This is my last blog about trials, just playing a little catch up now.

Saturday morning had the prelims of the women’s 50 and the men’s 1500 freestyle. And instead of going event by event, semifinal by semifinal and so on, I’ll just recap prelims, semis, and finals for each event.

In the women’s 50, Kate Dwelley, swimming in her final event at this years trials, got a best time of 25.89. Another Terrapin, Lauren Rogers, swimming in an off event (she’s mostly a backstroker) did very well, tying for 44th with a time of 26.19. The final local swimmer was Campolindo graduate Lindsey Sharp, who swam right around her entry time and finished with a 26.38. As for the top sixteen, Lara Jackson, who swims for the University of Arizona and Tucson Ford Dealers, broke Dara Torres’ American record in the event with at time of 24.50. Note that Jackson was wearing the Blue Seventy swimskin, which was very popular with the high schoolers this year at NCS. Torres qualified third for prelims with a time of 24.72, well off her best time of 24.53, the previous American record. Also, Jessica Hardy, who was already on the team in the 100 breaststroke, qualified a surprising second, .13 behind Jackson with a time of 24.63. In semifinals, Torres’ took back what was hers and broke Jackson’s new American record, coming in at a 24.38. Hardy again took the second spot, also going under the previous US standard with a time of 24.48. Jackson, who instead of the Blue Seventy wore the TYR Rise suit, added .44 onto her prelim time and qualified fourth. Actually, when Jackson was on the blocks in the TYR suit, my teammate Sean Mahoney and I were very excited about what was happening, “Bro this is a crazy experiment. If she goes slow in this 50, it’ll be huge for Blue Seventy,” Sean said to me. Of course, I wholeheartedly agreed. It came to no surprise to me that the next night Jackson donned the Blue Seventy suit instead of the TYR. And speaking of finals, Dara Torres continued to amaze, joining Garrett Weber-Gale on the men’s side as a double winner in the sprint freestyle events. Torres again set the American record with a time of 24.25, making it the ninth time she has broken the American record in the event. Jessica Hardy kept her second place trend going, receiving the sliver, touching at 24.82. Jackson, who may have been too excited in prelims, finished third with a 24.88.

In the prelims of the men’s 1500, it was Club Wolverine’s Eric Vendt who set the pace, and the US Trials record, going a 14:50.24. Chad La Tourette, last years California State Champion in the 500 freestyle, qualified second with a 15:02.78. American record holder and Athens silver medalist Larsen Jensen was very relaxed in the morning, swimming a 15:11.99, adding around 25 seconds to his best time. In finals, it was Jensen out like a shot, dominating the field up until the 1200-meter mark, where Peter Vanderkaay, who qualified third, zoomed past and stayed in first for good. Vanderkaay finished with a 14:45.54, barley missing Jensen’s American record of 14:45.29. Jensen took second with a 14:50.80 and La Tourette was third with a 14:57.50. Vendt, who definitely went too fast in prelims, took third with a 15:07.78, adding seventeen seconds to his prelim swim.

On Saturday night came the final of the men’s 100-meter butterfly. It was another battle between the great Michael Phelps and the world record holder Ian Crocker. As always, Crocker was out first, splitting a 23.93 to Phelps’ 24.41. But as usual, Phelps the distance swimmer had more in the tank by the end and ended up out splitting Crocker 26.48 to 27.69. Phelps won convincingly with a time of 50.89 and Crocker touched second in 52.62. Gil Stovall, who is on the Olympic Team in the 200 butterfly, finished third in 52.08.

In the final of the women’s 200 backstroke, it was once again heartbreak for Texas swimmer Hayley McGregory. After breaking the world record in prelims of the 100 backstroke, she eventually placed third, losing her spot to a late charging Margaret Hoelzer. In the 200, Hoelzer won in a world record time of 2:06.09, but it was not her who ended McGregory’s Olympic dream. Rather, it was fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Beisel (2:06.92), whose last lap domination of McGregory (2:07.69) was the key. My heart goes out to McGregory, who now has four Olympic Trials third places under her belt. Something like that just doesn’t happen, it was meant to be, and I hope she is able to move on from something that horrible.

Of course, I saved the best for last, the final of the men’s 50 freestyle. The heat had everything a swim fan could ask for: Two Olympic Gold medalists, a few NCAA champions, two defending world champions, and countless NCAA All-American honors. This was easily the fastest 50 freestyle field in Olympic Trial history. To put things in perspective, the top eight times in finals of the ’04 Olympics were 21.93 (the time that Gary Hall Jr. posted to win), 21.94, 22.02, 22.08, 22.11, 22.18, 22.26, and 22.37. At this year’s trials, Garrett Weber-Gale, who won and set the American record, went a 21.47. Second was Ben Wildman-Tobriner with a 21.65, third was Cullen Jones (21.81), fourth was Gary Hall Jr. (21.91), fifth was Jason Lezak (21.98), sixth was Nathan Adrian (22.07), and tied for seventh was Nick Brunelli and Bryan Lundquist at 22.13. The top four swimmers at this year’s trials could’ve won the Olympic Gold in Athens. Fifth place at Trials was good enough for bronze at the Games, and the last three guys would’ve placed at least sixth. By far the fastest 50 freestyle in United States history. Also, with Ben Wildman-Tobriner of Lick Wilmerding High School making the team in the 50, the NCS has a chance to earn its second Olympic gold medal in that event, the first being Matt Biondi in 1988. By coincidence, they are also the last two men to hold the 50 free record at NCS.

So that’s it for Trials. The best meet I have ever attended, including the Trials in 2004. I hope you enjoyed my blogs.

-Matt

Tonight couldʼve been one of the most exciting finals yet. Two world records, the fastest 50 free semifinal ever, and two ʽwashed upʼ ladies making the team? This is too much.

The first event was the semifinal of the menʼs 50 freestyle. Going into the semis, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner, and Gary Hall Jr. were the only men to break 22 seconds. That may have been the fastest prelim swims in US history. The only question was if the field could keep the effort going into semifinals. The answer to that question was a resounding YES! In what may have been the fastest 50 freestyle semifinal ever, five guys were under 22 seconds and two more were 22 very low. The field was headed by Ben Wildman-Tobriner, who bettered his time from prelims, touching at a 21.65. Next was new American record holder Cullen Jones at 21.71 and then Garrett Weber-Gale at 21.83. Finally, the last two men under 22 were Gary Hall with a 21.94 and Nick Brunelli at 21.99. The final tomorrow night will be an amazing show, and it seems that anyone in the field can make the team. In the top eight, there are Olympic, NCAA, and World champions, world record holders, American record holders, and countless of other accolades. This could possibly be the most star-studded final at the Olympic Trials this year. DONʼT MISS IT TOMORROW NIGHT!!

The second event of the evening was the final of the womenʼs 200 breast. Now, one of the biggest stories going into these Olympic Trials was whether Amanda Beard could make her fourth Olympic Team. People were claiming she had not taken her training seriously enough, that she cared too much about modeling instead of swimming, her real job. Beard shut up any critics tonight, posing a time of 2:25.13, which was enough to place her second in the event and earn her spot on the Team. Finishing ahead of Beard was Rebecca Soni. Soni missed making the team in the 100 breast, even though she entered the meet as one of the favorites. She finally got her redemption with a clear victory in the 200 with a time of 2:22.60, narrowly missing Beardʼs American record of 2:22.44. Finishing third was 16-year old Caitlin Leverenz, coming in at 2:25.98. Look out for Leverenz at the 2012 Trials, she could be a lock for the Team.

The very next final was the menʼs 200 backstroke. Before the World Championships last March, Aaron Piersol had not lost a 200 backstroke race since he was a fresh 17-year old at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when he placed second to then-backstroke superstar Lenny Krayzelburg. At the Melbourne World Championships, Piersol lost the race and his world record to Ryan Lochte, so maybe the Torch had been passed from one backstroke great to the other. Tonight, Piersol had other plans. In one of the most exciting races of the Trials, Aaron Piersol showed the world why he is the defending Olympic Champion by defeating Ryan Lochte and tying the world record his rival had set more than a year ago. Piersol finished with a time of 1:54.32 and Lochte came in right after him, touching at 1:54.34. Both men were well ahead of the rest of the field, so this was not a race to see who would make the Olympic Team. Instead, it was more a race of pride. Would Piersol take back what had been his for seven years? Or had the tides really turned, and was Lochte the new man in backstroke? For now, it remains Piersol, but next month in Bejing, the two men will race again, this time for Olympic gold.

The very next swim was the semifinal of the womenʼs 200 backstroke. The top two ladies going into the final are fifteen year old Elizabeth Beisel (2:07.78) and Hayley McGregory (2:08.28). Those two are seeded about a second ahead of the rest of the field, so if everything shapes up like itʼs supposed to be, Beisel goes to the Olympics in yet another event and McGregory finally makes an Olympic Team. But the story that interested me about semifinals came out of lane eight of the second semifinal. Forget about the stars in that heat, Beisel and Margaret Hoelzer, and focus in on lane eight. There was thirteen year old Madison White of Crow Canyon Sharks, seeded fifteenth, and becoming the youngest swimmer at the meet to qualify for the semifinals. Madison ended up finishing twelfth, sixth in her heat. Finishing two spots behind White was fourteen year old Bonnie Brandon, so if thereʼs two people to watch for in 2012, it could be those two.

After the 200 backstrokes came the final of the menʼs 200 IM. This became yet another record-breaking performance for Michael Phelps, beating Ryan Lochte in another individual medley duel. Phelps came in at 1:54.80, shaving .18 off his previous world record. Now for those of you who watched, the race, you may have noticed that Lochte dominated Phelps in the breaststroke leg and made the race closer. This was not the case. After checking out the race splits, I noticed that Phelps and Lochte had the exact same breaststroke split, 33.60. Actually, the fastest breaststroke split of the race, 32.48, was turned in by third-place Eric Shanteau. Another point is that when it seemed that Phelps dominated the freestyle leg and moved to a victory, it was actually Lochte who outsplit Phelps, 27.12 to 27.23. A small margin, yes, but just as with Lochte seemingly destroying Phelps on the breaststroke leg, you canʼt always believe what you see.

For those of you who think Amanda Beard is old for making the Olympic Team at age 26, remember that Dara Torres was winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics when Beard was just three years old. Dara Torres became the oldest US swimming Olympian ever at age 41 after winning the 100 free over Natalie Coughlin at this years trials. Torres came in at 53.78, barely touching out a charging Coughlin by .05. Coughlin, the American record holder in the event, wasnʼt fazed by her losing to someone who could be her mother, as the two women joked around and congratulated each other in the water after the race. Also qualifying for the Olympics as members of the 4×100 free relay team were Arizona Wildcat Lacey Nymeyer, 100 breaststroke Trials champ Jessica Hardy, Cal Bear Emily Silver, and Julia Smit of Stanford Aquatics.

The last event of the night was the semifinal of the menʼs 100 butterfly. Helping shape what looks to be another race of Michael Phelps vs. Another Rival of His, Phelps and Ian Crocker qualified first and second for the final tomorrow night. Since they first dueled at the 2003 World Championships in this event, the two powers have been trading victories in all major competitions. Crocker is the 2003 and 2005 World Champion while Phelps is the 2004 Olympic gold medalist and 2007 World Champ. Those four races have been decided by margins of .12, .04, 1.25, and .05. Aside from the 1.25 seconds that separated them at the 2005 World Championships, their races have come down to the blink of an eye. So if you thought Phelpsʼ races with Lochte have been exciting, you ʽaint seen nothinʼ yet.

Tomo Aside from the 1.25 seconds that separated them at the 2005 World Championships, their races have come down to the blink of an eye. So if you thought Phelpsʼ races with Lochte have been exciting, you ʽaint seen nothinʼ yet.

Tomorrow is the womenʼs 50 and menʼs 1500 free

Ryan Lochte gave a GREAT I.M. race to Michael Phelps. Ryan only had 1/2 the time to warm down and get rid of lactic acid from his previous race (45 min. earlier) and could have taken Phelps, had it not been for having to swim through the stiffness and pain caused by lactic acid build up I’m supposing he had.

And, wasn’t that men’s backstroke race & finish FANTASTIC (Aaron Piersol and Ryan Lochte).

Three VERY EXCITING races in one night – YES!!!!

…Hats off and many KUDOS to Crow Canyon’s 13-year old Madison White and Terrapins’ Julieanne McLane who made it to 200 backstroke semi-finals tonight!!!!!! And, of course, Terrapins’ Lauren Rogers and Presley Bard in 100 backstroke FINALS, Kasey Carlson in the 100 breaststroke semi-finals, Sean Mahoney in 200 breaststroke semi-finals and Kate Dwelley in freestyle semi-finals!!!!!!

God bless all our Contra Costa swimmers, coaches and families. You have all worked so hard to get where you are! It’s a BLESSING and pleasure to know you and be a part of such an AWESOME swim community!! CONGRATULATIONS to all of you!! We’re proud of you!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

After a day’s absence, I’m back with another US Olympic Trials report from Omaha, Nebraska.

The first event on Friday morning, the men’s 50 free, is in my opinion the best event in all of swimming. It’s swimming at its finest. When you were a kid playing around in the neighborhood pool, you didn’t say to your friend, “I’ll race you from here to there and back eight times doing all the strokes.” No, it’s always from here to there as fast as you can go, and that’s what the 50 meter freestyle is all about. For the last eight years, no American had done it better than Gary Hall Jr. That is, until new sprint superstar Cullen Jones jumped into the water in the 14th heat this morning. Jones smashed into the wall at a 21.59, breaking Hall’s American, US Open, and Olympic Trials meet record of 21.76, while also making him the fourth fastest man in history. Jones, an African American, is regarded as swimming’s ‘great black hope’, since he is making a habit of dominating a traditionally ‘white country club’ sport. He has given inspiration to many aspiring young African American swimmers all over the world. Finishing second behind Jones was US National Teammate Ben Wildman-Tobriner, with at time of 21.68, also swimming under Hall’s former record. For those of you who don’t know, Wildman-Tobriner is a product of Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, and is also the North Coast Section record holder in the 50 yard freestyle. Wildman-Tobriner’s time puts him seventh all-time in the splash ‘n dash, an event that he has excelled at for years, eventually resulting in a World Championship title last year. Qualifying third was now former American record holder Gary Hall Jr, whose time of 21.89 was his fastest in eight years. 100 free Olympians Garrett Weber Gale, Nathan Adrian, and Jason Lezak all tied for fourth with a 22.05. Round Hill Country Club coach and Walnut Creek Aquabear Chris Horner finished with a 23.66. Also, for those of you who have been asking for DACA boys, Shayne Fleming, 16, was the youngest guy competing in the event, placing 67th with a time of 23.29.

The next event, the women’s 800 freestyle, was about as far away from the 50 free as you could get. The pace completely changed from an all-out, turbo charged effort to a more relaxed, but strategy-filled race. In the first heat there were two local girls, Shelley Harper of the Aquabears and Jennifer Narum of Pleasanton. Harper, competing in her second event at trials, placed 49th with a 9:00.58 and Narum was 36th with an 8:52.83. A couple heats later another Pleasanton swimmer raced, this time it was Catherine Breed. The soon-to-be sophomore at Amador Valley was swimming alongside Katie Hoff, so it would be understandable if her nerves got to her, but she handled herself wonderfully, finishing 23rd with a time of 8:48.90. Remember folks, she’s only 15. As for Hoff, she is seeded second going into the final tonight, cruising to an 8:29.91. Hoff is seeded second to Kate Ziegler, who went an 8:29.39. Hoff, who defeated Ziegler in the 200 and 400 freestyles earlier in the meet, has her work cut out for her, as Ziegler is the defending World Champion/world record holder in the 1500 freestyle as well as the second fastest woman in the history of the 800. Tonight’s final looks to be an exciting one.

Staying with the trend of going from sprint-to-distance-to-sprint, the next event was the men’s 100 butterfly. Ian Crocker, who was disqualified in his only other event, the 100 free, was looking for some redemption in his specialty. The world record holder destroyed the field, posting the top time of the morning with a 51.52. Second was Matt Grevers, who earlier earned at spot on the Olympic Team in the 100 backstroke, qualified second with a 52.21. Michael Phelps, swimming in his sixth event of the week, is seeded third, winning his heat with a very easy 52.26. Campolindo grad Zach Disbrow finished with a 55.81, and swimming right next to him was former NCS champion and Casa Grande swimmer Ian Lentz, who touched at a 55.81. A few heats later was my teammate John Dwelley, a Liberty High School grad, who finished with a 54.35.

The last event of the morning was the women’s 200 backstroke. This event was especially nerve-racking for me and everyone I was sitting around, since I was hanging out with 13-year old Madison White’s family. Madison was in lane one of the final heat and seeded with a 2:14.40 and was hoping to make a second swim in the event. Madison turned in a best time of 2:13.34, placing her fifteenth, making her the youngest finalist at the Olympic Trials. White will be joined in the semi finals by Carondelet graduate Julianne McLane, who is seeded ninth with a time of 2:12.70. Fifteen year old Elizabeth Beisel, who placed second in the 400 IM, is seeded first with a 2:07.44. Second is Hayley McGregory, who is now swimming with a vengeance after losing her world record and then her spot on the Olympic Team in the 100 backstroke. At the 2004 Trials, McGregory placed third in both backstroke events, so this may be her last chance to make the Olympic Team. I’m making sure to root for her along with McLane and White tonight in the semis. Also competing was Miramonte graduate Heather White, who finished her Trials program today with a time of 2:20.07, and Foothill’s Karen Wang, only 16, touched in at a 2:19.35.

More to come tonight…

Tonight the semifinal of my second favorite event, the 100 freestyle, led off the session. After a very exciting prelim session, where the American record was broken twice in back-to-back heats, Jason Lezak again wowed the crowd in Omaha. Lezak became the third-fastest man in the history of the event, clocking a 47.58, only .08 off Frenchman Alain Bernardʼs world record of 47.50. Lezak is the number one seed going into finals, while previous American record holder Garrett Weber-Gale qualified third with a 48.35. Qualifying second was former Arizona State Sun Devil Nick Brunelli with a time of 48.29.

In the final of the womenʼs 200 freestyle, it was once again all Katie Hoff, who reset her own American record with a time of 1:55.88. With that swim, Hoff became the second fastest performer of all time, second only to world record holder Laure Manaudou, who went 1:55.52 at last yearʼs world championships. Joining Hoff on the Olympic Team were Allison Schmitt (1:55.92), Julia Smit (1:56.73), Caroline Burckle (1:57.93), Moraga native Kim Vandenberg (1:58.02), and Christine Marshall (1:58.02).

After the womenʼs 200 free came the final of the menʼs 200 butterfly. As with almost everything he swims, Michael Phelps showed why he is a force to be reckoned with. Phelps finished in at 1:52.20, only .11 off his world record. Phelps broke the US Open and Olympic Trials records with his swim. Joining Phelps on the Olympic Team is 200 yard butterfly NCAA champion Gil Stoval, who stopped the clock at 1:53.86.

The very next event was actually the semifinal of the womanʼs 200 butterfly. Elaine Breeden continued to shine in the event, breaking Mary T. Meagherʼs Olympic Trials record with a time of 2:07.33, a record that had stood since 1984. Qualifying second was high school sensation Kathleen Hersey (2:08.03) and third was Mary Descenza (2:08.82). Also, Kim Vandenberg, who just finished the 200 freestyle, qualified fourth with a time of 2:08.86.

Next up was the semifinals of the menʼs 200 breaststroke. Qualifying first was American record holder Brendan Hansen with a time of 2:09.60. Hansen was the world record holder in the 200 until about a month ago when his Japanese rival Kosuke Kitajima knocked almost a second off Hansenʼs old world standard, going 2:07.51. Look for Hansen to make an effort to break that record tomorrow night in finals. Qualifying second was Eric Shanteau (2:10.24) and third was Scott Spann (2:10.38). Terrapin swimmer Sean Mahoney ended up tenth with a time of 2:13.61.

The last event of the night was the final of the womenʼs 200 IM. What can you say, Katie Hoff is turning herself into one of the greatest swimmers of all time. Hoff set her second American record of the night, breaking Natalie Coughlinʼs record of 2:09.77, going 2:09.71. Hoff qualified for the Olympic Team in her fifth event, after already earning a spot in the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 400 IM, and 4×200 freestyle relay. Also qualifying in another event was Natalie Coughlin, who was just off the pace at 2:10.32, outtouching Ariana Kukors, who went 2:10.40.

Now, many people talk about the heartbreak of finishing third at trials. Finishing third at the Olympic Trials and not making the Olympic Team can be devastating for many people. Itʼsworse than finishing fourth at the Olympics, since at least you got to the Olympics in the first place. Tonight I noticed this more than most, with a bunch of the races coming straight down to the wire. In the final of the menʼs 200 butterfly, it was a forgone conclusion that Michael Phelps would make the Olympic Team. But since the ʼ04 Trials, Club Wolverineʼs Davis Tarwater has emerged as that second 200 butterflier. Tarwater was the second seed going into the final tonight by almost a full second over Gil Stoval. At the end of the race, when Stoval finished second and Tarwater finished third, Tarwater seemed so disgusted with his performance that he climbed out of the pool immediately, not waiting for post race announcements or congratulations from any of his competitors. It was a sad example of how dreams can be destroyed in two minutes. The same also for Ariana Kukors, who, when leading Natalie Coughlin by a hair at the finish, took an extra stroke and missed the Olympic Team by .08. While I didnʼt notice any negative body language, I can only imagine the grief that must be overcoming Kukors. Anyone who is in this situation must be feeling horrible and I think the world of anyone who can beat this sadness. A great example of getting over a third place finish is Brendan Hansen, who placed third in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the 2000 trials, and is now the world record holder in the 100 breast. The best thing to do with a third place finish? Use it as motivation during the next four years of training.

More to come tomorrow during prelims…………..