WOMEN’S 50 Freestyle Final – 2014 Austin Grand Prix – reported by Jared Anderson / SwimSwam
In a tightly-bunched final field for the splash-and-dash, it was savvy veterans who rose to the top. Multi-time Olympian Natalie Coughlin went 25.17, getting her hand on the wall first in a field loaded with big names.
27-year-old Amanda Weir took second place, going 25.23 to just nip Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (25.24). Vanderpool-Wallace, a former Auburn star who now competes for SwimMAC Carolina, was herself just three tenths ahead of the next finisher, Simone Manuel, the 17-year-old who won the 100 free against many of these same swimmers last night. Manuel, who swims for First Colony, finished third in the 200 free just a few events earlier.
Canada’s Victoria Poon came in fifth with a 25.52 and Puerto Rican Olympian Vanessa Garcia was sixth, just .02 back.
Former LSU star Amanda Kendall was 25.61 for seventh in the second meet of her career comeback, and Hannah Riordan took 8th.
Riordan’s teammate Sandrine Mainville finished 9th overall, winning the B final with a 25.45. That was faster than SwimMAC’s Kelsi Hall and Athens Bulldogs’ Megan Romano, who was coming off the last women’s event, the 200 back.
