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

2019 SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE

• Friday, May 24 – Sunday, May 26, 2019
• William Woollett Jr Aquatics Center – Irvine, CA
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Meet Preview

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.

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:

• Women’s 200 IM: Anastasia Gorbenko (Israel)- 2:14.12
• Men’s 200 Free: Cristian Quintero (Trojan Swim Club)- 1:49.97
• Women’s 100 Breast: Jorie Caneta (Aggie Swim Club)- 1:09.76