Katie Meili’s Breaststroke Helps Her Win 200 IM At USA Swimming Nationals

Photo Courtesy: Azaria Basile

GREENSBORO – SwimMAC Carolina’s Katie Meili used her breaststroke strength to pull away from the field to set a lifetime best of 1:54.20 in the 200 individual medley final at the USA Swimming short course nationals. Nation’s Capital’s Katie Ledecky, swimming in the final about 40 minutes after her 500 freestyle victory, couldn’t quite catch Meili but earned her first non-freestyle medal at nationals.

Ledecky was in fifth place after breaststroke and rocketed through freestyle with a 26.24 for a personal best of 1:56.04. It was what she needed to beat York YMCA’s Meghan Small, the Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist, who was third with a 1:56.46. That just missed her lifetime best of 1:56.16 from last spring’s YMCA nationals.

Ohio State’s Ashley Vance’s freestyle was almost enough to get her the B final win, but she couldn’t quite catch Bronwyn Pasloski of Indiana, who won with a 1:59.32 to Vance’s 1:58.44. Jessica Merritt of SwimMAC Carolina was third with a 1:59.55.

In what turned out to be a close race throughout, Michigan’s Marni Oldershaw and Lakeside’s Brooke Forde posted equal times of 1:59.85 to tie for the C final win. Forde is the daughter of Yahoo! Sports writer Pat Forde, who likely took time away from being a journalist to cheer as a swim dad.

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