2024 Pro Swim Series – Westmont: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2024 PRO SWIM SERIES – WESTMONT

Saturday Prelims Scratch Report

Saturday Prelims Heat Sheet

The fourth and final preliminary session of the 2024 Westmont Pro Swim Series will feature the 200 IM, 200 backstroke, and 100 freestyle.

The women’s 200 IM will be contested by both Torri Huske and Leah Hayes, with both swimmers owning best times under 2:10. Hayes clocked her personal record at the 2022 World Championships, where she touched the wall in 2:08.91 to grab a bronze medal. Hayes, just 18-years-old, won the 400 IM earlier this week in Westmont. Huske has bagged two individual wins this week, claiming the 100 fly (56.13) and 50 free (24.31). The men’s race will feature the 400 IM champion from Thursday, Chase Kalisz, among others.

The 200 backstroke races will feature Regan Smith and Ryan Murphy, both former world record holders in individual backstroke events. Smith set a new personal best time in the 100 fly (56.36) on Thursday before clocking a 2:04.80 and 57.64 200 fly/100 back double on Friday. The butterfly swim was a new Pro Swim Series record and the backstroke swim was a new U.S. Open record.

Hugo Gonzalez, who represents Spain internationally and trains alongside Murphy at Cal, is entered in the men’s race. He won the world title back at the Doha World Championships in February, but he’s also entered in the 200 IM this morning, so it will be interesting to see if he chooses one or opts for both.

Huske will be back in the pool for the women’s 100 free, where Simone Manuel and Abbey Weitzeil will be among the other contenders to look out for. Manuel has posted some great performances over the course of this meet, winning the 200 free (1:57.80) on Thursday and clocking her fastest swim since 2021 in the 50 free (24.49).

Jack Alexy and Caeleb Dressel will highlight the men’s field, with Dressel already snagging two individual wins in Westmont. Alexy has been posting 48-low swims all season long though, so it’ll be interesting to see if Dressel can near that range.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – HEATS

  • World Record: 2:06.12, Katinka Hosszu (2015)
  • American Record: 2:06.15, Ariana Kukors (2009)
  • U.S Open Record: 2:07.09, Kate Douglass (2023)
  • Pro Swim Series Record: 2:07.16, Summer McIntosh (2024)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Leah Hayes (TIDE) – 2:13.15
  2. Beata Nelson (WISC) – 2:15.53
  3. Torri Huske (AAC) – 2:16.05
  4. Kelsey Zhang (PASA) – 2:16.90
  5. Bailey Andison (TQ) – 2:16.92
  6. Isabelle Odgers (TROJ) – 2:16.94
  7. Nathalia Siqueira Almeida (BRA) – 2:17.23
  8. Mckenna Debever (TNAQ) – 2:17.53

Maya Hetland, who represents Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, touched in 2:21.98 to win heat one. She cleared the field by over two seconds, with the next closest competitor checking-in at 2:24.03. The circle-seeded heats got underway immediately after heat one, with Beata Nelson showcasing her early speed through the first 100. Nelson opened in 1:02.43 to stake her claim on heat two, ultimately winning in 2:15.53.

Torri Huske made her presence known from the very first stroke in heat three, leading from start to finish. She opened in a sizzling 27.96 through the butterfly leg, before hitting the 100m turn in 1:02.69. She seemed to be on cruise control through the final 75 meters of her swim, snagging the heat win in a time of 2:16.05. Huske will feature in the 100 freestyle heats later this morning, where she shares top seed status with Abbey Weitzeil (52.92).

After winning the 400 IM on Thursday, Leah Hayes safely qualified for the 200 IM championship final. Hayes looked in control on the butterfly leg before really increasing the pace over the final meters of backstroke. She turned through the 100m turn in 1:02.04, the fastest first 100 of the morning, and split 33.16 on the backstroke. She finished her race in a final time of 2:13.15, the top qualifying time of the morning by over two seconds.

Three 2:16.9 clockings were produced in Westmont today, with Kelsey Zhang (2:16.90) claming the 4th seed ahead of Bailey Andison (2:16.92) and Isabelle Odgers (2:16.94). Nathalia Siqueira Almeida (2:17.23) and Mckenna Debever finished in the 2:17-range, advancing in 7th and 8th.

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – HEATS

  • World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (2011)
  • American Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (2011)
  • U.S Open Record: 1:54.46, Ryan Lochte (2009)
  • Pro Swim Series Record: 1:55.68, Leon Marchand (2023)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Grant House (SUN) – 2:01.70
  2. Hugo Gonzalez (CAL) – 2:02.58
  3. Kieran Smith (RAC) – 2:02.70
  4. Chase Kalisz (SUN) – 2:02.72
  5. Gabriel Jett (CAL) – 2:02.76
  6. Noah Cakir (TS) – 2:03.03
  7. Mark Szaranek (GSC) – 2:03.34
  8. Vini Lanza (MTC) – 2:03.94

The first circle-seeded heat win was claimed by Kieran Smith. The Florida Gator turned 2nd after the butterfly leg, but used a strong backstroke split to take over leading duties. He never relinquished the lead for the rest of his race, touching the wall in 2:02.70 for the heat win. Mark Szaranek touched in 2:03.34 for 2nd in the heat, clearing the rest of the field by about 1.5 seconds.

Hugo Gonzalez sprinted through the first 50 of fly in 25.62 during the penultimate heat, never conceding the lead from there. He put his hand on the wall in 2:02.58, clipping Smith’s time from the previous heat by 0.12. Gonzalez split a notable 33.92 on the breast leg, before really shutting things down over the freestyle (31.43) leg.

The final heat saw several different people in front, with Grant House touching first after butterfly and Gabe Jett hitting the wall first after backstroke. Chase Kalisz gapped the field on the breaststroke leg, securing a lead of 0.70 heading into the freestyle leg. House picked up his pace on the final 50, stopping the clock in 2:01.70 to win the heat, which represents the fastest time of the morning.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – HEATS

  • World Record: 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
  • American Record: 2:03.35, Regan Smith (2019)
  • Pro Swim Series Record: 2:04.76, Regan Smith (2023)
  • U.S Open Record: 2:03.80, Regan Smith (2023)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Leah Shackley (BRY) – 2:12.91
  2. Regan Smith (SUN) – 2:13.24
  3. Justine Murdock (UN-1) – 2:14.36
  4. Vera Conic (PPD) – 2:14.74
  5. Rhyan White (WOLF) – 2:15.17
  6. Lauren Bernardo (MAC) – 2:18.59
  7. Lea Nugent (TQ) – 2:19.67
  8. Callie Dickinson (ABSC) – 2:20.17

There were only three heats of the women’s 200 back, with circle-seeded action getting underway from heat one. NC State commit Leah Shackley was dominant in the first heat, cruising to the win in 2:12.91. Shackley has posted several top three performances here in Westmont, led by her 2nd place finish in Friday’s 100 back final (59.76). She also placed 3rd in both the 100 (58.39) and 200 (2:12.03) fly events this week.

Wolfpack Elite’s Rhyan White established a lead from the very first stroke in the penultimate heat. She flipped in 1:05.56 through the first 100 before finishing in a final time of 2:15.17. White was a Tokyo Olympian in this 200 back, and also qualified for Team USA in the event for both the 2022 and 2023 World Championship meets.

White’s best time in 2024 so far is 2:09.85, which she put on the books at the Knoxville Pro Swim Series competition in January. She owns a best time of 2:05.13, which she recorded at the 2022 U.S. International Team Trials.

Regan Smith was on cruise control in the final heat, flipping through the first 50 in 31.65. She stayed with Justine Murdock the whole way, before slightly increasing her tempo over the closing 50. Smith grabbed the win in 2:13.24, the 2nd fastest time of the morning. After two record-setting performances last night, Smith will just have one race to focus on tonight.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – HEATS

  • World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (2009)
  • American Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (2009)
  • Pro Swim Series Record: 1:55.04, Xu Jiayu (2017)
  • U.S Open Record: 1:53.08, Aaron Peirsol (2009)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Yeziel Morales (MVN) – 1:59.23
  2. Destin Lasco (CAL) – 2:02.60
  3. Joe Hayburn (LOYO) – 2:02.82
  4. Chris Thames (MAAC) – 2:02.86
  5. Jack Dahlgren (TRI) – 2:02.92
  6. Jay Litherland (SUN) – 2:03.14
  7. Sam Wesley (ARMY) – 2:03.18
  8. Ryan Murphy (CAL) – 2:03.72

Destin Lasco, who is skipping the Pac-12 Championships for this long course racing opportunity, finished in 2:02.60 to win heat two. The Cal Bear had a big breakthrough at last summer’s World Championship Trials, qualifying for the 4×100 free relay in addition to the 200 backstroke.

The penultimate heat was taken out by Joe Hayburn, who placed his hand on the wall in a time of 2:02.82. The time was just 0.22 outside the mark from Lasco, but safely advances him to tonight’s championship final. Chris Thames (2:02.86) touched just 0.04 behind Hayburn, also qualifying for the A-final.

Lasco’s training partner, 4-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy, was the top seeded entrant into today’s event. He was on cruise control from the very start of the final heat, finishing 3rd in 2:03.72. He sneaks into the A-final by just 0.08, as Nicolas Albiero clocked 2:03.80 for 9th overall. Yeziel Morales won the final heat ahead of Murphy, touching in the only sub-2 minute time (1:59.23). Jack Dahlgren (2:02.92) was 2nd in the heat to Morales, moving through in 5th for the championship final.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – HEATS

  • World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
  • American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
  • Pro Swim Series Record: 53.12 – Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
  • US Open Record: 52.54 – Simone Manuel (2018)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Simone Manuel (SUN) – 54.01
  2. Abbey Weitzeil (CAL) – 54.38
  3. Taylor Ruck (SUN) & Torri Huske (AAC) – 54.44
  4. Catie Deloof (NYAC) – 54.55
  5. Olivia Smoliga (SUN) – 55.06
  6. Erika Connolly (TNAQ) – 55.65
  7. Andi Murez (CAL) – 55.82

Simone Manuel was the fastest women’s 100 freestyler this morning. She stopped the clock in 54.01 to win heat six, with Abbey Weitzeil checking-in just behind her with a 54.38 outing. Manuel won the 200 free (1:57.80) on Thursday before clocking her fastest 50 free (24.49) since 2021 on Friday.

Taylor Ruck and Torri Huske tied en route to winning the final heat, touching in matching 54.44 times. Huske was out a bit faster, turning through the first 50 in 25.93 to Ruck’s 26.07. Ruck closed in 28.37 to Huske’s 28.51 to close the slight gap.

Catie Deloof finished with a time of 54.55 to win heat five, splitting 26.23 on the first 50 and 28.32 on the closing lap. Deloof was 5th in the 50 free (24.82) earlier this week.

Olivia Smoliga (55.06), Erika Connolly (55.65), and Andi Murez (55.82) all advanced to the A-final, clocking times in the 55-second range.

Penny Oleksiak finished 11th this morning in 55.98, cutting 0.10 off her entry time. She clocked 2:03.27 in the 200 free to open the meet before swimming 26.22 during Friday’s 50 free heats.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – HEATS

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Jack Alexy (CAL) – 48.38
  2. Ryan Held (NYAC) – 48.60
  3. Blake Pieroni (ISC) – 48.82
  4. Drew Kibler (NYAC) – 48.90
  5. Andrej Barna (CARD) – 48.94
  6. Gabriel Jett (CAL) – 49.10
  7. Caeleb Dressel (GSC) – 49.11
  8. Santo Condorelli (DM) – 49.32

Cal’s Gabriel Jett swam to a time of 49.10 in a non-circle seeded heat, advancing himself to the A-final. Jett also qualified to swim in tonight’s 200 IM final, where he placed 5th this morning in 2:02.76.

Caeleb Dressel touched in 49.11 to win the first circle-seeded heat, just 0.01 outside Jett’s time from one heat earlier. Santo Condorelli finished just behind Dressel with a time of 49.32.

The penultimate heat was led by three sub-49 efforts, with Ryan Held (48.60) touching ahead of Blake Pieroni (48.82) and Andrej Barna (48.94). Jack Alexy responded in the final heat, touching in 48.38 to comfortably secure top seed status. Alexy opened in a swift 23.01 before closing things out in 25.37.

49.32 was the cut-off for A-final advancement, with five sub-49 efforts highlighting the field this morning.

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swimmer
7 months ago

Dressel boutta do a madness fosho

Beginner Swimmer at 25
7 months ago

Jack Alexy is about to become Caeleb Dressel’s father 👨‍👦

phelpsfan
7 months ago

Promising swim for Oleksiak. Did a little bit better than I thought she’d do. Hopefully with Paris coming soon she can start to prioritize swimming a little bit more, and not other activities.

Viking Steve
7 months ago

Eyes on Regan in the 200 back and Huske in 200IM final… chance to be special swims.

Chase and Simmone will impress.

Dressel will continue march to top

phelpsfan
Reply to  Viking Steve
7 months ago

Would disagree with Huske in the 200IM. But otherwise agree.

Viking Steve
Reply to  phelpsfan
7 months ago

Yeah, you are probably right… she may leave some in the tank for the 100 free part of the double… but with her back/breast so improved…her 200IM potential has really jumped

Last edited 7 months ago by Viking Steve
phelpsfan
Reply to  Viking Steve
7 months ago

2:08 is a world class time but it’s not going to be contending for Olympic medals and even a spot on the US Olympic team

dg5301
7 months ago

Good swim from Blake P! Quite a bit faster than he was at US Open.

Austinpoolboy
Reply to  dg5301
7 months ago

His comeback is legit. He can definitley compete for a lane in finals at Trials. If you have a lane, you have a shot at top 6

Swemmer
7 months ago

Alexy is going to be tough to take down in the final I bet, 100 free has always been Dressel’s “weakest” of his main events.

‘Murica
Reply to  Swemmer
7 months ago

We’ll see. Dressel obviously can hang with him in the 1st 50 and his second half has looked good

Hank
Reply to  Swemmer
7 months ago

Dressel dove in feet first so the block wouldn’t explode again. He’ll be fine tonight.

Gulliver’s Swimming Travels
7 months ago

My desire for Simone Manuel to win again tonight is quite high!

Aragon Son of Arathorne
Reply to  Gulliver’s Swimming Travels
7 months ago

i’d like to see her break that tyr pro record.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
7 months ago

After her 50 Free, I was thinking that Penny should be happy with a 55 today. She went 55.98 so cutting that a little close but hopefully she swims the B final tonight and gets down a bit lower.

Great swim for Taylor – she’s looking great.

Tanner-Garapick-Oleksiak-McIntosh
Reply to  ScovaNotiaSwimmer
7 months ago

So pleased to see Taylor continuing the momentum she gained from the Worlds. It bodes well for her and the Canadian Team heading into the Trials in two months.

My sentiments exactly regarding Penny, really would be nice to see her swim the B final to try and build on her morning swim.

CanuckSwimFan
Reply to  Tanner-Garapick-Oleksiak-McIntosh
7 months ago

Be interesting to see if Taylor decides to swim the 200fr at the trials. She suggested in a media posting a while ago that she would for sure swim 50fr, 100fr, 100bk. From what we’ve seen from her in the last few months, those 3 races are showing progress whereas the 200fr is looking shaky. In terms of medal potential, the medley relay could really benefit from a great free leg hopefully even faster than she went at the recent worlds where she managed to just get under 53.

Penny has about 8 weeks until the trials so we will see what happens there.

David
Reply to  CanuckSwimFan
7 months ago

Unfortunately if penny isn’t ready in time swim Canada will use Macintosh in the 100 free relay preventing rest time for summer

phelpsfan
Reply to  David
7 months ago

McIntosh would probably swim the 4×100 free regardless

Sub13
Reply to  CanuckSwimFan
7 months ago

If Ruck doesn’t do the 200 then Canada’s basically just given up on the relay right? If you take their best times/splits they could legit challenge Australia’s crazy world record but looks like they may not even enter if neither Ruck or Oleksiak will be swimming it

Jeepers
Reply to  Sub13
7 months ago

Whose splits???

Sub13
Reply to  Jeepers
7 months ago

McIntosh, Ruck and Oleksiak’s best flat/splits combined would only need a 1:55 mid from the 4th swimmer to break the WR

Tanner-Garapick-Oleksiak-McIntosh
Reply to  Sub13
7 months ago

Mary-Sophie Harvey, Rebecca Smith, and a couple of other names including a few up and coming youngsters are in the mix possibly, but without Ruck and Oleksiak at previous 200 form they probably can’t compete with the top nations in the 4×200.

Maudzilla
Reply to  ScovaNotiaSwimmer
7 months ago

Oleksiak has not stretched for tonight… I’m getting hopeful we will see a 2nd swim!