Olympic Trials Day 2: Torri Huske wins the 100 Butterfly!
By Reach for the Wall Staff
Throughout the prelims and semifinals of the Women’s 100 Butterfly, Torri Huske (AAC) took command of her races and last night was no different. Torri blasted off the blocks and charged to the front, touching the wall at the 50 in 25.65 (her fastest first 50 of her 3 races), almost 3 tenths clear of her closest competitor, Claire Curzan, and 7 tenths ahead of third place finisher Kate Douglass. Torri never looked back as she also posted the fastest 2nd 50 (30.01) to touch the wall first in 55.66, setting a new American Record, just 2 tenths shy of the World Record!
In case you missed it, NBC has the replay:
https://www.nbcolympics.com/videos/trials-torri-huske-wins-100m-fly-sets-american-record
In the second race of the night, the Men’s 200 Freestyle semi-final, Andrew Seliskar (CAL/NCAP), who had the top seed time coming into Trials, cemented his place in finals by finishing 7th in 1:46.95. The 200 Freestyle final is scheduled for tonight and will be a close and tactical race, where ‘usually’ the top 6 swimmers will be named to the Olympic team.
The next race that featured a swimmer with ties to the DMV was the Men’s 100 Breaststroke. Of course the storyline coming into the race was the success of Michael Andrew and his attempt to not only make his first Olympic team, but also attempt to go under 58 seconds (his prelim swim was 58.19, his semifinal was 58.14, each swim setting an American Record). While Michael Andrew did prevail, it was not without a fight from 2nd place finisher Andrew Wilson (Bulldog/Emory/NCAP). Andrew Wilson touched the wall at the 50 in 4th place, ~7 tenths behind the leader Michael Andrew. He charged back on the second 50, posting the fastest split (31.05) to touch the wall 2nd, only .01 out of first place! At age 27 , Andrew Wilson has made it on his first Olympic team!
Full replay:
https://www.nbcolympics.com/videos/trials-michael-andrew-wins-100m-breast-01-seconds
The next final of the night featured Katie Ledecky (Stanford/NCAP) in the 400 Freestyle, one of the three events where she holds the World Record . While she didn’t scare the World Record, she won the race handily, touching 1st in 4:01.27. This win secures the third straight Olympic team for Katie! The race for 2nd was thrilling as it was a toss-up going into the 250, with Paige Madden, Leah Smith and Emma Nordin all hitting the wall at 2:31. Paige Madden ultimately separated herself from the group to take the 2nd spot in 4:04.86.
The last event of the night, where an athlete from the DMV competed, was the Women’s 100 Backstroke Semifinal. The media focus is deservedly on the former world record holder (her record was broken this week by Australian Kaylee McKeown), Regan Smith. Regan had the top qualifying time from prelims with local standout Phoebe Bacon (Wisconsin/NCAP) posting the 5th fastest time. In the semifinal race, Phoebe drew lane 3, next to Regan and touched the wall 3rd in the heat. Phoebe’s time 59.62 qualified her 6th overall for the final, scheduled to compete tonight.
Playback:
https://www.nbcolympics.com/videos/swimming-trials-regan-smith-fastest-100m-back-semifinal
Other PVS Athletes that competed- Congratulations!!:
Women’s 100 Backstroke:
Caroline Bentz (Virginia Tech/NCAP) 28th: 1:01.66
Women’s 100 Breaststroke:
Anna Keating (UVA/Machine) 21st: 1:09.39
Jaycee Yegher (UVA/RMSC) 40th: 1:10.85
Brynn Curtis (Auburn/York) 42nd: 1:11.00
Men’s 100 Backstroke:
Sean Conway (UVA/NCAP) 48th: 56.21
Women’s 400 Freestyle:
Erin Gemmell (NCAP) 11th: 4:11.57
Madelyn Donohoe (FISH) 18th: 4:13.95
Chase Travis (Virginia Tech/NCAP) 28th: 4:15.97
Paige McKenna (NCAP) 34th: 4:17.50
Today’s schedule of events:
| Tuesday, June 15 | Tuesday, June 15 |
| Women’s 200 Freestyle | Women’s 200 Freestyle – Semifinal |
| Men’s 200 Butterfly | Men’s 200 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley | Women’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 1500 Freestyle | Men’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL | |
| Men’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinal | |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinal |
All the prelim swims are available via NBC Sports online:
https://stream.nbcolympics.com/swimming-us-trials-wave-2-day-3-prelims