Reaction Time: Interactive Commentary from USA Swimming National Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 4. SwimmingWorldMagazine.com is bringing its readers wall-to-wall coverage of USA Swimming's National Championships held at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis this week. As part of the already deep, rich and up-to-the-minute coverage of the actual racing, our team of reporters are also available via this new interactive web site element, Reaction Time.

Feel free to react to anything you see or observe throughout the meet in this location, and we will do our best to keep you updated on our observations of some interesting tidbits emerging from the meet that may not make our standard meet coverage. Also, look here first for Breaking News items that we discover during our time talking with the best of the best on deck and in the stands.

Additionally, we are available for special requests throughout the meet. So, if there is something you are dying to know, click below to React through Reaction Time and we will do our best to fulfill that request.

Jason Marsteller
August 4, 9:16 a.m. The final day of action has begun at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI.

Dana Lawrence Lohn
August 4, 9:20 a.m. Okay, so Michael's hair has a bit more of the mussed-up casual feel that's popular now, and he's minus the legendary 'stache, but does anyone else see an increasing physical resemblance between Michael and Mark?

Dana Lawrence Lohn
August 4, 9:35 a.m. We haven't seen him swim this event since his undergraduate days in Texas, so we're naturally VERY psyched to watch Brendan Hansen attempt to qualify for tonight's final in the 200 I.M. His seed time is 2:05.21, so let's see how this one unfolds!

Dana Lawrence Lohn
August 4, 10:19 a.m. Michael Walker of West Virginia Aquatic might want to consider shaking Michael Phelps' hand, as it was Phelps' scratch that earned Walker the 24th and last slot in tonight's C final in the men's 200 I.M. Meanwhile, Phelps is in street clothes on the northeast corner of the deck, wearing a baseball hat cocked to the side.

Brendan Hansen earned the sixth slot in tonight's championship final, posting a 2:03.71 in an effort where he stayed with the pack through the fly and back, churned and burned himself a half-body length lead in the breast, and literally held on through the free to finish fourth in his heat.

Speaking of churning and burning, it's time for the 50 freestyle heats. Bam, bam, bam. They're fun to watch. This will be our fastest morning of preliminary swims; we will be headed back to the hotel for naps after the 10:37 a.m. conclusion, though we're running a bit overtime after a call-back and re-swim of the fifth heat of the women's 200 I.M. A huge thumbs-up for Kate Ziegler's 50 freestyle preliminary time of 27:14 … we respect the big push out of her comfort zone!

P.S. Tonight's men's 800 freestyle is loaded. Tonight's women's 1500 freestyle is the opposite, and that national title is truly up for grabs.

Dana Lawrence Lohn
August 4, 10:34 a.m. A resounding hum of appreciative awe from media row when Dara Torres EASED UP in the last 10 meters to post a 24.91 in her preliminary heat of the women's 50 freestyle, taking the top spot in tonight's championship final. She looks stunningly beautiful in terms of technique, and it's easy to imagine that efficiency leading to a new national record this evening. In a blast from Athenian past, Rhi Jeffrey will swim in tonight's B final, and Amanda Weir and Kim Vandenberg will approach the blocks in the C final.

"That's the world champion making a statement," said John Lohn regarding Ben Wildman-Tobriner's 21.94 qualifying time for tonight's 50 freestyle championship final. And does anyone in the IU Natatorium deserve a pre-Olympic Trials breakout meet more than Nick Brunelli, whose surgically-reconstructed shoulder places him back and ready to attack the event? What fun that final will be tonight: Wildman-Tobriner, Brunelli, Jones, Schoeman, Neethling and others.

Dana Lawrence Lohn
August 4, 6:01 p.m. Let's take stock on the night. We might see:
– Katie Hoff knock off Wu Yanyan's dirty 200 I.M. record; Hoff's PB is less than half a second away.
– Eric Shanteau and Ryan Lochte duel it out for the 200 I.M. National title, in a race that could be eerily predictive of the fight for the second slot in the event at next year's Olympic Trials.
– 40-year-old Dara Torres take the 50 free National title while bracketed by women whose ages collectively don't add up to hers (in Lane 5, Jackie Vavrek of Wisconsin Aquatics is 21; in Lane 3, Samantha Woodward of Chesapeake Swim Club is 16).
– Ben Wildman-Tobriner try to hold off two South Africans in the men's 50 free – a relatively ironic occurance at the US National Championships. Or will Cullen Jones' rehabilitated back or Nick Brunelli's rehabilitated shoulder enable either of them to steal that one away?
– Three of America's best, shoulder-to-shoulder in the men's 800 free. After a draining week, who's got the most juice left in his batteries: Vanderkaay, Jensen or Vendt? And to what degree will the desire to win filter into an event that essentially amounts to a 16-length gut sprint?

A good night, wouldn't you agree?
Fullest crowd we've seen all week. There are still some empty seats available, but overall, the crowd size indicates the respect that Hoosiers (and parents, and teammates, and coaches, and friends) feel for this sport.

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