2015 USA Swimming Summer Long Course Nationals: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

Photo Courtesy: Sue Borst

Women’s 100-meter Back

Claire Adams of Carmel Swim Club opened night two of USA Nationals with a statement win in the women’s 100-meter back. She finished ahead of Georgia Davies with a final time of 59.58. Davies entered the meet as the top seed with, oddly enough, a 59.58. She finished second in 59.93. Davies held the edge ahead of Adams early, but a stronger back half propelled the 17-year old to the wall first.

Adams: 29.26/30.32

Davies: 29.19/30.74

Adams time now ranks 9th-fastest in the world.

Ali Deloof took bronze in 1:00.36, while the 100-meter fly National Champion Kelsi Worrell finished fourth in 1:00.37. Olivia Smoliga and Hannah Stevens tied for fifth with a 1:00.44. Clara Smiddy moved up one spot to take seventh in 1:00.84, while Danielle Galyer rounded out the top heat with a 1:01.23.

Men’s 200-meter Free

Maxime Rooney was able to fend off an incredible comeback effort from Zane Grothe to take gold in the men’s 200-meter free at USA Nationals. Rooney, 17, burst into an early lead in the race with the only first 50 split under 25 seconds. As the race waned on, however, the SEC Champion Grothe began to storm back. Rooney was able to win by the slimmest of margins in 1:47.10, while it was too little to late for Grothe and his 1:47.11 finish.

Rooney: 24.83/27.14/27.49/27.64

Grothe: 25.70/27.51/27.51/26.39

Rooney’s win makes it two straight victories for 17-year olds on day two at Nationals. Claire Adams of Carmel won the 100-meter back final before Rooney took to the water.

Blake Pieroni was a nearby third with a 1:47.30, while Towny Haas finished right after him in 1:47.55. Frank Dyer took fifth with 1:48.47, and Michael Wynalda‘s 1:49.50 clinched sixth. Tom Kremer (1:50.03) and Trevor Carroll (1:50.13) rounded out the championship final.

Men’s 100-meter Back

Junya Koga used a blisteringly fast first 50 to edge Nick Thoman in the men’s 100-meter back final at USA Nationals. Koga again took out the first half of the race in under 26 seconds to seize an earl lead in the race. From there, his only job was to fend off a storming Thoman. Kona had just enough on the final lap to hold on to the gold medal.

Koga: 25.68/27.52

Thoman: 26.05/27.18

It turned into a two-man race on the second 50 meters as the remainder of the field fell behind Koga and Thomas. Luke Kaliszak took the bronze in 54.23. Dale Taylor (54.44) and Jacob Pebley (54.53) fell just outside the top three to take fourth and fifth, respectively.

Eugene Godsoe capitalized on Arkady Vyatchanin‘s scratch, and moved up into the final heat and placed seventh in 54.74. Vyatchanin, who was seeded fourth tonight, scratched for medical reasons. Jack Blyzinskyj took eighth in 54.79.

Women’s 200-meter Free

Allison Schmitt blasted a 1:56.91 to win tonight’s 200 free final at USA Nationals in convincing fashion. When it was all said and done, Schmitt finished with a 1.27-second cushion ahead of the next closest competitor. Schmitt was nearly untouchable from the start of the race, holding nearly a full-second lead at the halfway point. Schmitt churned out a 28.03, 29.03, 29.79, and came home in 30.06 to conquer the race. This avenged her slide to fifth place in last night’s 400-meter free, where her early speed tapered off as the race continued. Tonight, however, was a different story.

Hali Flickinger maintained her second-place spot to win silver in 1:58.18. Her first 100-meter split of 58.30 was 1.24 seconds slower than Schmitt’s blazing first half. Katie Drabot took bronze in 1:58.58, while Sarah Henry claims fourth in 1:58.72. Hannah Cox, who has not been afraid to take races out fast thus far, actually led the pack at the 50-meter mark with a 27.63 split. She fell to fifth place with a 1:59.29.

Madisyn Cox took sixth in 1:59.61, while Alexa Davis (1:59.76) and Haley Lips (1:59.79) rounded out the championship final.

Men’s 200-meter Fly

Michael Phelps is returning to form. Let the world beware. In tonight’s 200-meter fly final at USA Nationals, Phelps won the event with a solid 1:52.94, which is just over a half a second off his US Open Record time of 1:52.20. This is an extremely positive step in Phelps’s path back to the pinnacle of swimming. Now, Phelps sits atop the world in the event with this unreal swim.

His swim would have earned him gold at the FINA World Championships in Kazan ahead of Laszlo Cseh‘s 1:53.48. Phelps nailed the race with some solid splitting as well:

Phelps: 25.14/28.26/29.59/29.95

Jack Conger positioned himself comfortably in between first and third place to take silver in 1:54.54. Pace Clark settled for bronze in 1:56.84, a half-second drop from this morning. Dakota Hodgson took fourth in 1:57.51, with Clark Smith after him at 1:57.83.

John Martens (1:58.06), Carlos Peralta Gallego (1:58.53), and Andrew Seliskar (1:59.11) closed out the final three spots in the championship final.

Women’s 4 x 100-meter Free Relay

The University of Louisville women tore off a close win in the women’s 4 x 100-meter free relay at USA Nationals this evening. Led by Kelsi Worrell‘s 54.73 leg, the Cardinals held on to their early lead as the race dwindled. After Worrell’s swim, Andrea Kneppers split a 55.93, followed by Hannah Magnuson‘s 57.36 and Andrea Cottrell‘s 56.79.

Carmel Swim Club took silver just 0.04 seconds behind the Cardinals with a 3:44.85. They’re splits were a little less scattered than Louisville’s:

Veronica Burchill: 56.48

Claire Adams: 55.93

Emma Nordin: 57.64

Amy Bilquist: 54.80

Team Bruin took third with a 3:45.54. Aggie Swim Club finished fourth in 3:45.54, while Tennessee Aquatics wound up fifth in 3:45.67. North Carolina Aquatic Club (3:47.08), Club Wolverine (3:47.35), and Wisconsin Aquatics (3:45.40) rounded out the top eight.

2015 USA Swimming Long Course Summer Nationals: Live Results – Results

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