{"id":402597,"date":"2019-11-18T07:45:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T14:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=402597"},"modified":"2019-11-18T08:17:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T15:17:56","slug":"isl-american-derby-cali-condors-and-l-a-current-looking-to-officially-punch-tickets-to-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/isl-american-derby-cali-condors-and-l-a-current-looking-to-officially-punch-tickets-to-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"ISL American Derby: L.A. Current Capture Team Honors; Caeleb Dressel Stars as MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISL American Derby – Day Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

The two American spots in the International Swimming League<\/a> finale next month in Las Vegas are guaranteed, the L.A. Current <\/strong>and Cali Condors<\/strong>\u00a0standing head and shoulders above their United States opposition, the D.C. Trident<\/strong> and New York<\/strong> Breakers<\/strong>. After holding their own with their European foes during the early stages of ISL competition, the Current and Condors proved themselves to be a cut above in stateside action.<\/p>\n

After battling back and forth for much of the weekend, the Current emerged on top in the team race, largely behind the Skins victory from Beryl Gastaldello<\/strong> that yielded triple points for coach David Marsh’s squad. It also helped significantly that Michael Chadwick<\/strong> and Ryan Held<\/strong> advanced out of the first round of the men’s Skins, with Chadwick finishing in second place in the final, beaten by the MVP of the competition, Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> of the Condors.<\/p>\n

Following the first day of the American Derby<\/a> at the Eppley Recreation Center, on the campus of the University of Maryland, the Condors (234.5 points) and Current (234 points) were barely sep<\/p>\n

\"L.A.

The L.A. Current walked away from the weekend with victory in the ISL American Derby.<\/p><\/div>\n

arated in the team standings, with the Breakers (167.5 points) and Trident (165 points) a considerable margin behind. While the Condors relied on double individual victories from Dressel (100 butterfly\/50 freestyle) and Lilly King<\/strong> (50 breaststroke\/200 breaststroke), the Current received a pair of wins from Gastaldello (50 freestyle\/50 backstroke) and balance throughout the lineup.<\/p>\n

Gastaldello continued her superb showing on the second day of the meet and came through during the ultra-important Skins competition, which can alter the results in a hurry. Meanwhile, Dressel continued to put on a show for the fans, who will hear the University of Florida product’s name frequently in the Olympic year to come.<\/p>\n

“We didn\u2019t know the score,” Marsh said, referring to the start of the Skins races. “But we knew if we got two into the second round, that was a bonus. You can\u2019t give up. We actually didn\u2019t have a great session, but we didn\u2019t give up.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dressel, who set an American record in the 50 butterfly, put up 61.5 points during the two-day meet to collect MVP honors, with Gastaldello finishing second in the MVP race behind her 51.5 points. The Current’s Tom Shields managed 39.5 points for third in the MVP hunt and the D.C. United’s Siobhan Haughey was fourth at 38 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would much rather get the team title than the individual,” Dressel said. “I guess you just saw me staring at the scoreboard. I don\u2019t care about the times or the MVP stuff. The team title would have been really nice. But we will be better in the events to come in Vegas where we have another shot. That\u2019s really the whole point of these first three meets, to qualify for Vegas so we will be better as a team, as a collective whole.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The opening afternoon of the American Derby wasn’t short on speed and a pair of American records were broken as the D.C. Trident’s Ian<\/strong> Finnerty<\/strong> clocked 25.99 for the 50 breaststroke and Melanie Margalis<\/strong> covered the 400 individual medley in 4:24.46. Finnerty got into the record-breaking process again, this time setting a U.S. standard in the 100 breaststroke, thanks to a time of 56.29.<\/p>\n

Next week, the ISL will shift its focus to London, where the European Derby will unfold between the London Roar<\/strong>, Energy Standard<\/strong>, Team Iron<\/strong> and the Aqua Centurions<\/strong>. The Roar and Energy Standard enter the European Derby with eight points each and bound for the championship meet in Vegas.\u00a0There has already been discussion about expansion<\/a> for the ISL, with two new teams added and a longer schedule implemented for the league’s second season.<\/p>\n

Swimming World’s<\/em> live event-by-event coverage:<\/p>\n

American Derby Team Standings<\/p>\n

Team Standings at Second Break<\/h3>\n

L.A. Current – 495 points
\nCali Condors – 489.5
\nD.C. Trident – 322.5
\nN.Y. Breakers – 315<\/p>\n

MVP Standings<\/h3>\n

Caeleb Dressel – 61.5 points
\nBeryl Gastaldello – 51.5
\nTom Shields – 39.5
\nSiobhan Haughey – 38<\/p>\n

Men’s 50 Freestyle (Skins)<\/h3>\n

Behind a performance of 21.20, the New York Breakers’ Michael Andrew<\/strong> led the field into the semifinals, with the Cali Condors’ Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> also moving on to the next round. The L.A. Current advanced a pair of swimmers into the semifinals, as Michael Chadwick<\/strong> and Ryan Held<\/strong> were third and fourth, respectively.<\/p>\n

\"Dressel

Caeleb Dressel, left, and Michael Chadwick prepare to race in the final of the Skins competition.<\/p><\/div>\n

Proving that he held back in the first round of the Skins, Dressel increased the intensity to punch a ticket to the final, as the sprint star won in 21.39. Chadwick moved up from third in the opening round to grab the second position for the final race.<\/p>\n

Dressel topped Chadwick in the final with a winning time of 21.25. For Dressel, it was his fourth individual triumph of the weekend and cemented his MVP status for the second time during this ISL season. But Chadwick’s ability to advance to the final and get his team second-place points enabled the Current to claim top honors in the American Derby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just had guys and girls really stepping up,” said Current captain Matt Grevers. “Ryan Held actually wasn\u2019t feeling well. He\u2019s not swimming 100%, but I think getting fourth and getting to the next round gave us that extra boost. Actually gained us points on the Skins when we thought we were going to lose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if anyone in the world ever can beat that guy in this type of event. I mean, he\u2019s Caeleb Dressel. But for us to get two and then four that was one of the best scenarios we could have come up with. So that is pretty awesome to see our teammates really step up. I think those individual efforts really led to the team effort that won the meet.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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