An Olympic lineup was on full display on the second night of the TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont – seeing six members of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team touch the wall first.

The evening started with the 100m freestyle, where Erika Brown and Shaine Casas captured titles in 54.13 and 49.29, respectively. Brown’s time is good the fastest in the world this year. 

“This was my first race of the year and I was just excited to race such great women and get a great test run in. I’m really happy with it,” Brown said. 

Casas’ time was the third fastest of his career and bested an Olympic lineup that included Zach Apple, Ryan Held, Caeleb Dressel and Bowe Becker. 

“[I] was like, ‘okay, this is pretty fun,’” Casas said of the talented heat. “Caeleb [Dressel] was right next to me. That was my biggest psych-up thing was racing against Caeleb. It was a good first race and the rest of the meet should be fun, so should the next [TYR Pro Swim Series] in a couple of weeks.”

The 100m breaststroke was up next, seeing Lilly King (1:06.24) and Michael Andrew (59.05) touch first. King’s swim was just two tenths ahead of Annie Lazor (1:06.48) and Lydia Jacoby (1:06.87). 

“I’m definitely in very heavy training mode and it definitely feels like it,” King said. “We have honestly been focusing on the aerobic side of it and getting back into shape that way – we are not focusing as much on the racing side of it, so I was not exactly sure how the race was going to go, but it turned out just fine and I was pretty happy with it.”

Andrew’s 59.05 was just off Adam Peaty’s TYR Pro Swim Series record of 56.88. Today’s performance was the ninth-fastest swim of his career and the 22nd time going under 1:00, a mark that only 15 other Americans have ever beat. 

“I was very happy with it,” Andrew said of his time. “To be 59.0 with not a whole lot of speed training at this point in the season – I think it is purely off of that grind of racing. Everything feels great, it is good to have a crowd back, I feel like I have missed that energy, so to come here and see a new pool, new environment and new crowd, I am racing with pure excitement.”

Fellow Tokyo Olympian Hali Flickinger also won the next event on the schedule by clocking a 2:06.87, giving her the 18th TYR Pro Swim Series win of her career. Her winning efforts was followed by Italy’s Federico Burdisso’s 1:57.83 to win the men’s event, making both his and Flickinger’s performances good for top times in the world in 2022. 

Katie Ledecky won her second event in as many nights, going 4:01.30 to seal first place in the women’s 400m freestyle. 

“I feel like it was pretty good,” she said. “It felt faster than the time, so I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing but just where we’re at in training right now.

“This is–apart from Trials–probably the biggest crowd we’ve had in a couple of years. It was nice to see the kids really excited to be here. It’s fun swimming in a new pool and a new place that we haven’t swam in before, so they all get excited and come out.”

The session closed with Marwan El Kamash taking the men’s event in 3:50.59 just ahead of Tokyo Olympian Jake Mitchell, who swam a 3:51.12. 

In total, four swims on the night were good for top times in the world this year: Brown’s 100m freestyle, Andrew’s 100m breaststroke both Flickinger and Burdisso’s 200m butterflies. The competition continues through Saturday with a stacked field that is sure to produce more fast swims over the next two days. 

For more information on the 2022 TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont, visit https://www.usaswimming.org/event/2022/03/02/default-calendar/tyr-pro-swim-series-westmont.