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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY | JUNE 2018 | ISSUE #12 FEATURES 010
TYR PRO SWIM SERIES - SANTA CLARA PHOTO GALLERY by Becca Wyant
039 DEATH OF BODE MILLER’S DAUGHTER REITERATES NEED FOR DROWNING PREVENTION KNOWLEDGE by Dan D’Addona 2018 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES - SANTA CLARA
024
- FULL FINALS RECAPS by Diana Pimer, Chandler Brandes and Dan D’Addona Full event-by-event coverage of all four nights, June 7-10, at the George F. Haines International Swim Center.
032
KATIE LEDECKY QUICK TO FIGURE OUT PRO SWIMMING by David Rieder
Swimming might be Katie Ledecky’s job now, but she won’t think of the sport any differently than she did before. Already, in two months, she’s mastered the essence of professional swimming—and that means you need to be on record-lookout any time she’s entered in a race.
034
CAELEB DRESSEL FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS OF MICHELANGELO by David Rieder
Michelangelo, known primarily as a sculptor in the early 1500s, mastered a medium in which he was unfamiliar and inexperienced: he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Five hundred years later, Caeleb Dressel has already mastered sprint freestyle and butterfly. Now, he’s beginning to take on several other “off ” events and is excelling in them as well.
037
NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER HANNAH STEVENS RETIRES FROM SWIMMING by Taylor Brien
Hannah Stevens, a 14-time NCAA All-American at the University of Missouri and a 2017 U.S. national champion in the 50 meter back, announced her retirement from the sport of swimming, citing recurring back problems as the major driving force for her decision.
038
MISSY FRANKLIN’S VICTORY AT MARE NOSTRUM SERIES WAS SIMPLY HER RETURN by Dan D’Addona
U.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller’s 19-month-old daughter, Emeline, recently drowned in a Southern California swimming pool. Here are some important things to know about drowning prevention, according to healthychildren.org: what you should do in a drowning emergency and knowing the warning signs.
040 THE FANTASTIC FOUR SWIMMERS WHO MADE HISTORY AT NCAA DI MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS by Grant Anger
Only four men in the history of swimming have won NCAA Division I titles in the 100 and 200 of their stroke four years in a row: John Naber, Pablo Morales, Brendan Hansen and Ryan Murphy.
042 LAKE FOREST SWIM CLUB: WINNING IN THE WATER SINCE 1958 by Kelsey Mitchell The Lake Forest Swim Club of Illinois—founded by Ray Essick, the first executive director of USA Swimming...and previous home to Olympians Conor Dwyer, Matt Grevers and Puerto Rico’s Doug Lennox—is celebrating its 60th birthday this year.
044 THE CUTINO AWARDS: WHY WATER POLO IS BEST IN THE WEST by Michael Randazzo Cal’s Luca Cupido and USC’s Amanda Longan were recently named winners of the Peter J. Cutino Award, considered the most prestigious individual award in American collegiate water polo. More than 200 people, including some of the most accomplished and influential Americans in the sport, attended the 19th annual event, held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
PUBLISHING, CIRCULATION AND ACCOUNTING www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Publisher, CEO - Brent T. Rutemiller BrentR@SwimmingWorld.com Operations Manager - Laurie Marchwinski LaurieM@ishof.org Circulation/Membership - Ivonne Schmid ISchmid@ishof.org Accounting - Marcia Meiners Marcia@ishof.org
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Missy Franklin, five-time Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder in the women’s 200 back, didn’t win any events during the Mare Nostrum Swim Series...but the fact that she’s back competing in the sport after a two-year absence due to depression and surgery on both shoulders is more of a victory than anything she could have done in the pool.
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INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN) Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Camilo Cametti (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR) Japan: Hideki Mochizuki Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR) South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA) South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG)
PHOTOGRAPHERS/SWTV David Rieder (SWTV Host) davidr@swimmingworld.com Joe Johnson (SWTV Producer) Peter H. Bick, USA Today Sports Images, Reuters, Getty Images
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ON THE COVER: LIA NEAL SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
PHOTO BY: BECCA WYANT
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TYR PRO SWIM SERIESSANTA CLARA PHOTO GALLERY PHOTOS BY BECCA WYANT >> JACOB PEBLEY 10
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>> CAELEB DRESSEL SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> KATIE LEDECKY 12
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>> ALI DELOOF
>> CODY MILLER SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> OLIVIA SMOLIGA 14
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>> CHASE KALISZ
>> JOSH PRENOT SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> LEAH SMITH 16
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>> TOM SHIELDS SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> SIMONE MANUEL 18
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>> LILLY KING
>> NATHAN ADRIAN SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> RYAN MURPHY 20
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>> ISABELLE STADDEN
>> MAT T GREVERS SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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>> LIA NEAL 22
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
HOW THEY TRAIN:
nicco velasquez BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
C
oach Brendan Hansen and 15-year-old Austin Swim Club athlete Nicco Velasquez share the common traits of swimming excellence and a capacity for reinvention. Hansen has morphed remarkably well from outstanding athlete to excellent coach. Velasquez has rebuilt a body badly battered from a skiing accident as a 13-year-old to a swimmer on the rise. In March 2016, Velasquez was hospitalized for an extended period. He had numerous broken bones in his back, pelvis, ribs and a bruised lung. His future as a
recovering young man, much less as a swimmer, was in doubt. Miraculously, he made a full recovery in a little more than three months returning to the water and swimming with a new perspective and vigor. Says Hansen, “With his late start to training for the 2015 long course summer, I adjusted expectations and continued to focus on making sure he stayed mentally positive and focused on long-term development. However, every time we competed, he got faster and stronger, ending with a great summer championship and some spectacular time results. Even better was his overall understanding of the training process and essentials of racing. “As we turned into the next season, Nicco stepped into a leadership role in our pre-national program, demonstrating a great work ethic and dedication. One of the most common test sets we run through is 30x100 best average (10 on 1:30, 10 on 1:20, 10 on 1:40). The first time we did the set in September 2016, Nicco was 1:02, 1:05, 1:02. Two months later, he tested at 1:02, 1:04, 1:00. The last time through—just before he moved to our national group in March 2017—he swam 59, 1:02, 58. “Nicco has a perspective and understanding of hard work that few15year-olds possess,” says Hansen. “Since his accident, beyond his time improvements, Nicco has been one of the hardest working and coachable athletes I have had the pleasure of coaching. I am excited to see what the future holds for him in the water and out!”
PROGRESSION OF TIMES SCY
As of March
2016 LC- 2017
2017 LC- 2018
2015
SCY
SCY
LC
23.06
23.02
50 Free
29.14
(Joins ASC)
As of March
2016 LC-2017
2017 LC-2018
2015
SCY
SCY
26.34
26.22
(Joins ASC)
50 Free
23.66
100 Free
51.20
48.78
48.16
100 Free
1:03.31
57.23
54.96
200 Free
—
1:46.57
1:42.19
200 Free
2:20.29
2:02.77
1:59.32
500/400 Free
—
4:53.84
4:54.70
500/400 Free
—
—
4:15.32 1:08.74
100 Back
1:05.67
1:00.95
58.83
100 Back
1:16.47
—
100 Breast
1:09.98
1:06.46
1:00.26
100 Breast
1:28.64
1:21.13
—
100 Fly
59.38
54.94
54.87
100 Fly
1:13.64
1:06.63
1:02.36
200 IM
2:14.39
2:05.27
2:02.13
200 IM
—
— MELANIE 2:14.91MARGALIS >>
SWIM MART 䜀伀䰀䐀 䴀䔀䐀䄀䰀 倀䔀刀䘀伀刀䴀䄀一䌀䔀 匀吀䄀刀吀匀 圀䤀吀䠀 刀䔀匀䤀匀吀䄀一䌀䔀 吀刀䄀䤀一䤀一䜀
䐀刀夀 䰀䄀一䐀 刀䔀匀䤀匀吀䄀一䌀䔀 吀刀䄀䤀一䤀一䜀 䜀䔀䄀刀 䤀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 䘀漀爀洀 ☀ 䤀䴀 琀椀洀攀 簀 䔀渀栀愀渀挀攀 攀渀搀甀爀愀渀挀攀 簀 吀爀愀椀渀 愀渀礀眀栀攀爀攀
一娀䌀漀爀搀稀⸀挀漀洀 簀 㠀 ⸀㠀㠀㘀⸀㘀㘀㈀ 一娀䌀漀爀搀稀⸀挀漀洀 㠀 ⸀㠀㠀㘀⸀㘀㘀㈀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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BY DIANA PIMER, CHANDLER BRANDES & DAN D'ADDONA NIGHT 1 After smashing the World Record in the 1500 on the opening night of the TYR Pro Swim Series at Indianapolis in May, Katie Ledecky will not be competing in tonight’s event. She will, however, be racing in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 Freestyles later on in the meet at this weekend’s TYR Pro Swim Series Santa Clara. In her absence, Swim Ontario’s Olivia Anderson (16:18.66) holds the top seed in the women’s 1500 followed closely by Stanford’s Megan Byrnes (16:20.23). Teammate Leah Stevens (16:34.05) holds the fourth seed while Ashley Neidigh (16:32.76) comes in third. The group will lead fourteen total entrants in the race. On the men’s side, True Sweetser will look to maintain Stanford’s Thursday-night Pro Swim Series dominance as the only swimmer coming in under 15 minutes. Longhorn’s Clark Smith (15:08.59) and Chris Wieser (15:09.70) round out the top three of twenty-four swimmers in this event. WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE Ashley Neidigh continued her successful 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series campaign by claiming her second 1500 freestyle title. After winning this event in Mesa in April with a 16:38.24 and posting a 16:21.62 for fifth at May’s Indianapolis stop, 24
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
Neidigh went on to post the thirteenth-fastest time in the world this year with a 16:17.43. Neidigh and Stanford’s Megan Byrnes took off right from the start, as less than two tenths of a second separated the women at the halfway point. Byrnes fell just slightly off her pace and now seventeenth-ranked swim from Indianapolis of 16:20.23. She earned runner-up honors this time around with a 16:20.46. Leah Stevens and Olivia Anderson had their own battle forming at the 750 mark, with Anderson having the slight advantage 8:20.38- 8:20.80. But Stevens was consistently over half a second faster on the back-half fifty splits, giving her the edge in the end. Stevens’ 16:35.47 earned her thirdplace honors while Anderson’s 16:46.43 gave her the fourthplace finish. 18-year old Mabel Zavaros of Swim Ontario earned a fifthplace finish out the second heat with a best time of 16:51.54. She was followed by Chenoa Devine (16:19.19), Ayumi Macias Alba (17:02.98 and Juli Arzave (17:17.44) to round out the top eight finishers. MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE Zane Grothe claimed yet another freestyle event win in the men’s race with a time of 15:18.43. The swim was enough
[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]
2018 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES - SANTA CLARA FULL FINALS RECAP
for the win in Santa Clara but was off his 15:05.31 from Indianapolis. After getting off to an early lead with Cal’s Nick Norman (15:22.98), Mexico and Michigan’s Ricardo Vargas Jacobo (15:19.34) started chasing down the leaders in the back half. Vargas Jacobo was able to pass Norman with about 250 meters to go, just as Stanford’s True Sweetser was also making his move. Sweetser dominated the field in the final 200 ending with a 1:58.75, the only swimmer under two minutes on the final four laps. Sweetser just ran out of room to earn the second-place spot as he finished in 15:19.86. Johannes Carloni (15:30.35) and Clark Smith (15:32.05) placed fifth and sixth while Georgia’s Kevin Miller earned a top-eight finish out of the second heat. Kevin Litherland took eighth-place in 15:48.35. NIGHT 2 The second night of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series Santa Clara will feature men’s and women’s finals of the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Back, 200 Breast and 200 Free. After the Indiana post-graduate group dominated the 1500 on night one, future and current Stanford swimmers took three of the top seeds for tonight’s finals. Katie Ledecky, in her first professional race associated with TYR, claimed the top seed in the 200 Free – as did future Cardinal Jack Levant in the men’s race. Ella Eastin will start the session off with her top seed in the 400 IM, looking for the win in this event after narrowly losing out on the victory to Melanie Margalis in Indianapolis. Veteran Chase Kalisz will set out to keep his 400 IM win streak alive, as will Kelsi Dahlia in the 100 fly. Cal’s Andrew Seliskar leads a competitive 100 Fly men’s field after the morning heats including the likes of Caeleb Dressel and Jack Conger. 16-year-old Regan Smith and reigning Olympic-Champion Ryan Murphy hold top honors in the 200 Back while Lilly King and Miguel de Lara Ojeda did likewise in the 200 Breast. WOMEN’S 400 IM After an exact three-way tie after the fly leg between Eastin, Leah Smith and Sarah Darcel and a late charge from Smith on the freestyle, Eastin was able to hang on for the win in this event in 4:38.99. The swim was about half a second off her swim from Indianapolis which puts her eleventh in the world rankings so far this year. Smith’s time of 4:39.37 was a season-best and bumped her into the top twenty world rankings as well. The freestyle
star blasted a 1:00.76 free split to earn runner-up honors and nearly catch Eastin. Darcel kept her place at the top of the heat with a third place finish in 4:44.79 – about five seconds off her best time from the Commonwealth Games. Meaghan Raab (4:48.13), Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (4:49.03), Emma Barksdale (4:49.16), Leah Stevens (4:53.05), Esther Gonzalez Medina (4:53.94) and Nora McCullagh (5:56.54) rounded out the top nine. MEN’S 400 IM Kalisz won yet another TYR Pro Swim Series 400 IM, this time by over seven seconds. He took a dominant lead after the fly leg and never let up en route to a first-place finish. Although off his world-leading 4:08.92 from the Atlanta stop, the swim was not far off his 4:10.55 from Indianapolis. Slightly slower splits in the fly and breast portions of the race made the difference this time around. Phoenix Swim Club’s Takeharu Fujimori finished in a distant second (4:10.09) while Mark Szaranek took third in 4:20.70. Szaranek was the only swimmer to split faster than Kalisz on any leg, going 59.01 to the Bulldog’s 59.15 on the freestyle. Cal’s Sean Grieshop also posted an impressive free leg as he finished in the fourth position at 4:22.65. He was also in the mix at the halfway point but fell off the pace in the back 200. Charlie Swanson (4:22.87), Clayton Forde (4:25.53), Abrahm DeVine (4:27.24) and Ricardo Vargas Jacobo (4:28.68) rounded out the final. WOMEN’S 100 FLY In similar fashion, Dahlia kept her reign over the 100 fly with a winning time of 57.55 in Santa Clara. Less than two tenths off her season best from Indianapolis, Dahlia posted another top-ten time in the world this year. Cal’s Katie McLaughlin and Team Elite’s Hellen Moffitt had a tight battle for second, with Moffitt having the advantage at the 50 by just two one-hundredths of a second. But it was McLaughlin on the back stretch that got her hands on the wall first coming in at 58.33 to Moffitt’s 58.39. Team Elite teammate Sarah Gibson tied with Smith for the fourth spot in 59.07, while Swim Ontario duo Penny Oleksiak and Maggie MacNeil also tied in the sixth spot in 59.29. Cal’s Farida Osman (59.54) and Tiger Elite’s Haley Black (1:00.29) placed eighth and ninth. MEN’S 100 FLY Although just outside the top twenty world rankings in this event, Dressel did have enough in the tank for the win this CONTINUED >>> SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
25
[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]
>> CAELEB DRESSEL
event. Out third at the 50 in 24.94, Dressel out-split the field on the final lap in 27.26 to surge to the wall in the end. Top-seed Seliskar raced to second in 52.81, finishing just ahead of Tripp Cooper (53.02). Tiger Elite’s Luis Martinez was right behind in 53.05, as were Jack Conger (53.12) and Justin Lynch (53.29). Despite having the lead at the fifty, Lynch could not hang on in the end while Conger was over two seconds off his 51.00 and second-ranked time from Atlanta. Long Gutierrez (54.05), Pace Clark (54.12) and Giles Smith (54.21) rounded out the heat. WOMEN’S 200 BACK Roughly seventeen minutes after her fourth-place tie in the 100 fly, Smith came back and fought for the win in the 200 back in 2:09.60. The time is inside the world top twenty rankings, although her 2:08.64 from Austin currently ranks ninth. After winning the event in Indianapolis, Olivia Smoliga held the lead through the 100, but was passed by Smith and Kylie Masse (2:10.68) for the third spot in 2:10.70. Masse’s time from the Commonwealth Games (2:05.98) is currently the fastest in the world this year. Aggie Swim Club’s Lisa Bratton posted a 2:10.91 to earn close fourth-place honors. Stanford pair Erin Voss (2:12.12) and Allie Szekely (2:13.28) placed fifth and eighth, respectively. Aquajets’ Isabelle Stadden was off her recent 2:08.37 from Mel Zajac Jr., but did enough to earn sixth place in 2:12.32. Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson (2:12.81) and Cal’s Keaton Blovad were seventh and ninth.
26
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
MEN’S 200 BACK Murphy blasted a world top-ten time of 1:56.06 in the 200 back to take the win in Santa Clara. Team Elite’s. Ryosuke Irie and Cal’s Jacob Pebley did likewise in 1:56.36 and 1:57.34 although all three men were a few tenths off their season bests. Murphy was out in a quick 56.92, while Pebley was second through the 150. But it was Irie who out-split the entire field in the last fifty, coming home in a 28.71 to pass Pebley, and nearly Murphy, in the end. Swim Ontario’s Javier Acevedo was also under two minutes in 1:59.97 and was followed by Markus Thormeyer (2:00.13) and Ryan Lochte (2:00.82).
Daniel Carr (2:01.77), Austin Katz (2:02.68) and DeVine (2:07.62) placed seventh through ninth. WOMEN’S 200 BREAST Just two one-hundredths of a second off her season best, Indiana’s King won her first event of the meet in the 200 breast. Her winning time of 2:24.97 bested the field by over a second and a half as her quick opening speed led her to victory. Despite great back halves from Emily Escobedo, Melissa Rodriguez and Annie Lazor, King’s 1:09.61 opening 100 gave her a lead that no one could catch. Escobedo won the battle for second in 2:26.56 and was followed by Rodriguez in 2:27.35 and Lazor with a 2:27.87. Szekely (2:28.32), Rachel Bernhardt (2:31.19), Esther Gonzalez Medina (2:31.46), Grace Zhao (2:35.04) and Brooke Rodriguez (2:36.19) rounded out the top nine finishers. MEN’S 200 BREAST Cal’s Josh Prenot got to the wall first in a loaded men’s 200 breast final. Similarly to King, Prenot set out to an early lead of 1:02.92 halfway through the race, then held off a charging field in the end. 18-year-old and Indianapolis Champion in this event Daniel Roy out-split Prenot by over half a second on the last lap but ran out room to ultimately finish second in 2:11.08. De Lara Ojeda, Nic Fink and Brandon Fischer all battled for the third position, turning nearly-even at the 150. De Lara Ojeda had the touch coming in at 2:13.14 to Fink’s 2:13.14 and Fischer’s 2:13.35. Kalisz was not far behind in 2:13.59 with the third-best
closing fifty in the heat. He was followed by Kevin Cordes (2:13.71), Andrew Wilson (2:14.22) and Eli Wall (2:15.00).
Levant beat out Townley Haas in the end 1:49.49 to 1:49.55 despite the men swimming almost identical splits throughout the race. Gators’ Mitch D’Arrigo was not far off in 1:49.86, out-splitting Levant and Haas on the last lap.
WOMEN’S 200 FREE Only one-tenth off her Pro Swim Series record from 2016, Ledecky posted the world’s fastest time in the 200 free this year at 1:54.56. The swim was enough to pass Taylor Ruck’s Commonwealth Games performance of 1:54.81 as well as Melanie Margalis and Leah Smith in Santa Clara.
Szaranek was back in the pool to take fifth in this event with a 1:51.16 and was followed by Jay Litherland (1:51.23), Zane Grothe (1:51.58), Conger (1:51.60) and Quah Zheng (1:51.69).
Margalis earned second place with a solid 1:57.99 season best time while Smith raced to a 1:58.20. Smith had a half second advantage at the 100 but could not withstand the consistency of Margalis’ splits along the way.
NIGHT 3 Some of the biggest stars in swimming had some big swims in the Day 3 finals at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara on Saturday.
McLaughlin raced to a fourth place finish in 1:59.53 followed by Gabby Deloof (1:59.75), Oleksiak (2:00.62), Goss (2:02.52), Isabel Ivey (2:03.33) and Meaghan Raab (2:06.00).
Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy, Lilly King, Katie McLaughlin and Simone Manuel all won races, while Chase Kalisz doubled up with two wins, holding off Ryan Lochte in one of them.
MEN’S 200 FREE The Cal men grabbed yet another event on the second night in Santa Clara with Andrew Seliskar‘s victory in the 200 free. Fourth at the 100, Seliskar had the fastest second half of anyone in the race to come home with the win in 1:48.35.
WOMEN’S 800 FREE Katie Ledecky cruised to an easy victory in the 800 free to kick off Saturday’s finals. Ledecky won the race in 8:11.08. Leah Smith was second at 8:26.01, followed by Megan CONTINUED >>>
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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]
>> SIMONE MANUEL
Byrnes (8:31.58), Ashley Neidigh (8:41.84), Leah Stevens (8:43.28), Olivia Anderson (8:48.20), Nicole Oliva (8:48.62) and Ayumi Macias Alba (8:49.20). MEN’S 800 FREE Zane Grothe won the men’s 800 free to kick off the men’s finals. The Mission Viejo Nadadore won the race in 7:55.14. Tae Hwan Park of Korea was second in 7:57.68, followed by Ricardo Vargas (7:58.81), Johannes Calloni (8:01.88), True Sweetser (8:02.16), Nick Norman (8:02.92), Mitch D’Arrigo (8:09.30), Sean Grieshop (8:12.27) and Kevin Litherland (8:12.34). WOMEN’S 100 BACK Regan Smith continued her strong meet by winning the 100 back final. She finished in 59.75, holding off Kylie Masse by a hundredth of a second (59.76). Olivia Smoliga was third (59.96), followed by Isabelle Stadden (1:00.66), Ali DeLoof (1:00.70), Amy Bilquist (1:01.16), Keaton Blovad (1:01.32), Claire Adams (1:01.45) and Kennedy Goss (1:01.83). MEN’S 100 BACK Top-seeded Ryan Murphy cruised to victory in the men’s 100 back. Murphy finished in 53.26, holding off Ryosuke Irie by about a half second. Iris finished in 53.78, followed by Jacob Pebley (54.14), Markus Thormeyer (54.66), Matt Grevers (54.74), Javier 28
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Acevedo (55.26), Daniel Carr (55.33), Austin Katz (55.90) and Chris Staka (56.71). WOMEN’S 200 FLY Katie McLaughlin won the 200 fly in 2:10.40, topping Kelsi Worrell Dahlia (2:10.44) and Regan Smith (2:10.47). Lauren Case finished fourth (2:12.86), followed by Dakota Luther (2:13.14), Leah Smith (2:13.27), Sarah Gibson (2:14.70), Mabel Zavaros (2;14.95) and Maria Jose Mata Coco (2:15.29). MEN’S 200 FLY Chase Kalisz took an early lead in the 200 fly and held off the field, winning in 1:56.22. Jan Switkowski took second (1:57.74), followed by Tom Shields (1:58.26), Justin Wright (1:58.30), Jack Conger (1:59.28), Pace Clark (1:59.41), Zheng Quah (1:59.82), Trenton Julian (1:59.95) and Jay Litherland (2:00.26). WOMEN’S 100 BREAST Lilly King continued her dominance in the breaststroke events, winning the 100 breast in 1:05.61. Melissa Rodriguez finished second in 1:08.38, followed by Rachel Bernhardt (1:08.75), Annie Lazor (1:09.15), Melanie Margalis (1:09.50), Kennedy Lohman (1:10.36), Emily Escobedo (1:10.48), Kim Williams (1:10.94) and Claire Beaty (1:12.27).
MEN’S 100 BREAST Andrew Wilson used a quick start to win the men’s 100 breast. He finished in 1:00.68. Kevin Cordes was second, finishing in 1:01.12. Miguel De Lara Ojeda took third (1:01.16), followed by Josh Prenot (1:01.18), Cody Miller (1:01.39), Nic Fink (1:01.44), Connor Hoppe (1:01.98), Chuck Katis (1:02.36) and Wyatt Hodges (1:02.53). WOMEN’S 100 FREE Simone Manuel won the 100 free in 53.85, edging former Stanford teammate Lia Neal (54.05). Canada’s Penny Oleksiak took third (54.23), followed by Katie McLaughlin (54.79), Katie Ledecky (55.23), Abbey Weitzeil (55.58), Catie DeLoof (55.61), Lili Ibanez Lopez (55.78) and Gabby DeLoof (56.47). MEN’S 100 FREE Caeleb Dressel moved up from his seventh seed in prelims to win the 100 free in 48.96. Dressel held off a surging Michael Chadwick (49.28) and Zach Apple (49.45). Markus Thormeyer was fourth (49.74), followed by Dean Farris (49.93), Long Gutierrez (49.97), Michael Jensen (50.11), Josh Fleagle (50.44) and Ryan Murphy (50.65). Nathan Adrian won the consolation final in 48.99, the secondfastest time of the meet after an off prelims swim. WOMEN’S 200 IM Melanie Margalis competed in her second event of the night, winning the 200 IM in 2:12.07. Sarah Darcel was second (2:14.62), followed by Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (2:15.77), Kim Williams (2:15.98), Emma Barksdale (2:16.79), Lisa Bratton (2:17.22), Beata Nelson (2:17.16), Kristen Romano (2:17.92) and Meaghan Raab (2:19.35). MEN’S 200 IM Chase Kalisz pulled off a double victory on Saturday, winning the 200 IM in 1:57.64. Ryan Lochte was second (1:59.42), followed by Hiromasa Fujimori (1:59.69), Takeharu Fujimori (2:01.86), Andrew Seliskar (2:01.89), Jay Litherland (2:01.99), Jan Switkowski (2:03.44) and Mark Szanarek (2:04.37). NIGHT 4 Katie Ledecky, Zane Grothe and Lilly King all won their third events of the weekend on the fourth and final day of the CONTINUED >>> SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: JD LASICA ]
posted a time of 24.08 to warn the last spot heading into the finals. Alex Perreault was third in 24.52 while Giles Smith was fourth in 25.15. Once again, Conger came out on top, lowering his time to win the race in 23.67. He took the lead right from the start to get the win over Martinez (24.16). WOMEN’S 50 BACK KNOCKOUT In the semis, Olivia Smoliga did not waste any time taking the lead. She won the heat in 28.12. Ali Deloof earned the other spot in the final coming in at 28.21. Kylie Masse took third in 28.26 while fifteen-year-old Isabelle Stadden was fourth in 28.61. Smoliga, who is the current American Record holder in the event after posting a 27.43 in Mesa, won the finals in 28.02. Deloof was two-tenths behind in 28.22.
>> KEVIN CORDES
2018 TYR Pro Swim Series Santa Clara. WOMEN’S 400 FREE Katie Ledecky cruised to first place in the women’s 400 free to begin the final night of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara. The newly-turned professional swimmer posted a time of 4:00.51 to complement her 200 and 800 wins from earlier this weekend. Ledecky was a few seconds off of her world-leading 3:57.94 set last month in Indy. Leah Smith dropped nearly three seconds from her morning swim to take second in 4:04.72 while Melanie Margalis finished third in 4:08.84. Kennedy Goss (4:13.96), Regan Smith (4:14.34), Courtney Harnish (4:15.35), Ashley Neidigh (4:17.36), Ayumi Macias Alba (4:18.09) and Chenoa Devine (4:21.87) rounded out the top heat. WOMEN’S 50 FLY KNOCKOUT Farida Osman came out on top in the semifinals, bettering her time from prelims by nearly half a second in 26.05. Penny Oleksiak (26.16) was second, Kelsi Dahlia (26.58) third and Sarah Gibson (26.75) was fourth. In the final round only minutes later, Oleksiak dropped another tenth of a second to claim the victory in 26.06 ahead of Osman’s 26.32 MEN’S 50 FLY KNOCKOUT Minutes after posting the top time in prelims, Jack Conger powered his way to a semifinals win in 23.89. Luis Martinez 30
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MEN’S 50 BACK KNOCKOUT Ryosuke Irie dropped just over three-tenths of a second from his prelims time to take the top spot during the semifinals, stopping the clock in 25.42. Markus Thormeyer finished second in 25.50, followed by Matt Grevers (25.53) and Javier Acevedo (25.67). Moments later, Irie and Thormeyer would get their hands to the wall at the same time to share the 50 back knockout title. They each finished with a time of 25.68. MEN’S 400 FREE KNOCKOUT Zane Grothe dropped just under four seconds from his morning swim to claim his third title at the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series Santa Clara. He stopped the clock with a final time of 3:50.53 to complete his distance sweep. Jan Switkowsi finished in second with a time of 3:51.17. Jack Levant posted a new personal best time of 3:51.47 to finish third overall. Mitch D’Arrigo (3:53.22), Ricardo Vargas Jacobo (3:54.31), True Sweetser (3:54.63), Tae Hwan Park (3:55.87), Kiwoong Koo (3:57.02) and Grant Shoults (3:58.74) also competed in the fastest heat. WOMEN’S 50 BREAST KNOCKOUT World record holder Lilly King again came out on top during the semifinals, touching the wall in 30.66. Melissa Rodriquez finished second in 31.56 to secure her spot in the finals. Kennedy Lohman was third in 32.15 and Kim Williams was fourth in 32.24. King dominated during finals, dropping over a second from semis to post a time of 29.62. That time ranks her first in the world this year and broke Molly Hannis’ meet record of 29.71 set earlier this year. Rodriquez dropped additional time
to finish second in 31.24. MEN’S 50 BREAST KNOCKOUT Nic Fink posted the top time during the semifinals, touching the wall in 27.82. Andrew Wilson was right behind him in 27.88. Kevin Cordes (28.12), Miguel De Lara Ojeda (28.30) and Pavel Romanov (28.80) also raced in the second heat. Fink won a very close final, finishing in 27.67 ahead of Wilson’s 27.70. WOMEN’S 50 FREE KNOCKOUT Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel finished first during semifinals, touching the wall in 25.05. Abbey Weitzeil wasn’t too far behind in 25.20. Lia Neal (25.32) and Katie McLaughlin (25.58) rounded out that heat. Manuel dominated during finals with a time of 24.67. Weitzeil stopped the clock in 25.64. MEN’S 50 FREE KNOCKOUT Thormeyer finished first during semifinals, touching the wall in 22.97. Tate Jackson wasn’t too far behind in 23.13. Kyle Decoursey (24.00) and Oleksandr Loginov (24.33) rounded out that heat. Thormeyer won the event, posting a time of 23.06 during finals. Jackson finished with a time of 23.37.
WOMEN’S 200 MYSTERY IM Swimming her race freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, Sarah Darcel dominated the women’s 200 mystery IM. She won the event in 2:16.92. Kim Williams finished second in 2:19.51 while Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo took third in 2:19.93. Kristen Romano (2:20.00), Esther Gonzalez Medina (2:20.01), Chenoa Devine (2:20.61), Danielle Della Torre (2:23.27), Brenda Diaz Martinez (2:23.67) and Dannie Dilsaver (2:25.13) rounded out the heat. MEN’S 200 MYSTERY IM Swimming his race freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, Hiromasa Fujimori won the men’s 200 mystery IM in 2:04.79. His brother, Takeharu Fujimori, finished second in 2:06.08 while Harry Homans took third in 2:06.44. Javier Acevedo (2:07.59), Matthew Willenbring (2:07.80), Jose Martinez (2:07.93), River Wright (2:08.91), Zachary Ian Tan (2:09.33) and Hector Ruvalcaba Cruz (2:09.43) rounded out the heat. ◀
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: JD LASICA ]
KATIE LEDECKY QUICK TO FIGURE OUT PRO SWIMMING BY DAVID RIEDER
T
he 12 flags lined up on deck at the Santa Clara International Swim Center were rippling in the 17 mile-per-hour wind. All over the pool deck, coaches and swimmers were opting for hoodies, parkas and warm-up jackets instead of T-shirts and shorts. Yes, it was a surprisingly chilly June afternoon, even by Bay Area standards. Not exactly what you would call world record conditions— but Katie Ledecky has made the world believe she can do something special on pretty much any occasion. Roaming the deck before that Saturday finals session, you heard phrases like, “There’s a shot,” and “50-50” before Ledecky swam in the 800 free final at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara. Not from Greg Meehan, though. Ledecky’s coach at Stanford said that he would have been very surprised to see a record fall, even if she has trained as well as she ever has in recent months, even with the recent hot streak she has been on. “You never really expect records,” Meehan said. “It’s about being process-oriented instead of being results-oriented.” Certainly, no one expected a record last month in Ledecky’s first race as a professional. Last month in Indianapolis, Ledecky swam a 15:20.48 in the 1500 free for her first world record in almost two years. That out-of-nowhere miracle mile
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provided a forceful reminder of Ledecky’s ability to unleash at pretty much any time. During the next few days after that, Ledecky recorded the second-fastest time in history in the 400 free and the thirdfastest time ever in the 800 free. In her first final in Santa Clara, Ledecky swam a 1:54.56 in the 200 free, the third-best effort of her career and the 12th-fastest swim in history. The time was faster than the 1:54.73 Federica Pellegrini swam to win last year’s World title and hand Ledecky the first international defeat of her career Add it all up, and how could anyone really be so surprised to see another world record in Saturday afternoon’s 800, temperature and wind be darned? But no, not this time. Ledecky of course won easily, but this was no night for a world record. Ledecky merely swam a time of 8:11.08, this one the eighth-fastest time in history. She now owns each of the top 18 swims ever recorded. On this chilly day in Santa Clara, Ledecky swam faster than her 2017 World Championships winning time. No big deal, right? *** That hot streak of breaking records? That all happened at the same time Ledecky was signing with agents and finalizing
her decision to sign an apparel deal with TYR. Sounds hectic and crazy, right? But Meehan thinks that, ironically, the transition has actually made her life less stressful by getting these big decisions out of the way and removing some of her collegiate team commitments.
evening in Santa Clara, after her last race of the meet (a 4:00.51 victory in the 400 free), Ledecky could have bolted to study for two upcoming final exams in political science and social psychology. She admitted about those exams, “I’m a little nervous.”
“I think, in a lot of ways, going professional is simplifying her life,” Meehan said. “It’s about what’s a best-case scenario for her from a training perspective, living perspective, all the different components of her life, and how can we put things together that are going to give her the opportunity to be great in two years. I think that has really alleviated some stress.”
Instead, after she cooled down, Ledecky spent upwards of a half-hour in the seating area surrounded by fans. She patiently signed autographs and took selfies with one child after another.
Somehow, all that was going on outside the pool helped Ledecky’s swimming suddenly click at a level it hadn’t since she came to Stanford. Meehan explained that there had been a slight change in her routine, an extra morning practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays with just Ledecky and fellow pros Simone Manuel and Lia Neal, but that’s it. Everything else was more of the same. Meehan said that the Ledecky he sees on a day-to-day basis has not changed—“Katie is really consistent. That’s what you love about her, among many other things,” he said—but she has hit her stride in training. He dismissed the idea that she was more focused before considering the possibility that she was more motivated. He nodded at the suggestion of “zeroed in.”
“It’s a lot of fun to see the excitement and joy in those kids, watching swimming and having fun at the Pro Series meets. It’s always fun giving back like that,” Ledecky said. “I know what an impact it can have, and even if just one of those kids makes it to the Olympic Trials or maybe even the Olympics, that’s something that hopefully they’ll look back on and think that coming to this kind of meet inspired them.” Sure, swimming might be Katie Ledecky’s job now, but she won’t think of the sport any differently than she did before. Already, in two months, she’s mastered the essence of professional swimming—and, yes, that means that you need to be on record-lookout the next time and any time she’s entered in a race. ◀
“Is anybody really surprised coming out of 2016 that she was a little bit off? And her “off” year was still five golds and a silver at Worlds,” Meehan said. “I think she was able to allow herself to adapt to the Stanford environment, school, being away from home for the first time—all this stuff without the pressure of having to swim fast. I think she just did her thing and really started getting in a pretty good rhythm this year but certainly since March just totally dialed in.” Some swimmers struggle with the concept of swimming professionally, where the sport becomes a job. That additional pressure to make a living can weigh some down. Not Ledecky. She shook her head and broke into a smile when asked if swimming felt like a job. “Just continuing to have fun with it,” she said. What Ledecky does have as a professional is purpose, a stated goal of helping grow the sport, and she explained that she chose TYR in part because that company shares those goals. She was light on specific plans, but she kept coming back to inspiration—inspiring young swimmers just like she had been inspired attending major meets as a child and meeting swimmers like Michael Phelps. Moments where Ledecky feels she can make a difference in the eyes of a young swimmer are precious for her. Sunday SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]
CAELEB DRESSEL FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS OF MICHELANGELO BY DAVID RIEDER
I
n 1506, Pope Julius II commissioned 31-year-old Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Completed six years later, that fresco is now considered one of the great works of art ever created.
the sprint freestyle and butterfly races.
But at first, Michelangelo was wary of taking on such a massive assignment and not just because he had already been working on building an elaborate tomb for the Pope. Michelangelo was not a painter—he was primarily a sculptor, already considered the world’s finest. One of his rivals convinced the Pope that Michelangelo should paint the chapel—and work in a medium in which he was unfamiliar and inexperienced—in hopes of seeing Michelangelo fail.
*** It was a warm South Texas afternoon in mid-February, along the country corridor of Texas State Route 6. In the air was a sense of inevitability and incredulity: The World Champion in the 50 free was about to become the fastest man ever in the 200-yard IM. Had that ever happened before?
But unlike Michelangelo, Dressel did not need much convincing.
Of course, history shows that Michelangelo did not fail, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling remains one of the signature works of art in the Vatican. Michelangelo is now highly revered for both his sculptures and his frescos.
Hours later, at the SEC championships in College Station, Dressel would crush David Nolan’s existing record by more than a second. It was an unrivaled display of power and versatility, a spectacle that sent fans flocking to YouTube for video evidence. Two days later, Dressel would follow up with another record in an off-event, the 100 breast.
Five hundred years later, Caeleb Dressel is a 21-year-old sprinter that is already the world’s finest. Already, he has begun work on his own version of the Sistine Chapel— mastering events that are not his signature bread-and-butter,
Dressel eagerly embraced the opportunity to expand his event lineup in short course, aspiring ever since he arrived at the University of Florida in 2014 to be not just a sprinter. The formula for a Dressel record in any event 200 yards or shorter
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is no secret: Power through his start, turns and underwater dolphin kicks, and no one can keep up.
dabbled in the 200—not Alexander Popov, Gary Hall Jr., Anthony Ervin, Cesar Cielo or Florent Manaudou.
In 2017, he mastered the art of sustaining that power over a 50-meter course in sprint free and fly on his way to seven World Championship gold medals. Okay—but can he do that in a long course 200 free, 200 IM or 100 breast?
Dressel has already swum as quick as 1:48.73 in the 200 free this season, at the Mel Zajac meet, and it’s not crazy to think he could put up a 1:45 relay split come championship season.
According to one prominent U.S. coach, not in the breaststroke—no way. That coach attributed Dressel’s 50.03 in the 100-yard breast at the SEC championships primarily to the dolphin kick now allowed on each pullout.
“I would love to be a part of any relay for Team USA—it’s truly an honor—but I also want the best four guys on the block. I feel like I have to earn that spot,” Dressel said. “It is a relay that I’d like to be a part of, so we’ll see if it fits the schedule and go from there. CONTINUED >>>
“One dolphin kick, and Caeleb can go a 50-point,” the coach said. “But put Caeleb in a 100-meter breaststroke, and you’re not going to get a sub-1:00 swim. He’s not a breaststroker, but he’s got a dolphin kick that’s the best in the world, and he gets to do four of them. Four dolphin kicks for Caeleb, that’s probably a second, second and a half.” Okay, that’s a compelling argument— but would it really surprise anyone if Dressel did manage a 59 in that event? He’s already swum as quick as 27.89 in the 50 breast this year, at the Mel Zajac International earlier this month in Vancouver. And since the 100 breast falls on an otherwise free day on the event schedule at U.S. Nationals next month, maybe he gives it a shot. The 200 free, on the other hand, is definitely on his radar. Dressel finished sixth in the 200 free at last year’s Nationals, earning him a spot on the 4×200 free relay for the World Championships, but U.S. coaches left him off the squad altogether in an attempt to combat his brutal event load. That American squad ended up with a disappointing bronze medal, and everyone was left to wonder if a man whose lifetime best was 1:47.51 could have impacted that relay. Few other 50 free champions have ever been 200 free options for their countries’ relays. Of the six men who have won Olympic gold in the event, only 1988 champion Matt Biondi ever SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]
The long course 200 IM, on the other hand, would be a totally new venture for Dressel. In yards, it’s possible to power through turns and sprint all eight lengths, but long course requires more endurance and skill in each stroke. Dressel has the free and fly covered, and his breaststroke is fine, but backstroke could be a struggle. “I don’t like being on my back,” Dressel said in February. “It makes me panic.” ***
䤀一 圀䄀吀䔀刀 刀䔀匀䤀匀吀䄀一䌀䔀 吀刀䄀䤀一䤀一䜀 䤀渀挀爀攀愀猀攀 猀琀愀洀椀渀愀 ☀ 猀瀀攀攀搀 簀 儀甀椀挀欀攀爀 愀挀挀攀氀攀爀愀琀椀漀渀 簀 䤀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 昀氀攀砀椀戀椀氀椀琀礀
Long-term, it probably will turn out that Dressel is at his best in those sprint events, the 50 and 100 free and 100 fly. At last year’s World Championships, he came tantalizingly close to world records in all three of those events—all suit-aided records that date back to 2009. Most expect that at some point in 2018, 2019 or 2020, Dressel will surpass all of those benchmarks. As for other events, it’s clear that his long course 200 free abilities could make him at least a useful relay depth piece, but he’s totally unproven in anything else. Yes, he mastered the 200 IM and 100 breast in yards, but making the jump to long course is akin to going from painting within the lines to painting from a blank canvas. The saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is used too often to preach patience, but here, perhaps, it applies. After all, it took Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At this point, Dressel simply doesn’t know what events will fit into the schedule at the end of this season or any season, but he wants to be ready to put up his best swim in whatever events he ends up swimming. “I know what my basics are—100 fly, 50 free, 100 free. I understand that, but I don’t want to limit myself to just those. That’s why I’ve kind of messed around with other events in season,” he said. “I like to train a little bit above that because then you’ll be ready for those other events when the time comes.”
吀栀攀 伀刀䤀䜀䤀一䄀䰀 刀攀猀椀猀椀琀愀渀挀攀 匀眀椀洀 吀攀愀洀 吀爀愀椀渀椀渀最 䜀攀愀爀 唀匀䔀䐀 䈀夀 䄀吀䠀䰀䔀吀䔀匀 圀伀刀䰀䐀圀䤀䐀䔀
一娀䌀漀爀搀稀⸀挀漀洀 簀 㠀 ⸀㠀㠀㘀⸀㘀㘀㈀ 36
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Dressel’s sculpting career—i.e., his sprinting—has already made him one of the best in the world, but his painting career in these new events is in its infancy. Let’s wait and see if he can paint the Sistine Chapel. ◀
[ PHOTO COURTESY: SIPA USA ]
NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER HANNAH STEVENS RETIRES FROM SWIMMING
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BY TAYLOR BRIEN
.S. National Team member and former University of Misouri standout Hannah Stevens announced on Monday that she would be retiring from the sport of swimming. The announcement was posted on Stevens’ social media account and highlights recurring back problems as being the major driving force for her retiring. The full announcement reads,
and finished third in the 100 back at the 2017 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships. She was the National Champion in the 50-meter back at the 2017 Phillips 66 USA National Championships and went on to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Budapest, where she finished ninth overall. ◀
“As many people have heard I have recently made the decision to retire from swimming. Over the last few years I have struggled with back problems and this past year has been no exception. Over the past few months I fought to stay in this sport and the decision to retire did not come easy for me but I feel it is what is best for me, mentally and physically. I have been truly blessed to call the University of Missouri my home for the last four years and am incredibly grateful for the people I have met along the way. I have too many people that I could thank for the unconditional love and support and please just know I have never taken that for granted. From the kiddie pool at Clearfork to the World Championships in Budapest I have had the time of my life, I thank God everyday for the opportunities he has given me and the people he has put into my life. I can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes me.” While at Mizzou, Stevens was a 14-time NCAA All-American SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: ROB SCHUMACHER-USA TODAY SPORTS ]
MISSY FRANKLIN’S VICTORY AT MARE NOSTRUM SERIES WAS SIMPLY HER RETURN BY DAN D’ADDONA
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issy Franklin didn’t win any events during the Mare Nostrum Swim Series — she really didn’t come close.
back in her favor. She moved to a new setting, took care of her physical injuries and began the long road to recovery.
But Franklin had the biggest victory of the three-country series last week: She was back in the water.
Training with coach Jack Bauerle in Georgia, she got a fresh start, both in the pool and at school.
Franklin hadn’t raced since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Since then, she has dealt with severe depression issues as well as surgery on both shoulders.
The only thing that remained was getting back in the water competitively.
Either one of those situations could have easily ended a career. But having to battle through both — especially at the same time — is something that was even more detrimental. Franklin was against the ropes. But she fought back. The first step was admitting that she was not 100 percent physically or mentally. That is a terrifying thing to admit to a world-class athlete, even to themselves — especially Franklin, who is known for her infectious smile and bubbly, up-beat personality. Those characteristics became synonymous with Franklin, making it extremely difficult to separate herself from what the public sees. It would be easy to feel like she let her fans down by admitting depression, but in fact, it made Franklin more identifiable — and even more of a role model. The instant she came to grips with her own depression, the tide began to turn. Franklin did everything she could to keep that tide turned 38
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After nearly two years away from racing, Franklin made her return at the Mare Nostrum Swim Series, with stops in Caneten-Roussillon, France, then Barcelona and Monte Carlo. Her first race back, she finished ninth in the 200 free prelims in France, finishing in 2:00.51. She then won the B final in a much-faster 1:58.91. Franklin then made the 200 back final and finished sixth in 2:13.14. On the second day, she took 12th in the 100 free in 56.32 and also finished 18th in the 100 back prelims (1:03.48). Moving to Spain, Franklin scratched the 100 back and competed again in the 200 free, finishing fifth in 1:59.25. In her last stop in Monaco, Franklin earned her highest finish, taking third in the 200 free in 2:00.36. It was far from her best race ever — it wasn’t even her fastest swim of the series — but it capped what could turn out to be the most important swim meet of Franklin’s career. Missy is back, and that is more of a victory than anything anyone could have done in the water. ◀
DEATH OF BODE MILLER’S DAUGHTER REITERATES NEED FOR DROWNING PREVENTION KNOWLEDGE
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BY DAN D’ADDONA
emergency medical help, but don’t spend precious moments looking for someone, and don’t waste time trying to drain water from your child’s lungs.
.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller’s 19-month-old daughter Emeline Miller drowned in a Southern California swimming pool, authorities said Monday. She died at an Orange County hospital Sunday, the day after paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive her after the drowning incident, multiple news outlets reported.
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Concentrate instead on giving her rescue breathing and CPR until she is breathing on her own. Vomiting of swallowed water is very likely during CPR.
“We are beyond devastated,” Miller said on an Instagram post on Tuesday. “Never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this. Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to its fullest every day.”
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Only when the child’s breathing has resumed should you stop and seek emergency help. Call 911. Once the paramedics arrive, they will administer oxygen and continue CPR if necessary.
rowning is a leading cause of death among children, D including infants and toddlers, according to healthychildren. org. Most infant drownings occur in bathtubs and buckets. Toddlers between 1 and 4 years most commonly drown in swimming pools. However, many children in this age group drown in ponds, rivers, and lakes. It is important to know that children can drown in even one inch of water and anyone who has come close to drowning needs a medical exam. The death was under investigation, the Orange County sheriff’s office told The Associated Press. Some things to know, according to healthychildren.org: What You Should Do in a Drowning Emergency: • Get your child out of the water immediately, then check to see if she is breathing on her own. If she is not, begin CPR immediately. • If someone else is present, send him or her to call for
Drowning Prevention: Know the Warning Signs These signs may signal that a child or adult is in danger of drowning: •
Head low in the water, mouth at water level
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Head tilted back with mouth open
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Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
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Eyes closed
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Hair over forehead or eyes
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Not using legs — vertical
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Hyperventilating or gasping
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Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
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Trying to roll over on the back
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Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: PETER H. BICK ]
>> RYAN MURPHY
THE FANTASTIC FOUR SWIMMERS WHO MADE HISTORY AT NCAA DI MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS BY GRANT ANGER
O
nly four men in history of swimming have won NCAA Division I titles in the 100 and 200 of their stroke four years in a row. This is one of the rarest accomplishments in the sport of swimming. To put this into the context of other sports, this feat is comparable to legendary Peyton Manning, Brett Farve and Drew Brees being the only quarterbacks to have thrown more than 70,000 yards or baseball claiming only five men to have ever broken 3,500 hits. For swimming, these legends are Pablo Morales, Brenden Hansen, John Naber and Ryan Murphy. Not even the famed Mark Spitz makes this exclusive club. At the time, these four were the most dominant men not just in collegiate swimming but also the world in their respective events. Though their accomplishments are impressive, all four men have impacted the sport with more than just winning. JOHN NABER Naber hails from Evanston, Ill. but spent most of his early life living in Europe. Before he attended USC, he was already a notable name in the swimming world. He had taken bronze in the 200m backstroke at the 1973 World Championships at just 17 years old. At USC, Naber was unstoppable. He never lost a race his entire four years of college: not just in the NCAA but also in dual meets. In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Naber brought back an impressive four gold medals and one silver at just 20 years
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old. Throughout his career, Naber set several world records and broke multiple barriers. He was the first man under 1:50 in the 200y backstroke, the first to break 50 seconds in the 100y freestyle, and – arguably most shocking – was the only backstroker to ever be faster than the equivalent fly distance. Naber’s list of accomplishments and achievements are endless; he was an incredibly dominate swimmer during his time. However, his contribution to swimming has reached beyond more than just his records and medal count. Naber has spent the majority of his life helping and leading charities and organizations for athletes. He also found his calling as a motivational speaker, teaching future Olympians and CEOs alike the principles he has learned from swimming. His wealth of wisdom regarding resilience and determination has been valuable to countless people and has had a substantial positive impact on future swimmers and the general public alike. His constant involvement and encouragement with the future of USA swimming have paved the way for many to follow in his footsteps. PABLO MORALES Born to Cuban parents in Chicago, Ill., Morales is one of the few Cuban-Americans ever on the American National team, already a positive role model. After moving, Morales spent the majority of his life in Santa Clara, Calif. He swam for most of his childhood and broke the butterfly national age group record in high school held by Mark Spitz. Morales continued his collegiate career at Standford, where he
>> PABLO MORALES
remained the dominant American butterflier. However, his Olympic story has inspired the next generations of American Swimmers. Morales had already taken silver in the 100 fly and 200 IM at the 1984 Olympics and held the world record in 1988. He had taken the year off from law school to train solely for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Surprisingly, he didn’t even make the team, taking third in the 100. After trials, he retired from swimming to continue law school. Morales had not accomplished his goal of winning an individual gold medal, and that bugged him. In 1991, after being retired for three years, Morales decided to make a Cinderella come back story. Training hard for a year, Morales made the 1992 Barcelona Olympic team for the US. At the Olympics, Morales faced Rafal Szukala and Anthony Nesty, and all three were competitors for the gold. Morales led the entire race and held off strong closing charges by Nesty and Szukala, but he powered the last few strokes home. Morales had achieved his Olympic dream after initially giving it up. Morales’ story of grit has inspired several Olympic swimmers, including Ryan Lochte. BRENDAN HANSEN Hansen was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa. and swam for several clubs growing up. Competing internationally at the age of 20, Hansen became the go-to American breaststroker for the next 10 years. He qualified for three Olympic Teams and four World Championship Teams during his career. At the University of Texas, Hansen remained undefeated in any breaststroke event in college. During his ten-year career, Hansen brought home 25 international medals. More importantly, he was one of the key members in creating a long and impactful professional swimming career. He proved that American swimmers could make a living as a professional athlete for several years after college. Hansen has continued to grow the sport in another significant way. He took over the Austin Swim club in 2014 and has been developing talent ever since. Hansen was a unique breaststroker and developed a distinct stroke style from most.
[ PHOTO COURTESY: PETER H. BICK ]
[ PHOTO COURTESY: TIM MORSE ]
[ PHOTO COURTESY: BOB INGRAM ]
>> JOHN NABER
>>BRENDEN HANSEN
Due to his incredible investment in his swimmers, Hansen has become one of the most renowned coaches in the US. His wisdom and skill are invaluable to shaping the next generation of American swimmers. RYAN MURPHY Murphy, another Chicago native, has continued the characteristic excellence of the American backstroke tradition. Murphy started off swimming in Florida and competed for the famous Bolles Swim School. At an early age, Murphy became the member of several Junior Worlds teams. Continuing his swimming career at Cal Berkely, Murphy has shattered several American records and one world record. At Cal, he became a quick star and dominated the backstroke events. Murphy took gold in both the 100m and 200m back and also set the world record in the 100m back off the 400 medley relay. But Murhpy’s accomplishments have not ended yet, and he is in the early stages of his pro career. Since Murphy is so young, there is time to see how he will impact the sport. So far, he has been an inspiration for many. There is no doubt that he will follow in the steps of his predecessors and be a positive role model for all swimmers. THE FANTASTIC FOUR These four men have not only had remarkable careers in the swimming world but have also reinvested themselves by giving back. Naber has taught the lessons of an Olympic athlete to the next generation of swimmers and non-swimmers alike. Morales proved the be an inspiration by not making excuses and relentlessly pursuing his goals. Hansen has given his wisdom and talents back to the sport with his coaching. With Murphy still in the early stages of his career, he has many more years to impact the swimming community. Winning both the 100y and 200y distances of their strokes all four years at the NCAA Division I Championships is an incredible accomplishment; however, what should be celebrated even more is their inspiration and contribution to others. ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: PATTI ROTHWELL, LAKE FOREST SWIM CLUB ]
LAKE FOREST SWIM CLUB: WINNING IN THE WATER SINCE 1958 BY KELSEY MITCHELL
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fter 60 years, the Lake Forest Swim Club still provides its members with a competitive, engaging and encouraging environment.
Founded in 1958, the Lake Forest Swim Club is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. Time may have changed the club’s appearance, but its core values have remained strong and steady. The team’s philosophy states: “We believe that the goal of any youth sports program should be developing the foundation and skills necessary for success as young athletes mature.”
party for all of the graduating seniors last year – it was a large group, most of whom had been swimming together since they were in elementary school…. They all frequently get together socially and continue to swim with the club on their breaks from college.” Along with developing lasting friendships, the Lake Forest Swim Club also aims to develop and encourage its athletes’ interests and goals. Sheehan shares her holistic coaching approach:
Lake Forest Swim Club’s head coach since 1981, Maureen Sheehan, describes the team as “a small niche program that can help swimmers of all ability levels get to the highest performance levels that their commitment and talent allow.” This statement rings true, as many of their athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level.
“I want to help the swimmers I coach to become independent as athletes and young people. I want to help them develop a passion for pursuing personal excellence, fitness and health. I want them to use competition to help them learn more about themselves. If I can leave a stamp on any athlete, it is to find goals and dreams (in any life area) that they are passionate about, and to go after them with everything they’ve got.”
Lynette Foss, the parent of one such collegiate swimmer, speaks of the tight bonds the Lake Forest Swim Club forms between its members: “LFSC had a very nice going away
Through the work Lake Forest Swim Club’s athletes put in at practice and meets, they achieve the collective goals of the team. The team offers seven different groups, each designed
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[ PHOTO COURTESY: PATTI ROTHWELL, LAKE FOREST SWIM CLUB ]
Sheehan coaches mostly high school and college-age athletes. Each swimmer tapers for the most competitive meet in which they have qualified for both long course and short course seasons. These meets are often on the regional, state, sectional, junior national and national levels.
club as a non-profit organization, and it remains so today. Sheehan says, “There is no place better than the pool for young athletes to get away from all of the noise and social media blitz of the world. They can just put their face down in the water and get a great workout!” ◀ [ PHOTO COURTESY: PATTI ROTHWELL, LAKE FOREST SWIM CLUB ]
for different ages and skill levels. This setup allows for children to develop the skills needed to be successful in the sport at their own pace while also encouraging them to form bonds with their peers.
The team was once home to three Olympic athletes, the United States’ Conor Dwyer (2008, 2012) and Matt Grevers (2008, 2012) along with Puerto Rico’s Doug Lennox (2008). Dwyer returned to Lake Forest, Ill., in 2012 to motivate and inspire team members. The Lake Forest Swim Club also sent athletes to the 2016 US Olympic Trials. “Swimming is an excellent foundational sport for all children. There is no sport that safely or better works the aerobic system and full body muscular system in young children than swimming. It also develops mental traits like discipline, hard work and perseverance. Children never ‘ride the bench’ in practice or in competition and they get to focus on measurable self-improvement through personal time progression in meets,” Sheehan says. Alongside Dwyer and Lennox in Lake Forest Swim Club’s history of swimming stars is founder Ray Essick, the first Executive Director of USA Swimming. Essick founded the SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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THE CUTINO AWARDS: WHY WATER POLO IS BEST IN THE WEST BY MICHAEL RANDAZZO
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n marked contrast to last year’s ceremony, the 2018 Cutino Awards Dinner was a cheerful celebration of the tight, fiercely loyal community that is water polo in the United States. Over 200 attendees were feted in the elegant dining hall of San Francisco’s Olympic Club, with an assemblage of polo stars dotted in the audience like stars in a heavenly constellation. Mingling freely with families, friends and star-struck high school players were some of the most accomplished and influential Americans in the sport. Southern Cal’s Jovan Vavic, arguably the most accomplished coach in NCAA water polo history, was ebullient. “I really enjoy seeing parents and players; I feel the pride that they have in just being there with so many great Olympians and great names in water polo,” he said. “It’s a special evening about more than just yourself.” Emcee Chris Dorst, in an interview prior to the ceremony, pointed to the tight bonds as evidence of what distinguishes this occasion from other award ceremonies. “This really is a community,” said Dorst. You’ll see the same faces year-in and year-out, guys who played against each other and now their kids compete—everyone’s hugging each
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other and saying what a great time it is....I’m sure things like that happen in other sports, but with water polo being a bit under the radar from a national media standpoint, there’s something special about being here to celebrate excellence at a lot of different levels.” The annual event is named, of course, for Pete Cutino, whose achievements in the sport appear almost unworldly compared to those of any coach other than Vavic. Cutino won Water Polo Coach of the Year 17 times. He led U.C. Berkeley to eight NCAA National Championships. He also coached in the Pan American Games, the Water Polo World Championships and the World University Games, and finished his career by coaching The Olympic Club’s masters’ team. This year’s iteration—the 19th in the history of the awards— naturally focused on the current honorees, and winners Luca Cupido of Cal and Amanda Longan of USC were certainly deserving. But over the course of the evening there emerged a couple of nagging threads that were teased and pulled at, thoughts that underscored both how tightly knit—and how insular—the water polo community is. Chief among them was a murmur of disquiet about who decides the awards. Last year, Maggie Steffens, arguably the greatest female
[ PHOTO COURTESY: CATHARYN HAYNE ]
> AMANDA LONGAN AND LUCA CUPIDO
[ PHOTO COURTESY: CATHARYN HAYNE ]
> MEMBERS OF THE SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BOYS WATER POLO TEAM
water polo player of her generation, lost out to Team USA teammate Ashleigh Johnson in Steffens’ fourth and final shot at the most prestigious honor in American polo. That Steffens had not won was a surprise to some observers who didn’t realize that it is the coaches of the various men’s and women’s NCAA varsity programs—and not members of The Olympic Club—who are charged with selecting the top player. Dorst tackled that controversy, pointing out the ties that the Steffen family had to both coach and club. Her father Carlos was an Olympic Club member who had played for Cutino and been a pall-bearer at his funeral; her uncle Pete Schnugg, starred for Cal and Cutino during the Bears dominant stretch in the 70’s. “[T]his gets voted on not by The Olympic Club, not by folks in Northern California,” said Dorst, addressing the shock of many of last year’s attendees. “Every single collegiate coach in America votes on this award. Those are the people who decided Ashleigh deserved it more than Maggie did.” Just before the 2018 awards were announced, Pete Conte, a member of The Olympic Club as well as a Cutino Award Trustee, took time to introduce his fellow trustees, and he took care to emphasize that they do not vote on the award. Another burr under the evening’s saddle was the intimacy of the Cutino Awards itself, an odd incongruity for an event that toasts the finest of the sport in America. Brenda Villa, a four-time Olympian and 2002 Cutino Award winner, spoke succinctly about the perils of remaining small in a global culture that demands scale. “We love that it’s a small community and that you know everyone,” Villa said. “On the flip side, if we were truly a national and global sport, we would lose some of that….It’s something that I constantly think about because I want it to
be more diverse, and be global, but I would miss this. I would miss the community. I would miss that you know five people at every table—and if you ever needed them, you could call them. You lose that when you become a big-time sport.” Of course, there were paeans for Cutino. Numerous tributes came from those who knew the burly, bald-headed coach who passed away in 2004 at the age of 71. “Pete Cutino was one of the best,” said Terry Schroeder, a four time Olympian as a player and two-time Olympic coach. “I had an opportunity to play for him in the student games of 1983—it was one of the best experiences I had. Great man, great coach, and I just so appreciate what the family has done for the sport.” Tony Azevedo, who delivered a crisp keynote speech about selflessness in a sport that demands toughness and tenacity, pointed out that the Cutino Award well befits its namesake. “The big thing about this award is that it’s not just something that you look on paper and it’s the score,” said the only person to win the award four times. “To me this is the guy or girl who’s the all-around best player, the leader of the team, the person who inspires everyone and makes a team better. And to me that’s something that I’ve strived to be.” In the spirit of humility that is a hallmark of both the sport and this award, Conte, who played locally at UC-Berkeley, said: “’Rewarding’ doesn’t quite do justice to how honored I am to be here. The parents, the coaches, USA Water Polo itself—they do such a good job of fostering the sport up and down California, but for it to be so successful and to have such a strong hold here in this part of the state… I got lucky. “And I’m thankful for that all the time.” ◀ The author would like to thank Chip Brenner for his help with this story. SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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