2021 Speedo Summer Championships – Irvine: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2021 Speedo Summer Championships – Irvine

• August 3-7
• William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, Irvine, CA
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Website (USA Swimming)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)

SATURDAY FINALS HEAT SHEET

Day 5 – Saturday, August 7

• Women’s 1500 Freestyle
• 200 Individual Medley
• Men’s 800 Freestyle
• 50 Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Medley Relay

Preview:

The final session of the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships is here. Tonight, things will start with the fastest heat of the women’s 1500 free, then it’s the 200 IMs, followed by the men’s 800 free, then the 50 freestyles. The session, and meet, will concluded with the 400 medley relay timed finals.

Kicking things off in the women’s 1500 free, we’ll have a field of swimmers who’ve raced very well this week. The top seed is Tritons Aquatic Club 19-year-old Juli Arzave, who finished 3rd in the 800 free on day 1, and 7th in the 400 free last night. Also in the heat is Jillian Cox, the 400 free and 800 free champion at this meet. Cox also came in 2nd in the 200 free, and swam personal bests in the 200, 400, and 800 this week. She’ll certainly be one to watch swimming out of lane 2 tonight.

13-year-old Kayla Han from La Mirada Armada is racing in lane 3 tonight. Han came in 3rd in the 800 on day 1, and finished 2nd in the 400 free last night as well. Iowa Flyers 18-year-old Aurora Roghair will be swimming in lane 5. Roghair was the runner-up in the 800 free on day 1, and finished 3rd in both the 200 free and 400 free.

In the men’s 800 free, Texas’ David Johnston is looking to win his 4th title of the meet. Johnston was the winner of the men’s 1500 on day 1 by a large margin, and won the men’s 400 free and 400 IM as well, swimming lifetime bests in all 3 events.

Teagan O’Dell, the Irvine Novaquatics 14-year-old who has been sensational this week, is racing a double tonight. O’Dell posted the top times this morning in both the women’s 200 IM and 50 free. O’Dell has already broken into the all-time top 10 rankings for 13-14 girls in 4 events this week, and she’ll be looking to add to that total tonight.

Justina Kozan is looking for her 4th title of the meet. Kozan swam the 2nd-fastest time of the morning in the women’s 200 IM, and will be racing in lane 5 tonight. Kozan has the fastest lifetime best in the field by far.

Trenton Julian is also chasing his 4th title of the meet. Julian is the top seed in the men’s 200 IM, where he’ll be trying to hold off Cal teammate Sean Grieshop. Also in the mix is Metroplex’s Zhier Fan, a 17-year-old who has been electric this week. Fan swam a personal best this morning, including a blistering breast split, so he’ll be one to watch.

Live Recap:

WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Aurora Roghair (IFLY) – 16:41.50
2. Juli Arzave (TAC) – 16:47.97
3. Jillian Cox (ASC) – 16:52.20

Aurora Roghair swam her race perfectly, sitting behind Julia Arzave for the first 1000 meters, then making her move. Roghair finished in 16:41.50, marking a personal best by 8 seconds. She spent the majority of the race splitting high-33s on her 50s, then in the final 300 meters, she brought her pace down to 32s. Roghair negative split the race, swimming an 8:22.96 on the first 750, and coming home in 8:18.54.

Juli Arzave took the race out hard, building a big lead over the field on the first 3rd of the race. During the middle 500, Arzave more or less maintained her lead, but when Roghair made her move at the end, Arzave had nothing left to challenge her. She finished in 16:47.97, which was just a bit off her personal best of 16:45.09.

Jillian Cox took the race out conservatively, sitting in 6th and 5th for a alrge portion of the race. She systematically passed people through the back half, ultimately getting to the wall 3rd in a huge new lifetime best of 16:52.20. That marks Cox’ first time under 17:00 in the event. Cox won the women’s 400 and 800 free at this meet, both with personal bests. She also swam a best time in the 200 free, where she came in 2nd.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Justina Kozan (MVN) – 2:11.96
2. Teagan O’Dell (NOVA) – 2:12.53
3. Campbell Stoll (EBSC) – 2:16.92

Justina Kozan‘s closing speed in the 200 IM is truly unbelievable. It looked like Teagan O’Dell had the race locked up with 50m to go, but Kozan exploded off the breast-to-free wall, and had made up half the gap between her and O’Dell seemingly within seconds. By the time they were halfway down the pool, Kozan had pulled up to O’Dell’s shoulders, and managed to accumulate almost a full body-length lead by the time she finished.

The swim was just off Kozan’s best of 2:11.55, which she swam 2 years ago. Although the swim wasn’t a personal best, it was Kozan’s best time as a 17-18 year-old swimmer. The swim has now elevated Kozan to #12 all-time in the 17-18 age group. Additionally, and hold on to your hats as you read this, Kozan’s freestyle split tonight was 29.75. That’s exactly 1 second faster than the fastest freestyle split in the Olympic final a couple weeks ago. Gold medalist Yui Ohashi of Japan had the fastest free split in that field, clocking a 30.75.

Teagan O’Dell was equally incredible, but on the backstroke leg. She split a sizzling 32.75, which was the fastest in the field by 2 seconds. At just 14-years-old, O’Dell backstroke split was only slower than 2 swimmers in the Tokyo Olympic final, Ohashi (32.50), and Silver medalist Alex Walsh (32.68).

O’Dell’s 2:12.53 marks a gigantic personal best, and breaks the 13-14 girls National Age Group Record, which was held by Missy Franklin at 2:12.73.

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Trenton Julian (ROSE) – 1:57.86
2. Sean Grieshop (CAL) – 2:01.84
3. Nate Germonprez (ISWM) – 2:02.61

Trenton Julian took control of this race and didn’t look back. The Cal Bear and Rose Bowl product jumped out a lead of over a second at the 50m mark, then grew that to a 2-second lead at the 100. He then turned at the 150m up 3.3 seconds over 2nd-place Sean Grieshop, and ended up winning the race by 3.98 seconds. Julian managed to clock the fastest split in the field on every stroke except breaststroke.

With the swim of 1:57.86, Julian dropped well over a second from his personal best. He also became the #5 American in the event this year, and rose to #21 in the world this year. Additionally, he would have finished 4th at the Olympic Trials with the time. Julian made the final in the 200 IM at Trials, but finished 8th.

Nate Germonprez brought down his prelims time by a considerable margin, and was just off his personal best of 2:02.50. Germonprez used his back half to get himself into 3rd coming home.

As expected, Metroplex 17-year-old Zhier Fan was impressive on breaststroke. He led the field on the 3rd 50 of the race, splitting 33.54. Fan touched 4th in 2:02.62, marking his 2nd lifetime best of the day in the event. With the swim, he rises to a tie for #45 all-time among 17-18 boys.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINALS

PODIUM:

1. David Johnston (TXLA) – 7:57.94
2. Alec Enyeart (TST) – 8:04.39
3. Jude Williams (WA) – 8:09.41

The race was David Johnston‘s from the start. The Texas Longhorn won his 3rd event of the meet, and did so in best time fashion yet again. His time of 7:57.94 chipped almost a second off his previous best of 7:58.73, which he swam at the Olympic Trials.

Coming in 2nd was Tsunami SwimTeam 17-year-old Alec Enyeart, who has dropped massive amounts of time this week. Enyeart dropped just shy of 30 seconds in the 1500 to open his meet on Tuesday, and dropped just over 7 seconds from his previous best in the 800 tonight.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Anna Shaw (TOPS) – 25.84
2. Amy Feddersen (UN-IA) – 25.96
3. Caroline Larsen (FOXJ) – 25.98

Tonight’s final was significantly faster than this morning’s prelims. Denver Hilltoppers 18-year-old Anna Shaw got her hand on the wall first in a photo-finish, clocking a 25.84.The swim was just off her personal best of 25.70, which she swam in March of this year.

Amy Feddersen, 20, came in 2nd tonight, breaking 26 seconds, but also finishing just off her personal best of 25.88, which is from May of this year. Coming in 3rd was 15-year-old Foxjets swimmer Caroline Larsen. Larsen’s time of 25.98 marks her 2nd lifetime best of the day in the event, and her first time under 26 seconds. Larsen entered the meet with a personal best of 26.46 from June of this year.

Racing just 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s 200 IM, Teagan O’Dell finished 7th in the final. She swam a 26.16, chipping 0.01 seconds off her prelims time, but touching again just off her 26.08 personal best.

In the B final, there was a 3-way tie for 1st. UCLA’s Rachel Rhee, TOPS’ Emily Kahn, and AAAA’s Jada Scott all swam 26.33.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Cristian Quintero (NOVA) – 22.78
2. Andrew Benson (WA) – 22.85
3. Luke Hobson (LAKE) – 22.91

Cristian Quintero picked up his first individual title of the meet in the last individual race of the meet. Quintero had an excellent start, momentum from that start helped set him up nicely to finish strong. Quintero’s time of 22.73 was just a tick off his personal best of 22.56, which stands as the Venezuelan National Record.

University of Wisconsin’s Andrew Benson came in 2nd, touching in 22.85. That marks a personal best for Benson by 0.06 seconds.

Luke Hobson, a LAKE 18-year-old, came in 3rd with a new personal best of 22.91. The swim marks his first time under 23 seconds in the event, and raises him to a tie for #51 all-time in the 17-18 age group.

WOMEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – TIMED FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Elmbrook Swim Club ‘A’ – 4:06.93
2. Trojan Swim Club ‘A’ – 4:08.32
3. Irvine Novaquatics ‘A’ – 4:11.51

Elmbrook Swim Club won the women’s 400 medley relay tonight, establishing the lead early, and holding it through the finish. The squad of Maggie Wanezek (15), Lucy Thomas (15), Campbell Stoll (16), and Abby Wanezek (17) clocked a 4:06.93, shattering the 15-18 girls National Age Group Record. The previous record was a 4:08.39, held by the Fort Collins Area Swim Team squad of Bayley Stewart, Zoe Bartel, Coleen Gillilan, and Kylee Alons from 2016.

Here are Elmbrook’s splits tonight:

• Maggie Wanezek – 1:01.63
• Lucy Thomas – 1:09.79
• Campbell Stoll – 1:00.12
• Abby Wanezek – 55.39

Notably, Teagan O’Dell led the Irvine Novaquatics squad off in 1:01.38.

MEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – TIMED FINALS

PODIUM:

1. Cal Aquatics ‘A’ – 3:40.10
2. Rose Bowl Aquatics ‘A’ – 3:42.55
3. Cal Aquatics ‘B’ – 3:46.30

Cal’s A squad jumped out to an early lead and never let it go. Destin Lasco got the team out to a 54.88 start on backstroke, while Forrest Frazier provided a 1:03.02 breast split. Jarod Hatch threw down the hammer on the fly leg, splitting 52.51, and Dylan Hawk anchored in 49.70.

Rose Bowl closed on Cal during the fly leg, thanks to a blistering 51.25 fly split from Trenton Julian. The split is Julian’s fastest to date.