2024 U.S. Open: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2024 U.S. Open Championships

• December 4th -7th, 2023
• Greensboro, N.C
• Prelims: 9:00 am EST/ Finals 6:00 pm EST
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• How to Watch
• Psych Sheets (pre-scratch)
• Live Results

Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheet

The first preliminary session of the U.S. Open is about to begin. The format follows the NCAA championships, so this morning’s docket includes the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. 2024 US Olympic Medalist Drew Kibler is entered in two events this morning, the 500 free and 50 free.

However, before he enters the water, the women’s 500 free kicks things off as Kennedi Dobson, 17, will look to defend her top seed from the likes of Rachel Klinker and Chloe Stepanek. In the men’s 500, Kibler will have to make some moves from the second heat if he looks to make the final, although granted, he is entered with a meters time.

The 200 IM sees two collegiate fifth-years atop the heat sheets as Penn State’s Margaret Markvardt will throwdown with Queens University’s Abigail Zboran and SMU’s Teia Salvino. In addition to the aforementioned Dobson, 2020 Olympian Rhyan White makes her first appearance at the U.S. Open as the #5 seed. In the men’s 200 IM, West Virginia’s Danny Berlitz will look to hold off the Penn State pair of Matthew Bittner and Sean Honey.

We conclude the morning with the 50 free where Stepanek will make a second appearance, this time atop the heat sheet. Stepanek finds herself three-tenths ahead of the next fastest competition, SMU’s Maddy Parker, whereas Brady Samuels, who represents Purdue, is seeded just .01 ahead of Miles Simon in the men’s 50.

Women’s 500 Freestyle

• American Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky (2017)
• US Open Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky (2017)
• Meet Record: 4:29.54 – Katie Ledecky (2014)

Top 8

1. Kennedi Dobson (EEX) – 4:41.68
2. Rachel Klinker (CAL) – 4:45.38
3. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU) – 4:48.18
4. Erin Dawson (UN) – 4:49.82
5. Clara Renner (BUCK) – 4:52.91
6. Emmaleigh Zietlow (IU) – 4:52.94
7. Brooke Bennett (PLS) – 4:53.13
8. Rylee Hutchinson (PLS) – 4:53.54

The first race of the morning got started with the Cal-based swimmer Rachel Klinker taking the 100 out in 54.24. By the 200-yard mark, Klinker, who placed 3rd at NCAAs last winter in the 200 fly, was ahead by over two and half seconds, hitting the wall in 1:51.84. Behind her, there was a tight race for second over the middle hundreds as Rylee Hutchinson, Morgan Moore and Emmaleigh Zietlow jostled for position.

Klinker took the first heat in a time of 4:45.38, with Zietlow getting the edge over the two as she closed in 29.25 to hit the wall in 4:52.94.

Heat 2 of 2 saw Kennedi Dobson, the Junior Pan-Pac gold medalist in the 400 free, slowly build a lead over multiple-time All-American Chloe Stepanek. The pair were out in 53.66 and 54.36, but by the 200-yard mark, Dobson had opened up that lead to nearly a full second, 1:50.84 to 1:51.76. Over the next 200, Dobson kept up her pace and held 28 mids, but Stepanek pulled off the gas and crept above the 29.0 mark so that with just a 100 left, the lead had ballooned out to nearly three and a half seconds.

Dobson kept the 28-second splits on the last 100, closing in 28.45 and 288.14 to take the heat win and overall top seed with a time of 4:41.68, close to seven seconds ahead of Stepanek’s 4:48.18.

Men’s 500 Freestyle

• American Record: 4:04.45 – Rex Maurer (2024)
• US Open Record: 4:02.31 – Leon Marchand (2024)
• Meet Record: 4:07.25 – Zane Grothe (2017)

Top 8

1. Max Carlsen (LVSC) – 4:21.67
2. Quinton Cynor (UN) – 4:21.82
3. Bradley Dunham (SA) – 4:21.91
4.  (UN) – 4:22.90
5. Jones Lambert (UTAH) – 4:22.97
6. Patrick Branon (UN) – 4:23.00
7. Jonas Cantrell (UN) – 4:24.37
8. Nicholas Subagyo (UN) – 4:25.04

Heat 1 saw a battle of all teenagers, but it was WAVE’s Jackson Scheiber, a Minnesota commit, take the win in 4:29.64 just ahead of Bluefish’s Braedon Ando, who was passed in the closing 50 as Scheiber closed in a 26.52 to Ando’s 26.99.

Heat 2 saw the first declared false start of the meet as Drew Kibler did not take to the blocks for his 500 free. Kibler was supposed to bring the heat in lane 1, but it was lane 8’s Nicholas Subagyo who did so. Subaygo, who was entered with a meters time, took the heat win by three seconds as he stopped the clock in 4:25.04.

His time didn’t last long atop the rankings, as in the very next heat, Sean Atkinson, a first-year at Notre Dame, posted a mark of 4:22.90, just ahead of fellow Notre Dame first-year Patrick Branon, who hit the wall in 4:23.00. Both times appear to be new personal best for the duo.

Heat 4, the first of the circle seeded, saw Quinton Cynor, a former University of Wyoming swimmer, set an early lead, opening up in 1:43.36, just .09 ahead of Jones Lambert, who competes for Utah. The pair remained close, but Cynor’s splits over the next 200 were just marginally closer to 26 mids, and he remained in the lead. Cynor turned on the heat on the last 50, closing in 25.34 to take the heat win and post the fastest overall time so far of 4:21.82, over a second ahead of Lambert’s 4:22.97.

Heat 5 was duel between the youngster Max Carlsen and the not so much older Bradley Dunham. Dunham, a Georgia graduate, was out in 50.02 and by the 200 yard mark was in the lead 1:42.70 to 1:43.36, but Carlsen, who swims for Las Vegas Swim Club, started to creep up. Over the next 200, he outsplit Dunham by over a second to take the lead as at the 400-yard turn, he was 3:29.73 to Dunham’s 3:30.46.

Dunham tried his best in the last 50 to make up the ground he lost, as he closed in 24.85, but Carlsen’s 25.33 was enough to hold him as he took the heat win and fastest overall time in 4:21.67.

Women’s 200 I.M.

• American Record: 1:48.37 – Kate Douglass (2023)
• US Open Record: 1:48.37 – Kate Douglass (2023)
• Meet Record: 1:52.63 – Melanie Margalis (2017)

Top 8

1. Kennedi Dobson (EEX) – 1:58.49
2. Margaret Markvardt (PSU) – 1:58.85
3. Rhyan White (WOLF) – 1:59.41
4. Emerson Callis (QSTS) – 1:59.79
5. Lily Mead (LOYO) – 2:00.15
6. Sadie Buckley (NCAP) – 2:00.45
7. Ava Muzzy (UNC) – 2:00.59
8. Teia Salvino (SMU) – 2:01.19

In less than 40 minutes, Kennedi Dobson found herself posting the second consecutive top time of the morning. The 4th overall seed, Dobson had a slight lead of .39 over Margaret Markvardt at the 100 turn, but Markvardt, who swims for Penn State, used a speedy 50 breaststroke split to take over the lead and was nearly a half a second ahead of Dobson. However, Dobson, still in highschool came home in a blistering 27.58 (compared to Markvardt’s 28.42) to take the heat win in 1:58.49.

In the previous heat, Rhyan White, a 2020 Olympian in the backstroke, showed off her versatility as she recorded a time of 1:59.41, to take the 3rd seed in tonight’s final. White unsurprisingly had the fastest backstroke split amongst the top 8 (29.03), but she was also the fastest in the fly (25.10).

Men’s 200 I.M.

• American Record: 1:37.91 – Destin Lasco (2024)
• US Open Record: 1:36.34 – Leon Marchand (2023)
• Meet Record: 1:40.08 – Ryan Lochte (2007)

Top 8

1. Danny Berlitz (WVU) – 1:46.31
2. Charlie Egeland (YALE) – 1:46.49
3. Minkyu Noh (EVO) – 1:46.57
4. Tate Anderson (GMU) – 1:46.79
5. Sean Honey (PSU) – 1:46.90
6. Tim WU (PLS) – 1:47.14
7. Angus Macdonald (UN) – 1:47.25
8. Jack Doyle (UN) – 1:47.92

West Virgina’s Danny Berlitz defended his top seed as he posted the top time of the morning. It wasn’t an easy affair though as Charlie Egeland of Yale had the lead in the last head at the 150 turn, but Berlitz’s closing speed (25.14) was enough to take the win with a time of 1:46.31. Egeland closed in 25.49 to post the second fastest time of 1:46.49.

Posting the third fastest time of the morning (1:46.57) was Minkyu Noh of Evolution Racing Club. Noh, who has competed internationally for South Korea was entered in a long course meters time and swam in heat 3.

Women’s 50 Free

• American Record: 20.37 – Gretchen Walsh (2024)
• US Open Record: 20.37 – Gretchen Walsh (2024)
• Meet Record: 21.46 – Natalie Coughlin (2007)

Top 8

1. Maddy Parker (SMU) – 22.43
2. Ekaterina Nikonova (UN) – 22.46
3. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU) – 22.53
4. Adalynn Biegler (EDI) – 22.55
5. Erin Palmer (UTAH)/Lily Mead (LOYO) – 22.57
7. Kennedy Gilbertson (IFLY) – 22.84
8. Zita Szoke (BSC) – 22.87

The splash and dash was, well, very splashy and dashy, as less than half a second separates the top 8. SMU’s Maddy Parker, the #2 overall seed, posted a mark of 22.43, just off her entry time of 22.36. Right behind her tonight will be Ekaterina Nikonova. Nikonova, who competed for the Florida Gators for three seasons, transferred this season to Northwestern but has yet to compete for the collegiate team posted a time of 22.46 this morning. Rounding out the top three is Stepanek.

Chloe Stepanek with the 500 and 50 double this morning finds herself as the #3 seed in both events tonight

— SwimSwam Live (@SwimSwamLive) December 5, 2024

Stepanek, who entered as the top seed with an entry time of 22.06 recorded a mark of 22.53. The Aggie was 22.39 in the prelims of the Art Adamson Invitational in November, but scratched in favor of the 500 free. It remains to be seen if she’ll swim both of her individual events tonight.

Men’s 50 Free

• American Record: 17.63 – Caeleb Dressel (2018)
• US Open Record: 17.63 – Caeleb Dressel (2018)
• Meet Record: 18.77 – Nathan Adrian (2017)

Top 8

1. Drew Kibler (NYAC) – 19.48
2. Brady Samuels (PUR) – 19.57
3. Shane Eckler (UN) -19.58
4. Miles Simon (CAD) – 19.75
5. Nien Levy (QU) – 19.76
6. Idris Muhammad (PUR) – 19.82
7. Howat Howat (NCAP) – 19.83
8. Hrvoje Tomic (UN) – 19.87

It was a few minutes of waiting and seeing as Drew Kibler and his 19.48 from heat 4 had to endure five heats worth of 50s to see if the time would hold up. In his first yards swim in over a year, Kibler looked strong and should be able to be faster tonight but as just one of two US Olympians in the meet he carries a large target on his back. Top-seeded Purdue’s Brady Samuels will be looking to reclaim that position tonight as his 19.57 swim this morning slots him in as the #2 seed tonight.

Samuels has a PB of 19.46 from the 2023 NCAAs, so if he stays with Kibler tonight, he could be in for a new PB. While Samuels is chasing his PB, Shane Eckler blew right by his.

Another Notre Dame first year, swimming Unattached with a personal best. This time its Shane Eckler winning heat 7 of the 50 free in 19.58, breaking 20.00 for the first time.

— SwimSwam Live (@SwimSwamLive) December 5, 2024

Eckler entered the meet as the #22 seed with an entry time of 20.07 and dropped nearly half a second to earn lane 3 in tonight’s final. Eckler wasn’t the only Notre Dame first-year to make the final and post a new PB.

Hrvoje Tomic, a Croatian national and former Junior World semifinalist, squeaked into the A-final by .01 as his 19.87, which was just enough to get him ahead of Tylor Kim’s 19.88. Like Kibler, Tomic was entered with a meters time, and his result this morning easily overtakes his 20.78 PB in this event, although it should be noted that that time is his only recorded result in the event.

There was a three-way tie for 15th place between Ahmed Sallam, Jacob Gramer, and Ben Meulemans, with the trio recording an identical time of 20.20. If and when we find out how the tie was resolved, we will update this post.