{"id":503788,"date":"2022-04-28T07:52:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T14:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=503788"},"modified":"2022-04-28T08:38:40","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T15:38:40","slug":"u-s-international-team-trials-regan-smith-edges-katharine-berkoff-in-50-back-prelims-sets-u-s-open-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-international-team-trials-regan-smith-edges-katharine-berkoff-in-50-back-prelims-sets-u-s-open-record\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. International Team Trials: Regan Smith Edges Katharine Berkoff in 50 Back Prelims, Sets U.S. Open Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. International Team Trials: Regan Smith Edges Katharine Berkoff in 50 Back Prelims, Sets U.S. Open Record<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the U.S. International Team Trials, backstroking speed was on display in the final heat of the women’s 50 backstroke as\u00a0Regan Smith<\/strong> and\u00a0Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> went head-to-head. Berkoff, who took down Smith’s American record in the 100-yard back at last month’s NCAA Championships, took the lead off the start and breakout, but Smith slowly closed the gap as the swimmers came down the stretch.<\/p>\n

At the finish, Smith got the touch in 27.40, just four hundredths ahead of Berkoff in 27.44.The two swimmers ended up just off\u00a0Olivia Smoliga’s <\/strong>American record of 27.33, which she set while capturing the world title in the 50 back in 2019. Smith did lower the U.S. Open record, a mark of 27.43 that Smoliga set in 2019.<\/p>\n

Smoliga qualified third in 27.75, while\u00a0Rhyan White<\/strong>, who qualified for Worlds with a second-place finish in Wednesday’s 200 back, ended up fourth in 27.93. A field of impressive sprinters will race in the final with\u00a0Erika Brown\u00a0<\/strong>(28.05),\u00a0Claire Curzan\u00a0<\/strong>(28.09),\u00a0Kylee Alons\u00a0<\/strong>(28.25) and\u00a0Gretchen Walsh\u00a0<\/strong>(28.26) getting into the final. Walsh was the second-place finisher in the 100-yard back at NCAAs last month, going under Smith’s previous American record in the process.<\/p>\n

\"w50bk-pr\"<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n