2018 Pro Swim Series – Columbus: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2018 PRO SWIM SERIES – COLUMBUS

• Thursday, July 5 – Sunday, July 8, 2018
• McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, Columbus, OH
• Thursday: Timed Finals 5 PM (US Eastern Time)
• Friday-Sunday: Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6:30 PM (US Eastern Time)
• Meet site
• Meet info
• Psych sheet
• Live Results
• Sunday Finals Heat Sheet

The final session of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series will feature the 200 fly, 100 breast, 100 back and 200 IM from Columbus, along with the fastest heats of the men’s and women’s 800 freestyle.

Chase Kalisz will take on the 200 fly and 200 IM double tonight after swimming a triple this morning, scratching out of the 100 breast where he finished 4th this morning in a new best time. Michael Andrew will take aim at a best time in that event after coming only two tenths off this morning, and Lilly King and Katie Meili will go to battle in the women’s event.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY FINAL

• PSS Record: 2:06.76, Cammile Adams (USA), 2012

1. Kelsi Dahlia, Cardinal Aquatics, 2:09.23
2. Remedy Rule, Longhorn Aquatics, 2:12.68
3. Lauren Edelman, Kentucky Aquatics, 2:13.35

With Leah Smith scratching out, Kelsi Dahlia was the big favorite to pick up the win in the women’s 200 fly, and she did just that by leading the heat wire-to-wire to touch in a time of 2:09.23. That comes just .01 off her season-best time done in Indianapolis, which ranks her 3rd in the country.

Remedy Rule of Longhorn Aquatics was hot on Dahlia’s tail through the first 100, and managed to hold off the late charge from behind and earn 2nd in 2:12.68, improving her season-best by a few one-hundredths.

Lauren Edelman of Kentucky won the tight battle for 3rd in 2:13.35, with Grace Oglesby (2:13.43) and Allie Piccirillo (2:13.66) both dropping personal bests in 4th and 5th.

MEN’S 200 FLY FINAL

• PSS Record: 1:55.29, Li Zhuhao (CHN), 2017

1. Chase Kalisz, Athens Bulldogs, 1:56.90
2. Zach Harting, University of Louisville, 1:59.40
3. Nicolas Albiero, University of Louisville, 1:59.96

Chase Kalisz asserted himself early with an opening 100 of 55.58 before easily taking the victory in the men’s 200 fly, touching in 1:56.90. He’s currently the fastest American this year with his 1:55.63 from Austin.

University of Louisville teammates Zach Harting and Nicolas Albiero had a showdown for 2nd as they both looked to break 2:00 for the first time this year, and though both managed to do so, it was Harting who got his hand on the wall first.

The 20-year-old erased a half second disadvantage at the halfway mark to storm past Albiero on the final 50 to clock 1:59.40, moving up to 11th among Americans this year, while Albiero’s 1:59.96 puts him 14th. They both came in with season-bests of 2:00.04.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST FINAL

• PSS Record: 1:05.57, Rebecca Soni (USA), 2011

1. Lilly King, Indiana Swim Team, 1:06.14
2. Katie Meili, New York Athletic Club, 1:06.66
3. Miranda Tucker, Club Wolverine, 1:08.61

Lilly King ultimately didn’t reach her goal of topping Yuliya Efimova‘s 1:04.98 from the Sette Colli Trophy last week, but she still came away with a win in the women’s 100 breast after a close battle with Katie Meili.

King got out to the early lead in 30.83, and out-split Meili by a tenth coming home to win by half a second in 1:06.14, with Meili 2nd in 1:06.66. King currently sits 2nd in the world with her 1:05.61 from Santa Clara, while Meili is 6th with her 1:06.49 from Austin.

Like Meili, Miranda Tucker narrowly missed her season-best in 3rd, clocking 1:08.61 with her fastest of the year standing at 1:08.57.

MEN’S 100 BREAST FINAL

• PSS Record: 58.86, Adam Peaty (GBR), 2017

1. Michael Andrew, Race Pace Club, 59.79
2. Devon Nowicki, Michigan Lakeshore, 1:00.00
3. Reece Whitley, Penn Charter Aquatics, 1:00.78

The boys in the 100 breast really stepped up with some fast swims, as the top-3 finishers all swam their fastest of the season, and the top-2 went lifetime bests.

Devon Nowicki of Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics dropped a personal best this morning in 1:01.02, and really took out the final hard, actually beating Michael Andrew to the 50m wall in 27.43 to Andrew’s 27.47. Uncharacteristically, Andrew came back on Nowicki, closing in 32.32 to touch in a time of 59.79, lowering his personal best of 59.82 from 2016.

Nowicki went 1:00.00, making him the 3rd fastest American this year behind only Andrew Wilson and M.A., while Reece Whitley dipped under 1:01 for the first time this year in 1:00.78 for 3rd. Evgenii Somov of Louisville also had an impressive showing in 1:01.18 for 4th, his fastest swim ever outside a championship-level meet.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK FINAL

• PSS Record: 58.96, Emily Seebohm (AUS), 2016

1. Ali Deloof, Club Wolverine, 1:00.38
2. Asia Seidt, Kentucky Aquatics, 1:00.57
3. Emi Moronuki, Phoenix Swim Club, 1:00.65

Ali Deloof picks up the win in the women’s 100 back, holding off Kentucky’s Asia Seidt down the stretch after getting out to an early lead with a 29.02 opening 50. Seidt’s 1:00.57 is a new personal best, improving her 1:00.77 from last summer, as she moves up one spot to 7th among U.S. swimmers this year. Deloof currently sits 4th with her 59.79 from Indianapolis.

Emi Moronuki of the Phoenix Swim Club was right in the thick of things with those two, as she was edged out by Seidt right at the hand and ended up 3rd in 1:00.65. Seidt’s teammate Bridgette Alexander dipped under her season-best from prelims for 4th in 1:01.70.

MEN’S 100 BACK FINAL

• PSS Record: 52.40, David Plummer (USA), 2016

1. Ryosuke Irie, Team Elite, 53.08
2. Justin Ress, Wolfpack Eite, 53.30
3. Grigory Tarasevich, Cardinal Aquatics, 54.22

Ryosuke Irie and Justin Ress kept the theme of extremely close finishes going in the men’s 100 back, as both men swam their fastest times of the season in 53.08 and 53.30 respectively.

Ress had the slight lead at the 50 in 25.80 (with Irie at 25.87), before the three-time Olympic medalist from Japan charged back in 27.21 to take the win by just over two tenths. Irie improves his season-best by a tenth, moving him past Mitch Larkin for 4th in the world this year, while Ress chops off nearly four tenths to move up from 12th to 7th.

Louisville teammates Grigory Tarasevich and Nicolas Albiero took 3rd and 4th.

WOMEN’S 200 IM FINAL

• PSS Record: 2:08.66, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

1. Asia Seidt, Kentucky Aquatics, 2:12.63
2. Evie Pfeifer, Longhorn Aquatics, 2:12.87
3. Katherine Douglass, Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club, 2:14.08

After both establishing personal best times in the prelims, Asia Seidt and Evie Pfeifer went to battle in the women’s 200 IM final, with both knocking their lifetime bests down once again.

Not long after posting a PB in the 100 back, Seidt got out to the early lead thanks to a 33.05 backstroke split. Pfeifer gained over a second on breast, and it came down to the free where Seidt maintained her slight advantage to win in 2:12.63, absolutely torching her prelim best of 2:15.57. Pfeifer took nearly a second off her 2:13.74 best time in 2:12.87, as the two of them become the 4th and 5th fastest Americans in the event this year.

16-year-old Katherine Douglass of the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club dropped a full second from her best time for 3rd in 2:14.08, as did fellow 16-year-old Kathryn Ackerman (2:15.92) of Michigan Lakeshore in placing 6th.

MEN’S 200 IM FINAL

• PSS Record: 1:56.32, Michael Phelps (USA), 2012

1. Chase Kalisz, Athens Bulldogs, 1:58.21
2. Takeharu Fujimori, Phoenix Swim Club, 2:00.22
3. Carson Foster, Mason Manta Rays, 2:00.72

The 24-year-old Kalisz picks up his fourth win of the meet and second of the night, thoroughly dominating the men’s 200 IM field with back half splits of 33.57 and 28.91 to be the only one under 2:00 in 1:58.21. That caps an amazing Pro Swim Series performance for him this season, as he went undefeated in both IM events.

Takeharu Fujimori ran down Carson Foster on the breast leg (34.25) after Foster was a full second up at the 100, and managed to hold off the 16-year-old for 2nd in 2:00.22 to Foster’s 2:00.72. That’s a new personal best for Foster, lowering his 2:01.46 from Austin, and maintains his spot at 8th among Americans this year.

Grant House produced yet another PB here for 4th in 2:02.02, and Carson’s older brother Jake was 5th in 2:03.61.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE TIMED FINAL

• PSS Record: 8:06.68, Katie Ledecky (USA), 2016

1. Leah Smith, Tucson Ford, 8:25.05
2. Cierra Runge, Arizona State, 8:29.93
3. Ally McHugh, Unattached, 8:32.21

Leah Smith led from the hop as she wins the women’s 800 free in a time of 8:25.05, improving her season-best (8:26.01) by almost a full second. She jumps a few spots in the world rankings to 9th.

Cierra Runge chopped nearly 14 seconds off her season-best of 8:43.89 in 8:29.93 for 2nd, making her the 5th fastest American this year, and Ally McHugh was close behind in 8:32.21 for 3rd. McHugh was a lifetime best at the Indianapolis stop in 8:30.23.

MEN’S 800 FREE TIMED FINAL

• PSS Record: 7:49.96, Michael McBroom (USA), 2014

1. Zane Grothe, Indiana Post-Grad, 7:55.22
2. Anton Ipsen, Wolfpack Elite, 7:57.30
3. PJ Ransford, Club Wolverine, 8:05.66

Indiana post-grad Zane Grothe sat with NC State’s Anton Ipsen through the first 600 metres of the men’s 800 free, but really turned on the jets over the final 200 to pick up the win in 7:55.22. Grothe is the top American and 7th fastest in the world this year at 7:50.94 from the Indianapolis PSS.

Ipsen was just two seconds back in 7:57.30, dipping below his season-best of 7:57.64 from Austin, and Club Wolverine’s PJ Ransford knocked over five seconds off his fastest of the season for 3rd in 8:05.66. Top seed coming in Felix Auboeck faded to 5th in 8:10.24.