2019 BLOOMINGTON PRO SWIM SERIES
- Thursday, May 16 – Sunday, May 19, 2019
- Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center, Bloomington, Indiana
- Long course meters (LCM) format
- Eastern Time zone
- Prelims 9 AM / Finals 6 PM (Thursday timed finals 4 PM)
- Meet site
- Live Stream:
- Psych sheets
- Live results
- Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet
Day three finals are set to get underway from Bloomington, with the 200 free, 50 breast, 50 fly, 200 back and 400 IM on the schedule. The SwimSquads will also race the mixed 200 medley relay after the ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals finish.
Some of the highlights include Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel in the women’s 200 free, Regan Smith and Taylor Ruck in the women’s 200 back, and Lilly King in the women’s 50 breast.
Top seed from prelims Will Licon has notably scratched out of the men’s 400 IM.
WOMEN’S 200 FREE FINAL
- PSS Record: 1:54.43, Katie Ledecky, 2016
- Katie Ledecky, NCAP, 1:55.80
- Simone Manuel, ALTO, 1:57.24
- Madisyn Cox, TXLA, 1:58.52
Katie Ledecky was dominant en route to the victory in the women’s 200 freestyle, posting a time of 1:55.80. Ledecky’s 2018-19 season-best stands at 1:55.32 from the U.S. Winter Nats, which ranks her 2nd in the world, but this was just .02 off of her fastest swim in 2019 (1:55.78 at the Knoxville PSS).
Simone Manuel established a season-best of her own in second, clocking 1:57.24, which stands up as the fastest swim she’s ever had outside of a U.S. Summer National Championship meet. Her lifetime best is 1:57.01.
In third, Madisyn Cox set a new PB in 1:58.52, taking out her 1:58.76 from the Richmond stop last month.
MEN’S 200 FREE FINAL
- PSS Record: 1:44.82, Sun Yang, 2016
- Blake Pieroni, ISC, 1:47.25
- Zane Grothe, BCH, 1:47.90
- Zach Apple, ISC, 1:49.49
The Indiana Swim Club duo of Blake Pieroni and Zach Apple were out real fast at the halfway mark of the men’s 200 free, with Apple flipping in a blistering 51.64 for the lead. Pieroni closed the gap on the third 50, and then took over coming home as he picked up the win in 1:47.25.
That’s a new season-best for Pieroni, improving on his 1:47.92 from the Des Moines stop, and also puts him 24th in the world in 2018-19 (and top American, passing Caeleb Dressel’s 1:47.31).
400 and 1500 champ Zane Grothe made a big push on the last 50, sailing by Apple with a 27.14 split to claim second in 1:47.90. That’s a new season-best and his fastest swim since 2017.
Apple wound up third in 1:49.49, narrowly holding off Patrick Callan (1:49.62) of Michigan.
WOMEN’S 50 BREAST FINAL
- PSS Record: 29.62, Lilly King, 2018
- Lilly King, ISC, 30.03
- Annie Lazor, MVN, 31.01
- Olivia Calegan, WOLF, 31.31
To no one’s surprise, Lilly King made it two-for-two in the women’s breaststroke events tonight with a win in the 50, touching in 30.03 to move past Yuliya Efimova (30.26) for the top time in the world this year.
Annie Lazor was just .05 off her best time set in Des Moines for second in 31.01, and Olivia Calegan of the Wolfpack went a PB for the second straight time in 31.31 to take third.
MEN’S 50 BREAST FINAL
- PSS Record: 26.97, Felipe Lima, 2019
- Michael Andrew, RPC, 27.21
- Nic Fink, ABSC, 27.55
- Ian Finnerty, ISC, 27.71
Michael Andrew picks up the win in the men’s 50 breast in a time of 27.21, falling just shy of his 2019 best at the FINA Champions Series in Guangzhou (27.07).
Nic Fink, who has been 27.34 this year, took second in 27.55, and Ian Finnerty (27.71), Anton McKee (27.75) and Andrew Wilson (27.89) also broke 28 seconds. McKee was .02 slower than his Icelandic Record set this morning.
WOMEN’S 50 FLY FINAL
- PSS Record: 25.65, Farida Osman, 2019
- Sarah Gibson, AGS, 26.52
- Katie Drabot, UN, 26.66
- Aly Tetzloff, AUB, 26.77
Sarah Gibson produced the second-fastest swim of her career to win the women’s 50 fly in 26.52, topping Katie Drabot (26.66). The only other time Gibson was faster was at the 2017 Summer Nationals (26.40).
Drabot’s swim was a new best, her first time cracking 27 seconds.
Aly Tetzloff was two-tenths off her PB for third in 26.77, while both Simone Manuel (26.82) and Regan Smith (27.19) set lifetime bests for fourth and fifth.
MEN’S 50 FLY FINAL
- PSS Record: 23.11, Matt Targett, 2012
- Michael Andrew, RPC, 23.40
- Luis Martinez, GUA, 23.48
- Vini Lanza, ISC, 23.67
Back in the water minutes after his 50 breast win, Michael Andrew popped off another win in the 50 fly, edging Luis Martinez in a time of 23.40. Andrew has been as fast as 23.19 this year.
Martinez touched second in 23.48, .07 off his prelim swim and Vini Lanza tied his third-fastest swim ever (and his fastest ever on American soil) for third in 23.67.
WOMEN’S 200 BACK FINAL
- PSS Record: 2:06.36, Taylor Ruck, 2018
- Regan Smith, RIPT, 2:06.47
- Isabelle Stadden, AQJT, 2:09.10
- Asia Seidt, KYA, 2:09.99
Regan Smith put on a sensational performance to win the women’s 200 back, clocking 2:06.47 to narrowly miss her personal best time of 2:06.43. Smith was also just off of Taylor Ruck‘s PSS Record of 2:06.36.
She moves past Ruck for third in the world this season behind only Margherita Panziera (2:05.72) and Kylie Masse (2:05.94).
16-year-old Isabelle Stadden went sub-2:10 for the first time this year for second in 2:09.10, as did Asia Seidt (2:09.99). Ruck took fourth in 2:10.39.
NCAA champ Beata Nelson won the ‘B’ final in 2:11.61, her fastest swim outside of the two she did at Nationals last summer.
MEN’S 200 BACK FINAL
- PSS Record: 1:55.04, Xu Jiayu, 2017
- Johannes Calloni, UN, 1:59.01
- Jacob Steele, ISC, 2:01.29
- Zachary Poti, SUN, 2:02.15
Rising Stanford junior Johannes Calloni tied the personal best time he swam in prelims to the hundredth to win the men’s 200 back in 1:59.01. He was much more conservative going out tonight, turning in 59.28 compared to the 58.57 he went this morning but closed much faster in 59.73.
Jacob Steele of Indiana slashed over a second off his prelim time to finish in the runner-up position in 2:01.29, and Zachary Poti (2:02.15) edged out Nicolas Albiero (2:02.22) on the last 50 to claim third.
WOMEN’S 400 IM FINAL
- PSS Record: 4:31.07, Katinka Hosszu, 2015
- Ella Eastin, ALTO, 4:37.18
- Madisyn Cox, TXLA, 4:41.14
- Makayla Sargent, WOLF, 4:41.33
Ella Eastin put together a very impressive performance in the women’s 400 IM to pick up the win in a new personal best time of 4:37.18. She was faster than everyone else in the field on fly, back and breast, and moves into sixth in the world for the season.
The 22-year-old’s previous best was 4:38.43 from the Indianapolis PSS last year (though she had initially gone 4:36.96 at the 2017 World Trials before she was disqualified).
Madisyn Cox edged out Makayla Sargent for second, 4:41.14 to 4:41.33, and Katie Ledecky (4:43.61) took fourth shortly after her 200 free win.
MEN’S 400 IM FINAL
- PSS Record: 4:08.92, Chase Kalisz, 2018
- Jay Litherland, DYNA, 4:14.42
- Charlie Swanson, MICH, 4:22.64
- Daniel Sos, UN, 4:22.89
2016 Olympic finalistJay Litherlandput on a clinic in the men’s 400 IM, winning by over eight seconds in a time of 4:14.42. That moves him into 12th in the world this year and is less than a second off of his fastest ever non-tapered swim (4:13.79).
Charlie Swanson (4:22.64) prevailed in a tight race with Daniel Sos (4:22.89) and Sam Stewart (4:23.13) to claim second.
MIXED 200 MEDLEY RELAY
- Team Adams (Andrew, King, Finnerty, Geer), 1:43.35
- Team Dirado (Deloof, Nowicki, Fink, Manuel), 1:46.46
- Team Jaeger (Bratton, Wilson, Gibson, Apple), 1:46.81
Team Adams won the SwimSquad relay battle easily in a time of 1:43.35, with fast splits all-around from Michael Andrew (24.73), Lilly King (30.00), Ian Finnerty (24.20) and Margo Geer (24.42).
Simone Manuel had a quick 24.25 anchor for the runners-up Team Dirado (1:46.46), and Zach Apple anchored in 21.96 for Team Jaeger (1:46.81).
Alli McHugh and Brooke Forde swam 4:34.80 and 4:35.09 respectively last season. And I would expect them to be an American hope in 400IM LCM, but not Ella Eastin. But 4:45 and 4:44 today look kind of surprisingly disappointing.
Dressel’s 200m fly from tonight if y’all are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6cmJSB5YTk
What races have the highest FINA point standings as of now? Still Ledecky’s 400 and Miller’s 100?
After 200 race interview Katie Ledecky said that it was last time she competed before WC. That leaves a big question mark of what to expect in Gwangju. She was faster in May only in Olympic year 2016 swimming 1:54.84. So we probably won’t see her under 1:54.
In 2017 and 2018 she wasn’t as good in May as she was today, but it was completely different training cycle two months after NCAA. These seasons she was 1:54.0 in relay and had very weird finals showing no effect of tapering. So this statistics is of no help.
The first 100 of today’s race (56.77) is pretty much inline with her 55.17 time in 100 race yesterday and shows… Read more »
Can’t compare her now to when she was in high school or college. She is a pro now and her ONLY focus in the next 15 months are the those three big meets. We have to trust that her coaches will have her ready for those meets. The only concern that I have in relation to her winning the 200 it’s proximity with the 1500.
She was a pro already last year at PanPac and lost unexpectedly to someone who are not Sjostrom or Pellegrini or some other experienced 200 racers but to newcomers to the 200 free elite club: Ruck and Ikee. I wish I could blame everything on her coaches (that I actually did), but something told me that it wasn’t that simple.
I agree that by being a professional she follows the rules and norms of this profession in making money. But she also has a great number of fans who wants her not only to win each race but make it faster than anybody else in the history.
And Titmus. She’s already faster than Ruck or Ikee were at PanPacs.
Ella buries the field with a low 4:37. That was a very good looking swim.
Are these races going to be posted on USA Swimming or Swim Swam’s YouTube page?!?!?
Should after the session
Regan Smith’s the real deal! Very impressive swim.
She continues to impress, amazing multi talented swimmer
How can people possibly vote that down? Oh this is SS w trolls. They will vote this down too.
Regan – WELL DONE. Keep it mov’in 🇺🇸🇺🇸🏊♀️🥇
Perhaps Regan should be invited to the FINA event in Indianapolis for two empty back spots. I was sorry to read that Kathleen Baker will not swim in Indy.
She declined invitations to previous Champions Series stops. High school student. Too much international travel and inability to keep earnings of that magnitude due to ncaa eligibility rules.
Can you please, clarify the ncaa eligibility rules. If school girl/boy made some money babysitting or as pool guard or by giving paid swimming lessons to small kids does it preclude her/him of being ncaa eligible? Will Regan get $1500 prize money for today’s win?
Non pro’s wishing to maintain ncaa eligibility may keep prize money but it MUST ALL be offset with competition related expenses. Air, hotel, suits, etc.
In general (note that the rules are far more complex than I’m going to lay out) –
– If the athlete makes money for babysitting, or sacking groceries, or anything that doesn’t have to do with sport, and that business isn’t using their likeness to promote the business, then they’re A-OK. Regan could bag groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, and so long as the Piggly Wiggly doesn’t hang a banner out front that says “come get your groceries bagged by an American Record holder!” they’re ok.
– If an athlete does multiple sports, largely the rules apply to all sports, not just the one they’re trying to do NCAA competition in
– They can accept prize money… Read more »
They could have a completely different career on the side and make as much money as they want (ie Kyler Murray)
So it is basically like NCAA saying:” Do whatever you want for money, but don’t use your name and skills for profit the way we are going to do when you become our property. So there will be no legal conflicts”.
Baker wasn’t going to swim in Bloomington. Is she skipping Indy in two weeks as well? She doesn’t need to win the race there to get money. Just complete the race. Or this $5000 are peanuts comparing to the possibility of losing respect then popularity that is at the end her money.
2:06.4….2;04 coming this summer?
Certainly 205 but 204 is possible
She let Ruck know what’s what.
With the current situation I’d say It’s hard for Ruck to medal in this event this summer.