US Olympic Trials Wave I: Bathurst, Cundiff, Weyant Take Top Seeds

200 IM 4th seed Diana Dunn. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

US Olympic Trials Wave I: Bathurst, Cundiff, Weyant Take Top Seeds

17-year-old Ella Bathurst of Tampa Bay dropped a full second on her best time in the heats of the 200 IM at the US Olympic Trials Wave I to grab the top seed with a 2:16.04. Bathurst came in with a 2:17.1 on the heat sheet and entered the all-time top 100 list for the 17-18 age group as the Virginia commit is now 96th all-time.

Bathurst will be in lane four for tonight’s final after being in lane eight in her heat, while 400 IM champ Kate McCarville of Springfield is second seed at 2:16.99, just a few tenths off her best. She won the 400 IM on Saturday to secure her ticket to Wave II as she has a chance to swim the 200 IM as well.

Austin Swim Club’s Malia Rausch, one of the stars of this meet, is seeded third at 2:17.30 ahead of former Austin Swim Club teammate Diana Dunn (2:17.74) and Tennessee’s Danika Katzer (2:17.74). Rausch already won the 200 freestyle earlier in the meet and finished second in the 400 free last night and has a chance for a third top two finish to close her week in Omaha. Auburn’s Hannah Ownbey should also factor in, coming into finals seeded sixth at 2:17.87.

15-year-old Keelan Cotter of TAC Titans is seeded seventh at 2:18.31 after coming in 56th all-time in the 15-16 age group for the 200 IM at 2:16.0.

William & Mary’s Missy Cundiff dropped a best time in the heats of the 50 free with a 25.49 after coming in with a 25.9 on the psych sheet, grabbing lane four in tonight’s final from a non-seeded heat. Cundiff is ahead of Ohio State’s Taylor Petrak (25.58), who also had a big drop from a 25.8 as she also came from a non-seeded heat to grab lane five.

The top two in the 100 free from earlier this Wave I Olympic Trials, NCAP’s Camille Spink (25.63) and Indiana’s Kristina Paegle (25.65) sit third and fourth after finishing first and second in the 100 on Friday. Spink dropped from her seed of 25.8 while Paegle came in seeded at 25.7. Spink is now 31st all-time in the 15-16 age group in this event while Paegle is tied with Missy Franklin for 50th all-time in the 17-18 age group.

Arkansas’ Kobie Melton, who finished second in the 100 back earlier in the meet, dropped a tenth on her best to a 25.67 for fifth seed, while 15-year-old Anna Moesch of StreamLine is sixth at 25.68 with a best time of her own. She is now 38th all-time in the 15-16 age group.

15-year-old Gracie Weyant of the Sarasota Sharks swam to the top seed in the 200 breaststroke on Monday morning at the US Olympic Trials Wave I with a 2:32.24, just off her best of 2:31.1 as she was the second seed on the psych sheet coming into the meet. She already sat 50th all-time in the 15-16 age group. Kansas’ Kate Steward is seeded second with a 2:32.74 after swimming in the same heat as Weyant as she also added on her seed of 2:31.8 but her swim was enough to get in the A-Final.

Akron’s Andrea Fischer was also in that heat with Weyant and Steward as she is the third seed at 2:32.82, just off her 2:32.6 seed, while Dynamo’s Ainsley Jones is seeded fourth at 2:33.03 after winning the final heat from lane eight. Jones added a tenth from her seed as the Auburn commit sits just outside the all-time top 100 in the 17-18 age group.

15-year-old Karina Kanary of Longhorn Aquatics swam a 2:33.34 to get into the A-Final as she is 72nd all-time in the 15-16 age group with her best time of 2:31.8 from earlier this year. Kristina Murphy (2:33.24) and Annika McEnroe (2:33.31) are seeded ahead of her.

Olympic Trials Info:

Women’s 200 IM:

Ella Bathurst, 2:16.04
Trude Rothrock, 2:16.51*
Kate McCarville, 2:16.99
Malia Rausch, 2:17.30
Diana Dunn, 2:17.74
Danika Katzer, 2:17.74
Hannah Ownbey, 2:17.87
Keelan Cotter, 2:18.31
Portia Brown, 2:18.66

*disqualification overturned

Women’s 50 Free:

Missy Cundiff, 25.49
Taylor Petrak, 25.58
Camille Spink, 25.63
Kristina Paegle, 25.65
Kobie Melton, 25.67
Anna Moesch, 25.68
Kailyn Winter, 25.70
Elise Garcia, 25.81

Women’s 200 Breast:

Gracie Weyant, 2:32.24
Kate Steward, 2:32.74
Andrea Fischer, 2:32.82
Ainsley Jones, 2:33.03
Kristina Murphy, 2:33.24
Annika McEnroe, 2:33.31
Karina Kanary, 2:33.34
Abigail Herscu, 2:33.81

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