Thursday, July 26, 2018
2018 Phillips 66 National Championships Day One Finals Recap
Complete Day One Results
Women’s 200m Butterfly
1. Hali Flickinger (Spring Grove, Pa./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), 2:06.14
2. Katie Drabot (Cedarburg, Wis./Stanford Swimming), 2:07.18
3. Regan Smith (Lakeville Minn./Riptide Swim Team), 2:07.42
Race Notes
• Flickinger won her third national title and second straight in the 200m fly (2015, 2017, 2018) and claimed the first spot on Team USA’s 2018 Pan Pacific Championships roster. She is Pan Pacs bound for the first time.
• She set a U.S. Open record in the prelims with a time of 2:05.87, a time that ranks as the second-fastest swim in the world in 2018.
Quotes
Hali Flickinger (On her mindset heading into finals after setting a U.S. Open record in the 200m fly during the preliminary session): “Not going to lie, I was pretty amped up after this morning. I just tried to keep it as cool as I could. It was kind of hard, but I did my best.”
Flickinger (On breaking a 37-year old U.S. Open record): “I was just really relaxed and I trusted my training. I worked a lot with my mental game. I think I was able to really have it all come together this morning. It was all relaxed.”
Men’s 200m Butterfly
1. Justin Wright (Fresno, Calif./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), 1:54.63
2. Zach Harting (Madison, Ala./University of Louisville), 1:55.11
3T. Gianluca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./DART Swimming), 1:55.21
3T. Jack Conger (Rockville, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club), 1:55.21
Race Notes
• Wright wins his first career long-course national title with a lifetime best, which ranks fifth in the world this year.
• An All-American at Arizona, Wright qualifies for his first Pan Pacific Championships roster.
• At 16 years old, Urlando was the youngest swimmer in the championship final.
Quotes
Justin Wright (On his win): “I feel like I should say I was surprised, but honestly ever since NCAAs I was pretty disappointed. My coaches and I have been changing up what I’ve been doing, and I feel more confident than ever with my training. I really did expect to have a good swim today.”
Women’s 100m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Stanford Swimming), 52.54
2. Mallory Comerford (Kalamazoo, Mich./University of Louisville), 53.09
3. Margo Geer (Milford Center, Ohio/Mission Viejo Nadadores), 53.44
4. Abbey Wetizeil (Saugus, Calif./California Aquatics), 53.56
Race Notes
• Manuel won her second career national title in the 100m free and first since 2015. She owns five career long-course national titles.
• Manuel’s time of 52.54 set the U.S. Open and meet record and ranks as the third-fastest time in the world in 2018.
• Manuel qualified for her second career Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Comerford also qualified for Pan Pacs in the 100m free, while Geer and Weitzeil earned spots in the 400m free relay.
Quotes
Simone Manuel (On winning the 100m free): “I’m happy with it. I definitely think there’s room for improvement, but it is my third-best time behind my semifinal swim in Budapest, so I can’t complain.”
Manuel (On whether she was aiming to hit a certain time in the 100 free): “I definitely wouldn’t say I have a specific time that I was shooting for. A lot of it was more of the technical focus to get certain parts of my race down so that I could easily do it in Tokyo. That was the main focus for me, obviously winning, and I did that so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Men’s 100m Freestyle
1. Blake Pieroni (Valparaiso, Ind./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 48.08
2. Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash./California Aquatics), 48.25
3. Townley Haas (Richmond, Va./NOVA of Virginia Aquatics), 48.30
4. Zachary Apple (Trenton, Ohio/Indiana University), 48.34
Race Notes
• Pieroni won his first career long-course national title and qualified for his first Pan Pacs roster.
• Adrian earned a spot on his third career Pan Pacs roster (2010, 2014, 2018) with a runner-up finish.
• Pieroni’s winning time was a lifetime best and currently ranks ninth in the world in 2018.
• Haas and Apple have been named to the Pan Pacs roster for the men’s 400m free relay.
Quotes
Blake Pieroni (On winning the 100m free): “I was kind of surprised that it was 48 out to win. I think it was two 47s to win world trials last year, but I am happy with it.”
Pieroni (On whether he feels like a veteran): “I don’t really feel like a veteran in any way, I feel like a newbie. I didn’t take making this team for granted more than world’s. It didn’t feel any different, it was still kind of a shock.”
Women’s 800m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Stanford Swimming), 8:11.98
2. Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), 8:22.79
3. Haley Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif./Trojan Swim Club), 8:24.13
Race Notes
• Ledecky notched her 14th national title and sixth career win in the 800m free.
• Ledecky has qualified for her second Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Smith’s time was the sixth-fastest mark in the world this year, while Anderson’s swim was a lifetime best and the seventh-fastest time of 2018.
Quotes
Katie Ledecky (On what motivates her): “My goals. They’re out in front of me and I am always chasing them.”
Ledecky (On her race tomorrow): “I’m pretty excited about the 200 tomorrow. That should be a good one and I’m excited for that. That’s where my attention is right now.”
Men’s 1500m Freestyle
1. Jordan Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif./Team Santa Monica), 14:48.89
2. Robert Finke (Clearwater, Fla./St. Petersburg Aquatics), 14:55.34
3. Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 15:00.85
Race Notes
• Wilimovsky notched the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and qualified for his second Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Wilimovsky wins his second career national title in the 1500m free and first since 2015.
• Finke’s swim was the ninth-fastest in the world in 2018.
Quotes
Jordan Wilimovsky (On winning the 1500m free): “It was a fun swim. One of my coaches said, ‘swim your own race.’ Everyone else is in different phases of training. I was happy with the time. I was just trying to get under 14:50 here. It was a good swim for me.”
Women’s 200m Butterfly
1. Hali Flickinger (Spring Grove, Pa./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), 2:06.14
2. Katie Drabot (Cedarburg, Wis./Stanford Swimming), 2:07.18
3. Regan Smith (Lakeville Minn./Riptide Swim Team), 2:07.42
Race Notes
• Flickinger won her third national title and second straight in the 200m fly (2015, 2017, 2018) and claimed the first spot on Team USA’s 2018 Pan Pacific Championships roster. She is Pan Pacs bound for the first time.
• She set a U.S. Open record in the prelims with a time of 2:05.87, a time that ranks as the second-fastest swim in the world in 2018.
Quotes
Hali Flickinger (On her mindset heading into finals after setting a U.S. Open record in the 200m fly during the preliminary session): “Not going to lie, I was pretty amped up after this morning. I just tried to keep it as cool as I could. It was kind of hard, but I did my best.”
Flickinger (On breaking a 37-year old U.S. Open record): “I was just really relaxed and I trusted my training. I worked a lot with my mental game. I think I was able to really have it all come together this morning. It was all relaxed.”
Men’s 200m Butterfly
1. Justin Wright (Fresno, Calif./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), 1:54.63
2. Zach Harting (Madison, Ala./University of Louisville), 1:55.11
3T. Gianluca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./DART Swimming), 1:55.21
3T. Jack Conger (Rockville, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club), 1:55.21
Race Notes
• Wright wins his first career long-course national title with a lifetime best, which ranks fifth in the world this year.
• An All-American at Arizona, Wright qualifies for his first Pan Pacific Championships roster.
• At 16 years old, Urlando was the youngest swimmer in the championship final.
Quotes
Justin Wright (On his win): “I feel like I should say I was surprised, but honestly ever since NCAAs I was pretty disappointed. My coaches and I have been changing up what I’ve been doing, and I feel more confident than ever with my training. I really did expect to have a good swim today.”
Women’s 100m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Stanford Swimming), 52.54
2. Mallory Comerford (Kalamazoo, Mich./University of Louisville), 53.09
3. Margo Geer (Milford Center, Ohio/Mission Viejo Nadadores), 53.44
4. Abbey Wetizeil (Saugus, Calif./California Aquatics), 53.56
Race Notes
• Manuel won her second career national title in the 100m free and first since 2015. She owns five career long-course national titles.
• Manuel’s time of 52.54 set the U.S. Open and meet record and ranks as the third-fastest time in the world in 2018.
• Manuel qualified for her second career Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Comerford also qualified for Pan Pacs in the 100m free, while Geer and Weitzeil earned spots in the 400m free relay.
Quotes
Simone Manuel (On winning the 100m free): “I’m happy with it. I definitely think there’s room for improvement, but it is my third-best time behind my semifinal swim in Budapest, so I can’t complain.”
Manuel (On whether she was aiming to hit a certain time in the 100 free): “I definitely wouldn’t say I have a specific time that I was shooting for. A lot of it was more of the technical focus to get certain parts of my race down so that I could easily do it in Tokyo. That was the main focus for me, obviously winning, and I did that so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Men’s 100m Freestyle
1. Blake Pieroni (Valparaiso, Ind./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 48.08
2. Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash./California Aquatics), 48.25
3. Townley Haas (Richmond, Va./NOVA of Virginia Aquatics), 48.30
4. Zachary Apple (Trenton, Ohio/Indiana University), 48.34
Race Notes
• Pieroni won his first career long-course national title and qualified for his first Pan Pacs roster.
• Adrian earned a spot on his third career Pan Pacs roster (2010, 2014, 2018) with a runner-up finish.
• Pieroni’s winning time was a lifetime best and currently ranks ninth in the world in 2018.
• Haas and Apple have been named to the Pan Pacs roster for the men’s 400m free relay.
Quotes
Blake Pieroni (On winning the 100m free): “I was kind of surprised that it was 48 out to win. I think it was two 47s to win world trials last year, but I am happy with it.”
Pieroni (On whether he feels like a veteran): “I don’t really feel like a veteran in any way, I feel like a newbie. I didn’t take making this team for granted more than world’s. It didn’t feel any different, it was still kind of a shock.”
Women’s 800m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Stanford Swimming), 8:11.98
2. Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), 8:22.79
3. Haley Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif./Trojan Swim Club), 8:24.13
Race Notes
• Ledecky notched her 14th national title and sixth career win in the 800m free.
• Ledecky has qualified for her second Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Smith’s time was the sixth-fastest mark in the world this year, while Anderson’s swim was a lifetime best and the seventh-fastest time of 2018.
Quotes
Katie Ledecky (On what motivates her): “My goals. They’re out in front of me and I am always chasing them.”
Ledecky (On her race tomorrow): “I’m pretty excited about the 200 tomorrow. That should be a good one and I’m excited for that. That’s where my attention is right now.”
Men’s 1500m Freestyle
1. Jordan Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif./Team Santa Monica), 14:48.89
2. Robert Finke (Clearwater, Fla./St. Petersburg Aquatics), 14:55.34
3. Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 15:00.85
Race Notes
• Wilimovsky notched the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and qualified for his second Pan Pacs roster (2014, 2018).
• Wilimovsky wins his second career national title in the 1500m free and first since 2015.
• Finke’s swim was the ninth-fastest in the world in 2018.
Quotes
Jordan Wilimovsky (On winning the 1500m free): “It was a fun swim. One of my coaches said, ‘swim your own race.’ Everyone else is in different phases of training. I was happy with the time. I was just trying to get under 14:50 here. It was a good swim for me.”