2018 US Winter Nationals: Flickinger, Cordes Cruise to Top Seeds

Mar 21, 2015; Greensboro, NC, USA; Hali Flickinger swimming in the 200 butterfly during NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving-Championships at Greensboro Aquatic Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Pike-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Evan Pike - USA TODAY Sports Images

The fourth and final preliminary session of the 2018 USA Winter National Championships from Greensboro, North Carolina, featured the heats of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 fly. There wasn’t anything in particular that was mind blowing on Saturday morning with the usual suspects of Jacob Pebley, Simone Manuel, Micah Sumrall, Kevin Cordes and Hali Flickinger getting the top seeds.

Ali Galyer, Michael Chadwick and Dare Rose are the other top seeds heading into tonight.

Women’s 200 Back

Trials Cut: 2:14.69

Ali Galyer posted the top time in the 200 back heats with a 2:10.97 as the Kiwi is ahead of 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Kylie Masse (2:11.51) and US National Team member Hali Flickinger (2:12.19).

Masse was a 2:05 earlier in 2018, and won the 100 back at this meet last night.

Bridgette Alexander (2:13.33), Mabel Zavaros (2:13.42), Phoebe Bacon (2:13.59) and Kennedy Goss (2:13.81) also got under the Olympic Trial standard this morning, but Zavaros and Goss are ineligibile since they are from Canada.

Mackenzie Glover placed eighth with a 2:14.71.

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Men’s 200 Back

Trials Cut: 2:02.99

National team member Jacob Pebley was the only swimmer to dip under two minutes in the last heats session of the 2018 US Winter National Championships in Greensboro. Pebley is the top seed for tonight ahead of Christopher Reid (2:00.54) and Kane Follows (2:00.62).

Pebley is coming off a 200 free win last night, the first in his career.

More Olympic Trials cuts were achieved in the 200 back with Jay Litherland (2:01.58) and Harry Homans (2:02.67) getting under the cut. Nick Vance (2:03.28) and Hennessey Stuart (2:03.73) will have another chance at it tonight in finals.

Markus Thormeyer and Reid were under the cut but represent Canada and South Africa internationally, so they are ineligible to compete at Trials. That is what the upside down triangles mean on the results report.

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Women’s 100 Free

Trials Cut: 56.29

Simone Manuel cruised to the top time in the 100 free heats with a 53.50 to be the only swimmer under 54 seconds on Saturday morning at the 2018 US Winter Nationals in Greensboro. Manuel is ahead of a solid field with Margo Geer (54.31), Anna Hopkin (54.54) and Amanda Kendall (55.03) following her.

All eight of the A-Finalists qualified under the Olympic Trials cut. Gabby DeLoof (55.48), Katie Ledecky (55.58) and Grace Cooper (56.23) all got under the standard this morning and qualified for the final. Canadian National team member Rebecca Smith also qualified for the A-Final with a 55.89.

Arkansas’s Hopkin represents Great Britain internationally.

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Men’s 100 Free

Trials Cut: 50.49

Michael Chadwick and Nyls Korstanje were the only two swimmers under 50 seconds on Saturday morning at the 2018 US Winter National Championships in Greensboro. Chadwick was a 49.27 while Dutch Korstanje was a 49.99. Chadwick is the top seed for tonight’s final ahead of the ever consistent Nathan Adrian, who qualified fifth at 50.27.

All eight finalists got under the Olympic Trials standard with the exception of the Canadians Markus Thormeyer (50.07) and Carson Olafson (50.42).

Destin Lasco (50.08), Jesse Novak (50.34) and Josh Fleagle (50.35) also got under the Olympic Trials cut in qualifying for the final.

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Women’s 200 Breast

Trials Cut: 2:33.29

Canadian Kesley Wog posted a smooth 2:29.43 to lead the qualifiers in the 200 breast on the last day of the US Winter Nationals in Greensboro. She is ahead of Pan Pac gold medalist Micah Sumrall (2:29.62) and Emily Escobedo (2:30.22).

The only other swimmers under the Olympic Trials cut were Madisyn Cox (2:30.84) and Ashley McCauley (2:31.64) as Sophie Hansson hails from Sweden and cannot attend the Olympic Trials.

Bailey Bonnett (2:33.49) and Hanna Newby (2:33.58) also qualified to swim in the A-Final for tonight.

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Men’s 200 Breast

Trials Cut: 2:17.89

Kevin Cordes put up a smooth 200 breast on the last morning at the 2018 US Winter Nationals in Greensboro with a 2:12.18. Cordes did not take a hard stroke the entire race as the Phoenix Swim Club swimmer is ahead of Nic Fink (2:13.03) and Jonathan Tybur (2:14.60).

Both Cordes and Fink reached the final in this event at the 2017 World Championships with Fink placing fifth and Cordes sixth.

All eight swimmers got under the Olympic Trials cut with Chuck Katis (2:15.13), Scott Tolman (2:16.02), Matt Fallon (2:16.32) and Alex Evdokimov (2:16.57) punching their tickets to Omaha.

Eli Wall was seventh with a 2:16.33 as the Canadian swimmer will not be eligible to compete in Omaha.

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Women’s 200 Fly

Trials Cut: 2:14.59

Hali Flickinger eased in to the top spot of the 200 fly heats on the final morning of the 2018 US Winter Nationals with a 2:08.04 as she is well in front of the rest of the field. Flickinger is seeded over four seconds ahead of Olivia Bray (2:12.54) and Alicia Finnigan (2:12.97).

The rest of the top eight qualified for Olympic Trials with the exception of international swimmers Mabel Zavaros (2:14.07) and Meg Bailey (2:14.13). Zavaros (Canada) and Bailey (Australia) are both ineligible to swim at Olympic Trials for the United States.

Charlotte Hook (2:13.05), Bryanna Cameron (2:13.57) and Megan Kingsley (2:13.58) also punched their 200 fly tickets to Omaha with their swims this morning.

Photo Courtesy:

Men’s 200 Fly

Trials Cut: 2:01.19

Dare Rose from New Jersey, one of the members of the National Junior Team, posted the top time in the 200 fly heats at the 2018 US Winter Nationals with a 2:00.60. The 16-year-old was the only one to swim under 2:01 as he is ahead of Ryan Vipavetz (2:01.09) and Zach Brown (2:01.56).

Rose and Vipavetz were the only ones to swim under the Olympic Trials standard this morning.

The rest of the field is not littered with big names but it should be a good race since everyone is separated by a little more than two seconds. Alex Colson (2:02.12), Brendan Burns (2:02.21), Clay Hering (2:02.38), Noah Bowers (2:02.52) and Harry Homans (2:02.85) all have a chance to get a top three spot tonight.

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