James Gibson on Energy Standard: “We got the strategy right” (Video)

2019 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE: GROUP A, MATCH 1

• Saturday, October 5th – Sunday, October 6th
• 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
• Indianapolis, IN
• Indiana University Natatorium (IUPUI)
• Short Course Meters (SCM)
• Group A: Cali Condors, DC Trident, Energy Standard, Aqua Centurions
• Live Stream, Event Schedule, and Viewer’s Guide
• U.S. Live Stream(ESPN3)
• Day 2 Start Lists
• NEW- Updated Start List Event 26 Women’s 400 Medley Relay
• NEW- Updated Start List Event 33 Mixed 400 Free Relay
• Complete Results Session 4
• Complete Results Session 5
• Complete Results Session 6

^{Reported by Anne Lepesant.}

WOMEN’S 50 FREE SKINS

ROUND 1 – QUARTERFINAL

1. Sarah SJOSTROM – Energy Standard – 23.89
2. Femke HEEMSKERK – Energy Standard – 23.97
3. Kasia WASICK – Cali Condors – 24.25
4. Olivia SMOLIGA – Cali Condors – 24.32
5. Madison KENNEDY – DC Trident – 24.35
6. Siobhan HAUGHEY – DC Trident – 24.46
7. Larissa OLIVEIRA – Aqua Centurions – 25.03
8. Silvia di PIETRO – Aqua Centurions – 25.05

The first round of skins went to Sarah Sjostrom (23.89), followed by Femke Heemskerk (23.97), giving Energy Standard 2 entries in the semi-final. Kasia Wasick (24.25) and Olivia Smoliga (24.32) of Cali Condors finished 3rd and 4th, locking Aqua Centurions and DC Trident out of the next rounds.

ROUND 2 – SEMIFINAL

1. Sarah SJOSTROM – Energy Standard – 24.32
2. Femke HEEMSKERK – Energy Standard – 24.58
3. Olivia SMOLIGA – Cali Condors – 24.76
4. Kasia WASICK – Cali Condors – 25.20

Round 2. Smoliga turned 1st but Sjostrom (24.32) and Heemskerk (24.58) got their hands to the wall ahead of Smoliga to give Energy Standard BOTH entries in the final. Huge team points.

ROUND 3 – FINAL

1. Sarah SJOSTROM – Energy Standard – 25.11
2. Femke HEEMSKERK – Energy Standard – 25.42

Round 3. Sarah Sjostrom won the final round, taking home 27 points and locking up the MVP of the Indianapolis match. While Heemskerk may have turned just ahead of Sjostrom at the 25 wall, Sjostrom was strong and steady over the last 25 and touched in 25.11 to Heemskerk’s 25.42.

The first and second rounds of the women’s 50 freestyle skins race were dominated by Energy Standard’s Sarah Sjostrom and Femke Heemskerk. The Cali Condors picked up double points thanks to 3rd and 4th-place finishes from Olivia Smoliga and Kasia Wasik, but Energy Standard will reap the greatest rewards as Sjostrom and Heemskerk will take triple points for 1st and 2nd-place finishes. Despite having only 3 minutes and no warm down between heats, Sjostrom only added .04 from her first 50 to her second.

Sjostrom did come away with the win, hitting the wall in 25.11 to cap off the third round of the knock-out-style event. Heemskerk’s 2nd-place finish, good for 21 points, boosts Energy Standard by 48 points.

UPDATED TEAM SCORES

1. Energy Standard – 521 points
2. Cali Condors – 425 points
3. DC Trident – 290.5 points
4. Aqua Centurions – 316.5 point

MEN’S 50 FREE SKINS

ROUND 1 – QUARTERFINAL

1. Florent MANAUDOU – Energy Standard – 21.24
2. Santo CONDORELLI – Aqua Centurions – 21.52
3. Ben PROUD – Energy Standard – 21.53
4. Robert HOWARD – DC Trident – 21.59
5. Bowe BECKER – Cali Condors – 21.62
6. Justin RESS – Cali Condors – 21.66
7. Zach APPLE – DC Trident – 21.79
8. Luca DOTTO – Aqua Centurions – 21.81

Round 1. Energy Standard’s Florent Manaudou (21.24) took off like a rocket who won the first round ahead of Santo Condorelli from Aqua Centurions and Energy Standard’s Ben Proud. Robert Howard of DC Trident took 4th from lane 8th and will move on to Round 2. Cali Condors were shut out of the semifinal.

ROUND 2 – SEMIFINAL

1. Florent MANAUDOU – Energy Standard – 22.00
2. Ben PROUD – Energy Standard – 22.40
3. Santo CONDORELLI – Aqua Centurions – 22.86
4. Robert HOWARD – DC Trident – 22.88

Round 2. Manaudou turned first at the 25 wall and won his second 50 free with his teammate Ben Proud just behind. So for the second event in a row, Energy Standard dominated the skins and further separated themselves from Cali Condors in the team points.

ROUND 3 – FINAL

1. Florent MANAUDOU – Energy Standard – 22.97
2. Ben PROUD – Energy Standard – 24.38

Round 3. Manaudou continued his dominance in the 50 free, winning the skins race over teammate Proud, 22.97 to 24.38. Proud seemed to run out of gas at the end, but Energy Standard swept the top 2 spots in the skins event, giving them 48 more points.

Ben Proud and Flo Manaudou brought in more big points for Energy Standard by advancing to the second round of the men’s 50 skins race, while the Aqua Centurions with Santo Condorelli and DC Trident with Robert Howard also pushed into the semifinals-like heat of 4 swimmers. Manaudou and Proud were unbeatable in the second heat, advancing to the final round of 2. Manaudou won by multiple body-lengths in the final round of the 50 skins race, leaving Proud to place 2nd in 24.38. Though both swimmers were above the minimum time standard of 22.50, the skins race runs differently and is about racing and is even less focused on times than other events in ISL competition. Proud and Manaudou walk away with 48 more points between them for a total of 96 from both the men’s and women’s skins races.

FINAL TEAM SCORES – GROUP A MATCH 1

1. Energy Standard – 539 points
2. Cali Condors – 457 points
3. DC Trident – 330.5 points
4. Aqua Centurions – 300.5 point

The 96 points secured by Energy Standard in the skins races is exactly the margin of victory over the runners-up Cali Condors. Now that the competition has concluded, team standings show two clear leaders in Energy Standard with 521 points and the Cali Condors, who finished with 425 points. DC Trident places 3rd with 316.5 points while the Aqua Centurions finish 4th with 290.5 points.

Though we did not bother predicting possible point totals for the meet, we did accurately predict the final team standings in an article published Wednesday which analyzed possible team outcomes based on the rosters we had received from 3 of the 4 teams that swam in Indy. It is also worth noting that, while the 96 points netted by Energy Standard is exactly the margin of victory over the Cali Condors, the Condors brought in 22 points in the women’s skins race and 7 points in the men’s skins race. This accounting shows us that Energy Standard was still the dominant club up to that point in the meet, and that the skins races did not secure Energy Standard’s victory but only increased the margin of it over the other teams.

We should also note that the Cali Condors had to content without their best male sprinter, American Caeleb Dressel. Dressel would have likely had a major impact on the final results of the men’s skins race, and could have also swayed the final standings of the 50 and 100 fly, events Energy Standard dominated, as well as the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and relays such as the men’s 4 x 100 medley, or the mixed 4 x 100 free. Dressel will be in action for the Condors next weekend in Naples.