By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
2024 SUN DEVIL OPEN
- May 17-19, 2024
- Tempe, Arizona
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Day 1 Recap
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Sun Devil Open”
A pair of U.S. Olympic hopefuls faced off in the 100 freestyle at the Sun Devil Open on Sunday as 28-year-old Ryan Held cruised past 19-year-old Jonny Kulow with a season-best time of 48.30.
Held improved his season best from 48.48 at April’s Pro Swim Series Stop in San Antonio. It appears as if only three Americans have been faster so far this calendar year: Jack Alexy (48.24), Matt King (48.02), and Chris Giuliano (47.49). A 2016 Olympian, Held has been as fast as 47.39 back in 2019.
Kulow, a rising Arizona State junior, earned the runner-up finish in 48.77. He was within half a second of his personal-best 48.38 from last October’s Pan American Games.
Held and Kulow also went head-to-head in the 100 butterfly on Saturday, but it was 18-year-old Cal commit (’24) August Vetsch who came away with the win in a personal-best 53.12. Vetsch lowered his previous-best 53.40 from last August’s runner-up finish at Junior Nationals to beat Held (53.38), Kulow (53.69), and Jordan Tiffany (53.88) on Saturday.
Saturday’s action also featured a fun 100 backstroke battle between Jack Wadsworth (55.54) and Quinland Gould (55.84). A rising Arizona State senior, Wadsworth got under 56 seconds for the first time on his way to the victory, dipping under the U.S. Olympic Trials cut of 55.69 in the process.
Landon Driggers enjoyed a successful weekend with 1st-place finishes in the 400 IM (4:22.60) on Saturday and 200 back (2:00.89) on Sunday. The 22-year-old was under the Trials cuts of 4:25.19 and 2:01.69, but slightly off his lifetime bests of 4:16.54 and 2:00.19 from last summer. A former Division II national runner-up, Driggers is back in the NCAA transfer portal after spending last season at Tennessee.
Also picking up multiple individual victories over the weekend was 20-year-old Andy Dobrzanski, who swept the 100 breast (1:01.56) on Saturday and 200 breast (2:14.10) on Sunday. The rising ASU junior owns best times of 1:01.18 and 2:13.91 from last summer, under the Trials cuts in both events (1:02.19/2:15.99).
Grant House captured the 200 free crown in 1:48.13, taking down 20-year-old Sun Devil Aquatics teammate Patrick Sammon (1:49.36). House, a 25-year-old ASU graduate, has been as fast as 1:46.68 back in 2022.
Recent ASU graduate Alex Colson claimed the 200 fly title on Sunday in 1:59.70, a few seconds off his personal-best 1:56.50 from 2022. He placed 10th at NCAAs in the yards version of this event in March.
On the women’s side, rising UNC senior Greer Pattison dropped three tenths off her best 100 back time on her way to the win in 1:02.45. The 21-year-old Pattison is closing in on the U.S. Olympic Trials cut of 1:01.89, but she’s running out of time with the meet next month.
Rising ASU junior Charli Brown won the 200 free (2:02.05) on Saturday, but she was outdueled by redshirt senior teammate Erin Milligan in the 100 free (56.11). Milligan got under the the Trials cut last month with her personal-best 55.47.
The youngest winner of the weekend was 13-year-old Marley Spray. The Gold Medal Swim Club standout posted a personal-best 2:17.15 in the 200 back to take down 20-year-old Paige Armstrong (2:17.73). Spray shaved more than two seconds off her previous-best 2:19.21 from March. She’s still got plenty of time to make a run at Taylor Ruck‘s Arizona LSC record of 2:10.22 from 2015.
Gold Medal Swim Club 15-year-old Paige Downey brought home a 400 IM victory in 4:54.05 400 IM, taking a couple seconds off her previous-best 4:56.77 from last November. She’s still a ways away from the Trials cut of 4:49.89 in this event.
Rising ASU sophomore Sonia Vaishnani threw down a best time in the 200 breast on her way to the win. The 19-year-old reached the wall in 2:35.84, dropping more than half a second off her previous-best 2:36.49 from 2022. The Trials cut now sits four seconds away at 2:31.69.
Rising ASU senior Iza Adame clinched the 100 breast victory in 1:10.54. The 21-year-old went under the Trials cut of 1:10.29 last January with a personal-best 1:09.48 during an LCM portion of a dual meet.
Rising Northern Arizona junior Elsa Musselman recorded a 100 fly win on Saturday in 1:01.43, not far off her personal-best 1:00.73 from March. Sunday’s 200 fly victory went to 17-year-old Annemarie Vlaic, an SMU commit who was within a couple seconds of her best time at 2:15.83.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ryan Held Clocks 48.30 100 Free at Sun Devil Open, Beats Fellow Olympic Hopeful Jonny Kulow