yesterday. The knee injury doesn’t seem to have much effect.
The 100 fly was a lifetime best by .4. The 200 free was not a lifetime best.
Worth noting that Homovich vaults to 15th on all-time 13-14 swimmers in 500 free. That’s coming off of swimming A final 200 fly and B final 100 back earlier in the evening. And she’s on the younger end of the age group.
Also worth noting that Katie Ledecky’s best time at the age of 13 was 4:45.6.
ALSO worth noting that coming into this season, Homovich had never broken 5:00.
Kathleen Baker is the next Natalie Coughlin but can also can compete in breaststroke. Just wait…