Records Fall and McLaughlin Flies on Final Day of NOVA Grand Challenge

2019 SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE

*Note that some results are missing and will be published once available

After winning the women’s 200 IM with an Israeli record of 2:11.98, 15-year-old Anastasia Gorbenko broke her second national record of the weekend in the 200 breast.

Gorbenko won the event with a 2:28.78, dropping a few tenths from her previous best time of 2:29.21. 100 breast champion Aggie’s Jorie Caneta settled for second place with a 2:29.89.

Into the women’s 200 fly, Cal’s Katie McLaughlin won with a 2:09.52, hitting the top-25 times in the world and her first sub-2:10 performance since 2015. Taking second place was Cal first-year Cassidy Bayer, clocking in a 2:12.25.

Another 15-year-old, Katie Crom, placed third in the women’s distance fly event with a lifetime best of 2:12.46. Crom’s time moved herself into the all-time top 50 times in the 15-16 age group for the event.

More Finals Highlights:

  • Erica Sullivan achieved a distance double with her win in the 800 free. Her top time of 8:29.25 was two-tenths off her 2018 Winter Nationals time of 8:29.02, the #15-ranked time in the world this season.
  • Following his female counterpart in winning a distance double was Jordan Wilimovsky. Wilimosvky had a tight battle with Michael Brinegar in the men’s 1500 free final. In the end, Wilimovsky won with a 15:10.30, just two-tenths ahead of Brinegar.
  • Also winning a stroke double is Cal first-year Reece Whitley, who won the men’s 200 breast with a 2:12.31.
  • Winning the women’s 100 back was Cal’s Keaton Blovad, touching out Team Elite’s Ali DeLoof 1:00.97 t0 1:01.24.
  • Cal’s Jacob Pebley won the super-final later in the evening with a 54.33, just off his season-best of 53.96 from 2019 Winter Nationals. Training mate Ryan Murphy scratched the men’s 100 back super-final after posting a 53-mid in prelims.

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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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