SW Biweekly 4-21-19

IN THIS ISSUE MADISYN COX BARRED FROM ISL

+ MICHAEL PHELPS ./ ,. 1 AND TIGER WOOD� THE PARALLELS

+ FIVE MYTHS ABOUT DIVER EBUNKED

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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY | APRIL 2019 | ISSUE # 08

008 MADISYN COX RULED INELIGIBLE TO COMPETE IN INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE

by David Rieder

Madisyn Cox, who was suspended from swimming last year after recording a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine, later got her suspension reduced from two years to six months after proving that the positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement. However, a representative of the International Swimming League confirmed that Cox will be ineligible to compete in the ISL even though she was cleared of wrongdoing when her suspension was reduced.

010 MADISYN COX FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST COOPER CLINIC FOR NEGLIGENCE

Madisyn Cox filed suit against an affiliate of the Dallas-based Cooper Clinic, the manufacturer of a tainted supplement that led to her suspension from swimming last year. She is pursuing damages for the “significant reputational, financial and emotional consequences” caused by her suspension.

012 MADISYN COX DESERVES BETTER THAN GETTING SHUT OUT FROM ISL commentary by David Rieder 014 DEBUNKED: FIVE MYTHS ABOUT DIVERS

by Erin Keaveny 015 TED KNAPP STEPS DOWN AS STANFORD MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING COACH

by Andy Ross

After 39 years of service to Stanford University’s men’s swimming and diving program as a studentathlete, assistant coach, associate head coach and head coach, Ted Knapp announced he would step down as the Goldman Family Director of Men’s Swimming. The school will immediately begin the process of identifying Knapp’s replacement.

018 RICHARD “DOC” HUNKLER, LEADING PROPONENT OF WOMEN’S WATER POLO, PASSES AWAY AT 83

by Michael Randazzo

As much as anyone over the past 40 years, Coach Richard Francis “Doc” Hunkler helped shape the sport of water polo in America. Hunkler, who passed away recently at the age of 83, changed the perception of women competing in sports, and helped elevate polo not only in the East, but nationally as well.

020 TYR SPORT SIGNS 2X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, USA WATER POLO CAPTAIN MAGGIE STEFFENS 021 ASU SWIMMING ALUMNUS STEPHEN ESTES DIES IN HELICOPTER CRASH

by Brent Rutemiller

Stephen Estes, a member of the Arizona State University swimming team (2009-13) who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, was one of two people who were tragically killed when an experimental helicopter crashed outside of Phoenix, Ariz., April 16.

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016 MICHAEL PHELPS AND TIGER WOODS: THE COMPETITIVE COMEBACK PARALLELS

by David Rieder

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It’s impossible not to notice the parallels between Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods: two men who have redefined their respective sports...and two men who have reached the peak of the mountain in their sport half a lifetime apart...and two men who, even years past their most dominant respective primes, remained the primary draws for outsiders to tune into their sports.

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MADISYN COX RULED INELIGIBLE TO COMPETE IN INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE

by David Rieder | Photo by Peter H. Bick

M

adisyn Cox will be ineligible to compete in the International Swimming League, a representative of the ISL confirmed to Swimming World Wednesday.

Cox was suspended from swimming last year after recording a positive test for banned substance trimetazidine. Cox later got her suspension reduced from two years to six months after proving that the positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement.

Tolis Tsagkarakis confirmed on behalf of the ISL that Cox would be barred, even though she was cleared of wrongdoing when her suspension was reduced. The general manager of an unknown U.S.-based ISL team had inquired about adding Cox their roster.

“Any athlete that has been disqualified for breaking antidoping rules is not eligible for ISL competitions,” Tsagkarakis said. “It’s not that she was found positive for something and then cleared due to a mistake of a lab or whatever else. She still served a disqualification period, so that

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makes her ineligible.”

Cox had originally been denied entry to the ISL, but she appealed that decision on the basis that only the original two-year suspension was considered. After that, Cox told Swimming World, she expected to be allowed entry into the league.

“We were like, ‘OK, that’s ridiculous. They obviously didn’t do any research. They don’t know what they’re talking about.’ So I wasn’t really worried about it then,” Cox said.

She received an email Tuesday confirming the ISL’s decision, and she posted news of that to her Instagram story.

“They can do whatever they want at this point,” Cox said.

“They are making their own rules. I just assumed that they were going to be fair and look into it more and really see the information. I guess they decided to overlook that and just go with their own thoughts on it. I was a little disappointed in them.”

Asked directly if she considered the decision unfair, Cox responded, “Oh, absolutely.”

“Don’t get me wrong—I’m 100% anti-doping. I do not condone any kind of doping, and I think people who are dopers and who are cheaters should not be allowed to compete. However, I am not in that category.”

Also on Tuesday, Cox filed suit against the Cooper Clinic, the manufacturer of the tainted supplement that led to her suspension. A press release from her legal team said Cox is pursuing damages for the “significant reputational, financial and emotional consequences” caused by her suspension.

After the lengthy, emotional process of proving her innocence, Cox had hoped to move past the suspension and the ensuing ramifications by the end of the year. She missed out on any major U.S. national team for this year, since all those teams were selected during her suspension in 2018. The ISL decision, however, means that won’t be the case.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world, but through this whole thing, I thought everything would kind of be over by Worlds,” Cox said. “After Worlds, I didn’t really have to think about it anymore, and it would all be behind me. It’s just going to be following me a little bit longer now.” 

SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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[ PHOTO BY: PETER H. BICK ]

MADISYN COX FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST COOPER CLINIC FOR NEGLIGENCE

M

adisyn Cox, a world-class competitive swimmer and former member of the U.S. National Swim Team, has filed a lawsuit against an affiliate of the well-known Dallasbased Cooper Clinic for negligently producing and selling its Cooper Complete Elite Athlete multivitamin, which was subsequently found to contain a banned substance, according to her lawyers.

She is eligible to compete after her suspension was reduced.

The rest of the press release reads as follows: In March of 2018, Ms. Cox was initially slapped with a two-year suspension from competition by FINA, the global sanctioning body for swimming and diving, after routine blood and urine tests found trace amounts of trimetazidine in her system. The substance is used as a heart medication outside of the U.S. but is not approved for sale in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration.

Although her suspension was reduced when the source of the banned drug was identified, and Ms. Cox was cleared to resume competing in September 2018, she still faces significant reputational, financial and emotional consequences. Ms. Cox was forced to miss several major events and to return fees, grants and prizes from the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, and was unable to pursue lucrative corporate sponsorships.

In addition to that lost income, Ms. Cox and her family incurred considerable expense in hiring several medical and legal experts to seek the source of the banned substance and a complete revocation of her suspension.

Testing by a World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory last summer found that both a sealed bottle of the Cooper Complete vitamin Ms. Cox had purchased, and the unsealed bottle of the Cooper Complete vitamin Ms. Cox was taking at

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the time of her positive test, contained trimetazidine. Ms. Cox had taken the multivitamin to correct low levels of iron in her blood, never suspecting it could contain a banned substance.

The Cooper Complete brand of nutritional supplements was launched in 1997 by famed Dallas aerobics guru Dr. Kenneth Cooper. According to the company’s website, the product line “was developed by a team of physicians and scientists from leading universities alongside Dr. Cooper to address weaknesses found in many supplements.”

“At what might have been the height of her career, Madisyn paid a heavy price because she trusted a company she shouldn’t have,” said her attorney, Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm in Houston. “The shock, pain and emotional trauma she has bravely faced are almost incalculable, and we will be doing everything possible to gain justice for Madisyn and her family. We also hope to force this company and this industry to do a better job in assuring the purity of their products and the proper labeling of each product’s ingredients.”

A native of Lubbock, and now a resident of Austin, the 23-year-old Ms. Cox was an All-American student-athlete at The University of Texas from 2013-2017. In the 2017 FINA World Championships, she earned a bronze medal in the 200 IM and a gold medal as a member of the 800M free relay team. In March of 2018, prior to her suspension, she recorded the fastest time in the world in the 200 IM at the TYR Pro Swim meet in Atlanta.

The case is Madisyn Cox v. Cooper Concepts Inc, et al, No. D-1-GN-19-002032 filed in the 250th District Court in Travis County.  The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with The Lanier Law Firm.

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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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MADISYN COX DESERVES BETTER THAN GETTING SHUT OUT FROM ISL

by David Rieder | Photos by Peter H. Bick

M

adisyn Cox woke up every morning for six months to the knowledge that she was locked out from swimming and her reputation was tarnished.

She claimed innocence and eventually proved a contaminated multivitamin had caused her to test positive for trimetazidine, knocking her suspension down from two years to six months and clearing her name of any wrongdoing. But Cox still had to deal with the aftereffects, banishment from all major international meets in 2019 and losing her U.S. national team funding.

Cox assumed that by August 2019, “everything would kind of be over.” She wouldn’t have to wake up ever again and think about how the upcoming weeks or months would be different if not for that positive test and sitting out six months.

Not anymore. The International Swimming League (ISL) will debut in October, and Cox won’t be allowed to participate.

An ISL general manager recruited Cox but was rebuffed by the league, citing their zero-tolerance doping policy.

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Cox believed the decision to lock her out was unfair, but she had no recourse. The day she learned of the ISL’s decision, Cox felt “just so out of sorts” at swim practice as she struggled with the news that the residual punishment for the positive test would linger.

“I’m over here for something I never did,” Cox said. “I took a multivitamin—yes, I did do that—but I was never intentionally cheating. I never would have even thought, and I’m over here paying all these prices. It sucks. I could get emotional about it, and I have, but at this point, I just want it to be over.”

It would be, if not for the ISL’s commitment to a zerotolerance doping policy, a stance that no other pro sports organization has ever adopted. Penalties for a first offense range from a maximum of a four-year ban to a minimum of a quarter-season, which is the standard in the National Football League in the United States.

Just this past fall in fact, New England Patriots wide receiver

Julian Edelman missed the first four games of the season while suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. Edelman protested the suspension only minimally, returned in the season’s fifth game and resumed his role as the go-to target in New England’s offense.

And as the Patriots captured their sixth Super Bowl title in February, Edelman was the leading receiver for the game, and he was named Most Valuable Player for his efforts. No one mentioned his doping suspension while honoring Edelman for his efforts.

That’s ridiculous, the idea that a player could play such a pivotal role in winning a championship the same season as he was caught cheating.

The NFL’s anti-doping standard is among the flimsiest in sports, but many other leagues aren’t much better. In Major League Baseball, the penalty for a doping offense is an 80-game suspension plus banishment from the postseason. By comparison, the two-year ban most swimmers receive for one offense seems harsh—but definitely deserved.

If a swimmer intentionally cheated to improve their own performance, he or she should not be entitled to a second chance. Yes, the ISL insisting on zero tolerance is admirable and justified. No previously-suspended swimmer should be allowed in, especially not one later caught smashing blood samples earmarked for drug testing.

Who agrees with that philosophy? Madisyn Cox. “I’m 100% anti-doping,” Cox said. “I do not condone any kind of doping, and I think people who are dopers and who are cheaters should not be allowed to compete. However, I am not in that category.”

inflexible policy is costing Cox the potential of maximizing the remainder of her swimming career.  All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Cox proved that she didn’t intentionally cheat. While validating her innocence, she missed a critical six months of her career and an all-important U.S. qualifying period that means she won’t get the chance to return to the World Championships, where she won bronze in the 200 IM in 2017.

That’s already hefty punishment, especially when Cox is hardly the party at fault here. By all means, the scarlet letter of “doper” should apply to anyone who tried to cheat the system. Cox doesn’t fall into that category.

The situation demands some common sense so that Cox and the entire swimming community can put it in the past. She deserves a clean slate. As it stands now, a commendable but

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DEBUNKED: FIVE MYTHS ABOUT DIVERS

by Erin Keaveny | Photo by Peter H. Bick

T

here are plenty of stereotypes and in any sport. But as a sport that many people don’t understand, or can’t relate to, diving has a lot of them.

Here are five myths about diving, debunked.

1. DIVERS AREN’T AFRAID OF HEIGHTS

Many divers are afraid of heights, just like everyone else. The difference is that divers chose to face that fear every day.

There are also divers who are not afraid of the height itself, but that doesn’t mean they’re not scared trying new dives from higher boards and platforms.

Olympic gold medalist David Boudia has been open about his fear. He told Forbes in 2016, “Not only do I have to wear my underwear in front of millions of people, I now have to jump off the equivalent of a three story building while in them,” and that any sane person would be scared.

2. THEY’RE ALL GOING TO THE OLYMPICS.

While there are not that many divers in comparison to basketball players or another more popular sport, there are way more divers that the those who get to compete at the Olympics.

There are only eight Olympic diving events: men’s and women’s individual and synchronized platform and springboard.

In addition, each nation is limited to bringing 16 divers.

No country can have more than two divers entered in an individual event, and one pair in a synchronized event. Not to mention, most countries do not qualify to enter divers in every event, limiting the number of athletes even more.

3. DIVERS ARE ONLY SCORED ON SPLASH SIZE

Yes, the size of a divers splash can be an indicator of how successful the dive’s entry was. But, there are many more things a diver is judged on.

A very good dive must also be close to the board, but not 14

SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

too close. The diver must have also straight legs– unless the dive is in tuck– pointed toes, and be a good height above the board. In other words, to get a perfect score the dive must look graceful and effortless.

That does not even consider a dive’s degree of difficulty. In order for a diver to get the highest score possible, they need to compete their hardest dives well, because the raw score from the judges is multiplied by the degree of difficulty. This way, divers are rewarded for challenging dives.

4. DIVERS HAVE A BEST TRICK.

“What’s your best trick”? Divers get asked this question all the time. While most divers don’t expect anyone to know anything about their sport, it is still a silly question.

First, divers don’t do tricks, they do dives. While it’s not the end of the world to mix this up, it does make diving seem more like fun and games than a sport.

Second, divers perform many dives that fall into 6 different categories. It is almost impossible to name one dive from very different categories as the best. Some dives have more flips than others, but some directions are harder than other directions as well. Add twists into the mix, and it’s just a big mess.

5. DIVERS DON’T WORK HARD.

There’s an idea out there that divers have it easy. They have a hot tub to take breaks in, they stand on the pool deck, do some flips and go home. This could not be farther from the truth though.

Here’s a secret: the best divers make diving look easy.

Diving takes an almost superhuman combination of strength, grace, and rhythm.

Beside from the sheer power it takes to compete big dives, it’s a mentally challenging sport. Human nature tells us to run from something like diving, and divers have to learn to face that, cope with it, and do it anyways. 

>> TED KNAPP (RIGHT)

TED KNAPP STEPS DOWN AS STANFORD MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING COACH

T

by Andy Ross | Photo by Peter H. Bick

ed Knapp has stepped down as the Goldman Family Director of Men’s Swimming, as announced by Jaquish and Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir.

made this experience a true honor. I especially want to thank my wife, Laurie, who has been through every moment of this journey with me. I couldn’t have had a better partner.

“I would like to thank Ted for his 39 years of service to our men’s swimming and diving program as a student-athlete, assistant coach, associate head coach and most recently as our Goldman Family Director of Men’s Swimming for the past seven seasons,” said Muir. “Since his first season as a member of the coaching staff in 1984, Ted has earned a reputation for developing champions not just in the pool, but in life, and has overseen Stanford’s status as one of the highest-performing programs in the nation academically.”

“I also want to thank Skip Kenney for the incredible opportunities and successes he allowed me to share with him over the many years we spent together on the pool deck. I am confident that my replacement will possess the experience, passion and focus to successfully lead this program and plan to assist with the transition however I can.”

Knapp, a former All-American and 1981 graduate of Stanford with a degree in civil engineering, has spent the past 35 years on the Cardinal coaching staff, beginning in 1984 when he was appointed volunteer assistant coach. During his tenure as a coach, 28 Stanford swimmers combined for 70 individual national championships, and the program won seven team championships (1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998) and 33 conference championships, most recently back-toback titles in 2016 and 2017.

“I’ve had the extreme pleasure of coaching at Stanford for 35 years,” said Knapp. “During that time, I’ve been surrounded by so much great support within the department and the university. That support, combined with the amazing quality of student-athletes I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, has

As Goldman Family Director of Men’s Swimming, Knapp oversaw ten school records, most recently Jack Levant’s 200-yard freestyle (1:32.61) at the 2018 Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invitational. This past season, Abrahm DeVine became the first Stanford swimmer since Tom Wilkens (199798) to capture consecutive 400-yard individual medley titles.

Five members of this year’s squad (DeVine, Grant Shoults, True Sweetser, LeVant and Daniel Roy) were named to Team USA for the 2018-19 season, while all 20 student-athletes who were eligible for Pac-12 All-Academic honors earned the recognition.

Stanford will immediately begin the process of identifying Knapp’s replacement.  The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Stanford Men’s Swimming and Diving.

SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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[ PHOTO COURTSEY: CBS SPORTS TWITTER ]

MICHAEL PHELPS AND TIGER WOODS: THE COMPETITIVE COMEBACK PARALLELS

by David Rieder

A

s his golf ball flew into the air and then bounced onto the green, television cameras captured Tiger Woods watching intently and muttering, “Come on. Come on. Come on.” Behind him, wearing a green shirt and white visor, Michael Phelps stared just as intently at the ball, only to jump into celebration as the ball came to rest feet from the cup.

That was the scene early Sunday afternoon in Augusta, Ga., as Tiger Woods won the Masters for his first major title in 11 years and the 15th of his remarkable career. In contention all weekend, Woods hit his shots as his competition faltered down the stretch Sunday. On the 16th hole, after Woods hit his brilliant tee-shot, he nailed the birdie opportunity to essentially clinch the win.

Always special, this particular victory was even sweeter given the time gone by and the significant obstacles, both self-inflicted and otherwise, that he had overcome. And because this time, the champion could walk a few steps over to find his son, not born in time for any of his father’s previous triumphs that made him a legend in the first place.

Better than anyone else at Augusta National Golf Club, Michael Phelps understood the emotions bubbling within Woods, even as the 43-year-old golfer kept an intense, focused look on his face. Because less than three years earlier, Phelps had returned from the lowest point of his life to recapture his past glory with his son on hand. Just like Woods.

It’s impossible not to notice the parallels: Two men who

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have redefined their respective sports and two men who have reached the peak of the mountain in their sport half a lifetime apart and two men who, even years past their most dominant respective primes, remained the primary draws for outsiders to tune into their sports.

Phelps made his first Olympic Games and set his first world record at age 15 and won his first World title at 16, and he dominated an Olympics at age 31. Woods won his first Masters at age 21 and his fifth this weekend at age 43. And if you were to ask an average American to name a golfer, they would name Woods; a swimmer, Phelps.

Both men were defined by their relationships with their fathers, Phelps living much of his life in the absence of his father, with longtime coach Bob Bowman becoming something of a father figure, and Woods being introduced to and then succeeding in golf under the watchful eye of his father, Earl, before he passed away in 2006. After Woods’ 2019 victory, CBS replayed the photo of father and son embracing after Tiger won his first Masters in 1997—22 years ago.

For Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps, mid-career setbacks very nearly proved too much to overcome.

Phelps had two earlier brushes with public scorn, a DUI arrest in 2004 and the release of a photo in 2009 showing Phelps using a bong, but neither would end up leaving any lasting scars. However, his downward descent can be traced to right after Phelps’ his record-setting eight-gold-medal effort at the

2008 Beijing Olympics, when he lost motivation in swimming and even started losing his sense of purpose in life.

Phelps was still Phelps at the 2012 Olympics, winning four gold medals and two silvers, but afterwards, he fell to his lowest low.

Over the next few years, during his first retirement from swimming, Michael Phelps felt alone and helpless. He spent days alone in his bedroom, turning to self-medication for relief. At some points, Phelps admitted, he contemplated suicide. He returned to swimming in 2014, but it took a second DUI arrest that September to give Phelps the push he needed to seek professional help and get his life back on track.

Only two years after that, Phelps was back atop the mountain, tearing up on the Olympic podium in Brazil, with five more Olympic gold medals. For Woods, the struggle was twotiered and the drought far longer.

Just a year after Woods captured the 2008 U.S. Open title after a dramatic 19-hole playoff, he dramatically fell from grace when the world learned that Woods had been unfaithful to his wife. He lost the majority of his endorsement deals, but he never really fell out of form. For the next four years, he remained the world’s best golfer, finishing in the top six at six separate major championships.

But from 2014 to 2017, the Tiger era appeared to be over.

Reoccurring back injuries kept Woods off the golf course for much of this stretch, and he had very little success even when he did play. Woods would undergo four separate procedures on his back over this stretch, and he feared the injuries would prevent him from walking again, let alone swinging golf clubs.

And then, against all odds, Wood returned to form as one of

the world’s top golfers in 2018. He followed up a runner-up finish at the year’s final major, the PGA Championships, with his first win on the PGA Tour in five years. For the first time, the concept of Woods winning another major wasn’t so farfetched.

His first chance of 2019 would come at the Masters, an event revered for tradition and considered the most prestigious of golf’s four majors. And he did it. He followed his win Sunday with a fist-pump, a scream and hugs for his mother, Kultida, and his two children, son Charlie and daughter Sam. When Woods won the U.S. Open in 2008, Charlie hadn’t been born and Sam was a baby. For the entirety of his children’s lives, Woods had been a golfer floundering in his own shadow, holding onto a seemingly-unrealistic hope of returning to his absurdly high standard. Now, his kids could see him as a major champion.

Just like it meant the world to Michael Phelps in 2016 when his son, four-month-old Boomer, got to watch his father in vintage form at an Olympic Games, an arena Phelps has dominated like no man before. All the hardships he had overcome aside, Boomer’s presence in Rio made Phelps’ fifth Olympics far more special than the meet might have been otherwise.

But Boomer will never remember Rio. And Phelps is soon to be a father of three, with second son Beckett born in 2018 and a third child on the way.

Phelps has spent much of the past three years squashing any thought of a potential comeback, but as he watched Woods triumph in dramatic, tear-jerking fashion in Augusta, what if he noticed those hugs with Charlie and Sam? And what if that gives Phelps the inspiration for one final go-round, in front of all three of his children, in 2020? 

SWIM MART

REACH LONG

KICK STRONG

NZCordz.com 800.886.6621 SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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RICHARD “DOC” HUNKLER, LEADING PROPONENT OF WOMEN’S WATER POLO, PASSES AWAY AT 83

by Michael Randazzo | Photos Courtesy: Lynn Kachmarik

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s much as anyone over the past 40 years, including toptier coaches like Monte Nitzkowski, Pete Cutino, Bob Horn, Bill Barrett, and the recently deceased Ted Newland, Coach Richard Francis “Doc” Hunkler shaped the sport of water polo in America. Hunkler, who passed away last week at the age of 83, changed the perception of women competing in sports, and helped elevate polo not only in the East, but nationally as well.

A graduate of Texas A&M, where he was an All-American swimmer for the Aggies, the newly minted Ph.D. in mathematics arrived at Slippery Rock University, some 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, in 1968, and by 1972 had launched, by some measures, one of the most successful—certainly one of the more improbable—varsity programs in NCAA women’s water polo history.

Not only did Slippery Rock become the first, and still the only, women’s team from the East to win a national championship (1995), the man who would become known as “Doc” enjoyed a three-decade career as the head coach of the school’s women’s and men’s water polo teams, as well as the Rock’s women’s swimming program.

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For his efforts, in 2000 Hunkler was named to the USA Water Polo Association Hall of Fame, and in 2002 was named as a member of the inaugural class of inductees into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame. He was also named to the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Doc’s role in helping to establish women’s water polo in the United States was critical—a pioneering effort that has resulted in Team USA becoming the world’s most dominant squad. In a Los Angeles Times article on the eve of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where women were playing polo for the first time, he quipped: “I tell people if I’m the father [of American women’s polo], then Sandy Nitta is the mother.”

By phone earlier this week, Nitta, who now lives in Las Vegas, said of her fellow pioneer: “This fantastic man did just unbelievable things!” Nitta, who was the national team coach for almost two decades (1980-1996, 1998) said that it was Hunkler’s players who benefited most from his devotion to the sport. “[T]he number one thing that people need to know about Hunkler is the respect and love that he had—not only for the sport, but for his players. [They] were very lucky to have someone to look up to as a coach, but even more so, the life

lessons that Doc left with all of his players… [he was] more like a father-figure.”

And Nitta said that loyalty was reciprocated.

A PASSION FOR THE GAME THAT INSPIRED MANY “Any one of his players would have done absolutely anything for Doc,” she added. “That’s what kind of man he was.”

One is a 1992 graduate of Slippery Rock, who was a three-time All-American playing for Hunkler, Alan Huckins. Now an assistant coach for the men’s program at the Air Force Academy, for 15 years Huckins led Hartwick women’s water polo to one of the winningest records in collegiate water polo.

After red-shirting his first year as a transfer to Slippery Rock, Huckins was asked by his new coach to help out with the women’s team. “Doc ask if I would like to be his assistant coach for the women’s season. I accepted, and have loved coaching ever since,” he said in an email.

As an advocate for women’s participation in polo, Hunkler was second to none, which his former player acknowledged.

“Doc pushed hard for women’s water polo to be recognized by the NCAA,” Huckins said. “He would talk to a lot of men’s coaches about starting a women’s team, and usually got some response like: Water polo is a game for men—blah blah, blah—but this never deterred him. He finally won his battle, as he usually did.”

After almost three decades, the bond between coach and athlete remains strong. “I can honestly say I loved that man and his wife Billie as much as I have loved anyone.”

Huckins wrote. “He is part of who I am today. He will never be forgotten.”

>> HUNKLER AND WIFE BILLIE

lonely, hard and not always fair,” she wrote in an email. “If I had shared some of the truths with my parents, they would not have allowed me to return each year. Doc counseled me, called me, coached me, loved me, made me laugh and cry at the right times.”

Like Huckins, Kachmarik also underscored Hunkler’s tenacity when it came to fighting for what he believed in.

“His integrity to stand up for what was right and fair regardless of the personal impact on himself was life-changing,” she said. “I stood next to him time and time again and watched him fight for women, men, rules, the tougher path, the right rule changes, demanding honesty from our sport leaders, demanding integrity from our sport leaders, demanding equality from our sport leaders.”

Even those whose contact with Hunkler was limited were still greatly impressed by the unassuming coach. As a high school player, Mark Gensheimer was coached by Hunkler, and those lessons lingered, even as he chose Bucknell for his collegiate playing career.

That devotion is echoed by Lynn Kachmarik, who also played for Hunkler at Slippery Rock from 1976-80. One of the few players from the East to make the roster of the U.S. national team, in 1986 Kachmarik became the first-ever woman leading a men’s water polo team when she took the coaching reins at Bucknell following Dick Russell’s retirement.

“He was able to get so much out of all of us because we knew that he knew the game so well, he cared so much about us and we wanted to win for him so badly,” Gensheimer said in an email. “Even though I went to Bucknell and he coached Slippery Rock, I would sit with Doc between games at college tournaments and we would talk about things on which I needed to focus.”

Throughout her long and varied career—from player to coach to a consultant seeking to improve sport culture at the youth, high school, and collegiate level—Hunkler has remained an inspiration to Kachmarik.

Identifying a quality often cited about the great coaches, Gensheimer said, “I felt like I had a special relationship with Doc, but I realized that I wasn’t alone. He’d do the same for any of us.”

“[M]y journey on the national team as the only female outside of California for most of my ten years at times was

A modest yet tenacious and inspiring man, Doc Hunkler left his mark on American polo—now and forever.  SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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TYR SPORT SIGNS 2X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, USA WATER POLO CAPTAIN MAGGIE STEFFENS

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YR Sport is proud to announce the signing of 2x Olympic gold medalist and USA Water Polo National Team Captain Maggie Steffens.

No stranger to the podium, Maggie Steffens has taken the world of aquatic sports by storm. At just 25 years old, the veteran of two Olympic tournaments has earned gold medals for her impressive performance in both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games. In addition to being named MVP of the 2012 Olympic tournament, Steffens also set the Olympic record for most goals scored in women’s water polo. Aside from her accolades on the world’s stage, Maggie has also been named to the Sports Illustrated list of “Top 25 Most Fit Athletes” in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and is a co-founder of 6-8 Sports with fellow U.S. Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo.

As captain of one of the most successful teams in Olympic history, Maggie has helped to lead the sport of water polo to new heights — and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Her partnership with TYR Sport marks the first of its kind in the history of water polo, as Steffens will be the first elite level player to sign onto a sponsorship with a global sporting goods brand.

Today, Maggie joins a list of highly recognized sponsored swimmers including Olympic medalists Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Ryan Lochte, Dana Vollmer, Cody Miller, Leah Smith, Jack Conger, and Kelsi Dahlia, as well as Olympians Jacob Pebley and Molly Hannis.

Since its inception three decades ago, TYR Sport has grown 20

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to exist as one of the world’s most recognized aquatic sports brands. Founded in Huntington Beach, California, the American company has garnered industry success for celebrated technologies and major partnerships with both USA Swimming and USA Water Polo. Today, TYR has become synonymous with the most groundbreaking athletes in aquatic sports and continues to be the choice of champions.

“Maggie is a trailblazer,” said TYR Sport Chief Executive Officer Matt DiLorenzo. “In just a few years she has elevated the world of aquatic sports to an entirely new level. As a brand we’re proud to be a part of her journey and confident that she has only just begun making history.”

“Family, teamwork, development, creativity, and the constant pursuit of excellence are values that drive my life,” Steffens said. “TYR embodies these in their innovative culture of greatness and is a brand that encourages athletes to compete and show their passion. I am very humbled to be partnering with TYR and to join their incredible team of athletes, many of whom I admire from our time at Stanford together or through Team USA. I am excited to not only represent TYR with the USA Women’s Water Polo Team, but as a female athlete who wants to open the door for her sport. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big dreamer, so I truly believe this is just the first step to showing kids a new possible future in water polo.”  The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with TYR.

ASU SWIMMING ALUMNUS STEPHEN ESTES DIES IN HELICOPTER CRASH

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by Brent Rutemiller

tephen Estes, Arizona State University swimming alumnus was one of two people who were tragically killed when an experimental helicopter crashed outside of Phoenix, Arizona, April 16th.

Estes graduated from ASU with a masters degree in aerospace engineering and had been an engineer with Van Horn Aviation for five years. He was instrumental in the design and analysis of rotor blades. The other person who perished was an experienced experimental test pilot named Rucie Moore. They were the only two on board the helicopter when it went down after 7 in the morning.

Stephen Estes was a standout high school swimmer in the state of Arizona and competed for ASU as a walk-on. He won the Arizona 5A state high school championship in the 100 yard breaststroke in 2008. After his first year as a walkon student-athlete at Arizona State in 2009, his best time in the 100 meter breaststroke was 1:09.32, about five seconds slower than the USA Olympic Trials qualifying time. Estes would drop four seconds in the long course 100 breast in 2010, down to 1:05.25. The following year, at the summer nationals, he punched his ticket to the Trials with a 1:04.45.

He was featured in the February 2013 issue of Swimming World Magazine for his incredible comeback from a biking accident that almost took his life. Our prayers and thoughts go out the Estes family is this time of mourning. To read the Swimming World article Click Here ď ś SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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2019 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES RICHMOND FULL FINALS RECAP

by James Sica & Andy Ross | Photos by Peter H. Bick

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he third leg of the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series kicks off in Richmond, VA with just two events: the women’s and men’s 800 free. World record holder Katie Ledecky is returning to the series after missing the Pro Swim Series stop in Des Moines, and will be competing in the 800 free for the first time during the 2019 circuit (she swam the mile at the opening stop in Knoxville).

NIGHT 1 WOMEN’S 800 FREE As expected, Katie Ledecky ran away from the rest of the field, taking the lead early to put up the #1 time in the world for 2019 with a 8:14.24. That puts the world record holder just ahead of China’s Wang Jianjiahe, who was ranked #1 with her recent Asian record from the 2019 Chinese Nationals.

Second place went to Leah Smith, who posted a fantastic time of 8:16.33 to move to #3 in the world rankings.

Second place went to Leah Smith, who posted a fantastic time of 8:16.33 to move to #3 in the world rankings.

Notably, that is a lifetime best time for Smith. The 23-year old’s previous best was a 8:17.21 from the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships where she finished third behind Ledecky and Australian Ariarne Titmus. Titmus herself swam the 800 this week at the Australian National Championships, where she

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posted a time of 8:18.61, which currently ranks right behind Smith. Smith’s previous best from this year was an 8:29.10 from the Des Moines Pro Series meet.

MEN’S 800 FREE Zane Grothe and Marcelo Acosta battled it out through the men’s 800, with the two neck and neck for much of the race before Grothe put some distance between the two over the final 200 meters. Grothe ended up with the win tonight, touching first in 7:55.78. Acosta couldn’t quite match Grothe’s pace coming home, but he ended in second also under 8:00 with a 7:59.17.

That was just off of Grothe’s season best from the Des Moines stop of the TYR Pro Swim Series, where he finished in 7:54.28. In third was NC State’s Gil Keisler (8:07.00), followed by True Sweetser (8:08.99), who is swimming under Gator Swim Club.

NIGHT 2 The second night of finals kicks off tonight at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with the first full night of events after yesterday’s opening 800 frees. Katie Ledecky is back in the pool first thing tonight with the 200 free as the top seed.

She’ll be joined in that final by Leah Smith, who notched a huge PB in the 800 free last night.

Others to watch will be Michael Andrew in the 50 back, who set a new TYR Pro Swim Series record in prelims, and Claire Curzan, who recorded a new 13-14 NAG record in the 100 fly (59.00).

the 100 tonight in 1:00.98. He was nearly caught by Andrew Wilson, who was just fourth at the 50 (28.61) but closed in the second-fastest split of the field (32.43). He ended up just .06 behind Miller in 1:01.04.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE Katie Ledecky led from start to finish in the opening event tonight, touching the wall first in 1:56.28 to take her second event win at this TYR Pro Swim Series stop. That was just off the 1:55.78 she put up in Knoxville that currently has her third in the world.

The rest of the final was incredibly close, with Nic Fink (1:01.05), Kevin Cordes (1:01.08), Josh Prenot (1:01.54), and Chuck Katis (1:01.74) all close behind.

In second was Leah Smith in 1:57.54, matching the finish she had to Ledecky in the 800 free last night. That knocks about half a second off of her time from prelims and moves her to just outside the top 10 for the year. In third was Madisyn Cox (1:58.76).

WOMEN’S 50 BACK Olivia Smoliga finished as the only woman under 28 seconds in tonight’s 50 back at the TYR Pro Swim Series Richmond.

Smoliga took the win in 27.89, about a half second off of her Pro Swim Series record of 27.43. Ali DeLoof kept it close over the 50, but didn’t have enough to catch Smoliga and ended up just behind in 28.08.

MEN’S 200 FREE Caeleb Dressel held on to win the 200 free in 1:47.31, just missing out on a top-10 time in the world tonight. Dressel was out fast, hitting the wall at 51.91 at the 100. While he faded down the stretch just a touch he still split 27’s on his last two 50’s and held on for a comfortable win.

In second was 800 free champion Zane Grothe in 1:48.12, followed by Jack Conger in a 1:49.21. Grothe battled his way onto the podium with some strong closing speed, posting the fastest final 50 split (27.00) of anyone in the field to move into second.

Conger finished just ahead of Dressel’s teammate Jan Switkowski from Gator Swim Club, who was fourth in 1:49.34. Also under 1:50 tonight was Zach Harting (1:49.94), who touched out Jacob Pebley (1:50.33).

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST Annie Lazor just missed her season best in the 100 breast tonight, touching first in 1:06.72 to take the win. That was just .06 off her best time from Des Moines, which has her currently ranked #2 in the world.

Nils Wich-Glasen (1:02.11) and Jan Delkeskamp (1:02.18) rounded out the A final.

Those two were a touch ahead of the rest of the field, as third went to Katharine Berkhoff (28.55), followed by Gabi Fa’amausili (28.78), Claire Curzan (28.81), Isabella Arcila Hurtado (28.84), and Anika Apostalon (28.86) were all bunched up just under 28 seconds.

MEN’S 50 BACK Michael Andrew was just off of his Pro Swim Series record from this morning but still had enough to win tonight’s 50 backstroke. Andrew touched in 24.76, exactly .10 slower than his Pro Swim Series record this morning. That time has him currently ranked #2 in the world for 2019.

In second was Ryan Held touching in 25.16, which was almost two-tenths off what he went this morning (24.99).

That time currently has him at #6 in the world. Third went to Matt Grevers (25.18), who improved his season-best by about two-tenths.

Grevers was followed closely by Ryan Murphy (25.22) and Jacob Pebley (25.33).

In second was Sophie Hansson in 1:08.05. That was just a bit slower than her 1:07.82 from prelims this morning, but still within a half second of her lifetime best time. In third was Bethany Galat (1:08.26), which was a huge drop from her morning swim of 1:09.88.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY Kelsi Dahlia posted a win in her signature 100 fly tonight, finishing just a touch quicker than her prelims swim to hit the wall in 57.99. That is less than two-tenths off her season-best from the Knoxville stop of the Pro Swim Series (57.86).

She was trailed by four 1:08’s, with Molly Hannis (1:08.49), Katie Meili (1:08.55), Breeja Larson (1:08.81), and Emily Escobedo (1:08.89).

In second was Claire Curzan, who broke the 13-14 NAG record for the second time today. Curzan posted hit a 59.00 in the morning to break the record, before taking it all the way down to a 58.61 tonight. That makes her the first 13-14 swimmer to break 59 seconds in the long course 100 fly.

MEN’S 100 BREAST Cody Miller held onto his top seed in the 100 breast, winning

CONTINUED >>

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>> Caeleb Dressel

Third went to Farida Osman (58.89), nearly identical to her prelims time and just off her own season best of 58.68.

control of the race and not looking back, setting a 2019 best and moving up to #7 in the world rankings with that swim.

MEN’S 100 FLY Caeleb Dressel grabbed his second event win of the night in the 100 fly, coming from behind to take the win by more than half a second. Dressel was actually in seventh at the 50 (24.99), but had the fastest second 50 of anyone in the field (27.09) to hit the wall in 52.08. That is about half a second off his season best 51.51 from Des Moines.

Madisyn Cox was second here tonight in 4:40.55, which puts het just outside the top 10 in the world. Cox held off a charging Leah Smith, who had the fastest last 100 of the field and ended up just six-tenths behind in 4:41.08. Those three separated themselves pretty well throughout the race, as Brooke Forde was the next closest finisher with a 4:45.06.

In second was Giles Smith, who was second at the 50 and held onto his position to grab the silver (52.72). Tying for third was Zach Harting and Santiago Grassi, who had identical splits and posted matching 52.87.

MEN’S 400 IM Chase Kalisz was the top finisher tonight in the men’s 400 IM, winning handily in 4:13.45 to out-pace the field by more than three seconds. Kalisz led from start to finish, and that time moves him up to fourth in the world rankings.

Michael Andrew was back in this race shortly after winning the 50 back, but wasn’t able to match the closing speed of the rest of the field. He was out well ahead of everyone else at the 50 (24.27), but couldn’t hold on and ended up in eighth with a 54.04.

Second went to Tomas Peribonio of Gator Swim Club (4:16.87). Those two were well ahead of the rest of the field and the only two swimmers to break 4:20. In third was Zachary Tan in 4:25.91, just ahead of Sean Faikish (4:26.86) and Matias Lopez (4:27.74).

WOMEN’S 400 IM Ella Eastin had a dominate performance in the women’s 400 IM tonight, leading the entire way to break 4:40 and grab the win in 4:38.80. Eastin was 3rd at the first 50 before taking

NIGHT 3 The third night of finals from the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond featured 12 total events as Olivia Smoliga and Caeleb Dressel put up the third fastest time in the world in

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their respective events. Both Smoliga and Dressel won two events on the night.

Hali Flickinger put up the top time in the world in the 200 fly to start the night and Bulgaria’s Anatani Ivanov qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in the men’s 200 fly final.

Katie Ledecky also had the second fastest time in the world in the 400 free while Farida Osman broke the Pro Swim Series record in the 50 fly.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY Hali Flickinger continues to be on fire in 2019 as she swam the world’s fastest time on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 2:07.03. That swim was faster than her 2:07.10 she swam in Des Moines in March. Flickinger had the second fastest time in the world for 2018 after a breakout 2:05 at US Nationals. Flickinger is now barreling towards a medal at the World Championships in a couple months as she is the face of the 200 butterfly in the United States.

Flickinger was hardly challenged during the race as she won ahead of Katie Drabot (2:08.65) and Kelsi Dahlia (2:09.09).

Flickinger improved on her number one world ranking in 2019 as Drabot is now ranked eighth in the world for 2019.

Megan Kingsley (2:10.25) and Ella Eastin (2:10.80) placed fourth and fifth. Eastin just finished her career at Stanford and is the American Record holder in yards in the 200 fly. She is looking to have a good long course season after getting sick with mono right before US Nationals in 2018.

also swam in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE Olivia Smoliga, swimming out of lane seven, had a minor upset win in the 50 free final on Friday night in Richmond at the TYR Pro Swim Series. Smoliga swam a 24.83 to move up to 13th in the world rankings for 2019 as she held off Simone Manuel (24.97). Manuel is the best sprinter in the United States and did not get off to her great start that fans are accustomed to seeing from her.

Manuel tied for second with Farida Osman (24.97), who represents Egypt internationally and swims in Berkeley, California. Those three were the only swimmers under 25 seconds in the final.

Margo Geer (25.13) and Kelsi Dahlia (25.26) placed fifth and sixth in the final as both will represent the United States at the World Championships this summer. Dahlia just recently got out of the 200 fly final where she placed third.

Amanda Kendall (25.48) and Anika Apostalon (25.75) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 50 FREE Caeleb Dressel put up the third fastest 50 free of 2019 on

Alena Kraus (2:12.86), Leah Gingrich (2:13.05) and Mia Abruzzo (2:13.81) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 200 FLY Virginia Tech freshman Antani Ivanov won the 200 fly final on Friday night at the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 1:56.34 to take out 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series winner Chase Kalisz (1:57.03). Ivanov did not put up a time in the top ten in the world but did qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games to represent his native Bulgaria next summer in Tokyo. Ivanov just finished his freshman season at Virginia Tech.

Kalisz finished in second ahead of a solid field that included American Zach Harting (1:58.56), who will represent the USA in the 200 fly at Worlds this summer. Justin Wright (2:02.53) is the other American set to swim the 200 fly at Worlds this summer and he finished sixth in Richmond this week.

2015 Worlds bronze medalist Jan Switkowski (1:59.51) finished in fourth for Gator Swim Club. David Dixon (2:01.94), Tom Peribonio (2:03.57) and Micah Oh (2:03.68) CONTINUED >>

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>> olivia smoliga

Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 21.69. That was almost faster than what he swam in 2018 as a motorcycle accident kept him off his best. Dressel was a 21.67 at Pan Pacs last summer and is showing here in Richmond that 2018 is a thing of the past.

Dressel won a much-anticipated matchup with 19-year-old Michael Andrew (21.83), who had the fastest time in the US in 2018. Andrew burst onto the senior scene last summer when he won four national titles in Irvine in July.

Michael Chadwick placed third with a 21.96. The top three swimmers will all be going to World Championships this summer for Team USA. Jack Conger (22.41). Mihalis Deliyiannis (22.46), Andrej Barna (22.55), Ryan Held (22.59) and Abdelrahman Sameh (22.62) also swam in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK 24-year-old Olivia Smoliga is the swimmer of the night at the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond as she swam a 58.73, a new personal best time, in the 100 back on Friday night in Virginia. Just about 14 minutes after winning the 50 free, Smoliga returned with a huge 100 back, lowering her best time of 58.75 from the 2017 World Championships where she finished fourth.

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Smoliga now sits third in the world rankings for 2019 and is looking as a big favorite moving forward to the World Championships in July. Smoliga said in her post race interview this will be her last Pro Swim Series as she will swim a couple more meets in the state of Georgia before Worlds at the end of the summer.

Smoliga won over an impressive showing from high school senior Katharine Berkoff, who is going to NC State in the fall.

Berkoff swam a 59.83, which was slightly off her 59.59 best time from Junior Pan Pacs in 2018.

Ali DeLoof (1:00.80) finished in third while World Short Course Champion Lisa Bratton (1:01.02) was fourth. 200 fly champ from earlier in the night, Hali Flickinger, placed sixth at 1:01.31.

Kylee Alons (1:01.14), Claire Curzan (1:01.76) and Elise Haan (1:03.61) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 100 BACK 23-year-old Ryan Murphy is the king of consistency as he won the 100 back final on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 53.47. Murphy held off two US Olympians in Matt Grevers (53.81) and Jacob Pebley (54.23) as he was off his 53.17 from Knoxville in January. Murphy currently sits fourth in the world rankings for 2019.

Coleman Stewart (54.39), who was second at NCAAs in this event and the 100 fly, was fourth at 54.39. He will represent the United States at the 2019 World University Games in early July.

Corey Main (55.24), Nikos Sofianidis (55.38), Hennessey Stuart (55.73) and Destin Lasco (56.55) also competed in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST Annie Lazor has continued her impressive breakout year of 2019 as she won her third straight Pro Swim Series in the 200 breast with a 2:23.22 in Richmond. She was faster in Des Moines with her 2:22.99 to sit fourth in the world rankings for 2019 but she was still able to win the 200 breast here by over two seconds. Lazor finished ahead of Bethany Galat (2:25.43) and Emily Escobedo (2:25.67) in the final here in Richmond.

Lazor will represent the United States at the Pan American Games this summer.

Madisyn Cox (2:27.47) placed fourth while Stanford freshman Zoe Bartel (2:30.01) was fifth.

2018 junior champion Anna Keating (2:31.79) was sixth as she is swimming in her home state of Virginia. Laura Goettler (2:32.85) was seventh and Olympian Molly Hannis (2:34.94) was eighth.

night at the meet in Richmond in the 50 fly with a 25.65 to break Kelsi Dahlia’s mark of 25.74 from Mesa in 2018. Osman finished ahead of Dahlia in Richmond as the American was a 25.90 for second place. Those two were the only swimmers under 26 seconds in the final. Osman is now second in the world for 2019 behind Sarah Sjostrom (25.34), moving ahead of her 25.79 from the Des Moines Pro Series in March.

14-year-old Claire Curzan (26.18) placed third as she has continued to have an impressive meet in Richmond this week. The North Carolina native swam the fastest ever 100 fly for a 14-year-old last night and continued with another impressive 50 fly tonight.

Amanda Kendall (26.33), Aliena Schmidtke (26.52), Natalie Hinds (26.54), Lexi Cuomo (27.36) and Leah Gingrich (27.65) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 50 FLY Caeleb Dressel won his second match-up with Michael Andrew on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 23.43 in the 50 fly. Dressel had some serious pressure from Andrew who was second at 23.54.

Dressel already took down Andrew earlier in the night in the 50 free where Dressel put up the third fastest time in the

MEN’S 200 BREAST Josh Prenot, swimming in his first meet after getting married last month, won the 200 breast final on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 2:11.51. Prenot was dead even with the rest of the field at the 100 but used a 33.75 on the third 50, the only one under 34, to put himself in the lead going in to the final turn. Prenot held off a late charge from Nic Fink (2:12.15) who finished in second. Fink had the fastest last 50 at 33.97 and was the only one under 34 seconds.

The rest of the top eight was fairly stacked with two other Olympians in Cody Miller (2:13.73) and Kevin Cordes (2:15.97) placing fifth and eighth. Both of those guys will represent Team USA at the Pan American Games later this summer. World Championships team member Andrew Wilson (2:14.82) placed seventh here in the final.

Carlos Claverie (2:12.87) placed third and Virginia Tech incoming freshman AJ Pouch (2:13.36) placed fourth. Chuck Katis (2:14.49) also swam in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 50 FLY Farida Osman broke the Pro Swim Series record on Friday CONTINUED >>

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>> michael andrew

world this year in that event.

Both guys have been faster this year with Dressel swimming a 23.24 this morning and Andrew going a 23.36 in Des Moines. They both finished ahead of Giles Smith (23.69) and Santiago Grassi (23.74) in the short splash and dash.

Nathan Lile (23.92), Jack Saunderson (24.03), Zach Harting (24.13) and Abdelrahman Sameh (24.34) also swam in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE Katie Ledecky swam her fastest 400 free of the year on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 4:01.50 to lower her 4:02.71 season best from the Pro Swim Series in Knoxville. Ledecky won handily over Leah Smith (4:05.17) who has returned to the state of Virginia where she spent four years of college training in Charlottesville. Smith also swam the sixth fastest 400 free of the year with her swim in Richmond.

Ledecky is still second in the world rankings behind Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who dipped under 4:00 earlier this week at the Australian Swimming Championships. Titmus and Ledecky will go head to head at the World Championships later this summer, assuming Titmus qualifies for the team.

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Kaersten Meitz was all by herself in third place with a 4:09.20 as she was a little off her best time of 4:07 from last summer.

She will represent the United States at the World University Games later this summer.

Katie Drabot (4:11.75) placed fourth as she swam her second race of the night after placing second in the 200 fly to start off the night. Hali Flickinger (4:13.80) was fifth here as she swam her third event of the night.

14-year-old rising star Claire Tuggle (4:14.48) was sixth while Hannah Moore (4:15.22) and Madelyn Donohoe (4:16.71) placed seventh and eighth.

MEN’S 400 FREE Anton Ipsen held off a hard late charge from Zane Grothe in the 400 free final on Friday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond. Ipsen swam a 3:48.22 as Grothe was second at 3:48.53. Both Ipsen and Grothe were 3:49’s in Des Moines last month so they both scored season best times in the 400 free in Richmond. Grothe will represent Team USA this summer at World Championships in the 400 free as well as the 800 and 1500 free.

El Salvador native Marcelo Acosta (3:54.55) placed third as he just finished his senior year at the University of Louisville where he placed sixth in the 1650 this past March.

Santi Corredor (3:57.10), True Sweetser (3:57.16), Gil Kiesler (3:57.19), Ryan Waters (3:57.38) and Luke Johnson (3:58.38) also swam in the A-Final.

NIGHT 4 The final night of the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond featured ten total finals with the likes of Katie Ledecky, Olivia Smoliga, Simone Manuel, Caeleb Dressel and Michael Andrew in action. Andrew was the swimmer of the night as he swam a 1:57.49 in the 200 IM for the fourth fastest time in the world for 2019. Andrew took down Chase Kalisz in the process, who has been the umber one IM’er in the world the last two years.

men’s 1500 field on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond. Ipsen was able to get under 15:00 with a 14:57.15 which is a new personal best, lowering his 14:58.09 best time. Ipsen represents Denmark internationally and picked up sixth win this year at the TYR Pro Swim Series.

Ipsen has won all of the 1500 frees at the TYR Pro Swim Series in 2019.

Ipsen is now 8th in the world rankings for 2019 in the 1500.

Ipsen was well ahead of second place Marcelo Acosta, who just finished his collegiate career at the University of

Anton Ipsen also swam an impressive time as he lowered his personal best in the 1500 with a 14:57.

Madisyn Cox had a season best time in the 200 IM and Alia Atkinson also broke into the top eight in the world in the 50 breast.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE With no Katie Ledecky or Leah Smith in the field, NC State grad Hannah Moore won the 1500 free timed final on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond, Virginia with a 16:13.72. Moore was in a race early on with 33-year-old Kristel Kobrich (16:20.96) but pulled away as the race went on. Those two were well ahead of the rest of the field as 17-year-old Madelyn Donohoe (16:30.19) was fourth overall and third in the timed final.

Purdue grad Kaersten Meitz was third place after swimming a 16:29.52 earlier during the day. The 1500 was a timed final event and Meitz placed third without swimming tonight.

16-year-old Olivia McMurray (16:35.47) of Florida placed fifth ahead of the Clovis duo Claire Tuggle (16:55.82) and Averee Preble (16:56.76). New Zealand’s Hayley McIntosh (17:07.30) placed eighth overall.

MEN’S 1500 FREE Similar to Hannah Moore in the women’s 1500, NC State grad Anton Ipsen absolutely crushed the field in the CONTINUED >>

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>> sophie hansson

Louisville. Acosta was second tonight at 15:20.20.

Third place went to American Zane Grothe (15:26.38), who had the second fastest time by an American in 2018. Grothe was well off his 14:48 best time but will have some time to get down to that before World Championships in July.

Taylor Abbott (15:27.60), who is a well-known Open Water swimmer in the United States, placed fourth ahead of 2017 National Champion True Sweetser (15:34.86).

Luke Johnson (15:48.49), Aryan Makhija (15:48.93) and Christian Bayo (15:54.00) also placed in the top eight.

WOMEN’S 200 IM American Madisyn Cox posted her fastest time of the season in the 200 IM on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 2:10.27. Cox was a 2:10.29 in January and currently sits seventh in the world rankings for 2019.

Cox will not be swimming at a major meet later this summer after she served a doping suspension last year that ended up being overturned.

Cox was well in front of the American Record holder in yards in Ella Eastin, who just finished her senior year at Stanford.

Eastin was second tonight with a 2:11.68. Eastin was second at NCAAs last month in the 200 IM and has now entered the professional world of swimming.

There were four total Stanford swimmers in the A-Final tonight with Katie Ledecky (2:14.45), Katie Drabot (2:14.46) and Brooke Forde (2:14.91) placing third, fourth and fifth behind Eastin in second.

Drabot and Eastin will be returning in the fall for their senior and junior years respectively while Eastin and Ledecky will be swimming pro this coming year.

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Emily Escobedo (2:15.24), Bethany Galat (2:16.47) and Lauren Barber (2:17.63) also swam in the A-Final.

(2:11.63) finished fourth as she will be swimming at NC State in the fall. She was off her best time of 2:09.84.

MEN’S 200 IM 19-year-old Michael Andrew slammed down a 1:57.49 in the 200 IM on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond to take down the 2017 World Champion in this event in Chase Kalisz (1:59.02). Andrew lowered his best time of 1:59.12 and is now fourth in the world rankings for 2019 and is the fastest American for the year. Andrew will not be swimming the 200 IM at Worlds this summer but would have been the third fastest American in all of 2018.

Morgan Liberto (2:14.52), Paige Madden (2:15.33), Monique Rae (2:16.28) and Rose Pouch (2:16.55) also swam in the A-Final.

Andrew has not been on the 200 IM scene in a couple years and has not done it at the national level since the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series in Atlanta in March. Andrew has now put his name in contention for the Olympic Team next summer if he decides to do the 200 IM. He scratched out of the A-Final in the 2016 Trials to focus on the semi-finals of the 50 free and 100 fly. With a 1:57, Andrew’s outlook on the 200 IM could change drastically moving forward to the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Kalisz was slightly off his 1:57 season best from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series in January. He will represent the United States in this event at Worlds.

Josh Prenot (2:00.70) and Caeleb Dressel (2:01.72) were well off the pace in third and fourth place.

International swimmers Norbert Szabo (2:01.75), Tom Peribonio (2:02.35), Daniel Sos (2:03.48) and Zachary Tan (2:03.64) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 200 BACK Former Cal teammates Ryan Murphy and Jacob Pebley had another great race together on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with Murphy digging deep to take down his former training partner with a 1:57.23. Pebley was second at 1:57.61 after leading through 150 meters.

Murphy came home in a 29.41 on the final 50 to Pebley’s 30.76 as both were slower than their season best times.

Murphy was a 1:56.16 in Knoxville while Pebley was a 1:57.12 in Des Moines.

Those two guys were the only ones under 2:00 in the final as former NC State swimmer Hennessey Stuart (2:01.07) was third and 14-year-old Josh Zuchowski (2:02.12) was fourth.

Zuchowski holds the NAG record at 2:00.97 and broke Michael Andrew’s NAG record in the 100 last night.

Nikos Sofianidis (2:02.62), Dominick Wallace (2:02.75), Samuel Tornqvist (2:02.97) and Billy Cadigan (2:04.14) also swam in the A-Final.

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST Jamaica native Alia Atkinson, who trains in south Florida, won the 50 breast final on Saturday night at the TYR Pro

WOMEN’S 200 BACK 2018 World Short Course Champion Lisa Bratton put up the top time in the 200 back final on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 2:09.24 to sit just outside the top eight in the world this year. Bratton will represent Team USA at the World University Games this summer in the 200 back and is the fourth fastest American this year.

Bratton held off Hali Flickinger in the final as the versatile Georgia Bulldog was second at 2:10.12. Top seed Sonnele Oeztuerk (2:10.74) was third tonight, finishing a little slower than her 2:10.56 this morning.

High school senior Katharine Berkoff CONTINUED >>

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Swim Series in Richmond with a 30.58, which is the fourth fastest time in the world this year. Atkinson had a great start and won the final over Molly Hannis (30.77), who has the top time in the world this year with her 30.42 from this morning.

Another South Carolina Gamecock Nils Wich-Glasen (28.09) was sixth in the final. Internet superstar Cody Miller (28.18) finished seventh while Youssef El-Kamash (28.31) was eighth.

Third place went to Sophie Hansson (30.95), who just finished her freshman season at NC State.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE About 24 hours after being upset in the 50 free, Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel returned in the 100 free on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 53.74 to take down Olivia Smoliga (54.65), who beat her in the 50 on Friday. Smoliga has had a great meet this week in Richmond and was just off her 54.21 best time. Both Manuel and Smoliga will be swimming at the World Championships this summer but Smoliga will not be in the free relay.

The rest of the field was stacked with five total Olympians in the final. American Olympians Breeja Larson (31.38) and Katie Meili (31.46) finished in fifth and sixth. Rising star Annie Lazor (31.14) was fourth.

Rachel Bernhardt (31.75) and Peyton Kondis (31.97) also swam in the final.

MEN’S 50 BREAST Michael Andrew won his second event of the night on Saturday night at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Richmond with a 27.41 in the 50 breast. After having a huge 200 IM earlier in the night, Andrew returned to his bread and butter, the 50’s. Andrew finished ahead of some well-known names in American Record holder Kevin Cordes (27.60) and superstar Caeleb Dressel (27.99).

Andrew was a 27.1 in Des Moines and has a 26.8 best time. Andrew will be swimming the 50 breast at World Championships this summer.

South Carolina’s Itay Goldfaden (27.87) was third in the final tonight ahead of Dressel and American Chuck Katis (28.03).

Margo Geer will be on the 4×100 free relay at Gwangju this summer and she was third tonight with a 55.19. Natalie Hinds, who is still rather early in her comeback to swimming, was fourth at 55.35, just off her 55.14 best time.

Former USC swimmers Kasia Wilk (55.46) and Anika Apostalon (56.12) were fifth and seventh while American superstar Katie Ledecky (55.69) was sixth. Isabella Arcila (56.50) also swam in the A-Final.

MEN’S 100 FREE 2016 Olympian Ryan Held closed the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series at Richmond with a 48.70 in the 100 free, which is not far off his 48.26 best time at the 2016 Olympic Trials.

Held was a 48.65 last summer at US Nationals in July and is only 0.05 off tonight. That is a good swim for Held will not represent Team USA at a major event this summer.

Held finished just ahead of Texas senior Tate Jackson (48.76), who will represent Team USA at the World University Games this summer. Michael Chadwick (48.83) was third as he will be going to World Championships for the 4×100 free relay.

Suriname’s Renzo Tjon A Joe (49.38) was fourth in the final just ahead of Jack Conger (49.45), who recently started training at the University of Virginia.

Andrej Barna (49.75), Bartosz Piszczorowicz (50.08) and Pawel Sendyk (50.24) also swam in the A-Final. 

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>> simone manuel

2019 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES RICHMOND - PHOTO GALLERY Photos by Peter H. Bick

>> cody miller

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>>katie ledecky SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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>>justin wright

>>leah smith

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>>ella eastin SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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>>annie lazor

>>michael chadwick

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>> claire curzan SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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>> RYAN MURPHY

>> KELSI DAHLIA

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>> NIC FINK SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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>> MARCELO ACOSTA

>>RYAN HELD

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>> KATIE LEDECKY & LEAH SMITH

>> MICHAEL ANDREW SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY

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PARTING

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