2015 Winter Nationals: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2015 AT&T U.S. Winter Nationals

• Thursday, December 3rd – Friday, December 5th, 2015
• Federal Way, WA
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
• Prelims 9:00 AM / Distance 3:00 PM / Finals 6:00 PM (U.S. Pacific Time)
• Psych Sheets
• Heat Sheet
• Live Video
• Live Results

Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat

The fastest 800 to come out of the morning heats belonged to Michigan’s Gillian Ryan, who dropped 10.1 seconds to win her heat with 8:31.97. In the heat swum with finals, Haley Anderson of Trojan Swim Club took it out early, staying slightly ahead of the pack from out in lane 7. Top-seeded Lindsay Vrooman of Badger Swim Club and North Baltimore’s Cierra Runge went with her, but Anderson had the edge. At the halfway mark she was up by a second over Vrooman and by more than two over Runge.

Vrooman began her descent at that point, and began to close the gap with Anderson. By the 600 she had more or less pulled even, and she turned ahead of Anderson at the 650. Anderson responded with a 31-high and turned with Vrooman at the 700. Over the next 100 meters the pair traded stroke for stroke, but Anderson surged ahead flags-to-the-wall for the victory, 8:29.32 to 8:29.70. Runge finished third in the heat with 8:32.19; that put her fourth overall as Ryan held onto bronze from out of the earlier heats.

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Anderson and Vrooman moved into the world’s top seven for the season:

Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat

Anton Ipsen of NC State had set the time to beat from the earlier heats: 15:29.35. The evening race was a matchup between Michael McBroom of The Woodlands Swim Team and PJ Ransford of University of Michigan. McBroom led from the middle lane through the first 400, when Ransford picked up the pace and began to split 30.0s. He held on through about the 1000, at which point McBroom began his descent. McBroom held on, while Ransford fell off pace.

Meanwhile there was a race going on for third. True Sweetser of Gator Swim Club was battling Australia’s Jordan Harrison. McBroom brought it home with a strong finish, touching in 15:10.31. Ransford held onto second with a finish of 15:18.46. And Sweetser got his hand to the wall 2 seconds ahead of Harrison, 15:26.57 to 15:28.49. Ipsen was fifth overall.

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Women’s 200 Meter Backstroke – Finals

Fifth out of morning’s heats, Colorado Stars’ Missy Franklin was in lane 2 for the final of the women’s 200m backstroke. Franklin wasted no time, however, getting out into clean water. She was first at the 50 wall, first at the 100 wall, and first at the 150. Stanford Swimming’s Maya DiRado began to creep up on Franklin during the third 50, though, and made it a thrilling race down the stretch. Franklin lunged at the wall and ended up getting her hand there first; she won with 2:07.87 to DiRado’s 2:08.28.

Island Swimming’s Hilary Caldwell, the fastest qualifier, finished third in 2:10.05, just ahead of Cal’s Elizabeth Pelton (2:10.54) and Bluefish’s Elizabeth Beisel (2:10.77).

Erin Earley of Hopkins Mariner won the B final with 2:11.87. Claire Adams of Carmel Swim Club (2:12.57) and Kathleen Baker of Cal/SwimMAC (2:12.70) followed.

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Men’s 200 Meter Backstroke – Finals

This may well end up being the race of the night. Matt Grevers of Tucson Ford took it out early and looked like he was in control. And he was, all the way through the 150. But Patrick Mulcare and New York Athletic Club’s Arkady Vyatchanin weren’t finished racing. Both outsplit Grevers by quite a margin over the last 50 (Mulcare by 7/10 and Vyatchanin by 9/10), and it turned into a photo finish.

Grevers ended up with the win, going 1:57.24. Mulcare took the silver in 1:57.34, while Vyatchanin got the bronze with 1:57.43. Not far behind them was Grigory Tarasevich of Louisville in 1:57.98.

Josh Artmann of Austin Swim Club edged Michigan’s Luke Papendick, 2:01.65 to 2:01.91, for the win in the consolation final.

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Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals

It was a tight race across the middle lanes of the pool in the women’s 100 free. Abbey Weitzeil of Canyons Aquatic Club took it out first, turning first at 25.8. Just behind her were Simone Manuel and Lia Neal of Stanford Swimming. Missy Franklin was a second behind the leaders at the turn.

Weitzeil looked like she was going to blow the field away, but both Manuel and Neal gained on her over the final 25 meters. Manuel got her hand to the wall first with 53.98; Neal was second in 54.01, just ahead of Weitzeil’s 54.11. Franklin was fourth in 54.69.

Allison Schmitt of North Baltimore dominated the B final, winning in 54.71 thanks to a superb second half.

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Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals

It’s a start, a turn, and a finish, and then it’s done. Santo Condorelli was out fastest and home fastest, and thus earned the national title, clocking a swift 48.05. Trojan Swim Club’s Vladimir Morozov was second at the turn, and although California Aquatics’ Nathan Adrian outsplit him coming home, he was able to hold on for the silver with 48.51. Adrian had to settle for bronze with 48.60.

Condorelli improve his season-best by 6/10 and rose to the top of the leaderboard for the 2015-16 year.

Indiana teammates Anze Tavcar and Blake Pieroni went 1-2 in an extremely tight consolation final with respective times of 49.69 and 49.75. Only 6/10 separated first from eighth places in the B final.

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Women’s 200 Meter Breaststroke – Finals

Indiana University’s Lily King won the women’s 200 breast with the fastest time by an American so far this year, and her best time by just over 2 seconds. King jumped out to the early lead in the championship final, turning at 1:09.57 at the 100, slightly ahead of Minnesota’s Kierra Smith. Smith went ahead at the 150, but King cranked it into another gear over the last 50 and came home over a half-second faster than Smith. King got her hand to the wall in 2:24.97, downing the girls’ 17-18 national age group record of 2:25.35, set by Amanda Beard in 2000. That also moved her into the top six in the world so far this season.

Smith earned the silver medal with 2:24.60, while Tennessee’s Molly Hannis rounded out the podium with 2:25.81.

Olympian Breeja Larson of New York Athletic Club dominated the B final, winning in 2:28.44.

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Men’s 200 Meter Breaststroke – Finals

Carlos Claverie of Venezuela clocked a 2:11.53 to win the men’s 200 breast, coming in just under the FINA “A” standard to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Sam Tierney was out first, but Claverie had the strongest second half in the field. Nick Schafer moved into the fray over the last 50 as well, and ended up getting to the wall just ahead of Tierney for the silver medal. Schafer went 2:12.23, Tierney was 2:12.49, and Greater Philadelphia’s Brendan McHugh was 2:12.81 for fourth.

BJ Johnson and Mexico’s Miguel De Lara Ojeda tied for first in the consolation final, both touching in 2:13.91.

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Women’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals

In her second national title of the night, Trojan Swim Club’s Haley Anderson won the 200 fly in 2:10.85. Anderson was fourth at the 100 but came back with a solid 1:08 to overtake the field. Just behind her was Venezuela’s Andreina Pinto with 2:10.95. 16-year-old Taylor Pike of Razorback Aquatics, whose 2:10.70 in prelims put her at number 12 on the all-time list, went 2:11.52 for third.

Cal teammates Caitlin Leverenz (2:12.22) and Kelly Naze (2:12.95) went 1-2 in the B final.

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Men’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals

Michael Phelps of North Baltimore picked up another gold medal, completing his trifecta for the national championships. After first-place finishes in the 200 IM and 100 fly, Phelps closed out the meet with a dominant win in the 200 fly, going 1:56.11. Phelps took it out hard, turning at the 50 in 25.7, already a half body-length ahead of the field. He extended that lead at the 100; only Mack Darragh of Missouri was anywhere near him.

Both Dakota Hodgson of Nashville Aquatic Club and Chase Kalisz of North Baltimore moved up on the field over the second half. Darragh held on through the 150 but fell off pace over the last 50 and came home in a 33. Kalisz split a 29.9 and a 30.5 over the second half to earn the silver medal with 1:57.19. Hodgson was third in 1:59.09, while Darragh got fourth with 1:59.34, just 2/100 ahead of Sebastien Rousseau of Gator Swim Club.

Tom Shields of California Aquatics was the start-to-finish leader of the B final, winning with 1:59.84.

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