Ryan Lochte Leads Night 2 of FL Champs in Sarasota

Florida Virtual Championships – Site 1 (Sarasota)

Day 2 of the Sarasota, Florida Championships saw record-breaking performances and multiple lifetime bests, those of which that were posted by 18&Under swimmers will count toward USA Swimming’s 18&Under Winter Championships

Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte started off the finals session with a victory in the 100 back, touching the wall 1st at 47.65 and getting half a second closer to his lifetime best, 44.60, than he was this morning. 18-year-old Hayden Kwan of United Swim Club and Lochte were neck-and-neck at the halfway point, splitting 23.49 and 23.45, respectively. Kwan finished the race in 2nd place with a best time of 47.99, shaving .32 seconds off of his previous best from July.

Lochte then posted a 1:43.48 for 1st place in the 200IM, finishing the race over 4 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. This was nearly 5 seconds faster than his prelims time and he came within 3.5 seconds of his lifetime best from 2007. His Gator Swim Club training partner Grant Sanders snagged 2nd place at 1:47.65 while Liam Custer of the Sarasota Sharks tried to chase him down, ultimately touching the wall 3rd with a time of 1:48.20. Both Sanders and Custer added time to their lifetime bests, but Custer was the closest to his, adding  .8 to his freshly acquired best time from November.

Custer, a high school junior, followed up his LSC record-setting 500 free this morning with another solid swim, claiming 1st place with a time of 4:21.67. He added 3 seconds to his prelims time, but still touched the wall with a .83 second lead over Sanders who finished in 2nd place.

18-year-old Emma Weyant of the Sarasota Sharks defended her top seed rank in the 200IM by posting a time of 1:58.70. The U.S. National Team member chipped away .83 of the gap between her prelims time and her lifetime best, 1:58.07, which she swam at the 2018 FHSAA 4A State Meet. Weyant’s 15-year-old teammate Michaela Mattes took 2nd place at 2:02.13, 1 second off of her one-month-old personal best.

Weyant had a relatively quick turnaround in finals, with only 2 heats of the men’s 200IM between her own 200IM and 500 free. Unfazed, she crushed her lifetime best by nearly 2.5 seconds and touched the wall 1st at 4:38.39. Her previous best was from the 2019 FHSAA 4A Swim and Dive Championships. Tonight, Weyant even scared the 17-18 LSC record of 4:36.81. Mattes snagged 2nd place again with a time of 4:46.74, less than 1 second off of her best time from February, 2019. Her Sarasota Sharks teammate, 14-year-old Addison Sauickie, posted a 4:48.12 for 3rd place, adding about 1 second to her best time from November.

Other Event Winners:

  • 16-year-old Natalie Mannion of the Sarasota Sharks won the 100 back, touching the wall at 54.08 nearly half a second ahead of the field. This was faster than her prelims time, but still 1 second off of the lifetime best she posted in December, 2019.

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Aquajosh
3 years ago

Considering how far he is off his stroke 100s, to be 3 seconds from his best in the 200 IM is really encouraging.

Mr Piano
Reply to  Aquajosh
3 years ago

I think that has to do with older athletes losing their power and speed as they get older, but his endurance should keep up.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Mr Piano
3 years ago

Tell that to 2016 Anthony Ervin. Or George Foreman.

Ice Age Swimmer
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

not to mention Dara Torres

Mr Piano
Reply to  Ice Age Swimmer
3 years ago

There is no way Torres wasn’t on PEDs

Teddy
Reply to  Mr Piano
3 years ago

I kind if feel like it’s the opposite of what you said here

When people get older we see them getting better at sprinting, not switching to the 1500 and getting PBs

Swimgl
Reply to  Teddy
3 years ago

Master’s swimmers who are sprinters fare better as they age in terms of time increases. Jeff Farrell at 85 is an example. Dara is another. I doubt she was doing PEDS. She certainly was high profile enough to be targeted for testing.

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON
3 years ago

1:43.3 right now is solid for Lochte

Mr Piano
3 years ago

He also went 1:36.2 in the 200 free yesterday. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out for him. I hope he can find a way to get on the team, but he’s fighting being a 36 year year old.

joe
Reply to  Mr Piano
3 years ago

I think it’s 200 IM or bust

Hswimmer
Reply to  joe
3 years ago

He could do a solid 1:46 and make the relay

Mr Piano
Reply to  Hswimmer
3 years ago

Ehhhh, I think we’ll have 3 or 4 people under 1:46, and more under 1:47. I feel like Lochte would have trouble breaking 1:47

JimSwim22
Reply to  Hswimmer
3 years ago

Not if he can’t break 1:36 in yards

Hswimmer
Reply to  JimSwim22
3 years ago

Bro it’s in season

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  JimSwim22
3 years ago

Haas when he was at UT would routinely go 1:36’s in season before going 1:30, 1:29 when it counted. Seem to remember him having the big split on the 800 free relay at Rio.

PhillyMark
Reply to  Hswimmer
3 years ago

Haas, Seliskar, Apple, Kieran, Kibler, Rooney, Farris, Pieroni, et all will make for an exciting 200 Free @ OT’s!

SwimSam
Reply to  PhillyMark
3 years ago

American freestylers will need to be on their A game at trials just to qualify for finals, so excited for these races

About Annika Johnson

Annika Johnson

Annika came into the sport competitively at age eight, following in the footsteps of her twin sister and older brother. The sibling rivalry was further fueled when all three began focusing on distance freestyle, forcing the family to buy two lap counters. Annika is a three-time Futures finalist in the 200 …

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