USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Day 4 Finals: Katie Hoff, Matt Grevers Win High Point Awards; Three Meet Records Fall

The final session of the Long Beach meet is complete. Some of the most exciting races of the meet were on this final night, as rivalries from past competitions were renewed. Three meet records were set, one by Trojan's Jessica Hardy in the women's 100 breast, another by Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the men's 100 breast, and a third by FAST's Ariana Kukors in the women's 200 IM. Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers was the top performer of the meet, winning five out of his six races.

Women's 100 Fly

Cal Aquatics' Dana Vollmer put on a dominating performance in the 100 fly, winning by 1.3 seconds in 51.42, just off the 51.39 she posted at short course Nationals. North Baltimore's Felicia Lee took second in 52.71, while FAST's Katie Hoff finished third in 53.37. National teamers Jessica Hardy (53.62), Ariana Kukors (53.66), and Elizabeth Pelton were fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

Men's 100 Fly

Trailing Tucson Ford swimmers Masauki Kishida and Matt Grevers at the 50, Michael Phelps, representing North Baltimore, had one of his patented last 50s to put away his competitors. Phelps finished in 45.68, while Kishida took second in 46.32 and Grevers third in 46.64.

Women's 1650 Free

Mission Viejo's Chloe Sutton dominated the women's mile, finishing with a time of 16:10.85 to complete her sweep for the 500-1000-1650 freestyles. The time, however, was well off the meet record of 15:56.97 she set last year. Mission Aurora's Bonnie Brandon tried to stay with Sutton for the opening portions of the race before ending up second in 16:17.45. Lynette Lim of PSP swam a 16:35.07 to claim third.

Women's 100 Back

Olympic bronze medalist Margaret Hoelzer swam a superb back half to take the title in the women's 100 back. Hoelzer, representing FAST, overtook earlier leader Cindy Tran of West Coast to claim the victory with a time of 52.97. North Baltimore's Felicia Lee, backing up from the 100 fly, posted a second-place time of 53.30, while Tran snagged third in 53.71. Also backing up from the 100 fly was Dana Vollmer of Cal Aquatics, who claimed fourth (54.43).

Men's 100 Back

It was a battle of the two most recent Olympic silver medalists in the 100 back, as Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers went out fast and held off Trojan's Markus Rogan for the win, his fifth of the weekend. Grevers clocked a time of 45.97, faster than rival Nick Thoman swam in Dallas this weekend (45.99), while Rogan came in at 46.45. North Baltimore's Michael Phelps took his second medal of the night, finishing third in 46.67.

Men's 1650 Free

BCH Heatwave's Zane Grothe took a commanding victory in the men's distance race, swimming a personal best 15:11.89 to beat Dayton Raiders' John Koehler by more than 12 seconds. Koehler clocked 15:24.04 for second, while Cal Poly's Matt Waggoner claimed third in 15:31.28.

Women's 100 Breast

It was expected to be a close battle between Rebecca Soni and Jessica Hardy, both of Trojan, in the 100 breast, and the race lived up to its billing. As is her custom, Hardy went out much faster than Soni, but Soni tracked her down over the final two lengths, and it came down to the touch to determine a winner. In the end, Hardy got her hand on the wall one one-hundredth of a second before Soni, 58.99 to 59.00. Both times were better than Tara Kirk's 2008 meet record of 59.11. The two were over three seconds ahead of the rest of the field, as FAST's Ariana Kukors took third in 1:02.25, ahead of North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton (1:02.66).

Men's 100 Breast

Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima took completed a breaststroke sweep, but it wasn't as easy as the 200 last night. Kitajima, representing Coca-Cola Swim Club and Trojan, swam a 52.17, ahead of the 52.81 posted by Tucson Ford's Mike Alexandrov, who finished in an excellent time of 52.81. Kitajima's time bettered Brendan Hansen's meet record of 52.81 set in 2007. (Alexandrov tied the former meet record.) Canadian swimmer Paul Kornfeld took third in 53.84, while North Baltimore's Michael Phelps completed a tough triple by taking fifth in 54.25 with an excellent back half.

Women's 200 IM

The two most recent world champions did battle in this event, as FAST training partners Katie Hoff (2005, 2007) and Ariana Kukors (2009) went head-to-head. Hoff led throughout the first 100, before Kukors closed the gap on the breaststroke and smoked the final 50 yards to claim victory, 1:55.05 to 1:55.43. Both swimmers beat Kaitlin Sandeno's meet record of 1:56.90 set in 2008, while Kukors' time was faster than her winning time at Nationals (1:55.40). Cal Aquatics' Dana Vollmer, in her third A-final of the night, claimed third in 1:58.44, while Trojan's Rebecca Soni backed up from the 100 breast to take fourth (2:01.17).

Men's 200 IM

Trojan's Hidemasa Sano used outstanding opening fly and closing freestyle legs to dominate the 200 IM, swimming a 1:43.79 to win the race. Sano's teammate from Trojan, Markus Rogan, used an outstanding backstroke leg to nearly catch Sano, before settling for second in 1:45.69, holding off FAST's Robert Margalis, who took third in 1:47.40.

400 Medley Relay

West Coast's team of Cindy Tran, Allison Gillespie, Kelsey Cummings, and Cynthia Fascella won the women's event in 3:48.59, beating out North Coast's team Nicole Parmenter, Kelsey Kafka, Kendyl Stewart, and Andrea Basaraba (3:49.33). RTLR (Meghan Hawthorne, Andrea Kropp, Valerie Orellana, Nina Morrison) took third in 3:51.32.

For the men, Swim Torrance's team of Vladimir Morozov, See Han Lee, Jeff Allison, and Ryan Makuta took the victory in 3:27.00. Claiming second was Riverside's team of Matthew Hopfe, Bryan Haile, Brad Terwilliger, and Rodney Pillman (3:28.09), while Santa Clara Swim Club (Eric Owens, Jeffrey Peters, Ian Burns, Samuel Shimonura) posted a 3:30.38 for third.

USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Ariana Kukors, Dana Vollmer, Michael Phelps Qualify for Three Finals

The final day of swimming qualifying in Long Beach is over. Today features the 100s of stroke, 200 IM, and 1650 free. Many swimmers are pulling triples today, such as Ariana Kukors and Michael Phelps. Expect tonight's finals session to be the most exciting yet.

Women's 100 Fly

Cal Aquatics' Dana Vollmer, already a double winner in Long Beach, led the way into the finals with a time of 52.32. Vollmer finished a second clear of North Baltimore's Felicia Lee, who took second in 53.36. FAST's Katie Hoff was third in 54.69, just ahead of North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton (54.84) and FAST's Ariana Kukors (54.86). Trojan's Jessica Hardy (55.03) and RTLR's Meghan Hawthorne (55.22) will be in the A-final as well, while Lodi's Mary Griffith and Monrovia's Kylie Garcia will have to swim-off for the final spot in the final, as both clocked 55.58.

Garcia won a very tight swim-off, clocking a 55.06, while Griffith came in at 55.09.

Men's 100 Fly

Japanese swimmers went 1-3 in the prelims, as Trojan's Hidemasa Sano swam a 47.37 and Tucson Ford's Masayuki Kishida clocked 47.90. Spliting the difference was Cal Aquatics' Will Copeland (47.86), while North Baltimore's Michael Phelps clocked 48.09 for fourth. Phelps should swim somewhere in the 45-range in the finals. The remainder of the final field will consist of North Baltimore's Todd Patrick (48.11), Trojan's Eddie Erazo (48.69), Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers (48.81), and North Baltimore's Ellis Miller (49.38).

Women's 100 Back

North Baltimore's Felicia Lee backed up from the 100 fly to lead prelims of the 100 back, clocking a 54.90 to claim lane four for the finals. On either side of her will be West Coast's Cindy Tran (55.22) and FAST's Margaret Hoelzer, the Olympic bronze medalist, who clocked 55.58. Dana Vollmer advanced to another A-Final, taking fourth in 55.77, ahead of Mission Viejo's Melanie Klaren (56.11), North Coast's Nicole Parmenter (56.14), WEST's Heidi Vanderwel (56.63), and North Coast's Kendyl Stewart (56.68).

Men's 100 Back

Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers was back in the pool to pace the prelims of his signature event, the 100 back. The 2008 Olympic silver medalist clocked a 47.42 to lead the field by a half second. In second was the 2004 silver medalist, Trojan's Markus Rogan, who checked in at 48.00. Swim Torrance's Vladimir Morozov (48.05) and Cal Aquatic's David Russell (48.13), claimed third and fourth, ahead of North Baltimore swimmers Ben Hesen (48.15) and Michael Phelps (48.37). Trojan's Eddie Erazo (48.49) and UCB's Jihuen Kim (48.50) round out the field.

Women's 100 Breast

Trojan Swim Club teammates Jessica Hardy and Rebecca Soni have done battle in this event many times over the last several months, and a good duel could be brewing for tonight. Hardy led Soni in the prelims, 1:01.25 to 1:01.87, but no one was close to these two. Next best was RTLR's Andrea Kropp, third in the 200 breast last night, in 1:03.40. Cal Poly's Angie Haven (1:03.45), Waves' Melissa Bates (1:03.72), FAST's Ariana Kukors (1:03.80), North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton (1:04.56), and Trojan's Katy Houston (1:04.66) will also swim in the A-final tonight. Notably, FAST's Caroline Burckle finished 11th (1:05.08), while North Baltimore's Felicia Lee missed advancing to her third A-final, touching 15th in 1:05.78.

Men's 100 Breast

Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima led the way into the finals of the 100 breast with a time of 53.42. Kitajima, representing Coca-Cola Swim Club and Trojan, will be looking to add to his win in the 200 breast last night when he faces off with American record-holder Mike Alexandrov of Tucson Ford, who clocked 53.60 for second. These two finished a second clear of the rest of the pack, led by Canadian Paul Kornfeld (54.84), who touched third ahead of Riverside's Bryan Haile (55.19) and Monterrey's David Mercado (55.55). Multnomah's Eetu Karvonen was sixth in 55.88, ahead of North Baltimore's Michael Phelps, who clocked 56.17 to make his third A-final of the day. Trojan's Markus Rogan rounded out the field with a 56.93.

Women's 200 IM

FAST's Katie Hoff clocked the only sub-2:00 time to lead the way in the 200 IM. Her time of 1:59.71 put her about a second in front of Cal Aquatics' Dana Vollmer, who clocked 2:00.40. FAST's Ariana Kukors, the world champion, took third in 2:01.65, setting up a great race in the finals between the top three. RTLR's Meghan Hawthorne took fourth (2:02.78), ahead of Cal Poly's Angie Haven (2:03.81), TCC's Noelle Tarazona (2:03.99), and RTLR's Andrea Kropp (2:04.43). Rounding out the field was 100 breast world champion Rebecca Soni, representing Trojan, who clocked 2:04.96 to make her second A-final of the day.

Men's 200 IM

Trojan's Hidemasa Sano finished second in the 400 IM last night, but he won't as Michael Phelps to deal with in this one. Sano clocked the number one qualifying time, 1:49.71, just ahead of Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay, who touched in 1:49.80. Cal Poly's Peter Kline was third (1:50.97), while Trojan's Markus Rogan, who recently swam just off the short course meters world record in this event, took fourth (1:51.24). This was Rogan's third A-final qualifying swim in the session, while it was fifth-place Paul Kornfeld's second, as he finished fifth in 1:51.74. Other finals swimmers will be FAST's Robert Margalis (1:51.99), Cal Aquatics' Bennett Clark (1:52.57), and Trojan's Sebastian Stoss (1:52.83).

Finals are scheduled to begin at 4pm pacific (7pm eastern). Until then, timed final heats of the 1650 (fastest to slowest, alternating men and women) are being swum. Note that the meet is currently behind its already-tight timeline due to multiple power outages and weather issues in Long Beach.

USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Matt Grevers Wins Two More; Soni, Kitajima, Hoff Set Meet Records; Phelps Beats Sano in Thrilling 400 IM

The second full session of finals is complete at the Grand Prix in Southern California. This session featured Olympic champions in their pet events, as well as a rising stars trying to make a name for themselves. No American records were set, but there were some amazing races, including a thriller between Michael Phelps and Hidemasa Sano in the 400 IM, with Phelps emerging the victor. Three meet records were set, one by Rebecca Soni in the women's 200 breast, another by Kosuke Kitajima in the men's 200 breast and a third by Katie Hoff in the women's 400 IM. In addition, Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers is well on his way to winning the high point award after taking two more victories to add to his double from last night.

Women's 200 Free

Cal Aquatics' Dana Vollmer, the American Record-holder, swam a great back-half to overtake Trojan's Jessica Hardy to win the 200 free. Vollmer finished in 1:43.29, less than two seconds off her American record time of 1:41.53. FAST's Katie Hoff took second in 1:44.48, while North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton claimed third in 1:45.52. Hardy faded to fourth, while swimming another personal best, 1:46.51.

Men's 200 Free

Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers added a third individual win for the weekend in the 200 free, claiming the title in 1:34.98. Trailing Cal Aquatics' Will Copeland at the 50, Grevers took over the race at the halfway point and held on for a half-second victory. North Baltimore's Todd Patrick outtouched Trojan's Dominik Meichtry for second, 1:35.58 to 1:35.61. Copeland claimed fourth in 1:38.24.

Women's 200 Breast

Trojan's Rebecca Soni was just a tenth of a second off her own American record pace at the 50, but she fell off that pace slightly as the race progressed. She ended up with a superb time of 2:05.90, a new meet record, breaking Tara Kirk's mark of 2:07.94 set in 2008. Soni enjoyed nearly a four second victory over FAST's Ariana Kukors, who touched second in 2:09.83. RTLR's Andrea Kropp, the top qualifier, claimed third in 2:12.37.

Men's 200 Breast

Kosuke Kitajima was beaten by two swimmers at short course Nationals in this event, but he swam a much faster race in Long Beach, claiming a decisive victory in 1:53.03. Kitajima, representing the Coca Cola swim club and Trojan, set a new meet record, breaking Longhorn's Brendan Hansen's meet mark of 1:53.78 set in 2007. National champion Mike Alexandrov, representing Tucson Ford, came in at 1:56.33 for second, more than three seconds slower than his winning time from Nationals (1:52.81), while former NCAA Champion Paul Kornfeld claimed third in 1:58.35.

Women's 50 Free

Cal Aquatics' Madison Kennedy got the better of her teammate to win the 50 free on the touch, 22.41 to 22.50, while meet record-holder Kara Lynn Joyce of FAST finished just behind in 22.72. Times were slower than perhaps expected since all of the top three had already swum the 200 free. Tying for fourth were North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton, also coming out of the 200 free, and West Coast's Cynthia Fascella, in 23.49.

Men's 50 Free

Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers beat out a strong field in which the top six were within a half second, with five under 20 seconds. Grevers touched in 19.58 to claim his second victory tonight and fourth of the weekend. He finished about two tenths ahead of his teammate Masayuki Kishida (19.77) and Rose Bowl's Jason Lezak (19.80), who received a huge ovation as he was introduced. Top qualifier Vladimir Morozov of Swim Torrance finished fourth in 19.81 after clocking a personal best time 19.68 in prelims, the second fastest time of the meet. Cal Aquatics temmates Will Copeland (19.98) and Bennett Clark (20.06) took fifth and sixth.

Women's 400 IM

FAST's Katie Hoff took gold in her best event, breaking Club Wolverine's Kaitlin Sandeno's meet record of 4:05.86 set in 2008. Hoff clocked a time of 4:04.39. Ariana Kukors, also of FAST, challenged Hoff in the front half and was a hundredth under American record-pace at the 100, before settling into second, and finished at 4:06.04. North Baltimore's Felicia Lee claimed third in 4:12.53.

Men's 400 IM

It was a tight race between Trojan's Hidemasa Sano and North Baltimore's Michael Phelps, but Phelps pulled away in the last 50 to claim victory in 3:38.42, just off his meet record from 2007 of 3:38.28. That mark was only two months before Phelps' seven gold performance, including a 4:06.22 400 IM at the world champs in Melbourne. Sano touched in a personal best 3:39.63 to claim second, almost six seconds ahead of North Baltimore's Todd Patrick, who clocked a 3:45.54 to take third. These three were the only swimmers under 3:50.

800 Free Relays

Magnus Aquatic Group's team of Rachel Moore, Margaret D'Innocenzo, Meaghan Grimes, and Erica Belcher took the women's relay in 7:31.44. Claiming second was Cal Poly's team of Karin Schleicher, Katrina Anderson, Chrissy Thomas, and Camille Duckett (7:33.32), and Tucson Ford Dealers (Sarah Denninghoff, Karima Chuk, LeighAnne Oliver, and Lauren Baker) took third (7:33.46).

For the men, Cal Poly's team of Chase Nick, Aaron McKinnon, David LaFlamme, and Peter Kline swam a 6:44.16 to win the event, while Santa Clara Swim Club's team of Samuel Shimomura, Ian Burns, Jackson Partin, and Michael London claimed second (6:49.09). KING's D'Voreaux Cann, Thane Maudslien, Stephen McFarlane, and Bart Wanot finished third (6:52.19).

USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Day 3 Prelims: Vladimir Morozov Blasts 50 Free

The second preliminary session is in the books in Long Beach. This day of swimming featured some swimmers in their best events, such as Olympic champions Rebecca Soni in the 200 breast and Michael Phelps in the 400 IM, while others such as Matt Grevers and Jessica Hardy experiment in off events, as both advanced to finals in the 200 free. Many swimmers had strong prelim swims to set them up for American record runs in the finals. The highlight of the morning, however, was 17-year old Vladimir Morozov's 19.68 50 free, which leads all qualifiers into finals.

Women's 200 Free

USC's Katinka Hosszu blazed through the 200 free prelims to earn the top seed for tonight's finals. Hosszu clocked a 1:45.73 to finish ahead of American Record-holder Dana Vollmer, representing Cal Aquatics, who finished in 1:47.47 to claim second. Vollmer will be one of many chasing her American and US Open mark of 1:41.53 tonight. Meanwhile, FAST's Katie Hoff claimed third in 1:47.59, ahead of the 1:47.93 turned in by Trojan's Jessica Hardy. Next was USC's Lyndsay De Paul, who finished in 1:48.35, followed by Mission Viejo's Chloe Sutton (1:48.59), North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton (1:48.79), and USC's Presley Bard (1:48.91)

Men's 200 Free

Todd Patrick of North Baltimore edged Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers for the top seed in the 200 free, 1:38.40 to 1:38.52. Just behind them was Cal Aquatics' Will Copeland, who touched in 1:38.72, followed by Trojan's Dominik Meichtry (1:39.50) and FAST's Tamas Kerakjarto (1:39.69), who rounded out the sub-1:40 swims. Completing the final field will be Cal Poly's Peter Kline (1:40.06), Dayton Raiders' John Koehler (1:40.15), and Cal Poly's Chase Nick (1:40.49).

Women's 200 Breast

RTLR's Andrea Kropp finished as the top seed (2:11.94), ahead of Trojan's Rebecca Soni (2:12.27), who could challenge her American record of 2:04.75 tonight. The next best was Cal Poly's Angie Haven (2:14.96), who was just ahead of Trojan's Jessica Hardy, more of a sprint breaststroker, who came in an 2:15.07. FAST's Ariana Kukors posted a 2:15.42 for fifth, while German Sarah Poewe, representing Trojan, and USC's Lyndsay De Paul checked in at 2:15.83 and 2:16.55 for sixth and seventh, respectively. Both Genevive Bradford of Irvine Novaquatics and Kelsey Kafka of North Coast clocked 2:17.64, so they will have to swim-off to determine the final swimmer to advance.

Men's 200 Breast

Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima, representing the Coca Cola Swim Club and Trojan, led prelims in 1:56.36, leading the field by nearly six seconds. He could, however, get a strong challenge tonight from Short Course National champ Mike Alexandrov, who, while representing Tucson Ford, finished fourth in 2:03.51. The runner-up in prelims was Eetu Karvonen of Multnomah Athletic Club, who touched in 2:02.29, followed by David Mercado of Mountain, who checked in at 2:02.58. The rest of the field will be comprised of Cal Poly's Carter Richards (2:03.60), FAST's Robert Margalis (2:04.09), Cal Poly's Josh Cutts (2:04.94), and 2008 NCAA Champion Paul Kornfeld (2:05.24).

Women's 50 Free

The Cal Aquatics pair of Madison Kennedy and Dana Vollmer clocked 22.91 and 23.01, respectively, to lead the way into finals. Next in was USC's Presley Bard (23.35), ahead of West Coast's Cynthia Fascella (23.45) and FAST's Kara Lynn Joyce (23.47). Completing the field were North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton (23.61), Irvine Novaquatics' Dayae Choi (23.64), and West Coast's Cindy Tran (23.70).

Men's 50 Free

17-year old Vladimir Morozov of Swim Torrance clocked a blazing time of 19.68 to lead prelims. Tying for second were Cal Aquatics' Will Copeland and Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers, who both swam 20.02. Rose Bowl's Jason Lezak, twice Morozov's age, finished fourth 20.18, just ahead of Tucson Ford's Masayuki Kishida (20.24) and Cal Aquatics' Bennett Clark (20.25). Also qualifying for the final were RST's Joey Hale (20.52) and UCB's Jung Yang (20.57).

Women's 400 IM

Former world champion Katie Hoff led the way into the 400 IM final. Representing FAST, she touched in 4:12.70 to claim her second A-final spot for the evening session. Claiming the second spot was North Baltimore's Felicia Lee, who finished in 4:15.17, just ahead of FAST's Ariana Kukors' 4:15.58. Noelle Tarazona of TCC (4:18.03), Mission Aurora's Bonnie Brandon (4:18.93), and RTLR's Andrea Kropp (4:19.03) rounded out the sub-4:20s, while USC's Haley Anderson (4:21.01) and The Armada's Kirstie Chen (4:22.51) completed the final eight.

Men's 400 IM

North Baltimore's Michael Phelps clocked a solid 3:47.15 to lead the prelims of the 400 IM. The time is more than ten seconds off his personal best of 3:36.26 set in 2006, but he will be much closer to that mark tonight. Claiming lane five for the final was Trojan's Hidemasa Sano, who finished in 3:48.21. Sano will be Phelps' closest competition in the final. These two could chase Tyler Clary's American and US Open record of 3:35.98. Cal Poly's Peter Kline, who clocked 3:51.84, touched third, just ahead of Phelps' North Baltimore teammate Todd Patrick, who came in at 3:52.21. The rest of the final heat will be comprised of Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay (3:54.07), Monterrey's Raul Lopez (3:55.61), FAST's Robert Margalis (3:55.91), and Monterrey's Miguel Castro (3:58.95).

***

All of the above was posted at Swimming World TV. Now I will share some of my thoughts headed into tonight's finals.

Women's 200 Free - Dana Vollmer will go really fast tonight. She could be gunning for her own American record (1:41.53). Katie Hoff doesn't have as much speed as Vollmer, but she will be in the mix the whole way.

Men's 200 Free - It will be very close, though I don't see anyone breaking 1:35. Grevers or Meichtry gets it done.

Women's 200 Breast - This will be all Rebecca Soni. She posted the second fastest time in history at Nationals, which was less than half a second off her American record. She could be close to that time tonight.

Men's 200 Breast - The greatest breaststroker in history destroyed everybody in prelims, but Kosuke Kitajima could have challenges tonight, especially from Mike Alexandrov, who beat Kitajima at short course Nationals.

Women's 50 Free - Madison Kennedy goes into the final as the top seed and favorite, but she has to deal with some tough competition, including her teammate Dana Vollmer and two-time Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce.

Men's 50 Free - Vladimir Morozov had quite a swim in the prelims, but can he beat out the grizzled veterans surrounding him, including one man twice his age, Jason Lezak.

Women's 400 IM - Ariana Kukors will be tough tonight, but I don't think she can match up with her training partner Katie Hoff. Hoff should be around 4:02-4:03 for the win.

Men's 400 IM - Michael Phelps wants the American record back, but first he's gotta get through Hidemasa Sano, who took the 200 fly last night. It should be a good one, and expect both men to be around 3:40.

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Live commentary again tonight on . Make sure you check out the live results and live video beginning at 5pm pacific time (8pm eastern).

USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Day 2 Finals: Three Meet Records Fall; Matt Grevers Doubles

The first full session of finals is complete in Long Beach at the first Grand Prix of 2010. Some of the top swimmers in the world are in Long Beach to put down some fast short course yards times to start 2010 on the right note. Three swimmers who did just that are Hidemasa Sano, Elizabeth Pelton, and Chloe Sutton, who set meet records in the men's 200 fly, women's 200 back, and women's 500 free, respectively. In addition, Matt Grevers of Tucson Ford took double gold in the 100 free and 200 back, while superstar Michael Phelps won the 500 free. This is also posted on Swimming World TV

Women's 100 Free

Trojan's Jessica Hardy led for nearly 99 meters of the race, but Dana Vollmer of Cal Aquatics just outtouched Hardy, 47.63 to 47.65, for the win. Both times are better than the 47.84 and 47.86 turned in by Amanda Weir and Vollmer, repectively, at Short Course Nationals. Vollmer's Cal Aquatics teammate Madison Kennedy took third in 49.01, just ahead of FAST's Katie Hoff, swimming in her first of three A-Finals tonight.

Notably, Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce won the B-Final in 49.59, which would have been 6th in the A-Final.

Men's 100 Free

Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers used a superior back-half to overtake early leader Jason Lezak and claim the win in 43.06. Will Copeland of Cal Aquatics finished 2nd in 43.30, while Lezak, representing Rose Bowl, took 3rd in 43.38.

The men received their medals from Gabe Woodward, a 2004 Olympian in the 400 free relay.

Women's 200 Fly

Katinka Hosszu led a 1-2 finish for the USC Trojans, as the World Champs bronze medalist finished in 1:53.99. Behind her the whole way was teammate Lyndsay De Paul, who posted a 1:55.45, while North Baltimore's Felicia Lee finished 3rd in 1:56.18. USC showed its dominance in the event with four swimmers in the event, including 4th place Yumi So (1:58.88) and 7th place Tanya Krisman (2:01.52).

Men's 200 Fly

Trojan's Hidemasa Sano was way too strong for the rest of the field in the men's 200 fly to win gold and break his old meet record of 1:41.88 set last year. Todd Patrick of North Baltimore stayed with Sano for the first half of the race before ending up second in 1:43.65, while Robert Margalis of FAST outtouched Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay for third, 1:47.39 to 1:47.49.

Women's 200 Back

North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton, 16, negative split her way to a new meet record of 1:51.48, faster than the 1:51.85 that Athens Bulldogs' Mary Descenza set last year. Her time was a little bit more than two seconds off of Natalie Coughlin's American record and her best time by exactly a second. Pelton crushed Olympic silver medalist Margaret Hoelzer of FAST, who took second in 1:54.01, while her teammate Katie Hoff took third in 1:54.23. 200 IM world record-holder Ariana Kukors was fourth.

Men's 200 Back

Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers took his second victory tonight in the 200 back. Grevers won the race in an impressive time of 1:40.22, about seven tenths ahead of Markus Rogan. Rogan, representing Trojan, had a huge third fifty to come back from almost nowhere to nearly catch Grevers, but settled for second in 1:40.96. Early leader David Russell of Cal Aquatics ended up fading to third in 1:41.65.

Women's 500 Free

Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo had a superb final 50 to win the 500 free in a new meet record of 4:36.76, beating Club Wolverine's Kaitlin Sandeno's meet record of 4:40.44 set two years ago. It was also nearly four seconds faster than her best time set just four weeks ago. Sutton's coach, Bill Rose, said it was "the best race she's ever swum." FAST's Katie Hoff, who led for the first 450 yards, finished second in 4:37.44, 0.11 slower than she was at Nationals last month, but an awesome effort considering she swam the 100 free and 200 back earlier in the session. USC's Haley Anderson swam a 4:45.05 to take third.

Men's 500 Free

North Baltimore's Michael Phelps cruised to an easy victory in the 500 free, finishing in 4:18.40, nearly eight seconds off his meet record 4:10.43 set in 2008. Phelps looked like he was in control throughout the swim, but he did not look particularly happy with the final result. Trojan's Dominik Meichtry placed second in 4:24.24, holding off a late charge from Zane Grothe of Beach Heatwave, who touched in 4:24.51.

400 Free Relays

Cal Poly's team of Katrina Anderson, Chrissy Thomas, Amy Morales, and Angie Haven took home the women's 400 free relay in 3:28.61, just 0.02 ahead of Tucson Ford's team of Whitney Myers, Briana Wilford, Karima Chuk, and Sarah Denninghoff (3:28.63), while West Coast (Shelby Weber, Allison Gillespie, Kelsey Cummings, and Cindy Tran) took third in 3:29.14.

Tucson Ford, buoyed by a 43.05 anchor split by Matt Grevers, took the men's relay in 3:01.05. Preceding Grevers were Masayuki Kishida, Barrett Miesfield, and Cole Puchi. Cal Poly's team of Peter Kline, David LaFlamme, Aaron McKinnen, and Chase Nick took second in 3:03.93, while KING's team of Bart Wanot, Matthew Jude, D'Voreaux Cann, and Thane Maudslien snagged third (3:06.21). Notably, Jason Lezak anchored the Rose Bowl team in 43.83 as they came from behind to win their heat.

***

On the other side of the country, at the CeraVe Invitational in New Jersey, Bluefish's Elizabeth Beisel took three events: 400 IM, 100 back, and 400 free. Her 400 IM time of 4:40.87 is by far the fastest time in the world, and one of the best in-season swims seen in years in textile suits. In fact, she only swam faster during last season once - and she was wearing a LZR last season!

USA Swimming Grand Prix, Long Beach: Day 2 Prelims

Whenever a major meet comes around, Jason Marsteller of Swimming World is at the computer typing up an instant recap. This weekend, he is spending all of his time at the CeraVe Invite in New Jersey, so I will be doing instant recaps from finals sessions tonight and tomorrow night. Check out Swimming World TV at 8pm eastern/5pm pacific for that coverage. Remember that live results and live video are available from Long Beach. I enjoyed the conversations on the live video during short course nationals, so let's keep that going tonight.

I had some practice with prelims this morning:

Women's 100 Free

Trojan's Jessica Hardy (49.11) led the way in the first event of prelims of the meet. She and Dana Vollmer of California Aquatics (49.64) were the only two swimmers under 50 seconds. Vollmer's teammate Madison Kennedy was 4th with a time of 50.18, while FAST swimmers Katie Hoff (50.08), Ariana Kukors (50.24), and Caroline Burckle (51.07) finished 3rd, 5th, and 8th, and USC swimmers Joan Christel Simms (50.72) and Presley Bard (50.99) were 7th and 8th. Notably, star sprinter Kara Lynn Joyce of FAST swam a 51.11 and took 9th, so she will be swimming in the B-Final tonight.

Men's 100 Free

Three-time Olympian and 2008 American relay hero Jason Lezak, representing Rose Bowl Aquatics, made his debut for 2010 in Long Beach, taking his spot in the finals of his pet event with a 7th place finish and a time of 44.92. Rising star Vladimir Morozov led the way with a 43.46, followed by Olympian Matt Grevers, the only other swimmer under 44, who swam a 43.87. The Cal Aquatics pair of Will Copeland (44.03) and Bennett Clark (44.61) finished 3rd and 5th, while international swimmers Trojan's Markus Rogan (44.43) and Tucson Ford's Masayuki Kishida (44.81) were 4th and 6th. Rounding out the field was 30-year old Robert Bogart (45.19) from the Santa Clara Swim Club.

Women's 200 Fly

Swimmers from the University of Southern California will dominate the final, with four swimmers from USC making the cut, which was sub-2:02. World champs bronze medalist Katinka Hosszu, from Hungary, representing USC, swam a 1:59.01, finishing 2nd behind her teammate Lyndsay De Paul (1:57.79). Also of USC, Yumi So took 3rd in 1:59.09. Rounding out the sub-2:00 swims was Felicia Lee of North Baltimore (1:59.51). The other four swimmers who will go for the title tonight are North Coast's Kendyl Stewart (2:00.00), USC's Tanya Krisman (2:00.53), Noelle Tarazona (2:01.26), and Andrea Kropp (2:01.84).

Men's 200 Fly

Trojan's Hidemasa Sano crushed the field by more than three seconds in the 200 fly prelims, finishing in a 1:43.35. Next best was Todd Patrick of North Baltimore, who checked in at 1:46.64. 1000 free winner last night, Robert Margalis of FAST, took 3rd in 1:48.51. Backstroker David Russell of California Aquatics (1:48.66), Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay (1:48.91), California Capital Aquatics' Evan Virtue (1:48.98), Trojan's Eddie Erazo (Puerto Rico) (1:50.25), and FAST's Tamas Kerekjarto (Hungary) (1:50.27).

Women's 200 Back

North Baltimore's Elizabeth Pelton put on a dominant performance in the event in which she placed 6th at the worlds. She touched in 1:55.08, well ahead of the 1:57.91 turned in by FAST's Katie Hoff. Touching next was Melanie Klaren of Mission Viejo (1:58.09), followed by FAST's Ariana Kukors (1:58.44) and USC's Presley Bard (1:58.47). Bonnie Brandon of Mission Aurora, who took second in the 1000 free last night, was 6th in 1:58.94, while USC's Lyndsay De Paul was 7th in 1:59.24. As is her custom, FAST's Margaret Hoelzer, the Olympic silver medalist, squeaked into the final field with a 2:00.03. Look for Hoelzer to cut major time tonight.

Men's 200 Back

With no cap and a full head of hair and wearing merely a practice suit, Trojan's Markus Rogan paced the 200 back prelims. The Austrian, who formerly held the world record in this event in short course meters, checked in with a 1:45.67. Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers, the Olympic silver medalist in the 100 back, placed second in 1:46.12, while Cal Aquatic's David Russell (1:46.13) took third. FAST's Robert Margalis qualified for his second final of the day, finishing fourth in 1:46.78. North Baltimore swimmers Ellis Miller (1:46.93) and Patrick Murphy (1:47.86) took 5th and 8th, while Jiheun Kim of UCB (1:47.17) and Peter Kline (1:47.52) of Cal Poly rounded out the field.

Women's 500 Free

Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo backed up from her win in the 1000 free last night to take the top seed in the 500 free ahead of American Record-holder Katie Hoff. Sutton touched at 4:45.56, while Hoff, in her third swim of the morning session, came in at 4:46.29. World Championship team member Haley Anderson of USC finished third in 4:47.62, followed by PSP's Lynette Lin (4:47.74), West Coast's Kelsey Cummings (4:51.14), North Baltimore's Felicia Lee (4:51.54), FAST's Caroline Burckle (4:52.97), and North Coast Aquatics' Nita-Karlina Petric (4:53.63).

Men's 500 Free

Representing North Baltimore, swimming superstar Michael Phelps made his 2010 debut in Long Beach, swimming the 500. Phelps cruised through the swim and touched in 4:24.20. Finishing 2nd was John Koehler of the Dayton Raiders (4:27.33), who took second in the 1000 last night, while Swiss Olympian Dominik Meichtry, representing Trojan, took third in 4:27.37. Zane Grothe of Beach Heatwave, the 3rd-place finisher in the 1000, took fourth in 4:27.55, while Cal Poly's Matt Waggoner (4:28.78), Santa Clara Swim Club's Jackson Partin (4:30.70), Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay (4:30.91), and Mission Viejo's Jan Daniec (4:31.14) rounded out the top eight.

2010 Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming

The first Grand Prix meet of 2010 begins next Friday (Jan. 15) at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach. Big names are in almost every event in the meet, which will be in short course yards. Among the biggest include Michael Phelps, Rebecca Soni, Ariana Kukors, and Katie Hoff. Click here to view the pysch sheet for the meet.

Predictions:

Friday, January 15
Women's 1000 Free
1 - Chloe Sutton, Mission Viejo
2 - Haley Anderson, USC
3 - Bonnie Brandon, Mission Aurora

Men's 1000 Free
1 - Robert Margalis, FAST
2 - Jan Daniec, Mission Viejo
3 - John Koehler, Dayton Raiders

Saturday, January 16
Women's 100 Free
1 - Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics
2 - Kara Lynn Joyce, FAST
3 - Jessica Hardy, Trojan

Men's 100 Free
1 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford
2 - Will Copeland, California Aquatics
3 - Bennett Clark, California Aquatics

Women's 200 Fly
1 - Katinka Hosszu, USC/Hungary
2 - Lyndsay DePaul, USC
3 - Andie Taylor, KING

Men's 200 Fly
1 - Hidemasa Sano, Trojan/Japan
2 - Alex Vanderkaay, Club Wolverine
3 - Todd Patrick, North Baltimore

Women's 200 Back
1 - Margaret Hoelzer, FAST
2 - Liz Pelton, North Baltimore
3 - Katie Hoff, FAST

Men's 200 Back
1 - David Russell, California Aquatics
2 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford
3 - Patrick Schirk, Unattached

Women's 500 Free
1 - Katie Hoff, FAST
2 - Chloe Sutton, Mission Viejo
3 - Haley Anderson, USC

Men's 500 Free
1 - Michael Phelps, North Baltimore
2 - John Koehler, Dayton Raiders
3 - Dominik Meichtry, Trojan

Sunday, January 17
Women's 200 Free
1 - Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics
2 - Katie Hoff, FAST
3 - Kara Lynn Joyce, FAST

Men's 200 Free
1 - Dominik Meichtry, Trojan
2 - Will Copeland, California Aquatics
3 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford

Women's 200 Breast
1 - Rebecca Soni, Trojan
2 - Ariana Kukors, FAST
3 - Jordan Danny, USC

Men's 200 Breast
1 - Mike Alexandrov, Tucson Ford
2 - Kosuke Kitajima, Trojan/Japan
3 - Paul Kornfeld, Canada

Women's 50 Free
1 - Kara Lynn Joyce, FAST
2 - Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics
3 - Madison Kennedy, California Aquatics

Men's 50 Free
1 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford
2 - Will Copeland, California Aquatics
3 - Bennett Clark, California Aquatics

Women's 400 IM
1 - Katie Hoff, FAST
2 - Ariana Kukors, FAST
3 - Andie Taylor, KING

Men's 400 IM
1 - Michael Phelps, North Baltimore
2 - Hidemasa Sano, Trojan/Japan
3 - Robert Margalis, FAST

Monday, January 18
Women's 100 Fly
1 - Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics
2 - Felicia Lee, North Baltimore
3 - Whitney Myers, Tucson Ford

Men's 100 Fly
1 - Michael Phelps, North Baltimore
2 - Masayuki Kishida, Tucson Ford/Japan
3 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford

Women's 100 Back
1 - Margaret Hoelzer, FAST
2 - Cindy Tran, West Coast
3 - Chelsea Bailey, KING

Men's 100 Back
1 - Michael Phelps, North Baltimore
2 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford
3 - David Russell, California Aquatics

Women's 100 Breast
1 - Rebecca Soni, Trojan
2 - Jessica Hardy, Trojan
3 - Ariana Kukors, FAST

Men's 100 Breast
1 - Mike Alexandrov, Tucson Ford
2 - Kosuke Kitajima, Trojan/Japan
3 - Paul Kornfeld, Canada

Women's 200 IM
1 - Ariana Kukors, FAST
2 - Katie Hoff, FAST
3 - Dana Vollmer, California Aquatics

Men's 200 IM
1 - Hidemasa Sano, Japan
2 - Alex Vanderkaay, Club Wolverine
3 - Matt Grevers, Tucson Ford

Women's 1,650 Free
1 - Chloe Sutton, Mission Viejo
2 - Bonnie Brandon, Mission Aurora
3 - Kelsey Cummings, West Coast

Men's 1,650 Free
1 - Jan Daniec, Mission Viejo
2 - John Koehler, Dayton Raiders
3 - Zane Grothe, Beach Heatwave

2010 Big Meet Predictions

While there is no long course world championships in 2010, there are six major meets taking place throughout the year. In five out of six, only certain swimmers can participate, and many of the world's best swimmers skip the other. I have already posted early predictions for two of those meets, and now I will predict three more, winners only. It is hard to predict World Short Course Championships in advance because many of the world's best often skip the event, although it might be shaping up to be the best attended version of the meet yet.

NCAA Championships - March 18-20, West Lafayette, Indiana (Women)/March 25-27, Columbus, Ohio - Predictions

USA Swimming National Championships - August 3-7, Irvine, California
Men:
50 Free - Nathan Adrian
100 Free - Nathan Adrian
200 Free - Ryan Lochte
400 Free - Peter Vanderkaay
1,500 Free - Chad LaTourette
100 Back - Nick Thoman
200 Back - Ryan Lochte
100 Breast - Mike Alexandrov
200 Breast - Eric Shanteau
100 Fly - Michael Phelps
200 Fly - Michael Phelps
200 IM - Michael Phelps
400 IM - Tyler Clary

Women:
50 Free - Amanda Weir
100 Free - Natalie Coughlin Hall
200 Free - Dana Vollmer
400 Free - Katie Hoff
800 Free - Chloe Sutton
100 Back - Natalie Coughlin Hall
200 Back - Margaret Hoelzer
100 Breast - Rebecca Soni
200 Breast - Rebecca Soni
100 Fly - Dana Vollmer
200 Fly - Kathleen Hersey
200 IM - Ariana Kukors
400 IM - Katie Hoff

European Championships - August 4-15, Budapest, Hungary
Men:
50 Free - Fred Bousquet, France
100 Free - Alain Bernard, France
200 Free - Danila Izotov, Russia
400 Free - Paul Biedermann, Germany
800 Free - Federico Colbertaldo, Italy
1,500 Free - Federico Colbertaldo, Italy
50 Back - Liam Tancock, Great Britain
100 Back - Helge Meeuw, Germany
200 Back - Arkady Vyatchanin, Russia
50 Breast - Hendrik Feldwehr, Germany
100 Breast - Alexander Dale Oen, Norway
200 Breast - Daniel Gyurta, Hungary
50 Fly - Milorad Cavic, Serbia
100 Fly - Milorad Cavic, Serbia
200 Fly - Nikolay Skvortsov, Russia
200 IM - Laszlo Cseh, Hungary
400 IM - Laszlo Cseh, Hungary
400 Free Relay - France
800 Free Relay - Russia
400 Medley Relay - Germany

Women:
50 Free - Therese Alshammar, Sweden
100 Free - Britta Steffen, Germany
200 Free - Federica Pellegrini, Italy
400 Free - Federica Pellegrini, Italy
800 Free - Rebecca Adlington, Great Britain
1,500 Free - Alessia Filippi, Italy
50 Back - Anastasia Zueva, Russia
100 Back - Anastasia Zueva, Russia
200 Back - Anastasia Zueva, Russia
50 Breast - Yuliya Efimova, Russia
100 Breast - Yuliya Efimova, Russia
200 Breast - Yuliya Efimova, Russia
50 Fly - Therese Alshammar, Sweden
100 Fly - Sarah Sjostrum, Sweden
200 Fly - Katinka Hosszu, Hungary
200 IM - Katinka Hosszu, Hungary
400 IM - Katinka Hosszu, Hungary
400 Free Relay - Germany
800 Free Relay - Great Britain
400 Medley Relay - Germany

Pan Pacific Championships - August 18-22, Irvine, California
Men:
50 Free - Cesar Cielo, Brazil
100 Free - Cesar Cielo, Brazil
200 Free - Michael Phelps, USA
400 Free - Park Tae-Hwan, Korea
800 Free - Zhang Lin, China
1,500 Free - Zhang Lin, China
100 Back - Aaron Peirsol, USA
200 Back - Ryosuke Irie, Japan
100 Breast - Kosuke Kitajima, Japan
200 Breast - Eric Shanteau, USA
100 Fly - Michael Phelps, USA
200 Fly - Takeshi Matsuda, Japan
200 IM - Michael Phelps, USA
400 IM - Tyler Clary, USA
400 Free Relay - USA
800 Free Relay - USA
400 Medley Relay - USA

Women:
50 Free - Cate Campbell, Australia
100 Free - Cate Campbell, Australia
200 Free - Dana Vollmer, USA
400 Free - Katie Hoff, USA
800 Free - Chloe Sutton, USA
1,500 Free - Chloe Sutton, USA
100 Back - Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe
200 Back - Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe
100 Breast - Leisel Jones, Australia
200 Breast - Rebecca Soni, USA
100 Fly - Jessicah Schipper, Australia
200 Fly - Liu Zige, China
200 IM - Ariana Kukors, USA
400 IM - Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe
400 Free Relay - USA
800 Free Relay - USA
400 Medley Relay - Australia

Commonwealth Games - October 4-13, Delhi, India - Predictions

World Short Course Championships - December 15-19, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Predictions Coming When Start Lists Released (in other words, in a very long time)

These are all total guess, in terms of winners, and also who will swim what events! I could miss 75% of these, and I consider most to be obvious choices! I'll try again the week before each of these meets, and I will do better.

All of you out there: what do you think? Challenge my predictions, and we'll see whose smiling and whose embarrassed on game day!