Arizona Senior State Championships: Swimming World’s Own Jeff Commings, 37, Becomes Second Oldest American Male to Make Trials

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 10. SWIMMING World's own Jeff Commings, 37, is slated to become the second oldest American male to compete at a U.S. Olympic Trials after making his Trials cut this weekend at the Arizona Senior State Championships in Phoenix, Ariz.

Commings, a FINA Masters world record holder and All-American at the University of Texas, clocked a 1:04.42 in the men's 100 breast for the win and a berth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. He missed becoming the oldest American male ever to make Trials by a matter of a few weeks, as Steve West, 39, made Trials in the men's 200 breast with a 2:20.65 at the Fran Crippen Memorial Swim Meet of Champions at the end of June.

Heading into June, Wally Dicks had been the oldest American male to qualify for and swim at Trials as a 37-year-old in 2000 in the men's 100 breast. Notably, Commings swam a 1:04.76 at the Southwest Classic in Tucson, Ariz., in early June to down Dicks' United States Masters Swimming national record in the men's 35-39 100 breast of 1:05.00 set back in 2000, and this weekend's swim lowered the record further.

Commings, who will be 38 by the time Trials come around next summer, expects to be the third-oldest as he predicts that fellow Longhorn Josh Davis, 38, will make a cut in freestyle competition. Davis would be 39 in time for Trials.

Commings returned on the final day of swimming with a 28.98 during prelims of the men's 50 breast, then won the sprint event with a 29.05 at night. Those times missed his USMS record of 28.53 set back in 2009.

In other action, MAC's Breeja Larson clocked a 2:36.34 for the women's 200 breast title, while doubling up with a 1:10.55 to win the women's 100 breast. AZM's Danielle Lee captured the women's 400 free in 4:29.99. Lee followed with a 2:20.99 to claim the women's 200 back. GMSC's Kelli Benjamin won the women's 100 fly in 1:04.41, then won the women's 50 free in 26.52. Phoenix's Noriko Inada, 32, topped the women's 50 back in 29.25. She followed that up with a victory in the women's 100 back with a 1:03.01. LCAT's Jordan Ehly topped the women's 50 breast in 34.13. Ehly showed some range with a winning time of 2:24.13 in the women's 200 IM.

Additionally, AZM's Chris Pickard turned in a 53.44 to win the men's 100 free. Pickard doubled up with a 4:12.21 to win the men's 400 free. AD's Brian Moore topped the men's 800 free in 8:52.21. Moore returned in the men's 200 free with a winning time of 1:56.11. Team Canyon's Marcus Schlesinger snagged the men's 50 fly in 25.90, then doubled up on sprint titles with a 24.00 for the men's 50 free. WEST's Darren Maxwell won the men's 100 fly in 55.83. Maxwell then won the men's 100 back in 59.81. PEAK's Brian Morrison snared the men's 200 breast in 2:24.56. He then claimed the men's 200 IM in 2:07.89.

VAST's Nika Fellows won the women's 1500 free in 17:59.18, while Phoenix's Carly Johnson claimed the women's 100 free in 58.26. SDA's Leticia Lelli hit the wall in 28.37 to win the women's 50 fly, while SDA's Kat Simonovic picked up the women's 200 free crown in 2:03.81. GMSC's Bri Jurries finished first in the women's 400 IM with a 5:07.42, while SAC's Kendra Griffin clocked a 2:20.31 to win the women's 200 fly.

MAC's Bob Glover earned the men's 50 back in 27.74, while Arizona Seals' Daniel Salovesh posted a 2:11.39 to win the men's 200 back. RIO's Michael White earned the men's 400 IM crown in 4:46.98, while Ford's Jason Alentado placed first in the men's 200 fly in 2:10.45.

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