2023 U.S. Trials: Day 1 Distance Session Live Recap

2023 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 27 – July 1, 2023
• Indianapolis, IN
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet (updated version, 6/26)
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• How To Watch
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

In between Day 1 prelims and finals, we’ve got a timed finals distance session. The session features the slower heats of both the women’s 800 free and men’s 1500 free.

That means that if you’re here to see Katie Ledecky or Bobby Finke, you’ll have to wait until finals. But you should stick around anyway, because we’re in for some fast racing. One of the top swimmers to watch is teenager Luka Mijatovic. He’s been breaking 13-14 distance free NAGs left and right this season. Today, he’ll take a crack at the oldest NAG record on the books, which is the boys’ 13-14 1500 freestyle NAG held by Jesse Vassallo at 15:31.03 since 1976.

Watch:

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS (SLOWER HEATS)

• World Record: 8:04.79, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2016
• American Record: 8:04.79, Katie Ledecky — 2016
• U.S. Open Record: 8:06.86, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2016
• Championship Record: 8:09.27, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2022
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 8:37.90
• 2022 U.S. Trials Top 2 Time: 8:17.52
• 2022 Worlds Medal Time: 8:19.00

(Provisional) Top 8:

1. Rachel Stege (ABSC) — 8:32.71
2. Abby McCulloh (SA) — 8:36.06
3. Chase Travis (WOLF) — 8:36.72
4. Paige McKenna (WISC) — 8:37.20
5. Emma Hastings (WOLF) — 8:38.87
6. Aly Breslin (TNAQ) — 8:39.47
7. Jillian Barczyk (COLA) — 8:39.89
8. Aurora Roghair (ALTO) — 8:40.09

Rachel Stege, this year’s SEC 500 free champion, posted the top time of the distance session in the women’s 800 free. The Georgia Bulldog touched in 8:32.71, a new personal best for her. The swim cuts 5.71 seconds off her best time, which had stood since 2019.

She was well ahead of the rest of the field–her Georgia teammate Abby McCulloh holds second in 8:36.06. McCulloh’s time is a PB as well, and marks her first time sub-8:40. She’d just set her best at 8:42.10 in March at the Speedo Atlanta Classic. Running third is Chase Travis, just ahead of Wisconsin’s Paige McKenna, who took almost a second off her best.

Through three heats, the top time belongs to Jillian Barczyk, who won heat three in 8:39.89. That’s a 15.17 second drop for the Georgia Bulldog; her previous lifetime best stood at 8:55.06 from 2019. Longhorn teammates Abby Pfeifer and Olivia McMurray went 2-3 in the same heat, stopping the clock at 8:45.08 and 8:45.19. It’s a personal best for Pfiefer, bettering the 8:57.32 she swam at last year’s Mission Viejo Pro Swim.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS (SLOWER HEATS)

• World Record: 14:31.02, Sun Yang (CHN) — 2012
• American Record: 14:36.70, Bobby Finke — 2022
• U.S. Open Record: 14:45.54, Peter Vanderkaay (USA) — 2008
• Championship Record: 14:45.54, Peter Vanderkaay (USA) — 2008
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 15:04.64
• 2022 U.S. Trials Top 2 Time: 14:51.78
• 2022 Worlds Medal Time: 14:36.94

(Provisional) Top 8:

1. Levi Sandidge (KYA) — 15:09.75
2. Luke Ellis (SAND) — 15:17.92
3. Nathan Szobota (NOVA) — 15:18.13
4. Mason Edmund (OSU) — 15:18.80
5. Elijah Shoyat (CLPR) — 15:18.87
6. Owen Lloyd (WOLF) — 15:21.60
7. Luke Whitlock (FASTIN) — 15:22.69
8. Jake Narvid (TNAQ) — 15:23.58

Levi Sanddige, fresh off his first season at Kentucky, easily logged the fastest time so far in the men’s 1500 freestyle. Sandidge, dropped more than 18 seconds in his 1650-yard freestyle this season. He saw a similar drop here in meters, cutting 20.29 seconds off his personal best with a 15:09.75. His previous best stood at 15:30.04 from the Indy Spring Cup earlier this spring.

He finished well ahead of the Sandpipers’ Luke Ellis, who’s running second with a 15:17.92. Ellis also bettered a lifetime best swum earlier this year, going from 15:29.67 at the Fran Crippen Invite to 15:17.92 here in Indianapolis.

Heat 2 of the men’s 1500 free saw two separate races. The first was for the heat win between Mason Edmund and Nathan Szobota. The second was Luka Mijatovic against the clock, as he tried to crack the boys 13-14 NAG of 15:31.03, which has stood since 1976.

In the latter, Mijatovic fell just short, but still clocked a massive personal best of 15:32.18. That makes him the second fastest boy all-time in the age group. It also marks a 15 second drop for the teenager.

In the former, it looked like the heat was Edmund’s to win, but the 15-year-old Szobota began to close the gap over the final 500 meters. With 75 meters to go, the two were stroke for stroke, and Szobota pulled ahead in the final few meters to take the heat win, 15:18.13 to 15:18.80. Those stood up as the third and fourth fastest times of the session.