47-Year-Old Steve West Pops 1:04.99 100 BR LCM at NOVA Grand Challenge

2019 SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE

On the first day of the 2019 Speedo Grand Challenge, 47-year-old Steve West continues to improve in the masters realm, lowering his own masters world record in the 100-meter breast.

West, who trains with Irvine Novaquatics Masters, set his year-old 100 breast world record set last year at this meet. In prelims, West finished in 9th place overall with a 1:04.99, nipping his former personal best of 1:05.08 by 9/100.

2018 NOVA Challenge 2019 NOVA Challenge
1st 50 30.87 31.07
2nd 50 34.21 33.92
Final Time 1:05.08 1:04.99

Along with his newly minted 1:04-100 breast LCM world record, West holds the 200 breast LCM records in the 40-44 age group (2:18.57) and 45-49 age group (2:19.44). He also holds both the 100 and 200 breast world records in the SCM pool for both the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups. Likewise, West has 22 US national breaststroke masters records.

Leading the men’s 100 breast prelims is Cal first year Reece Whitley, whose leading time of 1:01.43 is the 13th-fastest American time so far this year. Whitley will be joined by New Zealander Mario Koenigsperger (1:02.90), Aggie Benjamin Walker (1:03.31), and Cal’s Connor Hoppe (1:03.67) in the 4-man super-final.

More Friday Prelims Highlights:

  • The women’s 50 free super-final will be a 2×2 showdown of Team Elite and Cal Aquatics. Michigan post-grad Catie DeLoof (25.54) leads over Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil by 1/100, DeLoof’s fourth-fastest time ever in the event. Behind Weitzel is Team Elite’s Kendyl Stewart (25.62) and Cal’s Katie McLaughlin (25.78).
  • Behind men’s 200 IM leader Yakov Toumarkin of Israel (2:03.73) is Cal post-grad Andrew Seliskar, cruising to the wall at 2:04.44. While this is 6 seconds off his 2018 PB of 1:58.23, this is only his first LCM of the season. In 2018, Seliskar only had four 200 IM LCM swims, including 2018 US Nationals. Seliskar also just made the super-final in the 200 free with a 1:50.66, five seconds off his summer national title time of 1:45.70.
  • Erica Sullivan leads the women’s 400 free super-final with a 4:15.09. A few seconds behind her is Cal NCAA-qualifier Cassidy Bayer, dropping over 6 seconds from her PB to swim sub-4:20 with 4:19.99.
  • Posting the 5th- and 7th-fastest American times this year in the men’s 1500 free are Nick Norman (15:24.27) and Michael Brinegar (15:33.76). Jordan Wilimovsky finished fourth in the prelims with a 15:45.69, however, is the fastest American this year with a 15:05.44.

Other “A” Flight Top Seeds:

 

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Seth
5 years ago

This was at a USA swimming meet. Correct me if I’m wrong but is it the case that you cannot set a masters world record at a USA swimming meet?

The world record form below.

https://www.fina.org/sites/default/files/2017_2021_masters_wr_form_11102017_new.pdf

Admin
Reply to  Seth
5 years ago

Meets can hold multiple sanctions. In this case, the meet hold dual USA Swimming and USMS sanctions (via the Southern Pacific LMSC)

Seth
Reply to  Braden Keith
5 years ago

Thanks!

Springbrook
5 years ago

Would love to see him go under 1:03.29 and qualify for Olympic Trials.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Springbrook
5 years ago

He just missed it (like by a tenth or two in both breastrokes) at 43 for the 2016 Trials.

800 IM
5 years ago

True Michigan Man. Go blue

Sqimgod
5 years ago

More proof Phelps should comeback

Scott Morgan
5 years ago

Dayum!

Eagleswim
5 years ago

Unreal, way to go Steve!

Tony R
5 years ago

Nice swim Steve!!

Old sprinter
5 years ago

Congratulations Steve. Like a fine wine…

About Nick Pecoraro

Nick Pecoraro

Nick has had the passion for swimming since his first dive in the water in middle school, immediately falling for breaststroke. Nick had expanded to IM events in his late teens, helping foster a short, but memorable NCAA Div III swim experience at Calvin University. While working on his B.A. …

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