The 2012 AT&T Winter Nationals kicked off in Austin Thursday. After a fast prelim session in the morning, finals proved to be no different.
The meet started off with a record-breaking performance from University of Arizona in the women's 200 freestyle relay. The team of Margo Geer, Megan Lafferty, Katlyn Flederbach, and Alana Pazevic went 1:28.63 to break the meet record set by USC in prelims. Geer's leadoff leg of 21.82 got them off to a fast start, and all of the girls split under 22.6. The team from University of Texas was also under the previous meet record mark with a time of 1:29.14, and USC–slightly off their morning time–was third in 1:29.47.
Arizona pulled off a double victory in the sprint relay, with their men's team winning the event as well–just .05 off the meet record time, also set by USC but from 2010. The team of Giles Smith, Mihell Friedemann, Bar-Omrod Shapira, and Nicholas Popov went 1:17.95 to handily defeat USC, who finished second with a 1:19.37. All of the members of Arizona's relay recorded sub-20 splits.
In the 500 free NCAP's Katie Ledecky won in a time of 4:34.53, a lifetime best that was just a few tenth's shy of Katie Hoff‘s National Age Group Record. Ledecky is only 15, however, so the 4:34.21 mark is well within her reach. Fellow Olympian Haley Anderson and Leah Smith, the other youngster in the field, were in a very close race for second with USC's Anderson getting it at the touch with a 4:36.87 to Smith's 4:36.90.
Michael McBroom, of Texas, won the men's 500 in a close race in which all of the top three finishers went 4:16s. McBroom beat Cristian Quintero of USC and Matthew Barber, of Arizona, with a time of 4:16.08. Out of those three, he was last at the 400 but had a strong last 100 to end up getting the win in a race that was close throughout.
A very close race in the women's 200 IM went to Cal commit Celena Li, who out-touched USC's Stina Gardell and future teammate Missy Franklin for the title. Li, with a 1:55.08, was only .04 ahead of Gardell. Franklin was third in 1:55.88.
Ryan Lochte ran away with the 200 IM, going 1:40.97 to separate himself from a field that was otherwise very close. Just five tenths separated the second through sixth place finishers, James Lendrum getting second in a time of 1:44.24.