USA Swimming National Team members David Plummer (Oklahoma City, Okla./New York Athletic Club) and Olivia Smoliga (Glenview, Ill./Athens Bulldog Swim Club) posted impressive 100-meter backstroke victories Saturday at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Indianapolis.
Plummer cruised to a comfortable win in a lifetime-best 52.40 seconds, currently the fastest time in the world for 2016. He touched more than two seconds clear of runner-up Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla./New York Athletic Club), who was second in 55.07.
“I’m really happy with it. We’ve been working a ton on holding tempo, trying to get that speed up to where it needs to be and just holding it right at the quickest tempo I can hold,” Plummer said. “I feel like it’s really starting to come around, especially that second 50. I feel really good about that; I’m excited about where I am.”
Just ahead of Plummer’s swim, Smoliga won the women’s 100m back in her own lifetime best of 59.41, good for No. 6 in the world in 2016 and currently the top time by an American this year. Hannah Stevens (Lexington, Ohio/University of Missouri) was second in 59.67. Smoliga also was second in the 50m free in 25.07, just over 10 minutes before her 100m back victory.
After posting a personal best and a win in the 200m fee last night, Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Unattached) picked up where she left off Saturday, comfortably winning the women’s 400m free in 4:03.33, good for second in the world in 2016 behind world record-holder Katie Ledecky. Smith is now the No. 4 American all-time in the event.
National Team member Kelsi Worrell (Mt. Holly, N.J./Unattached) completed a sweep of the women’s butterfly events in Indianapolis, winning the women’s 200m fly in 2:09.25 after taking the 100m fly on Friday. Melanie Margalis (Clearwater, Fla./St. Petersburg Aquatics) won her second breaststroke race of the weekend, taking the women’s 200m breast in 2:24.68. Nic Fink (Morristown, N.J./Athens Bulldog Swim Club) completed a sweep of the men’s breaststroke events, winning the 200m breast in 2:09.89.
Olympian Connor Jaeger (Fair Haven, N.J./Club Wolverine) won the men’s 400m free in 3:49.45, while Josh Schneider (Cincinnati, Ohio/New York Athletic Club) took the men’s 50m free in 22.16.
Held at the Indiana University Natatorium on the Campus of IUPUI, the June 3-5 meet consists of prelims at 9 a.m. EDT and finals at 6 p.m. EDT. A live webcast of the entire meet will be available at
usaswimming.org.
Other winners Saturday in Indianapolis included:
• Zheng Wen Quah of Singapore in the men’s 200m fly in 1:57.64
• Arianna Vanderpool Wallace of the Bahamas in the women’s 50m free in 24.84
Complete results from Indianapolis can be found
here.
The Arena Pro Swim Series at Indianapolis is one of seven stops of the 2015-16 Arena Pro Swim Series. As part of USA Swimming’s partnership with swimwear leader Arena, the circuit will feature a record $350,000 in overall prize money. Swimmers may earn awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events across the series. At each meet, $1,000 will be provided for a first-place finish, $600 for second and $200 for third. In addition to the single-event prize money, the overall male and female winners of the season-long Series will earn a $10,000 bonus.
For the third consecutive season, longtime USA Swimming partner BMW will award the grand prize of a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle to the highest-scoring eligible male and female U.S. swimmers.
Male and female overall Arena Pro Swim Series champions will be honored at the conclusion of the 2015-16 series based on the number of points accumulated throughout the seven meets. Participants will be awarded points in each individual Olympic event throughout the duration of the Series (Five points for first, three for second, one point for third place).