Several pros from the University of Missouri and the Mission Viejo Nadadores competed in LCM tune-up races last weekend ahead of next week’s U.S. International Team Trials.
2022 Mission Viejo Nadadores April LCM Intrasquad
- April 15- April 16, 2022
- Marguerite Aquatic Complex, Mission Viejo, California
- Long Course Meters
- Full results
The Mission Viejo meet was made up of mostly age-group swimmers. One notable stand out was 24 year old Justin Ress, who swam the 100 free in a time of 49.12. He was four-tenths off his best time of 48.74.
Other impressive swims from Mission Viejo in the age group ranks include 10-year-old Ben Yang, who dropped over two and a half seconds in the 50 fly to go a 33.29. His previous best time of 35.96 was set last July. This swim is the third-fastest 10&U time in the nation this year.
On the women’s side, 11-year-old Julia Billotte swam the 800 free for the first time, posting a time of 10:05.03. This marks the ninth-fastest 11-12 time for the 2022 season. She also improved upon her previous 400 IM time of 5:39.96 by posting a 5:34.00, the sixth- fastest 11-12 time in the nation this year.
Justin Ress was the only athlete competing in the Mission Viejo intrasquad who is also scheduled to swim at the U.S. International Team Trials next week. Ress recently joined the newly-formed Mission Viejo pro group after 7 years with NC State/ Wolfpack elite.
At Trials, Ress is seeded 14th in the 100 free with a 49.06, which is from April of 2021. Ress will also be competing in the 50 and 100 backstrokes. He is seeded 4th in each of these events with his best time of 52.86, set at the Olympic Trials last summer. He is seeded sixth in the 50 free with a 21.91, also a best time from Olympic Trials.
2022 University of Missouri International Trials Qualifier
- April 15- April 16, 2022
- Mizzou Aquatic Center, Colombia, Missouri
- Long Course Meters
- Results on Meet Mobile, “UMIZ International”
Four University of Missouri swimmers who swam in the intrasquad last weekend will also be competing at trials: Will Whittington, Jack Dahlgren, Grant Bochenski, and Sarah Thompson.
Jack Dahlgren posted a 1:49.81 in the 200 free. This time is less than two seconds off his personal best of 1:47.98 from the Olympic Trials. He is the 14th seed at Trials next week. He also swam the 100 free last weekend in 50.36, only .15 off his personal best.
At NCAA’s, Dahlgren finished 13th in the 200 free (SCY), posting a best time of 1:32.01 in prelims. In the 200 back (SCY), he qualified fourth with a best time of 1:38.85, but ended up finishing sixth in 1:40.17
In addition to the 200 free, Dahlgren is scheduled to swim eight total events at Trials. These include the 200 fly where he is seeded ninth, and the 100 fly in which he is seeded 19th.
Last weekend, Sarah Thompson swam the 50 free (26.78), the 100 fly (1:02.0), and the 100 back (1:04.21). She is currently scheduled to swim all of these at Trials, as well as 50s in both fly and back. In the 50 free, she is seeded 32nd with a 25.70, just over a second faster than her time from last weekend.
Thompson competed in three individual events at NCAA’s. She finished 22nd in both the 50 free (SCY) and the 100 fly (SCY), swimming just off her personal bests in each.
Both Whittington and Bochenski are seeded for next week’s Trials in SCY times only. Whittington’s 50 free (LCM) time of 23.76 from last weekend is .47 seconds off of the trials qualifying time. Bochenski swam the 100 meter free and 100 meter back last weekend, posting times that were .80 and .62 seconds off of the qualifying times, respectively.
Ress is 24.