2024 Speedo Summer Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2024 SPEEDO SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, July 23 – Saturday, July 27, 2024
• Prelims 9AM, finals 5PM (Pacific Time)
• LCM (50 meters)
• Woollett Aquatics Center, Irvine, California
• Meet Central
• Pre–scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

The penultimate night of the Speedo Summer Championships features finals of the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 200 breaststroke in Irvine on Friday evening.

One of the most anticipated showdowns of the session comes during the first event of the night, the women’s 200 free, where top qualifier Bella Sims (2:00.41) is going up against Longhorn Aquatics 19-year-old Jillian Cox (2:00.45). Sims has been as fast as 1:55.45 at last summer’s World Championships while Cox owns a lifetime best of 1:58.95 from 2022. Rachel Stege was also right in the mix during the morning heats as the No. 3 seed (2:00.54), but she scratched out of tonight’s 200 free final.

Grant House led the men’s 200 free by almost a second this morning in 1:48.29. After already capturing the 100 free crown in 48.63, the Arizona State graduate is aiming for another title just hours after the settlement in his lawsuit against the NCAA was finalized.

USC graduate Isabelle Odgers paced the women’s 200 breast prelims in 2:30.15, but keep an eye on Grace Koenig-Song. At just 14 years old, Koenig-Song’s personal-best 2:31.77 from last June ranks top-30 among American girls in her age group.

Stay tuned for live updates below:

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024)
• American: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (2012)
• US Open: 1:54.13 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023
• Jr World: 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)

Top 8:

1. Bella Sims – 1:57.84
2. Jillian Cox – 1:58.47
3. Shea Furse – 1:59.05
4. Kate Hurst – 2:00.32
5. Macky Hodges – 2:00.64
6. Sloane Reinstein – 2:00.84
7. Hannah Bellard – 2:01.76
8. Savannah Barr – 2:02.16

Bella Sims pulled out a promising victory in the 200 free over Jillian Cox with a winning time of 1:57.84, almost two seconds faster than she was in prelims of last month’s Olympic Trials (17th place). The 19-year-old Olympic medalist has been as fast as 1:55.45 at last summer’s World Championships.

Cox was close behind in 1:58.47, dropping a few tenths off her previous-best 1:58.95 from 2022.

Rising Georgia junior Shea Furse broke the two-minute barrier for the first time in her career with a 3rd-place showing in 1:59.05. The 19-year-old took more than a second off her previous-best 2:00.09 from last month’s Olympic Trials, where she placed 24th.

Texas commit (’24) Kate Hurst touched 4th in 2:00.32, knocking almost a second off her previous-best 2:01.06 from prelims this morning. Before today, her best time stood at 2:01.44 from March.

Sims’ former Sandpipers of Nevada club teammate, Macky Hodges, placed 5th in 2:00.64. The rising USC sophomore reached the wall within two seconds of her personal-best 1:58.75 from last June.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World: 1:42:00 – Paul Biederman, GER (2009)
• American: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps, (2008)
• US Open: 1:44.10 – Michael Phelps, USA (2008)
• Jr World: 1:42.97 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)

Top 8:

1. Grant House – 1:46.54
2. Jack Dahlgren – 1:47.01
3. Owen McDonald – 1:47.87
4. Dylan Smiley – 1:48.62
5. Luka Mijatovic – 1:48.73
6. Ozan Kalafat – 1:49.83
7. Ivan Kurakin – 1:50.70
8. Silas Beth – 1:51.11

Grant House blasted a personal-best 1:46.54 to capture the men’s 200 free crown ahead of Jack Dahlgren (1:47.01) and former Arizona State teammate Owen McDonald (1:47.87).

The 26-year-old House shaved just over a tenth off his previous-best 1:46.68 from 2022. He didn’t break 1:47 at Olympic Trials last month, clocking 1:47.12 for 10th place in the semifinals.

Dahlgren, a 24-year-old Missouri graduate, touched within a tenth of his personal-best 1:46.92 from 2022. McDonald dipped under his previous-best 1:48.05 from Olympic Trials last month, where he placed 23rd.

Rising Indiana sophomore Dylan Smiley was next to the wall in 1:48.62, crushing his previous-best 1:50.44 from prelims by more than a second. Before today, his best time was 1:52.19 from May.

Pleasanton Seahawks 15-year-old Luka Mijatovic placed 5th in 1:48.73, dropping a quarter of a second off his previous-best 1:48.98 from last month’s Trials, where he placed 32nd. He remains ranked 7th in the U.S. boys 15-16 national age group (NAG).

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World: 57.13– Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• American: 57.13– Regan Smith, (2024)
• US Open: 57.13– Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• Jr World: 57.57– Regan Smith, USA (2024)

Top 8:

1. Julie Mishler – 1:01.21
2. Mya Dewitt – 1:01.66
3. Lily Cleason – 1:01.97
4. Tierney Lenahan – 1:02.00
5. Miranda Grana – 1:02.06
6. Casey Chung – 1:02.30
7. Claire Jansen – 1:02.42
8. Alana Berlin – 1:02.89

Louisville commit (’25) Julie Mishler clinched the women’s 100 back win in 1:01.21, taking almost half a second off her previous-best 1:01.64 from March.

Rising Indiana junior Mya Dewitt was within half a second of Mishler with a runner-up finish in 1:01.66. She has been as fast as 1:01.29 last November.

Rising Michigan sophomore Lily Cleason eked past Duke commit (’25) Tierney Lenahan (1:02.00) with a time of 1:01.97. Cleason posted a personal-best 1:01.36 for 22nd place at Olympic Trials last month while Lenahan was just a couple tenths shy of her best time from March (1:01.78).

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, ITA (2022)
• American: 51.85 – Ryan Murphy, (2016)
• US Open: 51.94 – Aaron Piersol, USA (2009)
• Jr World: 52.53 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2018)

Top 8:

1. Jack Wilkening – 54.30
2. Ruard Van Renen – 54.82
3. Stepan Goncharov – 55.12
4. Nathan Welker – 55.37
5. Edward Huang – 56.49
6. Luigi Perez Franco – 56.90
7. Sam Parker – 57.17
8. Ralph Porrazzo – 57.45

Olympic Trials finalist Jack Wilkening ripped a 54.30 for the 100 back victory over Ruard van Renen (54.82). Wilkening, a rising Michigan junior, was within a second of his personal-best 53.37 from May.

Van Renen, a rising Georgia junior, reached the wall six tenths shy of his personal-best 54.22 from April.

Rising Pitt junior Stepan Goncharov placed 3rd in 55.12, shaving a tenth off his previous-best 55.22 from prelims. Before today, his best time was 55.91 from last July.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, RUS (2023)
• American: 2:19.30 – Kate Douglass (2024)
• US Open: 2:19.30 – Kate Douglass, USA (2024)
• Jr World: 2:19 .64– Viktoria Gunes, TUK (2015)

Top 8:

1. Isabelle Odgers – 2:28.58
2. Mia Su – 2:28.86
3. Kaitlyn Nguyen – 2:30.16
4. Ella Flowers – 2:31.92
5. Bridget Engel – 2:32.00
6. Grace Koenig-Song – 2:32.41
7. Elle Scott – 2:32.94
8. Maddie Moreth – 2:33.06

USC graduate Isabelle Odgers secured the women’s 200 breast victory in 2:28.58, just a couple tenths ahead of Santa Clara Swim Club 15-year-old Mia Su (2:28.86).

Odgers owns a lifetime best of 2:26.59 from May. Su knocked more than a second off her previous-best 2:30.31 from earlier this month to move up to No. 28 in the 15-16 NAG rankings.

USC commit (’25) Kaitlyn Nguyen was next to the wall in 2:30.16 for 3rd place. She was just a few tenths shy of her personal-best 2:29.77 from earlier this month.

The youngest A-finalist was NASA Wildcat Aquatics 14-year-old Grace Koenig-Song, who matched her time from prelims en route to 6th place in 2:32.41.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World: 2:05.48– Qin Haiyang, CHN (2023)
• American: 2:06.54– Matt Fallon, (2024)
• US Open: 2:06.54 – Matt Fallon, USA (2024)
• Jr World: 2:08.04 – Dong Zhihai, CHN (2023)

Top 8:

1. Joe Polyak – 2:12.60
2. Jordan Willis – 2:12.96
3. Ben Dillard – 2:13.31
4. Max Matteazzi – 2:14.97
5. Andrew Eubanks – 2:15.29
6. Grant Sanders – 2:16.18
7. Joseph Hong – 2:16.39
8. Pavel Romanov – 2:16.88

Minnesota commit (’24) Joe Polyak claimed the 200 breast win in 2:12.60, narrowly missing his personal-best 2:12.52 from last month, when he placed 17th at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Florida commit (’25) Jordan Willis was the only other swimmer under 2:13 at 2:12.96 for 2nd place. The SwimMAC Carolina 17-year-old has been as fast as 2:11.26 from last month, when he just barely missed the Olympic Trials final with a 9th-place effort in the semifinals.

Rising USC senior Ben Dillard rounded out the podium with a 3rd-place finish in 2:13.31, just over a second off his personal-best 2:12.17 from 2021.

Drew Eubanks, 16, placed 5th in 2:14.29, a few tenths behind rising Pitt senior Max Matteazzi (2:14.97). Eubanks dropped more than a second off his previous-best 2:15.83 from March, moving up to 10th all-time in the 15-16 NAG rankings.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

Top 8:

1. Michigan – 3:42.75
2. Georgia – 3:45.39
3. Bellevue Swim Club – 3:46.29
4. Indiana Swim Club – 3:48.50
5. Michigan ‘B’ – 3:48.68
6. Irvine Novaquatics – 3:48.99
7. Alamo Area Aquatics – 3:51.08
8. Schroeder YMCA – 3:51.55

Rising senior Lindsay Flynn led off Michigan’s relay in 55.31, within a few tenths of her personal-best 55.06 from May, to power the Wolverines’ A team to the victory by almost three seconds ahead of Georgia. Brady Kendall (55.93), Claire Newman (55.16), and Abbey Ketslakh (56.35) finished the job for Michigan in a total time of 3:42.75, well ahead of runner-up Georgia (3:45.39).

Emma Norton was the only Bulldog to register a sub-56 seconds split at 55.97 on the second leg of Georgia’s relay. Shea Furse (56.82 leadoff), Bri Roberson (56.07), and Eboni McCarty (56.53) rounded out the Bulldogs’ quartet.

Bellevue Swim Club 17-year-old Sophia Sunwoo threw down a 56.60 leadoff, and 17-year-olds Alexa McDevitt and Heather White split identical 56.36s to lift their unit to a 3rd-place finish ahead of Indiana Swim Club (3:46.29). Indiana placed 4th courtesy of Miranda Grana (57.06), Mackenna Lieske (57.31), Mya Dewitt (57.07), and Reese Tiltmann (57.06).

MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

Top 8:

1. Michigan – 3:18.05
2. Indiana Swim Club – 3:18.77
3. Irvine Novaquatics – 3:23.00
4. Dynamo Swim Club – 3:25.63
5. Iowa Flyers Swim Club – 3:27.33
6. Pitt – 3:27.70
7. Swim Neptune – 3:28.42
8. Scarlet Aquatics – 3:28.77

Rising Indiana sophomore Dylan Smiley delivered the fastest split in the field at 48.95, but it wasn’t enough to carry his team past Michigan’s winning quartet of Bence Szabados (49.54), Jack Wilkening (49.14), Ozan Kalafat (49.37), and Colin Geer (50.00). Indiana led heading into the final leg of the race, but William Raches (50.92) couldn’t quite hang on against Geer. Szabados’s leadoff was within half a second of his personal-best 49.13 from April.

Other notable splits included a 50.19 by 17-year-old Derek Hitchens, who helped his Irvine Novaquatics unit place 3rd in 3:23.00. Columbia commit (’24) Gian Santos, 18, led off Irvine’s team with a personal-best 51.18, dropping a few tenths off his previous-best 51.56 from last August.