2021 KMSC Pro-Am Classic
- December 16-19, 2021
- Lewisville, Texas
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2021 King Marlin Pro-Am Classic”
A couple of former top-tier NCAA swimmers highlighted the action over the weekend at the 2021 King Marlin Swim Club (KMSC) Pro-Am Classic in Lewisville, Tx., as Tate Jackson and Brett Pinfold raced head-to-head and traded wins across multiple events.
Jackson, who received a one-month suspension from USADA earlier this year and subsequently opted to take a five-month break out of the water and sit out of the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, only returned to competition for the first time since January at the US Open earlier this month. He has since moved from training at the University of Texas to Nitro Swimming, the club he was representing over the weekend in Lewisville.
Jackson placed first in the men’s 100 butterfly, clocking a time of 47.68 to edge out Gulf Coast Swim Club’s Stephen Jones (47.79), and also topped the 50 fly in a time of 21.09, beating out Pinfold (21.74).
Jones, 23, notably added wins of his own in the 200 IM (1:48.72) and 100 back (48.23).
Pinfold, a former member of the Wisconsin Badgers that was most recently competing for the LA Current in Season 3 of the International Swimming League (ISL), beat Jackson head-to-head in the men’s 100 freestyle, 42.41 to 42.73, and the two men also went to battle in a three-round 50 freestyle skins event.
After Pinfold paced the opening round (19.70) and Jackson got his hand on the wall first in round two (20.22), Pinfold uncorked a blistering 19.41 to win the final, with Jackson also producing his fastest swim at the end in 19.59 (it’s unclear if the swims were back-to-back like they are in the ISL, or if there was significant rest in between).
Pinfold, representing the Swim Houston Aquatic Club, also placed first in the men’s 50 breast in a time of 24.49, narrowly edging out 40-year-old James Fike.
Fike set a trio of US Masters 40-44 age group records in the men’s breaststroke events, clocking 24.19 in the 50 breast (prelims), 53.81 in the 100 breast and 1:59.14 in the 200 breast. The 100 time marks a new PB for Fike, while he recorded his 200 best time in March at 1:58.71.
The previous men’s 40-44 records were previously held by Jarrod Marrs in the 50 breast (25.02), Jeff Commings in the 100 breast (55.37) and Steve West in the 200 breast (2:00.53).
All three of Fike’s swims from that meet in March of this year—the MAC Speedo Lone Star Spring Invitational—are the current USMS records in the 35-39 age group (25.03, 54.14, 1:58.71).
The Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahaw was the top team on both the men’s and women’s sides in terms of overall points, and their top scorer was 15-year-old Susie Lee.
Lee swept the women’s 200 free (1:50.82), 500 free (4:57.01) and 1000 free (10:12.86), narrowly missing a PB by two-tenths in the 200 (set one week prior at Winter Juniors) and lowering her best in the 1000 by three and a half seconds.
The women’s side also featured 16-year-old Sydney Smith dropping a very impressive 49.84 to win the 100 freestyle, a tenth off her PB set in March.
In the 50 free shootout, 18-year-old Hadley Beeson (23.00) of the Dallas Mustangs earned the win over Smith (23.31) in the final round. That time improved Beeson’s previous best of 23.19 set last month.
Jones and Lamar Taylor (who just swam for the Bahamas at SC Worlds) have made a pretty good 1-2 punch for D2 Henderson State recently. Wonder if this is indication Jones left there? They would have some pretty good relays if he’s still at HSU.
Jones graduated from HSU