TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville Prelims: Kate Douglass Second in 100 Free, 100 Breast

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville Prelims: Kate Douglass Second in 100 Free, 100 Breast

Kate Douglass has elevated the double to near art form. She’s got another chance to add to her oeuvre Thursday.

Douglass finished second in prelims of the women’s 100 freestyle and second in the 100 breaststroke on Thursday at the first morning prelims session of the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Knoxville.

Swimming back-to-back, Douglass went 54.14 in the 100 free, second to her former University of Virginia teammate, Gretchen Walsh. Walsh went 54.06.

Swimming for New York Athletic Club, Douglass turned around and went 1:07.31 in the 100 breast. That garnered her the second seed, behind home-pool hope Mona McSharry. The Irishwoman was the fastest in the field at 1:06.65.

Third in the 100 free was Simone Manuel in 54.26. Maxine Parker and Torri Huske joined them under 55 seconds, with Abbey Weitzeil sneaking into the A final in 55.07, tied with Beata Nelson. That leaves Claire Curzan (10th, 55.23), Maggie MacNeil (11th, 55.41) and Katie Ledecky (16th, 55.57) among those missing out.

In the 100 breast, Lilly King was third in 1:07.60, followed by Lydia Jacoby. Alex Walsh did a fairly impressive double of her own, the UVA swimmer sixth in both the 100 free (55.01) and the 100 breast (1:08.56).

Elsewhere Thursday morning:

Men’s 100 freestyle

Jack Alexy led the field by a wide margin, the Cal swimmer going 48.28 to get to the wall first. Second was Brooks Curry in 48.95, followed by Santo Condorelli’s 49.08.

The 100 held a few surprises, notwithstanding the withdrawal of Caeleb Dressel. Shaine Casas and Destin Lasco both made the A final in showcasing their broad array of skills. Carson Foster threw down a best time of 49.35, lowering what he’d done in the summer of 2019 in a rare instance in the event. Matt King and Venezuelan Olympian Alberto Mestre also made the championship final.

That meant a few veterans and internationals are in the B final. Swede Bjorn Seeliger was ninth, a spot ahead of Jordan Crooks in his home pool. American mainstays Hunter Armstrong, Ryan Held and Kieran Smith are also in the B final.

Men’s 100 breaststroke

Michael Andrew led the way by more than a second in 1:00.14 to take the top seed. He was followed by Noah Nichols in 1:01.32 and Nic Fink in 1:01.41. Eight swimmers broke 1:02. Not among them was Cody Miller, the 32-year-old 11th in 1:02.24.

Women’s 200 butterfly

Summer McIntosh bossed the field in prelims, winning by more than three seconds. The Sarasota Sharks teen’s time was 2:07.89.

Second was Dakota Luther in 2:11.48, joined by fellow Texas swimmers Kelly Pash in fourth and Emma Sticklen in fifth. Tess Howley of Virginia broke the burnt orange blockade. Also among the A finalists is 33-year-old Leah Gingrich in seventh.

Men’s 200 butterfly

Martin Espernberger found the home water to his liking, coming within a half-second of his seed time in pacing prelims. The Volunteer clocked in at 1:57.70. That was nearly nine tenths up on Trenton Julian’s 1:58.57. Luca Urlando was third in 1:58.8, the only other one to break two minutes.

Gabriel Jett and Dare Rose are in the mix, fourth and seventh, respectively. The A final also includes 16-year-old Thomas Heilman, who went 2:00.36.

Women’s 400 freestyle

Fresh off her authoritative victory in the 1,500 free Wednesday night, Katie Ledecky led the field in the 400 free prelims. She went 4:07.50 to hold her top seed. Second was Paige Madden in 4:08.41. Jillian Cox also broke 4:10, with Leah Smith fourth.

Men’s 400 freestyle

Felix Aubock led the way in 3:51.89, leading an all-European top two. The Austrian international was followed by Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux, who went 3:53.89. Kieran Smith finished third in a time of 3:54.17, with Bobby Finke (3:55.45) following. Jay Litherland also cracked the A final in fifth.

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