2020 U.S. Open – Des Moines Friday AM: Regan Smith Bests Phoebe Bacon in 200 IM

2020 U.S. OPEN Swimming Championships

Regan Smith bested Phoebe Bacon in the 200 IM, a showdown of top young backstrokers to highlight Friday morning of the Des Moines U.S. Open.

The 18-year-old Smith was 2:15.20 for the win. That’s two seconds off her personal-best, set in March of 2020 just before the coronavirus pandemic. Smith’s March swim actually came in this same pool, at the Des Moines Pro Swim Series. And outside of that 2:13.1, her swim this morning was the best of Smith’s career.

The 18-year-old Bacon was 2:16.05. She, too, was a bit off her career-best, set in the summer of 2019 at 2:14.5.

Smith and Bacon are two of the top three NCAA prospects in the nation from the high school graduating class of 2020. Smith, the #1 recruit in the class, deferred her enrollment to Stanford amid the pandemic, taking a gap year to remain in Minnesota and prep for the 2021 Olympics. Bacon, the #3 recruit nationally, is currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin.

University of Arkansas star Emily Barclay won the 50 free in 25.25. She was just three tenths off a lifetime-best. Barclay is a British national competing in her first season for Arkansas in the NCAA.

Behind her, Madison Aquatic Club 17-year-old Sophie Fiske dropped three tenths to go 26.17 for second.

Other event winners from Friday morning:

  • University of Michigan senior Gus Borges was 22.75 to win the men’s 50 free. That’s still about half a second off a lifetime-best for Borges, who represents Brazil internationally.
  • Arkansas senior Peyton Palsha was 4:15.91 to win the 400 free, with just two swimmers competing. That’s a drop of about eight tenths of a second from her previous career-best.
  • Fabio Dalua current sophomore at McKendree University, won the men’s event in 3:58.46. That’s a career-best by two seconds for Dalu, who represents Italy internationally.
  • Central Iowa Aquatics 17-year-old Andrew Reiter won the 200 IM in 2:12.75.

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Quitrussianme
3 years ago

Shout out to my little brother Gregg who dropped a 22.88 qualifying for OT for the first time!!! Almost a sec faster than his lifetime-best!!!

Joey
3 years ago

Both the teenage IM’ers got their clock cleaned by Huske in Richmond. 2:11.1

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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