Josh Schneider, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace Sizzle in 50 Free Knockouts At Chesapeake Elite Pro-Am

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, December 21. THE always fun 50 free knockout rounds took place this evening at the Chesapeake Elite Pro-Am with some top-flight veterans turning in smoking times.

In the 50 free knockouts, that made the Elite Pro-Am famous, SwimMAC’s Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace won the final with a 21.85, while Stanford’s Andi Murez took second in 22.39. SwimMAC’s Kelsi Hall placed third in 22.46 with Mission Viejo’s Kathryn McLaughlin earning fourth in 22.70.

On the men’s side, NYAC’s Josh Schneider cleared 19 seconds for the second time in his career with an 18.98 for the win. That’s just off the 18.93 he clocked at the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships. Stanford’s Aaron Wayne stopped the clock second in 19.46, while Stanford’s Alex Coville (19.60) and SwimMAC’s Dax Hill (20.05) placed third and fourth.

SwimMAC’s Kate Meili continued her strong meet, following up her double from last night with a 1:56.47 to smash the women’s 200-yard IM this evening. That swim beat the meet and pool records in the IM, and is the fifth-fastest 200 IM that Meili has ever swum. Rylee Linhardt, 15, took home second-place honors with a 2:03.02, while 14-year-old Abigail Richter hit the wall in 2:03.21 to take third in the finale.

NYAC’s Darian Townsend clipped his lifetime best in the men’s 200-yard IM with a time of 1:41.79. That swim beat the 1:41.88 he posted at the USA Swimming Winter Nationals earlier this month. Sean Mahoney finished well back with a second-place time of 1:49.25, while Nicholas Petersen clinched third in 1:50.19.

Minnesota’s Haley Spencer kept Meili off the top of the podium in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:08.24 for the win. That’s not nearly in the range of Spencer’s top swims in the 2:05s and 2:06s, but it was good enough for the victory. Meili, meanwhile, claimed second with a time of 2:09.35, while Frisco’s Destiny Nelson clocked her second-best time ever with a 2:15.61 for third. The 16-year-old’s best time is a 2:15.44 from the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals earlier this month.

In a swim that came down to the touch, PASA’s BJ Johnson touched out New Mexico’s Naoya Tomita in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke, 1:53.04 to 1:53.06. That time beat Johnson’s lifetime best of 1:53.71 from last year’s Elite Pro-Am meet. It also beat the pool and meet records.

Tomita, an elite Japanese swimming transplant who changed his training camp to New Mexico this year, but more than a second off his top time of 1:54.65 (although, he only has two swims in the event in the USA Swimming SWIMS database). Trojan’s Mike Alexandrov, just a few hours after losing his 100-meter breaststroke American record to Kevin Cordes at the Duel in the Pool, took third in 1:55.08.

Stanford’s Andi Murez crashed through the 54-second barrier in the women’s 100-yard back to win in 53.78. That performance broke her lifetime best of 54.20 from the Ohio State Invitational a year ago. Youngster Abigail Richter, 14, of BCH took second in 54.93 to beat the 55-second barrier as well. Her personal best coming into today was a 55.96 from February of this year. Alexa Harris of Lane Four Aquatics took third in 56.01.

Schroeder’s Adam Mania powered to victory in the men’s 100-yard back with a time of 46.34. That’s his second-best time ever behind a 46.26 from the 2011 edition of the Elite Pro-Am. Mania’s been a longtime loyal competitor at the meet, with top times in this event going back to 2005 with a 46.57. Teammate Ellis Miller touched second in 47.76, while Zach McGinnis of NYAC claimed third in 47.86.

Minnesota’s Ashley Steenvoorden followed her 1000 free win on night one with a 500 free victory tonight as she turned in a 4:47.12. She didn’t need her top-end speed, that sits in the 4:36 to 4:38 range for the win this evening. Mission Viejo’s Brooke Lorentzen took second on 4:49.01, while 15-year-old Rylee Linhardt clinched third in 4:54.58.

Stanford’s Bobby Bollier claimed the men’s 500-yard freestyle finale with a time of 4:22.48, while Mission Viejo’s Nicholas Norman, 16, touched the wall second in 4:23.88. Fellow Nadadore Grant Shoults snared third overall in 4:28.66.

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