SWIMMING: Five wins for Andrew and 11 world-leading marks in excellent Tyr Pro Swim debut in Des Moines

Two American Records on the first day of the U.S. Olympic Trials for Michael Andrew

The first Tyr Pro Swim Series meet held in Des Moines, Iowa probably shouldn’t be the last.

Over four days in what is normally a heavy training period, eight U.S. swimmers and Anton Ipsen from Denmark produced 11 world-leading marks (including one equaled):

Men’s 800 m Free: 7:54.28, Zane Grothe (USA)
Men’s 1,500 m Free: 15:05.39, Anton Ipsen (DEN)
Men’s 50 m Fly: 23.36, Michael Andrew (USA)
Men’s 100 m Fly: 51.51, Caeleb Dressel (USA)

Women’s 800 m Free: 8:29.12, Leah Smith (USA)
Women’s 50 m Back: 27.76, Kathleen Baker (USA)
Women’s 100 m Back: 59.17, Kathleen Baker (USA)
Women’s 100 m Breast: 1:06.66, Annie Lazor (USA)
Women’s 200 m Breast: 2:22.99, Annie Lazor (USA)
Women’s 100 m Fly: 57.86 (equals), Kelsi Dahlia (USA)
Women’s 200 m Fly: 2:07.10, Hali Flickinger (USA)

Dahlia equaled her own time from the first Tyr Pro Swim meet in Knoxville in January, and Lazor’s mark replaced her earlier Knoxville performance.

Andrew was everywhere, winning the 50 m Free – in a great duel with Dressel – the 50 and 100 m backstrokes, the 100 m breaststroke, the 50 m butterfly and taking second in the 50 m breast for a total of six medals. In addition to his world-leader in the 50 m Fly, his 50 m Free time ranks second in 2019.

However, Backstroke world-record holder Baker was no less impressive, sweeping the 50-100-200 distances and claiming two world leaders in the 50 m and 100 m events; her time in the 200 m Back was no. 2 on the world list! She also picked up a third in the 200 m Medley on the final day of the meet.

There were three double winners: Zane Grothe in the 400 m and 800 m Freestyles (and a third in the 1,500 m Free), Lazor in the 100-200 m Breaststrokes, both by convincing margins, and Hali Flickinger in the 200 m Fly and 400 Medley (plus a third in the 800 m Free).

The meet showed some impressive performances, considering that this really is the early season and that the U.S. teams for the 2019 World Championships and other major events were selected off the 2018 U.S. Nationals. The preparation is focused on the summer.

The Tyr Pro Swim Series is now off for a month, before the third leg starts in Richmond, Virginia on 10 April. Summaries from Des Moines:

Tyr Pro Swim Series
Des Moines, Iowa (USA) ~ 6-9 March 2019
(Full results here; all U.S. unless indicated)

Men

50 m Freestyle: 1. Michael Andrew, 21.94; 2. Caeleb Dressel, 22.08; 3. Ali Khalafalla, 22.33.

100 m Free: 1. Blake Pieroni, 48.91; 2. Breno Correia (BRA), 48.99; 3. tie, Marcelo Chierigini (BRA) and Marius Kusch (GER), 49.19. (B final: 1. Caeleb Dressel, 48.71).

200 m Free: 1. Correia (BRA), 1:47.83; 2. Pieroni, 1:47.92; 3. Alex Kunert (GER), 1:47.93.

400 m Free: 1. Zane Grothe, 3:49.29; 2. Anton Ipsen (DEN), 3:49.83; 3. Mitch D’Arrigo, 3:53.46.

800 m Free: 1. Grothe, 7:54.28; 2. Jordan Wilimovsky, 7:55.71; 3. Ipsen (DEN), 7:58.23.

1,500 m Free: 1. Ipsen (DEN), 15:05.39; 2. Wilimovsky, 15:05.44; 3. Grothe, 15:13.29.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Michael Andrew, 24.94; 2. Grigory Tarasevich (RUS), 25.16; 3. Jacob Pebley, 25.30.

100 m Back: 1. Andrew, 53.98; 2. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 54.03; 3. Tarasevich (RUS), 54.17.

200 m Back: 1. Pebley, 1:57.12; 2. Irie (JPN), 1:57.26; 3. Tarasevich (RUS), 1:58.45.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Felipe Lima (BRA), 27.18; 2. Andrew, 27.22; 3. Nic Fink, 27.45.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Andrew, 59.70; 2. James Wilby (GBR), 59.91; 3. Cody Miller, 1:00.22.

200 m Breast: 1. Will Licon, 2:09.90; 2. Fink, 2:09.93; 3. Wilby (GBR), 2:10.78.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Andrew, 23.36; 2. Kusch (GER), 23.38; 3. Luis Martinez (GUA), 23.79.

100 m Fly: 1. Dressel, 51.51; 2. Kusch (GER), 51.58; 3. Martinez (GUA), 52.17.

200 m Fly: 1. Kunert (GER), 1:57.80; 2. Mack Darragh (CAN), 1:58.64; 43. Luiz
Melo (BRA), 1:58.98.

200 m Medley: 1. Gunnar Bentz, 2:01.45; 2. Jay Litherland, 2:02.29; 3. Leonardo Coehlo (BRA), 2:02.73.

400 m Medley: 1. Litherland, 4:17.28; 2. Brandon Cruz (BRA), 4:17.65; 3. Gunnar Bentz, 4:20.37.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Natalie Hinds, 25.26; 2. Margo Geer, 25.29; 3. Kayla Sanchez (CAN), 25.31.

100 m Free: 1. Geer, 54.59; 2. Olivia Smoliga, 55.05; 3. Hinds, 55.26.

200 m Free: 1. Allison Schmidt, 1:57.70; 2. Melanie Margalis, 1:58.02; 3. Leah Smith, 1:58.47.

400 m Free: 1. Bingjie Li (CHN), 4:03.29; 2. Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 4:05.28; 3. L. Smith, 4:08.41.

800 m Free: 1. L. Smith, 8:29.12; 2. Hali Flickinger, 8:29.96; 3. Kaersten Meitz, 8:38.98.

1,500 m Free: 1. J. Wang (CHN), 15:46.01; 2. Kristel Kobrich (CHI), 16:17.92; 3. B. Li (CHN), 16:19.71.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Kathleen Baker, 27.76; 2. Smoliga, 28.25; 3. Ali DeLoof, 28.51.

100 m Back: 1. Baker, 59.17; 2. Smoliga, 59.35; 3. DeLoof, 1:00.10.

200 m Back: 1. Baker, 2:08.08; 2. Hali Flickinger, 2:10.24; 3. Smoliga, 2:11.18.

50 m Breaststroke: 1. Jhennifer Conceicao (BRA), 30.90; 2. Imogen Clark (GBR), 30.91; 3. Lazor, 30.96.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Annie Lazor, 1:06.66; 2. Bethany Galat, 1:07.13; 3. Margalis, 1:07.20.

200 m Breast: 1. Lazor, 2:22.99; 2. Kierra Smith (CAN), 2:24.41; 3. Galat, 2:25.66.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Farida Osman (EGY), 25.79; 2. Kelsi Dahlia, 25.87; 3. Kendyl Stewart, 26.37.

100 m Fly: 1. Kelsi Dahlia, 57.86; 2. Amanda Kendall, 58.66; 3. Osman (EGY), 59.13.

200 m Fly: 1. H. Flickinger, 2:07.10; 2. Megan Kingsley, 2:10.91; 3. Charlotte Atkinson (GBR), 2:11.34.

200 m Medley: 1. Margalis, 2:10.88; 2. Sanchez (CAN), 2:12.93; 3. Baker, 2:13.27.

400 m Medley: 1. H. Flickinger, 4:38.84; 2. Galat, 4:43.64; 3. Calypso Sheridan (AUS), 4:44.04.