By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam
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2019 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – AMERICAN DERBY
- Saturday, November 16 – Sunday, November 17, 2019
- 2:00-4:00 PM Local Time (U.S. Eastern Time)
- Eppley Recreation Center – College Park, MD
- Short Course Meters (SCM) format
- American franchises: Cali Condors, LA Current, DC Trident, New York Breakers
- Preview
- Live Stream (ESPN3)
- Full Day 1 Results
SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson provides live color commentary on each race in italics, below:
After the initial round of “Group A” and “Group B” meets, all four American teams in the inaugural International Swim League season square off this weekend in College Park, MD. The top two teams – based on combined results of previous meets and this one – will head to Las Vegas next month for the ISL championship, and the other two teams will head home. The Cali Condors and LA Current have substantial leads currently, and are the prohibitive favorites to make it to Las Vegas, but the DC Trident and NY Breakers are sure to try to go down swinging, setting up what should be a fun weekend of competition.
Women’s 100 Fly
- Kelsi Dahlia– CAC – 55.78
- Kendyl Stewart– LAC – 56.41
- Tayla Lovemore– NYB -56.93
- Farida Osman– LAC – 57.18
- Haley Black – NYB – 57.42
- Natalie Hinds – CAC – 57.68
- Remedy Rule – DCT – 57.95
- Quah Ting Wen – DCT – 58.01
Unsurprisingly, Kelsi Dahlia of the Cali Condors parlayed strong underwaters into a solid win in the first event of the day, touching in 55.78. The Current got 2nd and 4th finishes from Kendyl Stewart (56.41) and Farida Osman (57.18), with the Breakers’ Tayla Lovemore sandwiched between them with a 56.93.
A nice early win for the Condors. Dahlia improves her ISL season-best from Naples, and hits the third-fastest 100 fly time of any swimmer in the league this year. LA showed nice depth with a 2-4 finish – that’s exactly how they finished in both Group B matches as well. Not a good start for DC, which fades to 7-8. They’ll fall behind the Breakers early, who were way better than either of their Group B meets.
Men’s 100 Fly
- Caeleb Dressel– CAC – 49.16
- Tom Shields– LAC – 49.70
- Clyde Lewis– NYB -51.13
- Jeremy Stravius – DCT – 51.32
- Giles Smith – DCT – 51.41
- Jack Conger – LAC – 51.64
- Jan Switkowski – CAC – 52.12
- Ryan Coetzee – NYB – 52.33
Tom Shields made things closer than you may have expected, and was actually in lead after the first 50, but Caeleb Dressel came back on the second half to beat Shields by over half a second, 40.16 to 49.70 The two were over a second ahead of anyone else, as the Breakers’ Clyde Lewis took 3rd in 51.13 after being dead last at the 50m mark.
Dressel used a huge underwater to take the win, but Tom Shields pushed him hard. Shields has been one of the more underrated signings in the league, pretty consistently coming through for LA in a range of events. Team points stay pretty close, as Cali went 1-7 and LA 2-6. Dressel’s time was the fastest in the ISL so far this year, and Shields still sits third in the league, though his wasn’t a season-best.
Women’s 50 Breast
- Lilly King– CAC -29.00
- Molly Hannis– CAC – 29.18
- Siobhan Haughey – DCT – 29.88
- Kathleen Baker– LAC – 30.13
- Breeja Larson – NYB – 30.15
- Annie Lazor – LAC – 30.19
- Emily Escobedo– NYB – 30.40
- Leiston Pickett – DCT – 30.41
The Condors swept the top two spots, as Lilly King won with 29.00 and teammate Molly Hannis was just behind at 29.18. The two were seven-tenths ahead of the rest of the field, with the Tridents’ Siobahn Haughey taking 3rd in 29.88.
King and Hannis continue to dominate – they have gone 1-2 in this event at all three of their ISL meets so far, and it wasn’t even close this time around. That duo now hold the four fastest swims in the league this year. No one else in this race came within seven tenths of them. A couple of versatile swimmers went 3-4 – freestyler/IMer Siobhan Haughey was third and backstroker Kathleen Baker fourth. That’s a nice off-event boost for DC and LA. New York has to be disappointed with a 5-7 finish. The breaststrokers were one of their high points in tough showings in Group B. Men’s 50 Breast
- Felipe Lima– LAC – 25.92
- Ian Finnerty– DCT – 25.99
- Michael Andrew– NYB – 26.09
- Kevin Cordes – DCT – 26.41
- Nic Fink – CAC – 26.50
- Will Licon– LAC – 26.58
- Andrew Wilson – CAC – 26.84
- Marco Koch– NYB – 27.05
There looked to be a few different swimmers who had a chance coming down the stretch, but it was the Current’s Felipe Lima who got his hand on the wall first with a 25.92. Ian Finnerty of the Tridents was right behind with a 25.99, followed by the Breakers’ Michael Andrew in 26.09.
Finnerty’s time appears to be an American Record, breaking the mark of 26.10 formerly held by Michael Andrew himself.
The men’s breaststrokes have been significantly stronger among European teams, with only one American team registering a top-two performance in this 50 breast during the four group matches. LA’s Felipe Lima was the runner-up in Lewisville, and carried the win here in a tight race with DC’s Ian Finnerty. Lima’s time is the second-best swim in that event across the ISL, just a tenth back of Adam Peaty’s league-leading 25.85. Cali leads the team race early, but LA is keeping things very close. There’s not a lot of drama, as those two teams are pretty well locked into the Las Vegas final, but the team battle still carries some prestige, and obviously the athletes are going after top prize money.
Women’s 400 IM
- Melanie Margalis– CAC – 4:24.46
- Ella Eastin– LAC – 4:27.53
- Hali Flickinger– CAC – 4:29.53
- Bethany Galat – DCT – 4:31.49
- Bailey Anderson – LAC – 4:32.01
- Emma Barksdale – DCT – 4:32.03
- Emily Overholt – NYB – 4:32.09
- Abbie Wood – NYB – 4:32.16
The Breakers’s Abbie Wood jumped out in front during the fly leg, but Ella Eastin established control during the middle 200m. Melanie Margalis moved steadily up, passing Eastin toward the beginning of the freestyle leg and winning 4:24.46 to 4:27.53. The Condors went 1&3, as Hali Flickinger held was 3rd at the halfway point, and hung on during the second half to finish in 3rd with a 4:29.64.
Margalis’s mark appears to be a new American Record, surpassing the time of 4:24.62 Caitlin Leverenz put up at the 2011 Duel in the Pool.
Margalis won this race in both of Group A’s matches, and though she trailed early, she won this one decisively and remains undefeated in the 400 IM so far this season. She hits the new fastest time in the league this year and now holds the three fastest swims for the season. Cali gets a big boost with a 1-3 finish from the former Georgia teammates, with Flickinger third. LA gets a great swim from Eastin (four seconds faster than she was in Lewisville) but a disappointing one from Andison (three seconds slower than she was in Budapest). Some tight finishes at the bottom, with 5th through 8th separated by just about two tenths, but the Breakers come out on the wrong end of it in 7th and 8th.
Men’s 400 IM
- Andrew Seliskar– LAC – 4:02.88
- Chase Kalisz– LAC – 4:03.49
- Jay Litherland– DCT – 4:04.17
- Brendon Smith – NYB – 4:07.09
- Mark Szaranek – CAC – 4:07.81
- Anton Ipsen – CAC – 4:08.46
- Tomas Peribonio – NYB – 4:11.09
- Zane Grothe – DCT – 4:11.92
Racing not far from his Northern Virginia home, Andrew Seliskar stormed down the stretch to overtake the early leader, Condor teammate, Chase Kalisz, and win in a time of 4:02.88. Kalisz led for most of the way, and ultimately touched in 4:03.49. The Tridents’ Jay Litherland, known for a strong free leg, took 3rd in 4:04.17, almost three seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
It was a battle of undefeateds, as Litherland had won both Group A meets and Seliskar both Group Bs. It was Seliskar who stayed undefeated, and teammate Kalisz (making his ISL debut) built a 1-2 finish. Seliskar now owns the two fastest swims in the ISL this year, and Kalisz just hit the third-fastest swim. That’s big for the Current, who take a points lead by two over the Cali Condors. Meanwhile DC leads New York by just six, not getting the big 400 IM boost from Litherland they got in Group A. New York addition Brendon Smith was impactful, too, taking 4th
Women’s 4×100 Free Relay
- Cali Condors – 3:29.38
- NY Breakers 2 – 3:30.01
- LA Current – 3:30.12
- DC Trident – 3:31.87
- Cali Condors 2 – 3:33.23
- LA Current 2 – 3:34.75
- DC Trident 2 – 3:37.16
- NY Breakers – 3:38.36
This was a tight race most of the way, with three teams in it until close to the end. Despite the closeness, the Cali Condors ended up as the only team under 3:30, winning in 3:29.38. Mallory Comerford anchored the Condors with a 51.58 split, the fastest on the day. The Breakers “2” team touched just ahead of the LA Current, 3:30.01 to 3:30.12, while the Trident finished 4th in 3:31.87.
It was a great battle, with three teams in the mix for the win through the final leg. Comerford anchored Cali strongly to hold on for the win. The Condors were a tick faster than their best in Group A meets, but the key here was that none of the American teams had to deal with powerhouses London or Energy Standard. It was maybe the best relay event yet this season for the New York Breakers, as they finished second and were in the hunt for the win. Their depth still struggled to 8th place, but a runner-up finish is going to be a big points boost. All four A relays beat all four B relays, as teams are starting to lock in who their fastest four are – earlier in the year, that was a lot more of an unpredictable struggle.
Score Update Through First Break
- Cali Condors – 93
- LA Current – 87
- DC Trident – 60
- NY Breakers – 56
Men’s 200 Back
- Radoslaw Kawecki– CAC – 1:51.68
- John Shebat– CAC – 1:52.15
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