Texas Senior Circuit: Hayley McGregory Lights Pool On Fire in 100 Back

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8. HAYLEY McGregory continued her remarkable rise within the U.S. backstroke scene as the country looks for a strong second to world-record holder Natalie Coughlin. McGregory put an even stronger stamp on her bid for that spot with a 59.4 in the women's 100 back at the Texas Senior Circuit meet held in her home pool.

Kirsty Coventry opened up another night in fabulous fashion with a winning effort of 2:15.91 in the women's 200 IM. She led Longhorn teammate, Jessica Rodriquez, in a 1-2 finish as Rodriquez touched in 2:16.17. Spindrift Beck of Mustang Swimming placed third in 2:17.76.

Agustin Magruder followed up with another Longhorn victory when he hit the wall in 2:03.56 in the men's 200 IM. Terrapin Sean Mahoney placed second in 2:05.62, while Longhorn Caleb McDermott clinched third in 2:06.02.

In the 100 frees, Martina Moravcova of Mustang Swimming snatched the title in 55.62. Tanica Jamison of Longhorn settled for second with a time of 56.67, while Jennifer Blackman of Mustangs finished third in 56.71.

Longhorn bounced back in a big way in the men's 100 free. The team took six of the top eight spots with Garrett Weber-Gale (48.91), Matt McGinnis (49.52) and Dave Walters (49.53) sweeping the top three.

In the distance freestyle section of the evening, Flavia Rigamonti notched a commanding victory in 8:29.23 during the 800 free. Longhorn Nikki White placed well behind with a second-place 8:45.15, while Rice's Brittany Massengale finished third in 8:51.95.

Michael Klueh of Longhorn, meanwhile, had the pool nearly to himself as he won the men's 1500 free in 15:23.15. Teammate James Robertson placed second well back in 16:24.58, while Kyle McIntee, 15, of Plano finished third in 16:27.68.

The sprint breaststroke events took place immediately after the distance swims. Elizabeth Tinnon snared the women's title in 32.22. Spindrift Beck of Mustangs continued a strong day with a second-place time of 33.45, while Carlye Ellis of Longhorn placed third in 34.20.

Alejandro Jacobo of Aggie Swimming then clipped the men's 50 breast in 28.67, while Grega Plevelj of Mustang placed second in 29.06. Mahoney of Terrapin collected another medal, this time bronze in 29.46.

McGregory cemented herself as the second backstroker for the U.S. behind world-record holder Coughlin's 59.21. McGregory whacked nearly half-a-second from her top time of 59.81 with a blazing fast time of 59.46 to win the 100 back in Austin. Coventry, who has a 59.42 to her credit, placed second in 1:02.73, while the Longhorn sweep finished with Elizabeth Wycliffe's 1:03.56. McGregory's time is the fourth best in the world this year. With Coughlin's 59.21 and Coventry's 59.42 sitting first and third, Anastasia Zueva owns the second best with a 59.41.

Longhorn snagged 1-2 in the men's 100 back as David Cromwell hit the wall in 55.39. Teammate Nick Thomas finished second in 55.60, while Mustang Pontus Renholm took third in 55.92.

The sprint butterfly events were next, with Aggie Triin Aljand touching out Longhorn Tanica Jamison, 27.23 to 27.35, in the women's race. Longhorn Hee-Jin Chang completed the podium with a third-place 28.55.

Fort Worth's Camilo Becerra clinched the final individual title of the meet with a time of 24.65 for the men's 50 fly. Mustang Swimming went 2-3 with Brett Denham (25.61) and Justin Smith (25.84) placing second and third.

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