2024 SUN DEVIL OPEN
- May 17-19, 2024
- Tempe, Arizona
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Day 1 Recap
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Sun Devil Open”
A pair of U.S. Olympic hopefuls faced off in the 100 freestyle at the Sun Devil Open on Sunday as 28-year-old Ryan Held cruised past 19-year-old Jonny Kulow with a season-best time of 48.30.
Held improved his season best from 48.48 at April’s Pro Swim Series Stop in San Antonio. Only four Americans have been faster so far this calendar year: Jack Alexy (48.24), Matt King (48.02), Hunter Armstrong (47.83), and Chris Giuliano (47.49). A 2016 Olympian, Held has been as fast as 47.39 back in 2019.
Kulow, a rising Arizona State junior, earned the runner-up finish in 48.77. He was within half a second of his personal-best 48.38 from last October’s Pan American Games.
Held and Kulow also went head-to-head in the 100 butterfly on Saturday, but it was 18-year-old Cal commit (’24) August Vetsch who came away with the win in a personal-best 53.12. Vetsch lowered his previous-best 53.40 from last August’s runner-up finish at Junior Nationals to beat Held (53.38), Kulow (53.69), and Jordan Tiffany (53.88) on Saturday.
Saturday’s action also featured a fun 100 backstroke battle between Jack Wadsworth (55.54) and Quinland Gould (55.84). A rising Arizona State senior, Wadsworth got under 56 seconds for the first time on his way to the victory, dipping under the U.S. Olympic Trials cut of 55.69 in the process.
Landon Driggers enjoyed a successful weekend with 1st-place finishes in the 400 IM (4:22.60) on Saturday and 200 back (2:00.89) on Sunday. The 22-year-old was under the Trials cuts of 4:25.19 and 2:01.69, but slightly off his lifetime bests of 4:16.54 and 2:00.19 from last summer. A former Division II national runner-up, Driggers is back in the NCAA transfer portal after spending last season at Tennessee.
Also picking up multiple individual victories over the weekend was 20-year-old Andy Dobrzanski, who swept the 100 breast (1:01.56) on Saturday and 200 breast (2:14.10) on Sunday. The rising ASU junior owns best times of 1:01.18 and 2:13.91 from last summer, under the Trials cuts in both events (1:02.19/2:15.99).
Grant House captured the 200 free crown in 1:48.13, taking down 20-year-old Sun Devil Aquatics teammate Patrick Sammon (1:49.36). House, a 25-year-old ASU graduate, has been as fast as 1:46.68 back in 2022.
Recent ASU graduate Alex Colson claimed the 200 fly title on Sunday in 1:59.70, a few seconds off his personal-best 1:56.50 from 2022. He placed 10th at NCAAs in the yards version of this event in March.
On the women’s side, rising UNC senior Greer Pattison dropped three tenths off her best 100 back time on her way to the win in 1:02.45. The 21-year-old Pattison is closing in on the U.S. Olympic Trials cut of 1:01.89, but she’s running out of time with the meet next month.
Rising ASU junior Charli Brown won the 200 free (2:02.05) on Saturday, but she was outdueled by redshirt senior teammate Erin Milligan in the 100 free (56.11). Milligan got under the the Trials cut last month with her personal-best 55.47.
The youngest winner of the weekend was 13-year-old Marley Spray. The Gold Medal Swim Club standout posted a personal-best 2:17.15 in the 200 back to take down 20-year-old Paige Armstrong (2:17.73). Spray shaved more than two seconds off her previous-best 2:19.21 from March. She’s still got plenty of time to make a run at Taylor Ruck‘s Arizona LSC record of 2:10.22 from 2015.
Gold Medal Swim Club 15-year-old Paige Downey brought home a 400 IM victory in 4:54.05 400 IM, taking a couple seconds off her previous-best 4:56.77 from last November. She’s still a ways away from the Trials cut of 4:49.89 in this event.
Rising ASU sophomore Sonia Vaishnani threw down a best time in the 200 breast on her way to the win. The 19-year-old reached the wall in 2:35.84, dropping more than half a second off her previous-best 2:36.49 from 2022. The Trials cut now sits four seconds away at 2:31.69.
Rising ASU senior Iza Adame clinched the 100 breast victory in 1:10.54. The 21-year-old went under the Trials cut of 1:10.29 last January with a personal-best 1:09.48 during an LCM portion of a dual meet.
Rising Northern Arizona junior Elsa Musselman recorded a 100 fly win on Saturday in 1:01.43, not far off her personal-best 1:00.73 from March. Sunday’s 200 fly victory went to 17-year-old Annemarie Vlaic, an SMU commit who was within a couple seconds of her best time at 2:15.83.
The article missed the Armstrong’s lead off 47.83 from doha, he is the second fastest American this year behind Guliano..
Guliano, Alexy, Armstrong, Dressel, King and Macduff for paris ( but there is a long list of swimmers who can turn the table..)
Updated
I definitely foresee an issue of not enough men doubling up on individual events unlike the women (see below for details). Thus, the potential for only five relay swimmers in the men’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay and men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay exists.
Ledecky, Katie – 400 FR, 800 FR, 1500 FR
Douglass, Kate – 100 FR, 200 BR, 200 IM
Smith, Regan – 100 BK, 200 BK, 200 FL
Grimes, Katie – 1500 FR, 400 IM
King, Lilly – 100 BR?, 200 BR?
Who we thinking on the men’s side:
Hopefully the 50/100 free have the same two?
100/200 backs could have the same two?
Finke in 800/1500
Smith in 200/400?
Foster in maybe 200/400 IM? 400 IM/200 FR?
Here’s my list for men:
Fink 100/200 breast is possible (although he’s definitely shifted focus toward the 100)
Murphy 100/200 back
Finke 800/1500 with possible 400fr if we want to get uber-hopeful
Foster 200IM/400IM with possible 2fly/2fr/4fr (unfamiliar with his lineup)
Dressel 50/100fr/100fl seem possible, even if it’s just 2 of the 3 it’s helpful for roster space
Smith 200/400 is possible but probably has the highest level of uncertainty
The other potentials:
Clark 800/1500 – 2nd 1500/4th 800 last trials
Hobson 200/400 – 1st 200/6th 400
Held 50/100fr –
Kalisz 200IM/400IM
Casas 2IM/100fly/100back/200back – who really knows here
Andrew 2IM/50fr/100br/100fly – who really knows here
I’m guessing
Alexy 47.4 Giuliano 47.6Dressel 47.8Held 48.0 Armstrong 48.0Lasco 48.1
think times will be a bit slower in the final than the semi for most
I like King over Lasco, but agree wiht the top 5
In just about every board discussion about the Trials Men’s 100 free, Brooks Curry seems to have been forgotten. His best is 47.8 while training at LSU. He has since moved to the CAL group, with plenty of day to day practice competition to sharpen him. In my humble opinion, he’s making the Olympic team.
Santo also getting forgotten… he’s got a PB in the 47s and looked pretty good at the Pro Swim series.
I’m not gonna lie but Held ever since San Antonio has looked pretty darn good in season
I think he will make the team in the 100 free relay but he better not sell and fly and die on the relay like he did in Fukuoka
I just looked at swimcloud and Held has been noticeably faster in season in the 100 free this year than last year.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him give his PB a run (in the prelims only of course before he adds in finals)
Last year was a bit slow from him especially on the relay because he went 48 flat on the leadoff and if he’s on the team this summer and swims on the prelims and looks fast then surely he’s gonna be swimming in the finals just like two years ago.
Why put trust in Ryan Held to swim in the final of the men’s 4 x 100 meter freestylee relay after a stunt like that? Erika Brown’s lead-off leg in the final of the women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay in Tokyo was a stark reminder.
I think if he’s fast you have to put him on second or third leg and not on lead off because they usually choose someone like Dressel to swims on the lead off if he’s swims in the final and the same with women’s team and right now Huske is probably good on the lead off with her form.
I agree with this. Assuming that Dressel and Held both make the team and look good in prelims, Dressel will be the lead off. That takes a little pressure of Held and he’ll be less likely to fly and die. As far as I can recall, he didn’t have a history of doing that before last year.
He also looked very good last year before Fukuoka.
Where have you gone, Zach Apple?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Woo, woo, woo
What’s that you say, Mrs Robinson?
Zach Apple has left and gone away.
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
What???????
My trials prediction
Alexy 47.4
Dressel 47.5
Giuliano 47.7
King 47.8
Held 47.9
Kulow 48.0
I could be wrong on the top two and the order but this is definitely a very good relay
No way Dressel goes 47.5
You’re saying that’s too slow? Bc his April/May in-season times have been on part with his best seasons
Not just because I’m a Florida homer, but I think Macguire McDuff is going to hop under 48 and onto this relay. He went 48.08 last summer, he improved his 50, 100, and 200 free in yards this year, and led the country in the 200y free (a really good predictor for the 100 long course) until NCAAs. Also, his best time leading into World Trials last year was 49.2, and he time trialed a 48.97 in Atlanta.
On the men’s side, the 100 meter freestyle has to be most brutally contested event.
The harsh reality is 48.30 doesn’t cut it when Alessandro Miressi of Italy posts a 47.56 lead-off split in the men’s 4 x 100 FR-R.
it does when Miressi was 49.5 a week ago lol
Yet again, USA settles for the bronze medal in the men’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships as was the case at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. In both instances, Italy won the silver medal.
They aren’t “settling” for squat.
They will give it their best shot, which may end up anywhere from Gold to maybe, much less likely but possible, 5th or 6th. There is alot of competition out there. USA, Australia, Italy, Great Britain, China. Even Hungary, France or Canada.
Yeah only way they get 5th or 6th is if there are no Arizona State swimmers on the relay, ammiright?
That’s the nice thing about our trials. Doesn’t matter whether there are any ASU swimmers on the squad or not; whomever does swim will be the folks who earned their spots. But I agree. With any ASU swimmers involved they WILL place higher!!!
He was 47.7 in February. He’s alright.
ok taper exists
So does choke jobs.
Um – that’s not Held’s time at Trials in a month.
Where are sprint pros (besides Held)….like Smogs and Simone? At altitude with Bowman? Good time to change coaches?
ASU Head Coach Herbie Behm was with 4 athletes In Toronto at the Canadian Trials. Kharun and Ruck, who both made the Paris squad, Senc-Samardzic (6th in both 100 and 200 free and 5th in 100 Fly) and Hana Edwards who won the B final of the 200 Back with a PB.
Grant House was in Tempe; in order: 200 IM 2:00.60(win); 50 free: :23.30(Prelim-B final), 200 free 1:48.13 (win)(did not swim 100 Fly which was directly before 200 Free); 100 free:49.60(3rd)
Smoliga was entered in the Sun Devil Open but was N/S Friday & Saturday; she did swim prelims on Sunday(100 free, :57.26 – about half a second off her prelim swim in same meet last year where… Read more »