Regan Smith Posts Impressive 200 Fly, 100 Back Double Friday Night in Westmont

Regan Smith -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Regan Smith Posts Impressive 200 Fly, 100 Back Double Friday Night in Westmont

Regan Smith continued her winning ways in 2023 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Ill., by capturing two more wins Friday evening after previously topping the 100 butterfly Thursday. This time, the 21-year-old put up impressive marks the 200 butterfly and 100 backstroke, both events where she captured individual Olympic medals at the 2021 Olympics, and she swam both races within a half-hour.

In her first of two finals Friday evening, Smith never trailed in the 200 fly final. Up by almost a second after 50 meters, Smith extended the lead to 2.27 seconds over Arizona State training partner Lindsay Looney by the finish. Smith, the silver medalist in the event at the 2021 Olympics, finished in 2:07.92, which is the fastest time by an American this year by more than a second-and-a-half. Previously, Katie Grimes owned the top mark at 2:09.58. Smith was actually faster in this race than she was in her second-place finish at last year’s U.S. International Team Trials.

Looney took second in 2:10.19, with Texas’ Emma Sticklen, the NCAA champion in the 200-yard fly, taking third in 2:11.22. Behind Sticklen, there was a big gap back to the rest of the field, with Cal’s Lea Polonsky placing fourth (2:13.90).

After a quick warm-down, Smith was back for the 100 back, and once again, Smith was out with a big lead at the halfway point (six tenths), and she pulled away from there. She split 28.13 going out and 29.77 coming back, and she finished in 57.90, knocking two hundredths from her season-best mark from the last Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale. Only world-record holder and Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown has been faster this year with a time of 57.84.

Cal’s Isabelle Stadden also got under 1:00 with a strong second-place time of 59.38, while Indiana’s Anna Peplowski, already the 200 free winner, took third in 1:00.59. The Czech Republic’s Simoma Kubova (1:00.68) and Elmbrook’s Maggie Wanezek (1:00.99) also broke 1:01.

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In Your Corner

1 year ago

Regarding the top swims in the country this season, Looney was a 208.81 in January.