Longhorn Elite Day 2 Finals: Manuel Clocks 53.11 100 Free, Foster Holds Off Maurer In 400 Free

2025 Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite

• May 14-16, 2025
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, Texas
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Live Results

After putting up a promising 53.80 during the 100 freestyle prelims on Day 2 of the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite, Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel delivered in finals. She ripped a 53.11 to win the race, which shoots her up to fifth-fastest in the world this season, a hundredth ahead of Mollie O’Callaghan.

Manuel remains the third-fastest American woman this season behind Gretchen Walsh (52.90) and Torri Huske (52.95). She opened the race in 25.40 then came back in 27.71, improving from her morning splits of 25.72/28.08.

But, perhaps the most important takeaway for Manuel was that this was her third fastest performance since her comeback, just behind the 53.09 she swam in prelims of U.S. Olympic Trials and the 53.10 from the 2024 CA NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge. Manuel admitted that her performances at the Ft. Lauderdale Pro Swim was not what she was expecting as she “felt like [she] had been putting a lot of good work in,” before noting that it’s all part of the process. And while the intense training she’s been doing didn’t completely pay off for her two weeks ago, it seems to be doing so now with less than a month until U.S. Nationals.

Behind her, Paris Olympian Erin Gemmell inched closer to her lifetime best of 54.13, improving from 54.91 in prelims to 54.38 in the final.

The explosive swimming continued throughout the session, as Carson Foster ended the night by clocking a season-best 3:46.20 in the men’s 400 freestyle, beating a stacked field that included Rex Maurer, Leon Marchand, David Johnston, and Luke Hobson. He was already the fastest American man in the event this season with a 3:46.42 from Westmont and he improves his ninth-place world ranking with the time. The 400 freestyle has been a week spot for the U.S. men for many years now, and Foster announced himself as a legitimate threat to qualify for a U.S. roster spot when he swam 3:45.29 in July 2022 at Austin Sectionals. He focused on other events in 2023 and 2024 but as he continues to flirt with his personal best in the lead up to U.S Nationals, it adds intrigue as to whether he’ll race the event in Indianapolis.

Marchand took the race out fast, flipping in 53.23 with Hobson second (53.86) and Foster third (54.11). The French superstar still held the lead at the halfway point (1:50.53), while Foster had taken over second from Hobson. Foster was still trailing Marchand by .24 seconds with 100 meters to go. The piano fell hard for Marchand then as he split (29.70/30.04) on the final 100, which allowed Foster to take over the lead by the final turn.

Foster’s job wasn’t done though, as he had to hold off a late surge from Maurer, the 500-yard freestyle American record holder. Maurer split 28.15 on the closing 50 meters, nearly catching Foster. He ran out of room to close the gap, but his 3:46.52 is a personal best by over a second, bettering the 3:47.63 he swam in August 2023. He is now the 10^th fastest in the world this season.

Marchand held on for third in 3:48.62, taking a few tenths off the 3:48.97 personal best he swam in Fort Lauderdale in this relatively new event for him. He’s racing for his Worlds qualification times this weekend, having been granted an exception from the French federation that allows him to qualify at a meet other than the French National Championships, which are June 14-19. This swim is outside France’s U23 qualifying standard in the 400 freestyle, which is a 3:47.91. But, under French selection procedures, if Marchand qualifies for Worlds, he could add events where there is room on the French roster.

Jillian Cox, the reigning 500 and 1650-yard freestyle NCAA champion, triumphed in the women’s 400 freestyle with a 4:07.34, which is about a second off her lifetime best 4:06.31.

Hubert Kos had a busy session, taking on the a 200 butterfly/100 breaststroke double. He won the 200 butterfly in a personal best 1:56.07. The swim makes him the fastest Hungarian in the event this season, edging ahead of world record holder Kristof Milak’s 1:56.13 from the Hungarian National Championship.

Kos has been on fire since the NCAA Championships, where he swept his individual events and broke two NCAA and U.S. Open records. After that meet, Kos only had a short turnaround until the Hungarian National Championships. He continued to impress there, beating Milak in a head-to-head in the 100 butterfly, where Milak is Olympic champion, 50.42 to 50.67.

Kos confirmed himself as the fastest Hungarian 100 breaststroker this season after a 1:02.26 in prelims. He improved on that time tonight, swimming 1:01.53 for another personal best. He wasn’t the winner of the event though; Nate Germonprez dropped over three seconds from his prelims swim and stormed to the win in 1:01.08.

Germonprez had a breaststroke breakout this season and this swim, which is less than a second from his 1:00.48 best, couldn’t come at a better time as the American men’s breaststroke field is wide open this summer. He led from wire-to-wire, splitting 28.51 to open the race and 32.57 on the back half.

Regan Smith also went to work tonight, winning a three-person 200 butterfly final. Smith is the American record holder and Olympic silver medalist in this event and posted a 2:07.18 to beat her 2023 World Championship teammate Lindsay Looney (2:08.59) and Campbell Stoll (2:12.58). Smith went 2:05.38 two weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale as she won a battle against young stars Alex Shackell and Audrey Derivaux.

Shaine Casas’ 48.88 in the 100 freestyle final was slightly slower than his prelims time of 48.64, but it was still enough to get the win. He was the only man in the field under 49 seconds as Hobson swam 49.34 for second in the first of his two events this evening. Casas has been on fire this spring on the Pro Swim Series circuit and has positioned himself as a roster contender in multiple events ahead of U.S. Nationals. Chris Guiliano, a Paris Olympic finalist in this event, scratched the final after swimming 48.70 this morning.

Finally, Piper Enge defended their top seed in the women’s 100 breaststroke this evening. Enge dropped over a second from prelims, improving from 1:10.88 to 1:09.45 and was the only swimmer to break 1:12 in the final. Enge holds a lifetime best 1:07.27 from their winning performance at Federal Way Sectionals in March 2024.