U.S. Nationals Day 1 Prelims: Much Faster than Recent Nationals

by Andrew Mering 11

July 25th, 2018 National, News

2018 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The first day of U.S. nationals prelims is complete. There are heats of the 1500 and 800 remaining, but those are timed final events. The prelims that are finished were quick. Really quick. The times to make it back were almost universally faster than at nationals last year and at Trials two years ago.

The time to final in the women’s 200 fly went from 2:10.65 last year to 2:10.30 this year. The men’s 200 fly went from 1:57.64 to 1:56.27. The women’s 100 free went from 55.04 to 54.39, and the men’s 100 free went from 49.02 to 48.78. The complete top 24 prelims data for each meet is below

A few notes. 13th place in the men’s 200 fly would’ve been 2nd at 2016 trials prelims. 10th place in the men’s 200 fly would’ve been top seed at trials. 16th place in today’s mens 100 free would’ve made finals in trials. 8th was 49.16 in 2016 trials prelims, 49.18 in trials semis 16th was 49.08 today.

Women’s 200 Fly

Place Nationals 2018 Nationals 2017 Prelims Trials 2016 Prelims
1 2:05.87 2:08.43 2:08.29
2 2:07.30 2:08.88 2:09.20
3 2:08.87 2:09.96 2:09.29
4 2:09.25 2:10.00 2:09.40
5 2:09.54 2:10.38 2:10.07
6 2:09.80 2:10.42 2:10.36
7 2:09.90 2:10.53 2:10.84
8 2:10.30 2:10.65 2:10.84
9 2:10.30 2:10.83 2:11.26
10 2:10.53 2:10.92 2:11.41
11 2:10.59 2:11.19 2:11.62
12 2:10.81 2:11.22 2:11.89
13 2:11.08 2:11.34 2:11.94
14 2:11.65 2:11.46 2:12.31
15 2:11.74 2:11.89 2:12.41
16 2:11.86 2:12.19 2:12.54
17 2:11.91 2:13.00 2:12.60
18 2:12.01 2:13.10 2:12.73
19 2:12.10 2:13.14 2:12.87
20 2:12.10 2:13.14 2:12.92
21 2:12.34 2:13.24 2:13.11
22 2:12.49 2:13.82 2:13.15
23 2:12.74 2:13.82 2:13.37
24 2:13.13 2:14.17 2:13.65

Men’s 200 Fly

Place Nationals 2018 Nationals 2017 Prelims Trials 2016 Prelims
1 1:55.49 1:55.60 1:56.68
2 1:55.75 1:55.72 1:56.90
3 1:55.89 1:56.06 1:57.33
4 1:55.94 1:56.47 1:57.34
5 1:55.95 1:56.77 1:57.41
6 1:56.01 1:56.79 1:57.42
7 1:56.18 1:57.04 1:57.59
8 1:56.27 1:57.64 1:57.60
9 1:56.41 1:57.75 1:57.68
10 1:56.59 1:57.77 1:57.77
11 1:56.73 1:57.88 1:57.94
12 1:56.74 1:57.97 1:57.96
13 1:56.84 1:57.98 1:58.43
14 1:57.10 1:58.98 1:58.44
15 1:57.66 1:59.42 1:58.61
16 1:57.99 1:59.69 1:58.70
17 1:58.45 1:59.78 1:59.10
18 1:58.61 1:59.95 1:59.18
19 1:58.80 2:00.06 1:59.39
20 1:58.97 2:00.08 1:59.40
21 1:59.10 2:00.09 1:59.42
22 1:59.12 2:00.24 1:59.69
23 1:59.16 2:00.27 2:00.14
24 1:59.39 2:00.39 2:00.26

Women’s 100 Free

Place Nationals 2018 Nationals 2017 Prelims Trials 2016 Prelims
1 53.28 53.26 53.58
2 53.36 53.5 53.76
3 53.75 53.87 53.8
4 53.94 54.02 53.84
5 54.32 54.58 54.02
6 54.38 54.7 54.04
7 54.39 54.91 54.06
8 54.39 55.04 54.24
9 54.46 55.05 54.41
10 54.47 55.08 54.62
11 54.55 55.1 54.73
12 54.67 55.22 54.87
13 54.79 55.22 54.87
14 54.82 55.28 54.95
15 54.96 55.48 55.14
16 54.96 55.6 55.32
17 55.07 55.72 55.34
18 55.17 55.75 55.38
19 55.32 55.76 55.48
20 55.36 55.78 55.57
21 55.41 55.96 55.69
22 55.42 55.97 55.74
23 55.44 55.98 55.81
24 55.47 55.99 55.83

Men’s 100 Free

Place Nationals 2018 Nationals 2017 Prelims Trials 2016 Prelims
1 48.06 48.14 48.43
2 48.27 48.56 48.46
3 48.42 48.56 48.69
4 48.44 48.62 48.76
5 48.6 48.65 49.03
6 48.62 48.66 49.13
7 48.7 48.88 49.14
8 48.78 49.02 49.16
9 48.79 49.15 49.28
10 48.87 49.16 49.31
11 48.88 49.18 49.35
12 48.89 49.19 49.39
13 48.93 49.22 49.45
14 48.97 49.32 49.46
15 48.98 49.34 49.51
16 49.08 49.4 49.55
17 49.28 49.44 49.58
18 49.34 49.45 49.61
19 49.51 49.6 49.77
20 49.54 49.64 49.8
21 49.66 49.66 49.81
22 49.68 49.67 49.84
23 49.73 49.68 49.89
24 49.78 49.78 49.9

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Dcrabbe6
6 years ago

Can we get a shoutout to Maxime Rooney. I know it’s only one swim,but he seems to be on the form we always knew he was capable of

Swimmer1
Reply to  Dcrabbe6
6 years ago

Absolutely! Way to go Maxime!

Kathy
6 years ago

2020 Trials cuts just got a lot faster. Let’s hope so.

marklewis
Reply to  Kathy
6 years ago

The OT needs to be a smaller meet. Heats and heats and heats of swimmers that have no chance of being on the Team.

So many people in the warm-up pool that there are accidents.

marklewis
6 years ago

The swimmers are all bunched up around the same times. It makes for a very competitive meet, with some top swimmers sliding down the list as the younger swimmer pass them by.

The finals are going to have a lot of exciting close finishes.

Roch
6 years ago

Love this kind of assessment! Very impressed with how quickly it was churned out, too.

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
6 years ago

I don’t know if the comparison is totally fair in all of these events, as there is a massive difference in stakes between 2016 and 2018 in terms of what can happen from prelims. I would argue that comparing prelims today to semi-finals in 2016 would be a more accurate comparison for all events 200m and under.

samuel huntington
Reply to  PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
6 years ago

I disagree, unless you’re one of the best, like Adrian or Dressel, you’d be going all out 100% in Trials prelims, or else you won’t make semis.

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
Reply to  samuel huntington
6 years ago

Using just today’s events, from Trials 2016, choosing top/middle/bottom from both A and B final qualifying heats:

Prelims – Semis
Men’s 100 free:
1st: 48.43 – 47.91
4th: 48.76 – 48.65
8th: 49.16 – 49.18
9th: 49.28 – 49.19
12th: 49.39 – 49.39
16th: 49.55 – 49.70

Women’s 100 free:
1st: 53.58 – 53.57
4th: 53.84 – 53.74
8th: 54.24 – 54.07
9th: 54.41 – 54.18
12th: 54.87 – 54.61
16th: 55.32 – 55.18

Men’s 200 fly:
1st: 156.68 – 155.17
4th: 157.34 – 156.48
8th: 157.60 – 157.10
9th: 157.68 – 157.24
12th: 157.96 – 157.77
16th: 158.70 – 159.50… Read more »

samuel huntington
Reply to  PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
6 years ago

well sure, I think it makes sense that semis would get a little faster than prelims – you are racing people all your speed in semis so I think that will push you to a faster time.

And you see in three of the events that the 1st place time drops a lot, suggesting that again the very top swimmers would be the only ones not going 100% in prelims.

SwimmerFan99
6 years ago

16th place at this Nationals prelims in the Men’s 100 Free (49.08) would have made 6th place at the 2016 OLYMPIC TRIALS prelims. Unreal.
Also worthy of note is the fact that nearly 4 times as many guys went 48.xx (15) than in 2016 (4).