The breakthrough came in the final event of the penultimate day of the USA Swimming National Championships at Stanford, during a memorable week for Texas A&M’s Shaine Casas.
He just finished his freshman year at A&M, swimming mostly the 200-yard Backstroke, where he made the consolation final at the NCAA Championships.
He’s exploded at the U.S. Nationals, finishing just 0.07 back of NCAA runner-up Austin Katz for second in the 200 m Backstroke, then charging from national class to world class at Stanford in the 100 m Back.
He came into the meet with an entry time of 54.51, but lowered that to 53.28 to lead all qualifiers for the final. Then he rocketed from the start, forged a big lead at the turn and came home strongly to finish in 52.72, winning by more than a second.
How good is 52.72? It would have won a bronze medal at the recent World Championships in Korea and placed him – at age 19 – no. 5 on the world list, right between 2016 Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy and 2012 Olympic Champion Matt Grevers! And Murphy and Grevers finished 4-5 at Gwangju at this distance, at 52.78 and 52.82. Wow!
The other feel-good story from Saturday was the return of Breeja Larson to the top of the podium, in the 100 m Breaststroke. Now 27, she was sixth in the London 100 m Breast and won a gold on the 4×100 m Medley Relay. She missed making the team in 2016 and hadn’t come close to her lifetime best of 1:05.92 from 2012.
But at Stanford, she led wire-to-wire and finished with her best time – 1:06.78 – since her third at the 2014 Nationals in 1:06.73, i.e., her best in five years. It ranks her 13th on the world list for 2019 and third in the U.S. behind world-record holder Lilly King and new star Annie Lazor (1:06.03 this year). Larson is in the game once again.
Devon Nowicki won his first national title in the 100 m Breast, taking an early lead and then holding on in 59.69. That makes him the no. 5 American on the 2019 list.
Ally McHugh won her second national title of 2019 with a 4:07.08-4:07.77 win over Open Water star Haley Anderson; McHugh won the 400 m Medley earlier.
The meet continues on Sunday; NBC’s Olympic Channel has coverage at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Summaries so far:
USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships
Stanford, California (USA) ~ 31 July-4 August 2019
(Full results here)
Men
100 m Freestyle: 1. Ryan Held, 47.39; 2. Maxime Rooney, 47.61; 3. Tate Jackson, 47.88; 4. Dean Farris, 48.07; 5. Daniel Krueger, 48.55; 6. Jack Conger, 48.64; 7. Robert Howard, 48.71; 8. Bowe Becker, 49.00.
200 m Free: 1. Elijah Winnington (AUS), 1:46.19; 2. Kieran Smith, 1:46.25; 3. Dean Farris, 1:46.45; 4. Rooney, 1:46.78; 5. Patrick Callan, 1:47.36; 6. Trenton Julian, 1:48.03; 7. Mitch D’Arrigo, 1:48.37; 8. Jordan Pothain (FRA), 1:48.98.
400 m Free: 1. Whittington (AUS), 3:47.39; 2. Jake Mitchell, 3:48.09; 3. Bobby Finke, 3:48.17; 4. Eric Knowles, 3:48.34; 5. Julian, 3:49.47; 6. tie, Patrick Callan and Mitch D’Arrigo, 3:50.37; 8. Zach Yeadon, 3:51.16.
1,500 m Free: 1. Finke, 14:51.15; 2. Zane Grothe, 14:56.10; 3. Michael Brinegar, 15:00.82; 4. Arik Katz, 15:05.93; 5. J. Mitchell, 15:11.52; 6. Knowles, 15:13.52; 7. Jack Collins, 15:15.75; 8. Ross Dant, 15:22.06.
100 m Backstroke: 1. Shaine Casas, 52.72; 2. Yohann Ndoye Brouard (FRA), 53.80; 3. Clark Beach, 53.95; 4. Craig McNally (GBR), 54.48; 5. Nicolas Albiero, 54.64; 6. Bryce Mefford, 54.79; 7. Matthew Klotz, 55.00; 8. Wyatt Davis, 55.07.
200 m Back: 1. Austin Katz, 1:55.72; 2. Casas, 1:55.79; 3. Beach, 1:57.14; 4. Mefford, 1:57.39; 5. Zachary Poti, 1:57.40; 6. Carson Foster, 1:58.26; 7. Albiero, 1:59.21; 8. Davis, 1:59.78.
100 m Breaststroke: 1. Devon Nowicki, 59.69; 2. Craig Benson (GBR), 59.79; 3. Reece Whitley, 1:00.05; 4. Theo Bussiere (FRA), 1:00.08; 5. Daniel Cave (AUS), 1:00.30; 6. Samuel Williamson (AUS), 1:00.61; 7. Caspar Corbeau (NED), 1:00.68; 8. Trent Pellini, 1:00.70.
200 m Breast: 1. Whitley, 2:09.69; 2. Daniel Roy, 2:10.01; 3. Joshua Matheny, 2:11.02; 4. Cave (AUS), 2:11.22; 5. Benson (GBR), 2:11.27; 6. Corbeau (NED), 2:11.54; 7. Nicholas Quinn (GBR), 2:11.77; 8. Brandon Fischer, 2:12.15.
100 m Butterfly: 1. M. Rooney, 51.09; 2. Conger, 51.70; 3. Jack Saunderson, 51.76; 4. Held, 52.15; 5. John Shebat, 52.19; 6. Danny Kovac, 52.22; 7. Giles Smith, 52.25; 8. Luca Urlando, 52.31.
200 m Fly: 1. Urlando, 1:54.92; 2. Miles Smachlo, 1:55.94; 3. Albiero, 1:56.05; 4. Trenton Julian, 1:45.09; 5. Bowen Gough (AUS), 1:56.65; 6. Brooks Fail, 1:57.00; 7. Corey Gambardella, 1:57.32; 8. Justin Wright, 1:58.79.
400 m Medley: 1. Finke, 4:13.15; 2. C. Foster, 4:13.39 (World Junior Record; old, 4:4.00, Sean Grieshop (USA), 2016); 3. Jake Foster, 4:15.03; 4. K. Smith, 4:15.17; 5. Sean Grieshop, 4:15.50; 6. Brodie Williams (GBR), 4:16.63; 7. Grant Sanders, 4:18.28; 8. Mark Szaranek (GBR), 4:18.90.
Women
100 m Freestyle: 1. Abbey Weitzeil, 53.18; 2. tie, Gretchen Walsh and Erika Brown, 54.13; 4. Catie DeLoof, 54.28; 5. Natalie Hinds, 54.34; 6. Allison Schmitt, 54.81; 7. Linnea Mack, 54.87; 8. Isabel Ivey, 54.97.
200 m Free: 1. Allison Schmitt, 1:56.97; 2. Paige Madden, 1:57.84; 3. Brooke Forde. 1:57.98; 4. Cierra Runge, 1:58.82; 5. Gabby DeLoof, 1:59.03; 6. Claire Tuggle, 1:59.42; 7. Erica Laning, 1:59.67; 8. Emma Atkinson, 1:59.82.
400 m Free: 1. Ally McHugh, 4:07.08; 2. Haley Anderson, 4:07.77; 3. Sierra Schmidt, 4:07.79; 4. Tuggle, 4:07.85; 5. Cierra Runge, 4:07.90; 6. Lauren Pitzer, 4:08.68; 7. Schmitt, 4:08.81; 8. Kensey McMahon, 4:10.62.
800 m Free: 1. McHugh, 8:26.04; 2. . Schmidt, 8:27.13; 3. Ashley Twichell, 8:27.36; 4. Kensey McMahon, 8:28.68; 5. H. Anderson, 8:29.11; 6. Emma Weyant, 8:29.31; 7. Runge, 8:29.87; 8. Chase Travis, 8:32.46.
100 m Backstroke: 1. Amy Bilquist, 59.64; 2. Claire Curzan, 1:00.39; 3. Caitlin Brooks, 1:00.46; 4. Erika Brown, 1:00.64; 5. Kylee Alons, 1:00.71; 6. Lucie Nordmann, 1:00.83; 7. Isabel Ivey. 1:00.85; 8. Annabel Crush, 1:00.88.
200 m Backstroke: 1. Asia Seidt, 2:08.90; 2. tie, Emma Seiberlich and Erin Voss, 2:10.86; 4. Atkinson, 2:10.96; 5. Nordmann, 2:11.43; 6. Chloe Hicks, 2:11.93; 7. Abi Wilder, 2:12.02; 8. Natalie Mannion, 2:14.63.
100 m Breaststroke: 1. Breeja Larson, 1:06.78; 2. Kaitlyn Dobler, 1:07.23; 3. Miranda Tucker, 1:07.33; 4. Zoie Hartman, 1:07.37; 5. Madisyn Cox, 1:07.51; 6. Emily Weiss, 1:07.56; 7. Ellie Andrews, 1:08.37; 8. Nikol Popov, 1:08.93.
200 m Breast: 1. M. Cox, 2:23.84; 2. Abby Arens, 2:25.80; 3. Jenna Strauch (AUS), 2:26.05; 4. Tucker, 2:26.50; 5. Gillian Davey, 2:26.80; 6. Anna Keating, 2:26.90; 7. Andrews, 2:29.02; 8. Kate Douglass, 2:29.70.
100 m Butterfly: 1. Kelsi Dahlia, 57.35; 2. Amanda Kendall, 57.51; 3. Aly Tetzloff, 57.70; 4. Torri Huske, 57.80; 5. Claire Curzan, 57.87; 6. Lillie Nordmann, 57.96; 7. Katie Drabot, 58.43; 8. Natalie Hinds, 58.78.
200 m Fly: 1. Regan Smith, 2:07.26; 2. Nordmann, 2:07.43; 3. Dakota Luther, 2:07.76; 4. Olivia Carter, 2:08.22; 5. Megan Kingsley, 2:08.26; 6. Emily Large (GBR), 2:08.39; 7. Drabot, 2:08.56; 8. Taylor Pike, 2:10.68.
400 m Medley: Emma Weyant, 4:35.37; 2. Brooke Forde, 4:36.06; 3. Ally McHugh, 4:38.65; 4. Hannah Miley (GBR), 4:39.00; 5. Cox, 4:29.26; 6. Emma Barksdale, 4:41.49; 7. Kelly Fertel, 4:41.53; 8. Kate Moore, 4:42.23.
