2015 Arena Pro Swim Series – Charlotte
- Thursday, May 14 – Sunday, May 17, 2015
- Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, Charlotte, NC
- Thursday: Timed finals, 4PM (Eastern)
- Friday-Sunday: Prelims 9AM/Finals 6PM (Eastern)
- Live stream
- Live results
Psych Sheet available here
Event Order
Thursday:
- Women’s 1500 free
- Men’s 800 free
Friday:
- 200 free
- 100 breast
- 50 back
- 100 fly
- 400 IM
- 4×100 free relay
Saturday:
- 200 fly
- 50 free
- 100 back
- 200 breast
- 50 fly
- 400 free
- 4×200 free relay
Sunday:
- Women’s 800 free
- 200 IM
- 200 back
- 50 breast
- 100 free
- Men’s 1500 free
- 4×100 medley relay
Arena Pro Swim Series – Standings
The Arena Pro Swim Series has just two stops left: Charlotte and Santa Clara. Each meet gives out 5 points for a win, 3 for a second-place finish and 1 for third, but in Olympic-distance events only. (The 50s of fly, back and breast do not score points, nor do relays or the women’s 1500/men’s 800).
The current series standings:
Men
1. Conor Dwyer – 53
2. Tyler Clary – 37
3. Nathan Adrian – 21
3. Michael McBroom – 21
5. Connor Jaeger – 20
5. Ryan Lochte – 20
Women
1. Elizabeth Beisel – 38.5
2. Katinka Hosszu – 35
2. Katie Ledecky – 35
2. Caitlin Leverenz – 35
5. Dominique Bouchard – 27
5 Storylines to Watch
1. Three-country sprint showdown: Charlotte will have perhaps the best international delegation of the Pro Swim Series so far, with Brazil bringing a team of its top threats and Italy also joining the party. That makes a huge impact on the men’s sprint freestyles, where the best of Brazil and the elite of Italy will clash with the top American threats. A quick look at just a few of the names each nation will throw out in the 50 and/or 100 free:
Brazil: Bruno Fratus, Cesar Cielo, Marcelo Chierighini, Matheus Santana, Joao de Lucca
Italy: Marco Orsi, Luca Dotto, Luca Leonardi, Filippo Magnini
USA: Anthony Ervin, Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Josh Schneider, Jimmy Feigen, Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte
That’s not even mentioning Canada, which will enter a couple of big names, including rising 19-year-old sensation Yuri Kisil and USC standout Santo Condorelli, who recently switched his nationality from the U.S.
2. College stars transitioning to long course meters: With the spring semester beginning to wrap up at colleges across the nation, this will be the first Pro Swim Series meet to feature a large group of the stars of this past NCAA season. Texas’s breakout sophomore Jack Conger will compete after a blistering college season. Virginia’s Leah Smith is entered after breaking the NCAA’s 500 free record, and Cierra Runge, who broke the record before Smith, is also attending. American record-holding IMer Chase Kalisz had a disappointing college season, but may have had his eyes more set on the long course season, which begins this week for him. Also competing: Louisville’s record-smashing butterflyer Kelsi Worrell, Cal’s do-everything star Josh Prenot, Georgia breaststroker Nic Fink and many, many more.
3. Can Hosszu pass Beisel in series points: Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu led the Pro Swim Series in points last year despite only attending a few of the meets. She made a big run at the points lead last time out in Mesa, and could be poised to overtake Elizabeth Beisel for the top spot. Beisel was quiet in Mesa, scoring no points, but will have plenty of opportunities herself in Charlotte. Both women entered more events than the 7-event cap allows, and will have their pick of which races to scratch to maximize points and money earned.
4. Loaded women’s backstrokes: That rivalry and many more will be on full display in the women’s backstrokes, which are loaded up with big names. Hosszu and Beisel will go head-to-head in the 200, with 5th-place point-sitter Dominique Bouchard representing Canada just behind them in seeds. The 100 subtracts Beisel but adds former U.S. Olympian Natalie Coughlin, who has focused more on sprint freestyle as of late, but is starting to return to the backstroke, her signature event during her Olympic runs. Sprinkle in some professional and international swimmers (NYAC’s Megan Romano and Zimbabwean Olympian Kirsty Coventry), a number of young college stars (Georgia’s Kylie Stewart and Olivia Smoliga, Michigan’s Clara Smiddy and Hannah Moore) and a whole host of age group phenoms (led by Cal commits Kathleen Baker and Amy Bilquist and 16-year-olds Erin Voss and Claire Adams) and you’ve got a deep, explosive field that should force everyone to hit their morning swims hard to make the final.
5. Phelps vs. the world in men’s butterfly: The men’s butterfly races are loaded up with the basically all of the top American threats, and there are plenty of them. Olympic hero Michael Phelps will draw the most attention in both the 100 and 200, but he’s got company. Tom Shields beat out Phelps for the U.S. National title in the 100 last summer and also won the 200. Ryan Lochte is in the mix, and swimming in the home-base of his new SwimMAC training home. His teammate Tim Phillips – who took Phelps spot on the World Championships team – is competing, as are college standouts Jack Conger (Division I Texas) and Matt Josa (Division II Queen’s) and Stanford pro Eugene Godsoe. The 200 adds in the versatile Tyler Clary (chasing the points lead on the men’s side), former national champ Tom Luchsinger and high school phenom Andrew Seliskar among many others.
Bonus: Three other storylines to watch
Since we at SwimSwam are all about giving you more stories to distract you from work, here are two more notable happenings in Charlotte that we reported on last week:
- Michael Phelps enters 200 fly for first time since London Olympics
- Junior World Record-holding 100 freestylers Matheus Santana and Caeleb Dressel to go head-to-head for the first time
- Former World Record-holding distance swimmer Kate Ziegler to compete in first major meet since 2013
- Note: Ziegler swam in a meet last weekend, going 2:06.03 in the 200 free (results here)
Why is Kevin Cordes not swimming in any of the Arena series meets?
He has gone to Psychodad’s Summer Breastroke Camp .
He looks to be on the same pace as last year.
53.33 last year in Mesa.
53.18 this year.
Didn’t swim in Charlotte last year, swam at Mare Nostrum in Europe in June. 52.99 and 52.64 there. Then swam in Santa Clara in 52.11. Then 52.68 in July at Los Angeles Invite. Then 51.29 at US nationals. And then 52.00 in the prelims at Pan Pacs.
In reply to Billabong
The Pan Pac swim was disappointing. He swam pretty well in the short course season which is not surprising, and then fell off again, particularly in the 200 fly early this year. I hope that it is due to hard work. The guy needs to be in top form at WC’s. Progress at this meet will be a good marker.
It will be good to see how Tom Shields is progressing. His last outing looked like he was doing some heavy training. Now we want to see some speed!!! The competition looks fierce….Good luck Tom.
Doesn’t look like Coventry is entered in the 100back. Was looking forward to her going head to head with Coughlin. But what is to be expected is really fast swimming
Phelps was at altitude prior to Mesa no?
I heard he’s been regulating out on the streets of Baltimore lately.
I was expecting a David Nolan mention in #2. Any word on if he’ll be attending the meet?
Hina – no Nolan at this meet.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
Jack Conger interview on the USA swimming website
http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=8863&mid=14491
Who the heck keeps giving Bobo the thumbs down for NO reason at all??????????
I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE GUYS, Lane Four. It makes me laugh so much! 😆 I have my usual enemies on that website. No problem. Even very funny. If I disturb them, somehow it means I’ve won! 🙂 Seriously, I imagine their life. 😆 Each evening they take 5 minutes of their life to see in each swimswam article on the homepage if I have posted a comment. If yes, of course without reading what I wrote, they click automatically on the little red thing. If they have fun with that, no problem. And again, I don’t care about these thumbs down or up. I don’t post comments to win a popularity contest. For my part, I never use that… Read more »
I love you attitude Bobo! Keep being such a great swim fan 🙂
I agree with Mackenzie and Lane Four: I think you add a much needed international perspective and unique point of view here, and I’m grateful for the links you share to articles and videos as well as your knowledge of age-group swimmers to watch and times athletes swam in previous seasons!
I honestly wish they would eliminate the down votes. IMHO, a lack of up votes already shows a lack of support for a comment; otherwise, people are entitled to their opinions so ignore them or reply if you disagree! This world doesn’t need more negativity!
Rock on, Bobo! You are one heck of a SwimSwam bad ass! I love it!
Pvdh not just the time but the fact he died on the end and that is much worse on lcm . That happened on trials too. With the endurance he showed at ncaa he probably would suffer on 200 too which he was pretty good too.