Anna Kalandadze Picks Up Olympic Trials Cuts in 800, 1500 Free at Scarlet Memorial Day Invite

2024 Scarlet Memorial Day Invitational

• May 24-26, 2024
• Sonny Werblin Recreation Center
  • Piscataway, New Jersey
• Results on MeetMobile: “2024 Scarlet Memorial Day”

With the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying window closing next week, several swimmers used last weekend’s Scarlet Memorial Day Invitational at Rutgers University as an opportunity to achieve some last-minute berths.

Recent University of Pennsylvania graduate Anna Kalandadze collected her first two Trials cuts in the women’s 800-meter freestyle (8:43.20) and 1500 free (16:43.36). The Cal transfer dropped a whopping 18 seconds in the 800 free off her previous-best 9:01.71 from 2018 while also knocking 12 seconds off her previous-best 1500 free time of 16:55.94 from last July.

• Related: Former Cal swimmer details McKeever abuse that led to transfer

Kennedi Dobson, a 17-year-old Georgia commit (’25), also enjoyed a huge weekend. She began the meet with a win in Saturday’s 200 free (personal-best 1:59.54), an event in which she already owned a Trials cut. Then she barely missed the qualifying standard in the 400 IM (4:49.89) with a winning time of 4:50.00 later in the session.

Dobson went off on Sunday to the tune of three 1st-place finishes, including a Trials cut in the 200 IM (personal-best 2:16.05) right after triumphing in the 100 back (personal-best 1:03.06). She dropped more than three seconds off her best 200 IM time from last month and almost a second off her best 100 back time from January. Dobson capped her weekend with a 100 free victory in 56.83, just off her personal-best 56.57 from earlier in May.

Olympic hopeful Matt Fallon was also in action last weekend for his final tune-up a few weeks before Trials in Indianapolis. The rising Penn senior dominated the 100 breast in 1:01.33 and the 200 breast in 2:09.83, not far off his best times (59.92/2:07.71). A bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships, Fallon is the fastest American in the 200 breast this season at 2:08.18 from April, which ranks ninth globally. He also ranks fifth among Americans in the 100 breast this calendar year with his 1:00.62 from April.

There were also a few near-misses of Trials cuts that deserve mention. Perhaps most heartbreaking was Seton Hall senior Allie Waggoner, who came within two tenths of the women’s 1500 free standard (16:45.69) during her runner-up finish in 16:45.86. She dropped almost nine seconds off her previous-best 16:54.48 from March.

Luke Brennan, a 17-year-old Minnesota commit (’24), cruised to victory in the men’s 800 free with a personal-best 8:10.58. He reached the wall within a second of the Trials cut (8:09.69), dropping half a second off his previous-best 8:11.06 from December.

Shawmut Aquatic Club 16-year-old Quinn White took the women’s 200 back in 2:13.81, slicing more than two seconds off her previous-best 2:16.05 from last August. However, she still ended up just a couple tenths shy of the Trials cut (2:13.59).

Rising Penn junior James Curreri won the men’s 200 back in 2:02.15, within half a second of the Trials cut (2:01.69). He shaved almost two tenths off his previous-best 2:02.31 from last November.

Suburban Seahawks 18-year-old Jake Wang touched first in the 200 IM at 2:04.41, within a second of the Trials cut (2:03.49). The Yale commit (’24) has been as fast as 2:03.78 in April.

Scarlet Aquatics 18-year-old Kate Hurst threw down a 400 free victory in 4:13.40, well under the Trials cut of 4:15.49. But the Texas commit (’24) had already dipped under the standard with her personal-best 4:11.71 from last August.