Caeleb Dressel Rips 21.75 50m Free, Tops Prelim Field

Preliminary recap from the 5th day of competition at the 2017 Phillips 66 US National Swimming Championships.

Jul 1, 2017

Caeleb Dressel Rips 21.75 50m Free, Tops Prelim Field

Women 200 LC Meter IM -- Full Results

World: 2:06.12 -- 8/3/2015 -- Katinka Hosszu
American: 2:06.15 -- 7/27/2009 -- Ariana Kukors
U.S. Open: 2:08.66 -- 5/17/2015 -- Katinka Hosszu
LC Nationals: 2:09.34 -- 7/7/2009 -- Julia Smit
Jr World: 2:09.98 -- 1/29/2017 -- Rikako Ikee

1) Melanie Margalis -- 2:10.43 (Q)
2) Madisyn Cox -- 2:10.53 (Q)
3) Ella Eastin -- 2:13.15 (Q)
4) Emma Barksdale -- 2:13.73 (Q)
5) Bethany Galat -- 2:13.78 (Q)
6) Brooke Forde -- 2:13.92 (Q)
7) Rachael Bradford-Feldman -- 2:13.97 (Q)
8) Alex Walsh -- 2:14.07 (Q)

Melanie Margalis and Madisyn Cox went after it this morning and come away with two top times that are almost three seconds ahead of anyone else in the field. The pair touched in 2:10.43 and 2:10.53 respectively followed by Ella Eastin at 2:13.15. Eastin is coming into this race with a fire in her eyes and we fully expect she'll do something pretty massive after a disappointing disqualification after qualifying for the 400 IM. This race has it all, speed, drama, and a whole lot of star power.

Men 200 LC Meter IM -- Full Results

World: 1:54.00 -- 7/28/2011 -- Ryan Lochte
American: 1:54.00 -- 7/28/2011 -- Ryan Lochte
U.S. Open: 1:54.56 -- 7/10/2009 -- Ryan Lochte
LC Nationals: 1:54.56 -- 7/10/2009 -- Ryan Lochte
Jr World: 1:59.12 -- 3/3/2017 -- Michael Andrew

1) Josh Prenot -- 1:57.63 (Q)
2) Chase Kalisz -- 1:58.17 (Q)
3) Will Licon -- 1:58.54 (Q)
4) Abrahm Devine -- 1:58.77 (Q)
5) Gunnar Bentz -- 1:59.49 (Q)
6) Michael Weiss -- 1:59.88 (Q)
7) Jay Litherland -- 2:00.11 (Q)
8) Grant Sanders -- 2:01.26 (Q)

Who will take over the IM torch for the U.S. now that Phelps and Lochte are out of the picture? There's plenty of options with the final that we have set for this evening's session. Prenot, Kalisz, Licon, Devine, Bentz...my goodness this is going to be a fun race to watch. Of note, Licon and Prenot still looking for a spot on the team in Budapest and will likely be swimming with some aggression in this.

Men 800 LC Meter Freestyle -- Full Results

World: 7:32.12 -- 7/29/2009 -- Lin Zhang
American: 7:43.60 -- 7/31/2013 -- Michael McBroom
U.S. Open: 7:46.78 -- 6/29/2013 -- Connor Jaeger
LC Nationals: 7:46.78 -- 6/29/2013 -- Connor Jaeger
Jr World: 7:45.67 -- 8/28/2013 -- Mack Horton

TBD.

Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle -- Full Results

World: 23.73 -- 8/1/2009 -- Britta Steffen
American: 24.07 -- 8/17/2008 -- Dara Torres
U.S. Open: 24.13 -- 5/18/2008 -- Cate Campbell
LC Nationals: 24.25 -- 7/6/2008 -- Dara Torres
Jr World: 24.48 -- 2/18/2017 -- Rikako Ikee

1) Simone Manuel -- 24.63 (Q)
2) Mallory Comerford -- 24.88 (Q)
3) Abbey Weitzeil -- 25.00 (Q)
3) Lia 1995 Neal -- 25.00 (Q)
5) Kelsi Worrell -- 25.03 (Q)
6) Madison Kennedy -- 25.06 (Q)
7) Olivia Smoliga -- 25.14 (Q)
8) Grace Ariola -- 25.23 (Q)

Simone Manuel snuck ahead of her new arch rival Mallory Comerford who was just over two tenths of a second behind her in the prelims. The duo touched in 24.63 and 24.88 respectively to take the top two spots heading into the finals tonight. Look for these two to do something special tonight as they likley want to send a message to the international standout Sarah Sjostrom.

Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle -- Full Results

World: 20.91 -- 12/18/2009 -- Cesar Cielo Filho
American: 21.37 -- 8/7/2015 -- Nathan Adrian
U.S. Open: 21.14 -- 7/9/2009 -- Cesar Cielo
LC Nationals: 21.47 -- 6/29/2013 -- Nathan Adrian/Garret WeberGale
Jr World: 22.00 -- 8/20/2014 -- Yu Hexin

1) Caeleb Dressel -- 21.75 (Q)
2) Cullen Jones -- 22.08 (Q)
3) Nathan Adrian -- 22.19 (Q)
4) Zachary Apple -- 22.20 (Q)
5) Michael Chadwick -- 22.32 (Q)
5) Tony Ervin -- 22.32 (Q)
7) Michael Andrew -- 22.36 (Q)
8) Ryan Held -- 22.39 (Q)

Well that's one way to make a statement in prelims...Dressel wasn't wasting any time in this one as he hit the pad in just 21.75 seconds to clock the fastest time by over .3. Second and third in the prelims went to two big names in the sport, Cullen Jones and Nathan Adrian, followed by a completely loaded field behind them. Oh, also, it took 22.39 to even qualify. Talk about a STACKED event.

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