Ryan Lochte Shines in First Night as Showcase Attraction at Mel Zajac Jr. Meet

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24. AS the undisputed featured attraction of the Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet this weekend, superstar Ryan Lochte didn't disappoint on night one with a two-for-two outing.

Lochte, who is the reigning world champ in the event, took home the men's 200-meter backstroke title with a time of 1:59.56. That's still well outside of the top 10 as the man continues to bounce back from a focus on his reality television project, but is better than his 2:00.80 from the Arena Grand Prix stop in Charlotte. He also cleared the 1:59.59 by Andrew teDuits that was the top time in Charlotte from a prelim swim. Mark Thormeyer, just 15, had the thrill of a lifetime taking second to Lochte tonight in 2:06.11, while KING's Thane Maudslien earned third in 2:06.14.

Lochte later completed the double with a 1:50.15 to top the men's 200-meter freestyle. That swim came up a bit shy of his 1:49.81 from the Charlotte UltraSwim, but was still more than enough for the win. Island's Jeremy Bagshaw placed second in 1:51.32, while Hassaan Abdel-Khalik placed third in 1:52.56.

Sinead Russell scorched the women's 200-meter backstroke with a 2:10.13 for the win. That swim fell just a half-a-second off Meagan Nay's meet record of 2:09.40 from last year, but jumped her to 10th in the world rankings this year. That's not bad for Russell, who had been focused on short course yards during her freshman year at Florida that also featured a mid-season injury that forced her out of the water for an extended period of time. Genevieve Cantin placed second in 2:12.95, while Lauren Lavigna earned third in 2:13.88.

Keyano's Kier Maitland opened the night with an 8:17.94 to win the men's 800-meter free, while Sean Penhale (8:19.95) and Jerad Kaskawal (8:26.23) finished second and third in the distance event. Heather Maclean raced to victory in the women's 200-meter free with a 2:01.52, while Savannah King picked up second in 2:02.41. Breanna Hendriks rounded out the top three in 2:02.91.

Tera Van Beilen touched out Fiona Doyle, 1:09.81 to 1:09.96, in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, while Doyle's teammate Tianna Rissling placed third in 1:10.51. Andrew Poznikoff had a similarly close conquest in the men's 100-meter breast with a 1:03.70 to 1:03.75 triumph ahead of Jason Block. Nick Kostiuk took third in 1:04.50.

Emily Overholt took home the women's 400-meter IM in 4:49.03, while Rissling picked up her second podium with a second-place 4:49.34 in what proved to be a tough double following the 100 breast. Hannah Burns took third in 4:50.85. Luke Reilly dominated the men's 400-meter IM with a 4:27.03, while Jonathan Brown placed second in 4:31.69. Bogdan Knezevic snared third in 4:35.74.

Elleze Zalewski clipped Noemie Thomas at the wall, 27.00 to 27.06, in the women's 50-meter fly. Natalie Hinds turned in a third-place time of 27.08. Kelly Aspinall dropped a meet record time of 24.47 in the men's 50-meter fly. That swim took Joe Bartoch's 2009 24.49 off the books. Coleman Allen (25.07) and Brad deBorde (25.27) picked up second and third in the finale.

Club Wolverine's Emily Brunemann followed with a meet record of her own. She clocked a 16:27.99 in the women's 1500-meter freestyle. That swim bested the 16:31.69 set by Savannah King last year. King, meanwhile, checked in with a second-place 16:56.14 this year, while Sophia Saroukian placed third in 17:05.89.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x