USA Swimming Grand Prix, Minneapolis: North Baltimore Wins Four Events in Opening Night

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, November 11. THE first night of finals at the Minneapolis stop of the USA Swimming Grand Prix featured a double victory by Michael Phelps and two wins by his North Baltimore teammates.

Mixed disability 100 butterfly
Mallory Weggeman, the reigning Swimming World Magazine Female World Swimmer of the Year, crushed her American record of 1:20.14 with a time of 1:17.58. According to IPC rules, disability world records can only be set in official Paralympic meets, which the Grand Prix is not. So, for now, Weggeman's world record will be slower than her American record.

Caleb Utesch also competed in the race, swimming a 1:08.22. Thomas Miaska, a 2008 Paralympian and 2011 Para Pan Pac gold medalist, touched second in 1:17.58.

Women's 200 freestyle
American record holder Allison Schmitt and world leader Missy Franklin pushed the pace early, splitting together at 57.48. The two were still even at 150 meters, but Schmitt popped the clutch and turned on the overdrive, pulling away from Franklin and winning in 1:55.82. That time bumps Schmitt, part of the North Baltimore team that just completed rigorous training in Colorado Springs, up the world rankings from eighth to sixth for 2011 and put her within a second of her American record of 1:54.96, set at the 2009 world championships.

Franklin, representing Colorado Stars, touched in 1:57.13, just two seconds off her world-leading time of 1:55.06. FAST's Katie Hoff also had a fast final 50 meters to get third in 1:58.89.

France's Camille Muffat, the world championship bronze medalist in this event, was fourth with a 1:59.16. T2 Aquatics' Elizabeth Pelton was fifth in 1:59.84, Samantha Cheverton of Pointe-Claire Swim Club was sixth in 2:00.47, Hannah Whitehead of Minnesota finished seventh with a 2:02.22 and Athens Bulldogs' Morgan Scroggy was eighth in 2:02.30.

Men's 200 freestyle
Michael Phelps of North Baltimore from the start, touching first in 1:46.88, not far off the pace of the 1:44.79 he swam at the world championships to win the silver medal. France's Yannick Agnel, who paced fifth at worlds with a 1:44.99, held off Trojan Swim Club's Ous Mellouli with a 1:48.10. Mellouli was third with a 1:48.26.

Clement Lefert of Trojan (1:49.26), Michael Klueh of FAST (1:49.43), Dominik Meichtry of Trojan (1:49.44), Matt McLean of FAST (1:50.04) and Trojan's Ricky Berens (1:53.61) also competed in the final.

Women's 100 breaststroke
As usual, world record holder Jessica Hardy pushed the pace on the opening 50 meters, touching in 31.49. But something unusual happened on the second 50: world champion Rebecca Soni was unable to pass her Trojan Swim Club teammate, as Hardy finished first in 1:06.42. Soni was second in 1:07.04, while Jillian Tyler, the reigning NCAA champion in this event swimming for Minnesota Aquatics, was third with a 1:07.93.

The rest of the field was well behind the top three. Haley Spencer of Minnesota (1:09.61), Katy Freeman of Santa Barbara (1:10.14), Ashley McGregory of Pointe-Claire (1:10.15), SwimMAC's Micah Lawrence (1;10.82) and Liz Smith of Stanford (1:11.55) completing the final eight.

Men's 100 breaststroke
Brendan Hansen, the reigning national champion on a mission to return to the Olympic Games for the United States, won the event handily with a 1:01.13. Clark Burckle of Tucson Ford wouldn't let Hansen extend his lead, matching Hansen's final 50 meters and placing second with a 1:01.86. Mike Alexandrov of Trojan turned in second at the 50, but finished third in 1:01.87.

Also competing in the final were Minnesota's Joshua Hall (1:02.23), Neil Versfeld of Athens Bulldog (1:02.27), Vlad Ployakov of South Florida (1:02.40), Richard Funk of Michigan (1:02.83) and Scott Dickens of Vancouver Dolphins (1:03.03).

Women's 100 butterfly
Tucson Ford's Christine Magnuson, the reigning Olympic silver medalist in this event, looked in control of the race at 50 meters, but California's Amanda Sims put on a charge at 75 meters, with the two going stroke for stroke into the wall. Sims got there first by the slimmest of margins: 59.84 to Magnuson's 59.85. Ariana Kukors, the bronze medalist at worlds in the 200 IM, placed third with a 1:00.06.

Fourth through eighth place in the event went to California's Hannah Wilson (1:00.66), T2 Aquatics' Elizabeth Pelton (1:00.77), Trojan's Lyndsay DePaul (1:00.78), and unattached swimmers Chelsea Hendry (1:00.91) and Jane Trepp (1:01.14).

Men's 100 butterfly
Phelps, the reigning world champion and world record holder, let Gator Swim Club's Brett Fraser take the lead at 50 meters, but took over the race at the 75-meter mark, winning in 52.26. Notably, Phelps won the world championship with a 50.71. Fraser held on for second place with a 53.26, while top qualifier Masayuki Kishida of Tucson Ford was third in 53.44.

Chris Brady of North Baltimore was fourth in 53.56, Clement Lefert of France was fifth with a 53.62, Kyler Van Swol of Minneosta was sixth in 53.91, Eugene Godsoe of SwimMAC-Carolina finished seventh in 54.01 and Ryan Lochte of Daytona Beach was eighth in 54.49.

Women's 400 individual medley
The final of this event was a game of strategy, as Kathleen Hersey, an Olympian for the United States in the 200 butterfly, led for the opening 200 meters. Katie Hoff, the American record holder and Olympic bronze medalist, turned on the afterburners on the breaststroke and left no doubt that she would win, turning in a time of 4:40.51 that puts her 23rd in the world.

Hersey finished comfortably in second with a 4:46.03 and 13-year-old Becky Mann used an incredible final 50 meters to finish third with a 4:50.17. Also swimming in the final were Gator Swim Club's Stephanie Proud (4:50.26), Kristen Steenvoorden of Minnesota (4:56.18), Willa Wang of North Baltimore (4:56.59), Bonnie Brandon of Mission Aurora Colorado (4:57.38) and Karie Haglund of T2 Aquatics (5:01.35).

Men's 400 individual medley
A new name entered the fray of names to watch in the leadup to the U.S. Olympic Trials in this event: Chase Kalisz of North Baltimore. The 17-year-old celebrated his recent signing to attend the University of Georgia with a winning time of 4:21.13. Kalisz stands as the seventh-fastest American in the event in 2011 with a time of 4:18.43 from the U.S. summer nationals. Kalisz used a strong breaststroke leg to take the lead away from Conor Dwyer in lane one, who would finish second in 4:23.34. Jack Brown of Missouri Aquatics was third in 4:24.29.

Also swimming in the final were North Baltimore's Kevin Webster (4:25.47), Sebastien Rousseau of Gator Swim Club (4:26.95), Yannick Lehberz of Germany (4:28.06), Eugene Tee of Santa Monica (4:31.85) and Connor Green of Bluefish (4:36.21).

Women's 400 freestyle relay
Minnesota divided its swimmers among two teams, with the "B" team touching first in an epic Golden Gopher battle, 3:47.54 to 3:47.89. Santa Clara Swim Club was a distant third in 3:56.81.

Men's 400 freestyle relay
Two Big 10 rivals waged war in the final race of the day, with Minnesota touching out Michigan, 3:26.59 to 3:26.87. In an earlier heat, France put up the third-fastest time of the timed final event with a 3:29.12. Minnesota's "B" team, swimming in the final heat, almost got on the podium with a 3:29.38.

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