International Swimming League Match 3 in Lewisville – Day 1 Live Recap

• 2019 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE: GROUP B, MATCH 1
• Saturday, October 19th – Sunday, October 20th
• 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Central Time
• The LISD Westside Aquatic Center – Lewisville, TX
• Short Course Meters (SCM)
• Group B: Iron, LA Current, London Roar, New York Breakers
• Live Stream, Event Schedule, and Viewer’s Guide
• U.S. Live Stream (ESPN3)
• Start Lists
• Day One Complete Results

After exciting back-to-back weekends of racing for ISL Group A, this weekend we finally get to see the other four teams (Group B). There will be sixteen individual events and three relay events contested.  According to folks at the pool, quite the crowd has gathered at the Lewisville ISD facility to watch the 2nd ISL Meet in the US. Follow along as we recap the meet in real-time.

SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson provides live color commentary on each race in italics, below:

Lanes

• 1 & 2 – London Roar
• 3 & 4 – LA Current
• 5 & 6 – NY Breakers
• 7 & 8 – Iron

Women’s 100 Fly

1. Emma McKeon (LON) – 55.91
2. Kendyl Stewart (LAC) – 56.69
3. Marie Wattel (LON) – 56.76
4. Farida Osman (LAC) – 57.07
5. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (IRO) – 57.84
6. Tayla Lovemore (NYB) – 58.22
7. Kimberly Buys (IRO) – 58.75*
8. Alys Thomas (NYB) – 58.76*

The London Roar takes the early lead thanks to a 1-3 finish by Emma McKeon and Marie Wattel.  McKeon led at the halfway point, and held to win by over a half a second. The Condors got 3nd and 4th thanks to Kendyl Stewart and Farida Osman.  Kimberly Buys and Alys Thomas lose a point for each of their teams after not meeting the minimum time standard.

A nice start for London, they’ll go 1-3 here. Wattell was a tenth out of a 1-2 punch. Overall, the field was a little slower than Group A, which had multiple 55s at its first meet and had the entire field go 57.8 or better at their second meet.

Men’s 100 Fly

1. Tom Shields (LAC) – 49.50
2. Szebasztian Szabo (IRO) – 50.40
3. Jack Conger (LAC) – 50.84
4. Michael Andrew (NYB) – 50.94
5. Vini Lanza (LON) – 51.02
6. Marius Kusch (NYB) – 51.19
7. Kristof Milak (IRO) – 51.30
8. Christian Diener (LON) – 51.73

The LA Current’s Tom Shields  was known for his wicked underwater when he swam in college for Cal, and he put those to good use today as the only man to crack the 50 second barrier. He finished exactly half a second ahead of Iron’s Szebasztian Szabo.

49.5 is a great swim for Shields – it’s actually faster than the winning time from Group A in Indy and two tenths off of what le Clos and Dressel went in Naples. The Current has been as good as advertised so far, with every swim so far inside the top 4.

New York probably projected to be better here – Kusch had high expectations, and the Breakers used do-everything star Michael Andrew onl

Women’s 50 Breast

1. Alia Atkinson (IRO) – 29.31
2. Breeja Larson (NYB) – 29.70
3. Sarah Vasey (LON) – 30.11
4. Jess Hansen (LON) – 30.13
5. Emily Escobedo (NYB) – 30.26
6. Annie Lazor (LAC) – 30.36
7. Kathleen Baker (LAC) – 30.50
8. Fanny Lecluyse (IRO) – 31.18

No surprise here, as the Iron’s Alia Atkinson got off to a great start and held off the Breakers’ Breeja Larson to win by nearly four-tenths of a second., 29.31 to 29.70. The Roar’s Sarah Vasey and Jess Hansen touched within 0.02s of each other to pick up 3rd and 4th.

Atkinson is a great breaststroke weapon for Iron. She’s only about eight tenths off her own world record. But getting 1st and 8th isn’t going to change their fate much in the long run. London came out pretty well in the event with a 3-4 finish. This event was much more interesting than it was in Group A, where the Condors went 1-2 easily at both meets.

Men’s 50 Breast

1. Vladimir Morozov (IRO) – 26.15
2. Felipe Lima (LAC) – 26.20
3. Kirill Prigoda (LON) – 26.62
4. Matthew Wilson (LON) – 26.70
5. Peter John Stevens (IRO) – 26.82
6. Will Licon (LAC) – 26.86
7. Michael Andrew (NYB) – 27.05
8. Marco Koch (NYB) – 27.27

It was a tight race between Vladimir Morozov and Felipe Lima, but Morozov got the win by 0.05s. Once again, the Roar got 3rd and 4th thanks to Kirill Prigoda and Matthew Wilson.

Morozov is a great ISL swimmer – he can sprint a lot of things very, very well, and they fill a breaststroke need with a win from the versatile sprinter. Again, London is solid in the breaststrokes, and they go 3-4, even without world champ Adam Peaty. A tight turnaround for Michael Andrew, who didn’t even have time to put his full warmups back on between the 100 fly and 50 breast. He fades to 7th, and the New York strategy of using Andrew all over the place is looking very suspect early on. You have to wonder what this means for their relays, which are really going to need great splits from Andrew.

Women’s 400 IM

1. Katinka Hosszu (IRO) – 4:26.32
2. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (IRO) – 4:29.66
3. Ella Eastin (LAC) – 4:31.84
4. Sydney Pickrem (LON) – 4:33.89
5. Emily Overholt (NYB) – 4:34.08
6. Boglarka Kapas (LAC) – 4:36.85
7. Anastasia Gorbenko (LAC) – 4:37.68
8. Abbey Harkin (NYB) – 4:45.27

Team Iron moves into the lead with a big 1-2 finish by Katinka Hosszu and Zsuzsanna Jakabos. Hosszu led the whole way, as you might expect from a 400 IM world record holder.

Iron is loaded in the longer races, much like DC was in Group A. They do exactly what they have to here, but it’s still going to be tough sledding to keep up with the rest of the group in relays. Hosszu was very solid, faster than Katie Ledecky was in Indy, but slower than Melanie Margalis’s winning time from both Group A meets.

Men’s 400 IM

1. Andrew Seliskar (LAC) – 4:06.30
2. Gergely Gyurta (IRO) – 4:07.34
3. Gunnar Bentz (IRO) – 4:08.03
4. Josh Prenot (LAC) – 4:08.99
5. Tomas Peribono (NYB) – 4:10.94
6. Finlay Knox (LON) – 4:11.69
7. Peter Bernek (LON) – 4:14.48
8. Jonathan Gomez (NYB) – 4:19.92*

Gunnar Bentz, one of the few US swimmers on an international squad,  jumped out to the lead early, but Gergely Gyurta took lead during the backstroke leg. Breaststroke runs in the Gyurta family (his brother is Daniel Gyurta), and he held off a strong breaststroke crew heading into the freestyle leg. The Current’s Andrew Seliskar had an incredibly free leg, though, passing Gyurta and taking the win in 4:06.30. Seliskar’s win ended a three-event win streak for the Iron.

Another great finish for Iron, which is built around these longer races, and the IMs especially. But the LA Current was surprisingly strong, too, going 1-4. Seliskar was faster than Group A winner Jay Litherland in either of Group A’s meets. The Breakers are struggling big-time in the early goings – Gomez missed the benchmark time here and won’t earn any points.

Women’s 4×100 Free Relay

1. London Roar 2 – 3:27.90
2. London Roar 1 – 3:30.93
3. NY Breakers – 3:31.58
4. LA Current 2 – 3:32.79
5. LA Current 1 – 3:33.64
6. Iron – 3:34.28
7. NY Breakers 2 – 3:36.38
8. Iron 2 – 3:40.63

Big 1-2 finish for the Roar here. Bronte Campbell led off for the Roar “1” team, while her sister Cate Campbell anchored for their “2” team, that actually won out of lane 1, 3:27.90 to 3:30.93. The Breakers earned a 3rd place finish (3:31.58) as the LA Current opted to split their team evenly, giving them points for 4th and 4th.

That 1-2 finish puts the Roar five points into the lead, ahead of the LA Current. Iron sits 10 points behind the Current, while the Breakers sit another 18 points behind Iron, and 37 points behind the first place Roar.

Scores through first break:

1. Roar – 87
2. Current – 82
3. Iron – 72
4. Breakers – 50

Results through first break.

The London Roar have elite sprint free depth on the women’s side, and they were able to dominate this relay the way Energy Standard did in Group A. Splitting up the Campbell sisters was a genius move. Cate Campbell is maybe the best relay-split option there is, because she’s such an impact split and such an elite anchor in a tight race. Putting Pickrem on the end of the other relay was iffy – she was almost run down. Ideally, you’d have Cate on the end of the relay that was slower going into the final swimmer.
The Current don’t have the standout sprinters like London, but they have depth, and going 4-5 is just fine for them here. Iron is in trouble now that relay points are factoring in. Compared to the other Group, London was faster than Energy Standard was at either meet, and their B relay was better than almost every other team’s A relay.

Men’s 200 Back

1. Ryan Murphy (LAC) – 1:49.87
2. Christian Diener (LON) – 1:50.52
3. Jacob Pebley (NYB) – 1:52.23
4. Adam Telegdy (IRO) – 1:52.27
5. Robert Glinta (IRO) – 1:52.84
6. Tom Shields (LAC) – 1:53.98
7. Christopher Reid (NYB) – 1:54.54
8. Peter Bernek (LON) – 1:55.91

Ryan Murphy was out first at the 50m mark, but Christian Diener was only 0.03s behind. Those two kept their places at the 100m mark, with Jacob Pebley in 3rd. Diener took over on the 3rd 50, with almost an eight-tenths lead at the 150. Murphy pushed ahead on the final lap, and even snuck a look at Diener, winning 1:49.87 to 1:50.52 Pebley held off Adam Telegdy for 3rd, 1:52.23 to 1:52.27.

It was a very tactical race for Murphy, who trailed until about the 175 mark. He was a tick slower than Group A winner Evgeny Rylov at either stop, but did just enough to win. Shields filling in in an event well outside his usual wheelhouse and taking 6th is big from a team perspective. LA effectively “won” this race overall, because London’s second swimmer was 8th and New York’s 7th.

Women’s 200 Back

1. Minna Atherton (LON) – 2:00.58
2. Kathleen Baker (LAC) – 2:03.06
3. Katinka Hosszu (IRO) – 2:04.07
4. Katalin Burian (IRO) – 2:07.38
5. Kendyl Stewart (LAC) – 2:07.60
6. Sydney Pickrem (LON) – 2:08.11
7. Gabby DeLoof (NYB) – 2:09.15
8. Ali DeLoof (NYB) – 2:11.20

The Roar’s Minna Atherton rocketed out to an early lead in lane 1 and had a two second lead over the Current’s Kathleen Baker and Iron’s Katinka Hosszu at the halfway point. She never relinquished that lead, winning by nearly two and a half seconds, 2:00.58 to 2:03.06. Hosszu held onto 3rd, with another three second gap between 3rd and 4th.

Atherton had an awesome swim, burning out the front half to put a huge gap between herself and the other top swimmers. Atherton was more than a full second faster than Kylie Masse was in winning both Group A meets. Iron had a nice event – they’re a little undermanned in the sprints, but they seem to be performing very well as a team. Disaster for the Breakers, who go 7-8 and miss the benchmark time with their 8th placer.

Men’s 50 Free

1. Vladimir Morozov (IRO) – 20.93
2. Kyle Chalmers (LON) – 20.96
3. Nathan Adrian (LAC) – 21.18
4. Michael Andrew (NYB) – 21.36
5. Ryan Held (LAC) – 21.43
6. Marcelo Chierighini (NYB) – 21.54
7. Bruno Fratus (LON) – 21.60
8. Peter Timmers (IRO) – 21.65

Outside smoke reigned, as Vladimir Morozov and Kyle Chalmers, swimming in lanes 8 and 1, appeared to be the leaders the whole way. Morozov won at the touch, taking in in 20.93 to 20.96.

Women’s 50 Free

1. Cate Campbell (LON) – 23.33
2. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (IRO) – 23.71
3. Bronte Campbell (LON) – 24.31
4. Margo Geer (LAC) – 24.33
5. Kim Busch (IRO) – 24.37
6. Pernille Blume (NYB) – 24.51
7. Catie DeLoof (NYB) – 24.53
8. Farida Osman (LAC) – 24.72

Not nearly as close in the women’s event, as Cate Campbell, swimming in lane 2, beat Ranomi Kromowidjojo by nearly four-tenths of a second, 23.33 to 23.71. Bronte Campbell took 3rd in 24.31, earning the Roar some big points. It was very tight in the middle of the race, as only 0.06s separated Campbell from 5th place finisher Kim Busch of Iron (24.37), with the Current’s Margo Geer sandwiched in between the two with a 24.33.

Cate Campbell is an incredible weapon – she was faster than Group A winner Sarah Sjostrom at either Group A meet. Iron’s Ranomi Kromowidjojo broke up the Campbell duo, and that’s key. That absolutely has to happen tomorrow, or Iron is probably toast and London might be the overall team favorites. It’s more bad news for the Breakers: Blume should be among the top-tier contenders with the Campbells and Sjostrom, but she was just 6th and will need a big swim tomorrow to make it out of the first round of skins.

Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay

1. Roar 2 – 3:23.65
2. Current – 3:24.69
3. Current 2 – 3:25.69
4. Iron 2 – 3:28.67
5. Iron – 3:29.93
6. Breakers – 3:30.76
7. Roar – 3:32.08
8. Breakers 2 – 3:33.76

The London Roar’s “2” team got off to an early lead, thanks to backstroker Guilherme Guido, and they kept that lead for the entirely of the race. The two LA Current teams were in 2nd and 3rd pretty much the entire time, with Tom Shields moving the “1” team past the “2” team on the fly leg. Heading into the freestyle leg, it looked like the Current might’ve had a chance to run down the Roar, but Kyle Chalmers held off a fresh Michael Chadwick, as the Roar won by over a second, 3:23 to 3:24.69. Still, the Current’s 2nd and 3rd place finishes gave them the most team points for this relay.

One thing this format really emphasizes is lineup strategy. The tight turnarounds make a lot of tough calls between using your best swimmer in a double vs a weaker swimmer who will be fresh. London chose to use Kyle Chalmers on the anchor leg even though he was coming right off the 50 free – and he even fit in a quick TV interview in between. But Chalmers did hold off the fresh Michael Chadwick, who nearly ran him down for the Current.

LA has great depth. A 2-3 finish is excellent for them here. Give credit to Iron, too – they go 4-5, which is much better than we expected their relays to be. Iron is lighting it up early, and well overperforming expectations. On the flip side, the New York Breakers were 6th and 8th, and have been struggling for momentum all day.

Scores Through Break 2

1. Roar – 153
2. Current – 147
3. Iron – 131
4. Breakers – 81

Results Through Break 2

Women’s 200 Free

1. Emma McKeon (LON) – 1:53.58
2. Maddy Wilson (NYB) – 1:54.91
3. Veronika Andrusenko (IRO) – 1:54.99
4. Holly Hibbott (LON) – 1:55.05
5. Katie McLaughlin (LAC) – 1:56.29
6. Ajna Kesely (IRO) – 1:57.40
7. Ella Eastin (LAC) – 1:57.64
8. Gabby DeLoof (NYB) – 1:59.62

The Roar’s building another winning streak here, as Emma McKeon, lead from wire-to-wire and winning in 1:53.58 ahead of Maddy Wilson (1:54.91) and Veronika Andrusenko (1:54.99). McKeon’s teammate Holly Hibbott took 4th (1:55.05), while the Current swimmers finished 5th and 7th, giving Roar a net 8 points over the Current for this race. 

Men’s 200 Free

1. Alexander Graham (LON) – 1:41.58
2. Elijah Winnington (LON) – 1:42.94
3. Clyde Lewis (NYB) – 1:43.33
4. Andrew Seliskar (LAC) – 1:44.13
5. Blake Pieroni (LAC) – 1:44.14
6. Kristof Milak (IRO) – 1:45.13
7. Joao de Lucca (NYB) – 1:45.16
8. Gunnar Bentz (IRO) – 1:48.19

That’s now four in a row for the Roar, who got a 1-2 finish from the Aussie duo of Alexander Graham (1:41.58) and Elijah Winnington (1:42.94). The Breakers’ Clyde Lewis took 3rd in 1:43.33, while the Current earned 4th and 5th from Andrew Seliskar (1:44.13) and Blake Pieroni (1:44.14).

London has been on fire today, and a 1-2 punch in the 200 is going to propel them further into the lead. Graham and Winnington were extremely fast: the winning times in Group A were 1:44 in Indy and 1:43 in Naples. Graham went 1:41.5 and Winnington 1:42.9. LA’s two entrants were separated by .01 seconds as the IMer Seliskar continues to show up big in the 200 free against a bunch of primary 200 freestylers.

Women’s 50 Back

1. Minna Atherton (LON) – 25.99
2. Beryl Gastaldello (LAC) – 26.13
3. Holly Barratt (LON) – 26.41
4. Amy Bilquist (LAC) – 26.64 
5. Ali DeLoof (NYB) – 27.01
6. Katinka Hosszu (IRO) – 27.22
7. Mie Nielsen (IRO) – 27.47
8. Tayla Lovemore (NYB) – 28.45

Unsurprisingly after her swift start in the 200, Atherton won her second event of the day with a 25.99 victory in the 50 back. That’s now five in a row for the Roar, who also got a 3rd place finish from Holly Barratt (26.41) The Current kept things as close as they could, finishing 2nd (Beryl Gastaldello – 26.13) and 4th (Amy Bilquist – 26.64).

Yet again, London tore it up. Atherton & Barratt went 1-3, with Atherton faster than Group A’s Smoliga was in either meet. LA was quite good even without Kathleen Baker in the mix. They were 2-4, and it’s hard to say if Baker could have beaten Atherton or Barratt anyway.
We figured Iron would struggle in the 50s, and they did here, going 6-7. But the Breakers have been very disappointing, with a 5-8 finish despite fielding a pretty good 50 back specialist in Ali Deloof.

Men’s 50 Back

1. Guilherme Guido (LON) – 23.06
2. Ryan Murphy (LAC) – 23.59
3. Matt Grevers (LAC) – 23.60
4. Christian Diener (LON) – 23.85
5. Robert Glinta (IRO) – 24.12
6. Richard Bohus (IRO) – 24.23
7. Jacob Pebley (NYB) – 24.69
8. Christopher Reid (NYB) – 25.26

It’s a bit a minor upset here, although Guilherme Guido had the fastest leadoff in the medley relay. But he overcame a pair of Olympic gold medalists, netting first place points for the Roar with his time of 23.06. The Current’s Ryan Murphy and Matt Grevers, those aforementioned gold medalists, took 2nd and 3rd, with only 0.01s separating them (23.59 to 23.60). Guido’s teammate Christian Diener grabbed 4th with a 23.85.

Brazilian Guilherme Guido was dynamite underwater, and flipping the backstrokes on the backstroke-heavy Current has to be the feat of the day for the London Roar. LA was still fine with Murphy and Grevers in 2nd and 3rd, but they’re going to need to show up bigger tomorrow and next week if they hope to beat the Current. But LA is probably a good bet to make the finals as the second American team (they’re clearly better than the Breakers and pretty likely better than DC), so they really don’t have much incentive to go after London until the final in December.
Another awful showing for the backstroke-heavy New York Breakers: they take 7th and 8th and Reid misses the benchmark time.

Women’s 200 Breast

1. Annie Lazor (LAC) – 2:20.05
2. Emily Escobedo (NYB) – 2:20.06
3. Fanny Lecluyse (IRO) – 2:21.41
4. Breeja Larson (NYB) – 2:22.32
5. Sydney Pickrem (LON) – 2:23.05
6. Taylor McKeown (LON) – 2:23.46
7. Bailey Andison (LAC) – 2:25.76
8. Jessica Vall (IRO) – 2:27.02

Annie Lazor of the Current finally ended the Roar’s win streak. Lazor, Emily Escobedo, and Breeja Larson (both of the Breakers), were stroke for stroke for most of the meet. Larson faded a bit toward the end, as both Sydney Pickrem and Fanny Lecluyse surged. Lazor ended up holding off Escobedo by the slimmest of margins, winning 2:20.05 to 2:20.06. Lecluyse moved up to grab 3rd (2:21.41).

Lazor held off a strong charge from Escobedo late. It’s easily the best event so far for New York, which went 2-4. On the flip side, London has been unbeatable lately, but they struggled to 5th and 6th, even though their Pickrem/McKeown combo should be pretty solid in the 200. LA gets the win, but also takes 7th, so their point haul is a little muted.

Men’s 200 Breast

1. Matthew Wilson (LON) – 2:03.93
2. Will Licon (LAC) – 2:04.33
3. Erik Persson (IRO) – 2:05.70
4. Kirill Prigoda (LON) – 2:06.23
5. Marco Koch (NYB) – 2:06.55
6. Josh Prenot (LAC) – 2:06.63
7. Gergely Gyurta (IRO) – 2:12.12
8. Tomas Peribono (NYB) – 2:12.55

Matthew Wilson put the Roar back in the win column, holding off the Current’s Will Licon, 2:03.93 to 2:04.33. It was pretty much a race between those two, as well over a second separated 3rd place finisher the Iron’s Erik Persson from Licon.

It was a very good 200 breast field here. Wilson won in 2:03.9 after no Group A swimmer broke 2:04 in the previous two meets. The breaststroke depth is outstanding in Group B – the top six were faster than all but the top two in Group A at both meets. Meanwhile, though, Iron and New York clearly struggled for second entrants, and both missed the benchmark time badly with non-breaststrokers.

Men’s 4×100 Free Relay

1. Current 2 – 3:08.00
2. Roar 2 – 3:08.35
3. Iron – 3:08.93
4. Breakers 2 – 3:11.12
5. Current – 3:11.62
6. Roar – 3:12.95
7. Iron 2 – 3:13.98
8. Breakers – 3:15.31

The Current rearranged their relays in the final break, opting to stack one team instead of splitting up their talent a little more evenly, and it paid off with a 0.35s over the Roar. Nathan Adrian and Kyle Chalmers put the Current and Roar teams in the top two positions after the first leg, and no other team appeared to be in striking distance until the very end, when Vlad Morozov brought Iron within about half a second of the Roar.

The Current did a lot of rearranging on their relays from the original entries, and it paid off with a big relay win. Nathan Adrian basically swimming Kyle Chalmers to a draw in the leadoff leg was huge. After a lot of teams tried splitting up relays in earlier events, they seemed to switch back to pretty straight As and Bs at the end of the session. All four A relays beat all four B relays, and the teams finished in the exact same order with both relays: LA, London, Iron then New York.

London has actually been more dominant so far than Energy Standard was in Indy – they have three more points than ENS did at this point in Indy and 16 more than Cali had in Naples after day 1.  On the other end, New York is well behind what any team in Group A was after a day: the Aqua Centurions in Indy were 32 points ahead of where NY is now, and DC Trident in Naples were about 31 points ahead of NY’s current standing.

Team Standings at the End of Day 1

1. Roar – 253
2. Current – 234
3. Iron – 186
4. Breakers – 131