2023 SPEEDO Atlanta Classic: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2023 SPEEDO ATLANTA CLASSIC

• Friday, May 12 – Sunday, May 14, 2023
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, Georgia
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

The final day of the 2023 SPEEDO Atlanta Classic is here. This morning’s prelims session will feature the 200 IM, 200 back, and 100 free.

In his continued return to competition, Caeleb Dressel is entered in the 200 IM and 100 free this morning. He’ll almost certainly race the 100 free today, however, we’ll see if he sticks with the 200 IM as well. Dressel swam the 200 fly for the first time in a few years yesterday, but on Friday he was entered in the 200 free and DFS (declared false start). Given both those things, we’ll just have to wait to see if Dressel ends up swimming the 200 IM today.

Josh Liendo has been having a very solid meet and comes into today entered in the 100 free. He’s the top seed, coming in with a time of 47.55.

16-year-old superstar Summer McIntosh isn’t entered in the 200 IM today, instead she’s racing the 200 back. McIntosh enters as the top seed in the event by a wide margin, coming in with her personal best of 2:07.15. She’s the only swimmer in the event entered under 2:11 this morning.

Kate Douglass is entered in both the 200 IM and 100 free this morning and after swimming a couple lifetime bests already this weekend, she could have something special in store for today.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 2:12.46
2. Izzy Ivey (UNA-FL) – 2:14.75
3. Zoie Hartman (ABSC) – 2:17.23
4. Hannah Ownbey (AU) – 2:17.27
5. Katie Christopherson (SA) – 2:17.43
6. Callie Dickinson (ABSC) – 2:18.96
7. Gracie Weyant (SYS) – 2:18.99
8. Sienna Angove (SYS) – 2:20.69

Kate Douglass led the way in prelims of the women’s 200 IM this morning, swimming a 2:12.46. It was a very solid in-season prelims swim for Douglass, who has a lifetime best of 2:09.04 in the event. Douglass has already swum a few personal bests this weekend, so we’ll see how close to that mark she can get tonight.

Izzy Ivey was next in this morning, swimming a 2:14.75. Ivey had a strong swim in the 200 free on the first day of the meet, swimming a 1:59.60 in finals, so we’ll see what she has in store for tonight in finals.

Zoie Hartman was third this morning and has had some big drops from prelims to finals this weekend, so keep an eye on her tonight.

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Zach Hils (ABSC) – 2:02.65
2. Mark Szaranek (GSC) – 2:03.01
3. Mason Laur (UNA-FL) – 2:04.10
4. Ryan Erisman (LAKR) – 2:06.35
5. Danny Schmidt (AU) – 2:07.03
6. Zach Franklin (RAYS) – 2:07.07
7. Matt Fallon (ABSC) – 2:07.98
8. Utke Kurtdere (FSU) – 2:08.20

Georgia’s Zach Hils led the field in the men’s 200 IM this morning, swimming a 2:02.65. It was an excellent swim for Hils, who has a lifetime best of 2:01.82 in the LCM 200 IM, a time which he swam last July at U.S. Nationals. Hils was very good on the front half of the race this morning, splitting 25.76 on fly and 30.38 on back for a 56.14 on the opening 100. He followed that up with a 36.24 breast split and 30.27 free split coming home.

Mark Szaranek was second this morning, swimming a 2:03.01. The 27-year-old put together a very strong back half this morning, splitting 35.99 on breast and 29.05 on free, for a 1:05.04 on the second 100.

Caeleb Dressel wound up no-showing the 200 IM prelims to focus on the 100 free later in the session.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Josephine Fuller (TENN) – 2:11.26
2. Summer McIntosh (SYS) – 2:13.46
3. Mabel Zavaros (UNA-FL) – 2:14.63
4. Catie Choate (DYNA) – 2:15.75
5. Callie Dickinson (ABSC) – 2:16.66
6. Rylee Erisman (LAKR) – 2:17.32
7. Ellie Waldrep (AU) – 2:17.47
8. Emma Weyant (UNA-FL) – 2:17.85

Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller had a great swim this morning in the women’s 200 back prelims, clocking the top time of the morning by over two seconds. Her 2:11.26 is a solid prelims performance, especially for an in-season meet, given that Fuller’s lifetime best if a 2:09.77, which she swam this past December at the US Open.

The final heat saw the next two fastest swimmers of the morning race. Summer McIntosh, the top seed coming into the morning and the swimmer with the fastest lifetime best in this field, came in second this morning with a 2:13.46. The swim looked incredibly relaxed for McIntosh, who was 6.31 seconds off her career best.

Mabel Zavaros held on with McIntosh through the final heat, swimming a 2:14.63.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Jack Aikins (SA) – 2:01.29 (tie)
2. Sam Powe (MCC) – 2:01.29 (tie)
3. Nick Simons (TENN) – 2:03.16
4. Christopher Thames (MAAC) – 2:04.23
5. Jake Mitchell (UNA-FL) – 2:05.00
6. Mitchell Norton (LINS) – 2:05.12
7. Amadeusz Knop (SYS) – 2:05.69
8. Andrew Simmons (AU) – 2:08.67

We had a tie for first in the men’s 200 back prelims this morning, where Jack Aikins and Same Powe both touched in 2:01.29. For Aikins, the swim came in five seconds off his lifetime best of 1:56.29, which he swam last April at the International Team Trials. On the other hand, Powe’s performance this morning marks a new career best for the 19-year-old, taking 0.70 seconds off his previous best of 2:01.99.

Keep an eye on Nick Simons tonight as well. Simons came in third this morning with a 2:03.16. He has a lifetime best of 1:57.70, which he swam at US Nationals last summer, and he went 1:40.05 in the yards 200 back earlier this year at the SEC Championships.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Maxine Parker (CA-Y) – 54.96
2. Natalie Hinds (GSC) – 55.20
3. Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 55.79
4. Gabby DeLoof (TNAQ) – 55.81
5. Izzy Ivey (UNA-FL) – 55.90
6. Addison Sauickie (SYS) – 56.78
7. Tjasa Pintar (TNAQ) – 56.82
8. Amanda Weir (SA) – 57.15

University of Virginia’s Maxine Parker led the way in the women’s 100 free this morning, roaring to a 54.96 to touch as the only swimmer in the field under 55 seconds. For Parker, the performance marks her second time under 55 seconds in her career, as well as a new career best by 0.01 seconds. Her previous best of 54.97 was swum at US Nationals last July.

Natalie Hinds was next in, swimming a 55.20. Hinds has done a very good job of dropping from prelims to finals at this meet, so we’ll see what she has in store for tonight.

Kate Douglass was third this morning, touching in 55.79. It looked like a fairly relaxed swim for Douglass, who was only out in 26.94 on the first 50 this morning after winning the women’s 50 free in 24.40 last night. We can expect that at the least she’ll be out significantly faster in finals tonight.

37-year-old Amanda Weir made it into the ‘A’ final for tonight, finishing eighth this morning with a 57.15. Weir, a four-time Olympic medalist for the USA, is still getting it done. Her swim this morning is only 0.05 seconds slower than her 2022 best in the 100 free (57.10).

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Macguire McDuff (UNA-FL) – 49.29
2. Kieran Smith (RAC) – 49.75
3. Josh Liendo (UNA-FL) – 49.88
4. Zane Grothe (UN-SE) – 50.01
5. Caeleb Dressel (GSC) – 50.29
6. Tomas Koski (UN-GA) – 50.82
7. Jake Mitchell (UNA-FL) – 50.93
8. Julian Smith (UNA-FL) – 50.95

Macguire McDuff continues to swim well this weekend. The 20-year-old led the men’s 100 free prelims by almost half a second, swimming a 49.29. The Florida Gators were all over the 100 free this morning. In addition to McDuff, Florida pro swimmers Kieran Smith, and Caeleb Dressel made it into the ‘A’ final, along with current college swimmers Josh Liendo, Jake Mitchell, and Julian Smith. In other words six of the eight in tonight’s ‘A’ final are either current Florida Gators or Florida pro swimmers.

For Mitchell, this was his second ‘A’ final qualification of the morning, as he also made it through in the 200 back earlier in the session.