2020 U.S. Open – Greensboro: Friday AM Live Recap

2020 U.S. OPEN Swimming Championships

• Thursday, November 12 – Saturday, November 14
• Greensboro, NC
• Long course meters (LCM)
• Timed Finals
• Where To Watch US National Team Members
• Meet Central
• Women’s Heat Sheets (all sessions)
• Men’s Heat Sheets (all sessions)
• Live results (Omega Timing)

Today’s morning session is broken into a women’s flight and a men’s flight. The women’s flight should run from about 10 AM to 11 AM Eastern time, with the men’s session from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM Eastern.

Today’s sessions will feature 2017 World Champion Chase Kalisz in the 200 IM, along with Harvard star Dean Farris making an appearance in the 50 free.

Egyptian Olympian Farida Osman leads the women’s 50 free, where she’ll tangle with rising age group star Claire Curzan. Veteran Ashley Twichell is the top seed into the women’s 400 free, and NC State’s Julia Poole leads the 200 IM, facing another age-group standout in Charlotte Hook.

NC State’s Eric Knowles is the top seed into the men’s 400 free.

Women’s 400 Free – Timed Final

• American record: 3:56.46 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• U.S. Open record: 3:57.94 – Katie Ledecky (2018)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 4:16.89

Top 3:

1. Ashley Twichell (TAC) – 4:13.86
2. Caroline Pennington (TAC) – 4:17.61
3. Chase Travis (VT) – 4:21.19

Open water standout Ashley Twichell won handily here, going 4:13.86 to pace the field by almost four seconds. Twichell’s career-best came from last summer at 4:07.77, and she’s been under 4:10 three times in her career.

Her TAC Titans teammate Caroline Pennington was second in 4:17.61. That’s a huge drop of more than five seconds for the 17-year-old Pennington. Pending the results of other U.S. Open meets across the country, that time would be the fastest in the nation this year among 17-18s, though we know of at least three others (Emma Weyant in Sarasota; Rachel Stege and Mariah Denigan in Indy) who will move ahead of her in those ranks.

Virginia Tech freshman Chase Travis was third, but about 7.8 seconds from her personal best.

Women’s 200 IM – Timed Final

• American record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (2009)
• U.S. Open record: 2:08.32 – Kathleen Baker (2018)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 2:17.39

Top 3:

1. Julia Poole (NCS) – 2:14.63
2. Reka Gyorgy (VT) – 2:14.95
3. Bailey Nero (NCAC) – 2:17.14

NC State’s Julia Poole held up her top seed in the 200 IM, besting ACC rival Reka Gyorgy of Virginia Tech. Poole was 2:14.63, which is right around what she went at the U.S. Open in December of 2019 (2:14.58). Poole is currently a junior for the NC State Wolfpack.

Gyorgy is wrapping up her collegiate career this year as a senior for Virginia Tech. She sat out last season on a redshirt. The Hungarian national was 2:14.95, about 1.2 seconds off her career-best time from the spring of 2019.

Women’s 50 Free – Timed Final

• American record: 23.97 – Simone Manuel (2017)
• U.S. Open record: 24.08 – Pernille Blume (2019)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 25.99

Top 3:

1. Farida Osman (PRVT) – 25.10
2. Claire Curzan (TAC) – 25.23
3. Lindsay Flynn (MSA) – 25.37

Farida Osman paced the 50 free, battling back 16-year-old Claire Curzan for the win. Osman was 25.10 – that’s a tick off what she went at last year’s U.S. Open (24.98), but enough to beat Curzan by a tenth.

Curzan, competing for the TAC Titans, cut a tenth from her lifetime-best. That also moves her from #13 to #8 all-time in USA Swimming’s age 15-16 rankings for the 50 free. Curzan passes up Olympic champ Missy Franklin, who was 25.26 at age 16. The National Age Group record is a 24.71 from Gretchen Walsh, though only three 15-16 girls have ever been under 25.0 in USA Swimming’s history.

18-year-old Lindsay Flynn also dropped time from her previous best, going 25.37 for a drop of three tenths. Flynn was originally a verbal commit to Indiana, but later switched her verbal to Big Ten rival Michigan.

Men’s 400 Free – Timed Final

• American record: 3:42.78 – Larsen Jensen (2008)
• U.S. Open record: 3:43.53 – Larsen Jensen (2008)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 3:57.29

Top 3:

1. Ross Dant (NCS) – 3:55.87
2. Eric Knowles (NCS) – 3:56.19
3. Antani Ivanov (VT) – 3:57.14

NC State sophomore Ross Dant picked up the win here, going 3:55.87. Dant has been 3:51 twice – once each at 2018 and 2019 U.S. Summer Nationals. He also went 3:52.4 at Junior Pan Pacs in 2018. But this swim stacks up as one of the better swims of his career outside of a Summer Nationals or international setting. Dant was 3:55.98 at U.S. Open last year.

He beat senior Wolfpack teammate Eric Knowles by about three tenths of a second. Dant led narrowly the entire way, though Knowles continued to push him, never falling more than seven tenths of a second behind at any point. Knowles’ career-best is a 3:48.34 from Summer Nationals in 2019.

Men’s 200 IM – Timed Final

• American record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte (2011)
• U.S. Open record: 1:54.56 – Ryan Lochte (2009)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 2:04.09

Top 3:

1. Chase Kalisz (ABSC) – 1:59.72
2. Jay Litherland (DYNA) – 2:01.08
3. Sam Hoover (NCAC) – 2:01.65

Chase Kalisz easily led the field here, taking over for former Georgia teammate Jay Litherland on a huge 34.0 breaststroke split. Kalisz pretty much matched Litherland on free (29.5 to 29.4), which is impressive given Litherland’s renowned closing ability. Kalisz was 1:59.72 for the win. That should rocket him to the top of the U.S. ranks this season – pending results of the eight other U.S. Open meets this morning, no man had been under 2:00 yet this year in the U.S. ranks.

Last season, Kalisz ended the year ranked #2 among American men at 1:57.28. Michael Andrew led the U.S. ranks at 1:56.83.

Litherland is known more as a 400 IMer. His 2:01.08 this morning sits about two and a half seconds off a lifetime-best. But it’s already a half-second faster than any time he put up in the 2019-2020 season – his best swim there was a Des Moines Pro Swim Series 2:01.51.

NCAC 17-year-old Sam Hoover had a huge time drop for third place. He came in with a short course yards seed of 1:47.0 and a lifetime-best in long course meters of 2:08.7. Hoover dropped more than seven seconds to go 2:01.65. Hoover is a high school senior and NC State commit. We had him ranked #7 among all high school seniors in the nation based mostly on his freestyle speed, but he’s also showing some great IM ability in his final year of high school.

Men’s 50 Free – Timed Final

• American record:21.04 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
• U.S. Open record: 21.14 – Cesar Cielo (2009)
• U.S. Olympic Trials cut: 23.19

Top 3:

1. Yusuke Legard (PRVT) – 22.59
2. Nathaniel Lile (GAME) – 22.67
3. Aaron Greenberg (EVO) – 22.77

Duke alum Yusuke Legard led this field in 22.59. That’s a new personal-best, taking .02 off of his previous best time. Legard competes for Great Britain internationally.

It was Gardner-Webb alum Nathaniel Lile in second place in 22.67. He’s been as fast as 22.56 before in the summer of 2019, but this should be the second-best swim of his career. Aaron Greenberg was about a tenth off his lifetime-best in third, but did his his best time since 2018, when he went 22.6 on five separate occasions.