2023 Tiger Aquatics Tristan Vessel Invite
- June 9-12, 2023
- LSU Natatorium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Long Course Meters (50 meters), Prelims/Finals
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2023 LA Tiger Aquatics Tristan Vessel Invite”
The LSU Tiger-affiliated Tiger Aquatic Club is hosting a small long course prelims/finals invite this weekend, the Tristan Vessel Invite.
The meet is named for Tristan Vessel, a local swimmer who died in a car crash last summer.
The meet has attracted both age group talent as well as some big-name swimmers from the host LSU Tigers team. That includes NCAA Champions and Olympic gold medalists Brooks Curry and Maggie MacNeil.
Curry has only swum prelims this week, posting a 1:48.37 in the 200 free, 21.84 in the 50 free, and 100 free in 48.51 on Sunday morning. The latter of those times is the fastest by an American this calendar year and this season, surpassing Jonny Kulow’s 48.70 from last week.
With Caeleb Dressel still working his way back from an extended break, the American men’s sprint crew has been very quiet this year. Curry’s new national-leader in the 100 still leaves him outside of the top 25 in the world this year.
His 50 time ties him for 6th in the world this year and 2nd in the US behind Michael Andrew.
With less than two weeks to go before the US Trials, though, Curry is starting to heat up a US group that are the defending World Champions in the 400 free relay (by a second-and-a-half).
US Rankings, 2022-2023 Season, 50 LCM Free
- Michael Andrew, MA Swim Academy – 21.74
- Brooks Curry, LSU – 21.84
- David Curtiss, NC State – 21.92
- Matt King, Texas Ford Aquatics – 21.97
- Jack Alexy, Cal – 22.09
US Rankings, 2022-2023 Season, 100 LCM Free
- Brooks Curry, LSU – 48.51
- Jonny Kulow, Arizona State – 48.70
- Matt King, Texas Ford Aquatics – 48.72
- Ryan Held, Arizona State – 48.74
- Hunter Armstrong, Cal Aquatics – 48.79
MacNeil, meanwhile, is swimming butterfly during the freestyle events. She posted 27.24 in the 50 free prelims, 26.06 in the 50 free finals, and 57.07 in the 100 fly prelims.
That time in the 100 fly is just half-a-second shy of her swim from March’s Canadian Swimming Trials.
The meet also marked the first racing from Deaf Swimming World Record holder Matthew Klotz in almost a year. Training for the first time under new LSU head coach Rick Bishop, he swam 25.32 in the 50 back, 56.28 in the 100 back, and 24.42 in the 50 free.
The 50 back time of 25.32 shatters his own Deaf Swimming World Record of 25.95 set at the 2018 Summer National Championships.
Other Notable Results:
- Jenna Bridges, a rising LSU junior, swam 1:00.64 in the 100 fly and 2:11.83 in the 200 fly. Those swims crush her lifetime bests of 1:02.54 (from 2021) and 2:15.81 (from December’s US Open). That time in the 200 fly qualifies her for the 2024 US Olympic Trials.
- Mitch Mason, a rising senior at LSU, swam 27.72 in the 50 breats and 1:00.87 in the 100 breast. Those beat his best times of 28.29 and 1:00.88, respectively. Both times would have made the final at last year’s International Team Trials.
The fact that Curry swam an LC 200m free at this meet is interesting to me. First time he has swum that event in a long course meet in years as far as I know. Wondering if he will add that event at WC Trials.
Brooks is a beast!
US 400 free relay is in so much trouble lol
I don’t see anyone beating GBR for Gold. I think Italy and Australia are the likely “minor” medalists as of right now. USA could sneak in for a medal. I think there will be 1-2 47s at Trials.
I am hopeful, but I can’t have us (GBR) as favourites – We haven’t delivered a 4×1 yet.
We certainly have the potential to be the best, but a few of our boys have a tendency to swim into the meet and aren’t always firing on day 1, hence Peaty often carrying us through sessions 1 & 2. I hope it comes together, because they’re a 3.08/3.09 quartet, but maybe it never will. I will be stunned if we miss the medals again though.
GBR are the clear favorites as of right now. 4×47 relatively recent flat-starts on that relay. Whittle and Guy useable for heats as well to rest two of them.
I still think US medals and has an outside chance at gold. Their in-season times haven’t been great but they always seem to pull a bunch of 47s out of thin air when needed.
You think so? We know for sure 3/4 of the winning 4×100 free relay will be at trials. And this is what they split for gold last year:
Dressel: 47.6
Held: 46.9
Ress: 47.4
Curry: 47.2
Winning time: 3:09.3
Silver time: 3:10.8
Even if Dressel didn’t compete, the other 3 guys seem to be in great form. I think the US could add at least half a second and still come out on top, even with Britain and Italy looming.
If you bump Curry to lead-off (let’s say 47.8) and someone like Armstrong makes the relay (let’s say 47.5 from a swing), I’m guessing Ress can still split 47.4 and let’s just say Held slips… Read more »
US could add half a second and still win if GBR misfire as ‘we’ have previously have done so, which is very possibly. But, I could also genuinely see them going 3.09.0 and losing to GBR. It’s a flip of a coin imo, but I’d back the US because they’ve been there and done it.
The US men’s 4FRR has been counted out numerous times and they always seem to get 4 guys to go fast when it matters.
Let’s wait and see the times at Trials before we say the US is in trouble.
People say that every year and they somehow still win. I would wait until trials to count them out.
Every year they talk about the death of the American men relays…. Sad.
We are way deeper this year than last and we won that one easily
It’s all good, just making the odds better for Paris.
No summer tour conflicts as the keyboardist for Foo Fighters bodes well for Brooks Curry. He’s 100% focused on this swimming thing now.
Is he coming back to LSU for his 5th year?
Feel like he’s a better LC swimmer and should focus in on that format.
Top 6 seems so wide open at Trials…
Armstrong, Curry, King, Kulow, Held, Ress, Alexy, Winkler, K. Smith, Kibler…and a few others
Crazy how Michael Andrew cannot put one more lap together.
Not crazy at all. Considering his history in the sport and preferred training methods
I think it’s a little less his training style and a little more him never fixing some technical issues when he takes a breath. The breath doesn’t matter in the 50, but a bad breath pattern will kill you in the 100.
Michael Andrew has a preferred niche, and wow it’s great to watch when he’s on. He’s in my top five swim heroes. Yeah, I can see he runs out of gas, and we all know ways to work on that. I’m randomly guessing he and his coaches probably notice the same thing. He does seem to be maturing into more sustainable speed. BUT: Katie Ledecky could probably spend more time on her 200 Fly and be (more of) a world leader there — but why?
Im a MA stan so not hating but to answer why… its simple: basically a guaranteed gold medal from a top 6 finish at trials.
Long live MA i hope he goes till 2036 and gets like 9+ golds after all is said and done.
Ryan Held would like a word about his guaranteed olympic gold…
This isn’t crazy at all. With the exception of Dressel and Liendo most elite 50 Freestylers are not nearly as successful in the 100 as they are in the 50.
Put some respect on his name
Brooksyyyyyyyyyy