Gretchen Walsh Explains “Specialized” Holiday Training (Video)

2020 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• Thursday, January 16 – Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Knoxville, TN – Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center – University of Tennessee
• Long course meters (LCM) format
• Thursday distance session: 4 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Fri-Sun.: 9:30 AM Prelims / 6:30 PM Finals
• Meet site
• Live Stream
  • All Prelims, B finals, Thursday & Sunday finals
  • Friday & Saturday A Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Live results

^{Reported by Lauren Neidigh.}

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

• PSS Record: Sarah Sjostrom, 2016, 53.12
• Trials Cut: 56.29

Top 3 Finishers

1. Penny Oleksiak (CAN)- 53.41
2. Simone Manuel (ALTO)- 53.44
3. Erika Brown (TENN)- 53.49

Erika Brown flipped with a slight lead over Simone Manuel, but neither got their hand to the wall first. Penny Oleksiak, who was tied for 4th at the flip, came from behind to clip them at the finish in 53.41. Oleksiak and Manuel are no strangers to a close come-from-behind finish. The pair tied for Olympic gold in 2016 as they ran down the leaders.

Manuel was just 3 hundredths back for 2nd in 53.44. Brown settled for 3rd, just a few hundredths behind Manuel and a few hundredths shy of her lifetime best in 53.49. Canadian 17-year-old Kayla Sanchez was also under 54 to take 4th in 53.74.

Worlds medalist Margo Geer, who was tied with Oleksiak at the flip, finished 5th with a 54.49. NCAA Champion Mallory Comerford was a tenth back in 54.59. French Olympian Marie Wattel (54.79) and Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt (54.87) closed out the top 8.

Notably, SEC Champion Natalie Hinds, a postgrad training at Georgia, was just 2 hundredths shy of her lifetime best to win the B final. Hinds put up the 5th fastest time of the night in 54.36. Gretchen Walsh was behind her for 2nd in the heat at 54.78