2018 Santa Clara Pro Swim Series: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2018 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES – SANTA CLARA

• Santa Clara, CA
• June 7-10, 2018
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We’re on to day 3 finals of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series stop in Santa Clara. Tonight, swimmers will compete in the 800 free, 100 back, 200 fly, 100 breast, 100 free, and 200 IM. Among the stars to swim tonight are Chase Kalisz, Ryan Lochte, Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, Melanie Margalis, Ryan Murphy, Kylie Masse, and Ryosuke Irie.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE:

• PSS Record: 8:06.68, Katie Ledecky, 2016
• GOLD: Katie Ledecky, 8:11.08
• SILVER: Leah Smith, 8:26.01
• BRONZE: Megan Byrnes, 8:31.58

As expected, the race was all Katie Ledecky from the get-go; she held 31-lows and 30-highs the entire way, cruising to a win in 8:11.03. Leah Smith settled in to 31-highs and a few 32-lows for a solid time of 8:26.01. Megan Byrnes held 32-mids then closed out in 31s to take third in 8:31.58, a best time by multiple seconds.

Thursday’s mile winner Ashley Neidigh took fourth in 8:41.84, followed by Leah Stevens in 8:43.28 and Olivia Anderson in 8:48.20.

MEN’S 800 FREE

• PSS Record: 7:49.96, Michael McBroom, 2014
• GOLD: Zane Grothe, 7:55.14
• SILVER: Park Tae Hwan, 7:57.68
• BRONZE: Ricardo Vargas, 7:58.81

Zane Grothe picked up yet another PSS distance event win, holding a mix of 29-highs and 30-lows, with a coupled 28s thrown in. Korean swimmer Park Tae Hwann took second holding mostly 30-mids with a couple early 29s, finishing in 7:57.68. Ricardo Vargas made a move around the halfway point, but couldn’t make up what he lost in the first half, finishing third.

Johannes Calloni was fourth in 8:01.88, followed by True Sweetser in 8:02.16 and Nick Norman in 8:02.92.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK

• PSS Record: 58.96, Emily Seebohm, 2016
• GOLD: Reagan Smith, 59.75
• SILVER: Kylie Masse, 59.76
• BRONZE: Olivia Smoliga, 59.96

16-year-old Regan Smith (59.75) just barely squeaked out the win over reigning world champion Kylie Masse (59.76). Georgia’s Olivia Smoliga was just behind in 59.96.

15-year-old Isabelle Stadden took fourth in 1:00.66, followed by Ali DeLoof in 1:00.70 and Amy Bilquist in 1:01.16.

MEN’S 100 BACK

• PSS Record: 52.40, David Plummer, 2016
• GOLD: Ryan Murphy, 53.26
• SILVER: Ryosuke Irie, 53.78
• BRONZE: Jacob Pebley, 54.14

World Record holder Ryan Murphy was the only man out under :26, splitting 25.86 on his first 50, bringing it home in 27.40 for a final time of 53.26. 28-year-old Ryosuke Irie, who trains with Team Elite, was second in 53.78. Murphy’s teammate Jacob Pebley was third in 54.14.

Canadian Markus Thormeyer was fourth in 54.66, followed by 33-year-old Matt Grevers in 54.74.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY

• PSS Record: 2:06.76, Cammile Adams, 2012
• GOLD: Katie McLaughlin, 2:10.40
• SILVER: Kelsi Dahlia, 2:10.44
• BRONZE: Regan Smith, 2:10.47

The race between McLaughlin, Smith, and Dahlia was tight the whole way. McLaughlin and Smith were ahead at the 100, with Dahlia making a late-race push to overtake Smith for silver and very-nearly catch McLaughlin for the win.

Note that the 16-year-old Smith was just minutes removed from her 100 back win. Best known as a backstroker (she was the 2017 World Junior Champion in the 100 and 200 meter back), that bronze medal finish was a new lifetime best for her by more than a second, clearing the 2:11.66 that she did at the Austin Pro Swim Series

Lauren Case was 4th in 2:12.86, and Dakota Luther 5th in 2:13.14. Luther, along with Hali Flickinger, was one of two representatives for the United States in this event at the 2017 World Championships, where she placed 15th in the semi-finals.. Leah Smith faded to 6th in 2:14.27, coming off her 2nd-place 800 free swim.

Mabel Zavaros, a Florida commit who turned heads on Thursday when she had the fastest closing 50 of the 1500 free while swimming butterfly, placed 8th in 2:14.95. She represented Canada in this event at the Commonwealth Games in April and placed 6th.

MEN’S 200 FLY

• PSS Record: 1:55.29, Li Zhuhao, 2017
• GOLD: Chase Kalisz, 1:56.22
• SILVER: Jan Switkowski, 1:57.74
• BRONZE: Tom Shields, 1:58.26

Everything’s coming up Kalisz this lately. The 24-year-old put up a commanding performance over a stacked field, winning by 1.5 seconds in 1:56.22. Jan Switkowski took second in 1:47.74, followed by Tom Shields in 1:58.26.

Kalisz is the defending World Champion in the 200 and 400 IMs, but seems to be building toward a bigger schedule for Tokyo. After swimming 1:55.6 in Austin and 1:55.7s in both Indy and Atlanta, he’s now done the best 8 times of his life in the 200 fly in the last 13 months.

Justin Wright was fourth in 1:58.30, Jack Conger fifth in 1:59.28, and Pace Clark sixth in 1:59.41.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST

• PSS Record: 1:05.57, Rebecca Soni, 2011
• GOLD: Lilly King, 1:05.61
• SILVER: Melissa Rodriguez, 1:08.38
• BRONZE: Rachel Bernhardt, 1:08.75

After Yulia Efimova went the fastest time in the world earlier today at the Mare Nostrum (1:05.78), Lilly King, of course, had to out-do her. She split 30.92/34.69 to win in 1:05.61. Mexico’s Melissa Rodriguez was second in 1:08.38, followed by Rachel Bernhardt in 1:08.75.

Annie Lazor was fourth in 1:09.15, Melanie Margalis fifth in 1:09.50, and Kennedy Lohman sixth in 1:10.36.

MEN’S 100 BREAST

• PSS Record: 58.86, Adam Peaty, 2017
• GOLD: Andrew Wilson, 1:00.68
• SILVER: Kevin Cordes, 1:01.12
• BRONZE: Miguel De Lara Ojeda, 1:01.16

Against another very strong field, Andrew Wilson showed that he is very much a contender for a Pan Pacs spot. He won in 1:00.68, followed by American record holder Kevin Cordes in 1:01.12, and his Auburn post-grad teammate Miguel De Lara Ojeda in 1:01.16.

Josh Prenot took fourth in 1:01.18, followed by Cody Miller in 1:01.39, and Nic Fink in 1:01.44. In 8th was Wyatt Hodges, who after dropping significant time this morning slid back to 1:03.53.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

• PSS Record: 53.12, Sarah Sjostrom, 2016
• GOLD: Simone Manuel, 53.85
• SILVER: Lia Neal, 54.05
• BRONZE: Penny Oleksiak, 54.23

Rio 100 free co-gold medalists Simone Manuel and Penny Oleksiak were tight for most of the race, but Manuel’s Stanford teammate Lia Neal came from behind to out-touch Oleksiak. Manuel Split 26.23/27.62, Neal split 26.57/27.48, and Oleksiak 26.48/27.75.

Katie Mclaughlin, shortly after her 200 fly win, took fourth in 54.79. Katie Ledecky was fifth in 55.23 after winning the 800 early in the session, and Abbey Weitzeil was sixth in 55.58.

MEN’S 100 FREE

• PSS Record: 48.00, Nathan Adrian, 2016
• GOLD: Caeleb Dressel, 48.96
• SILVER: Michael Chadwick, 49.28
• BRONZE: Zach Apple, 49.45

Though he was missing from the A-final for the first time in Pro Swim Series history, Nathan Adrian joined Caeleb Dressel as the only men under :49 today. Out of the B-final, Adrian went 48.99, while Dressel won the A-final in 48.96. Michael Chadwick was second in the A-final in 49.28, and Zach Apple was third in 49.45.

Markus Thormeyer was fourth in 49.74. He was followed by Dean Farris in 49.93 and Long Gutierrez in 49.97.

WOMEN’S 200 IM

• PSS Record: 2:08.66, Katinka Hosszu, 2015
• GOLD: Melanie Margalis, 2:12.07
• SILVER: Sarah Darcel, 2:14.62
• BRONZE: Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo, 2:15.77

In a field notably lacking American Ella Eastin and Madisyn Cox, Melanie Margalis won by body-lengths in 2:12.07. Sarah Darcel took second in 2:14.62, followed by Mexico’s Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo in 2:15.77.

Stanford’s Kim Williams was fourth in 2:15.98, followed by Emma Barksdale in 2:16.79 and Lisa Bratton in 2:17.22.

MEN’S 200 IM

• PSS Record: 1:56.32, Michael Phelps, 2012
• GOLD: Chase Kalisz, 1:57.64
• SILVER: Ryan Lochte, 1:59.42
• BRONZE: Hiromasa Fujimori, 1:59.69

Chase Kalisz threw down another statement swim, besting world record holder Ryan Lochte by over 1.5 seconds. Kalisz split 25.93/29.98/33.49/28.24 to win in 1:57.64, while Lochte split 26.07/30.48/34.21/28.66 for a final time of 1:59.42. The veteran Lochte was a 1:58.90 exactly one week ago at the Mel Zajac Invitational in Vancouver, but after a couple of weeks on the road seems to have lost the pop he showed last week.

Hiromasa Fujimori was third in 1:59.69.

Takeharu Fujimori was fourth in 2:01.86, followed by Andrew Seliskar in 2:01.89. Jay Litherland was fifth inn 2:01.99, and Gator Swim Club teammates Jan Switkowski and Mark Szaranek rounded out the final inn 2:03.44 and 2:04.37.