Day 2 of the 2012 Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invitational in Austin looked like it was going to be another precursor to madness like we saw on day 1 of the meet.
Michael Phelps scratched the 200 free, but in the session-opening 400 IM he posted a 4:22.28. Without much to push him, he's probably saving his speed for finals, and should easily get under 4:20. His North Baltimore teammate Chase Kalisz is 2nd in 4:22.81, which is a great bounceback for him after a tough first day of competition.
Allison Schmitt topped the 200 free in 1:59.78, with Kathleen Hersey just behind in 1:59.99. Missy Franklin was on a pace to break two-minutes as well, but backed-off on the final 50 to touch in 2:00.57. Shannon Vreeland was 4th in 2:00.78.
Georgia Bulldog swimmer Megan Romano was a bit surprising – after a best time in the 100 free on Friday, and a really fast one at that, she only made it back in the C-Final in this 200 in 2:04.30. Keep an eye on her result from the evening though.
Franklin took the top seed in the women's 200 back in 2:12.06, just ahead of Nitro's 15-year old Quinn Carrozza in 2:12.71. Expect Franklin to be in the 2:08-range in finals. Meanwhile, Romano had a much better swim in this 200 back prelim in 2:15.32 for the 4th seed.
Texas A&M's Cammile Adams, who skipped Friday's session, was the top seed in the 400 IM in 4:45.35; her teammate Sarah Henry, with a win in the 400 free already under her belt, was 2nd in 4:48.12.
In the sprints, Amanda Weir took the top women's seed in 25.59, with Megan Romano in 25.81 for the number-two spot in her third swim of the meet. In the men's race, George Bovell topped the men's 50 free in 22.46, with 100 free winner Jimmy Feigen placing 2nd in 22.66. That could be a great race in finals.
Full, Live Meet Results available here.