Abbey Weitzeil blasted a 54.13 to win the 100 freestyle on day 2 of Mission Viejo’s Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions (SMOC).
Full results available here or on Meet Mobile
Weitzeil finished just four tenths off her lifetime-best with that swim and continues to put herself right in the thick of the battle for the U.S. Olympic team. Weitzeil is currently the 2nd-ranked American for the season, sitting 11th worldwide:
2015-2016 LCM Women 100 Free
CAMPBELL
52.06*WR
| 2 | Bronte CAMPBELL | AUS | 52.58 | 04/11 |
| 3 | Penny OLEKSIAK | CAN | 52.70*OR*WJR | 08/11 |
| 4 | Simone MANUEL | USA | 52.70*OR | 08/11 |
| 5 | Sarah SJOSTROM | SWE | 52.78 | 04/01 |
| 6 | Emma McKEON | AUS | 52.80 | 04/11 |
| 7 | Ranomi KROMOWIDJOJO | NED | 53.08 | 08/11 |
| 8 | Federica PELLEGRINI | ITA | 53.18 | 06/25 |
| 9 | Abbey WEITZEIL | USA | 53.28 | 07/01 |
| 10 | Jeanette OTTESEN | DEN | 53.35 | 08/10 |
| 11 | Michelle COLEMAN | SWE | 53.54 | 04/11 |
| 11 | Brittany ELMSLIE | AUS | 53.54 | 04/11 |
That race also saw a lifetime-best and new Olympic Trials cut from USC’s Kirsten Vose (56.04) and a lifetime-best from Eva Merrell (56.18) in third place.
The men’s edition of the 100 free was won by Dylan Carter, who competes internationally for Trinidad & Tobago. Carter was 49.74. Cal’s Justin Lynch was second in 50.19 and Polish national Michael Domagala – another USC Trojan – was third in 50.68.
Noelle Tarazona won the women’s 200 fly in 2:12.78, beating open water Olympian Haley Anderson (2:13.64). Of note for many fans: U.S. World Champs Team member Katie McLaughlin was third in 2:13.88. McLaughlin missed much of the spring college season dealing with a neck injury. This was McLaughlin’s first official swim since the women’s Pac-12 Championships.
After hitting a new Trials cut in the 800 free one day ago, Hailey Houck of the Sandpipers of Nevada got another, going 2:14.28 in the 200 fly. Houck is 18.
18-year-old Brendan Meyer of the Northern Kentucky Clippers won the men’s race, going 2:00.72 to touch out Mission Viejo’s outgoing senior Grant Shoults (2:00.77). Shoults, ranked as one of the top high school seniors in the nation, will head to Stanford next year.
Cal freshman Amy Bilquist won the 200 backstroke, cutting .03 off her lifetime-best with a 2:13.22. 16-year-old Aquazot swimmer Eva Merrell had a huge swim in second place, cutting almost 3 seconds off her lifetime-best to earn a new Olympic Trials cut in 2:13.55.
USC’s Patrick Mulcare coasted to a win in the men’s 200 back, going 2:01.99.
Last night’s 800 free winner Stephanie Peacock earned the 400 free title in a blowout, going 4:10.65. Haley Anderson took second in 4:17.31. On the men’s side, it was also a repeat of the day 1 distance race, with Tunisian Olympian Ous Mellouli going 3:52.52 to top Shoults by five and a half seconds.
Abbey was in 54.42 last year at the same meet but it was much later in the season as the meet was held in late June.
I think she can go at least 53.50 at trials. Hopefully for her the same kind of breakout swims as her training partner Condorelli last summer. It would mean 52 high/53 low!
Unfortunately it doesn’t look very good for Katie McLaughlin. Her 200 fly is not so bad for a first meet but her 100 free final in 56.93 is not a great sign. She used to be 2.08 and 55 low in both events in these in-season meets last year. Sure she will improve in the next weeks but I doubt she… Read more »
Eva Merrell, she does well in three strokes, free, fly and back. Now that is a good future.
53.5 for Weitzeil should be a given. She’s been 53.7 in season. I predict much faster around 53 low possibly 52.9