The evening’s initial awards ceremony saw a recognizable figure atop the podium as Kennedi Dobson (Levittown, Pa./Eastern Express Swim Team) achieved her fourth event triumph of the competition. The 17-year-old concluded her spectacular meet with wins in the 500-yard freestyle, 200y individual medley, 200y freestyle, and 1650y freestyle. Not to be overshadowed, Bradley Dunham (Hoschton, […]
The evening’s initial awards ceremony saw a recognizable figure atop the podium as Kennedi Dobson (Levittown, Pa./Eastern Express Swim Team) achieved her fourth event triumph of the competition. The 17-year-old concluded her spectacular meet with wins in the 500-yard freestyle, 200y individual medley, 200y freestyle, and 1650y freestyle. Not to be overshadowed, Bradley Dunham (Hoschton, Ga./Swim Atlanta) seized his third victory of the meet by taking the men’s 200y backstroke. Dunham had earlier secured wins in the 500y freestyle and 100y backstroke. Both athletes were awarded the High Point Award for their outstanding performances this week in Greensboro.
Maddy Parker (Spanish Fork, Utah/Southern Methodist University) completed the sprint freestyle dominance, complementing her earlier 50y freestyle title with a victory in the women’s 100y freestyle at 48.09. In the men’s contest, Brady Samuels (Muncie, Ind./Purdue University) also achieved a sprint freestyle sweep, securing his third win with a time of 42.27 in the 100y freestyle. Continuing the trend, Charlie Egeland (Minneapolis, Minn./Yale University) clinched a sweep in the breaststroke events, triumphing in the men’s 200y breaststroke for his third victory of the week.
Tokyo Olympian Rhyan White (Herriman, Utah/Wolfpack Elite) redeemed her previous loss in the 100y backstroke, narrowly defeating Alyssa Sagle (Gainesville, Va./Nations Capital Swim Club) in the women’s 200y backstroke with a finish time of 1:51.37. In the women’s 200y breaststroke, Caroline Agee (Warrenton, Va./Nations Capital Swim Club) won by a slim margin, finishing just 0.05 seconds ahead of local favorite Kaidy Stout (Lewisville, N.C./Greensboro Swimming Association).
After being the runner-up in the 500y freestyle and 100y butterfly earlier in the meet, Rachel Klinker (Lexington, Ky./Cal Aquatics) finally reached the top of the podium in the women’s 200y butterfly with a time of 1:54.58, nearly three seconds clear of the competition. In the final event of the competition, both the women’s team from Nations Capital Swim Team and the men’s team from Loyola University Maryland secured another relay victory in the 4x100y freestyle relay.
Women’s 1650y Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Kennedi Dobson (Levittown, Pa./Eastern Express Swim Team), 16:02.56
2 – Ava Jochims (Gibsonia, Pa./Racer X Aquatics), 16:29.24
3 – Morgan Moore (East Haven, Conn./ Penn State University), 16:33.10
Dobson reflecting on her performances at this year’s U.S. Open: “This meet has been a lot of fun. I still have two more races to go, and I’m going to focus for those. I’m just thrilled to be here.”
Men’s 1650y Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Sean Green (Rockaway, N.Y./Long Island Aquatic Club), 14:49.33
2 – Sean Atkinson (Lynbrook, N.Y./Unattached), 15:02.53
3 – Max Carlsen (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas Swim Club), 15:02.76
Green discussing his race strategy: “The plan was to maintain pace initially and then push hard on the last 500 (yards). I feel like my training really reinforced that.”
Women’s 200y Backstroke – FINAL
1 – Rhyan White (Herriman, Utah/Wolfpack Elite), 1:51.37
2 – Alyssa Sagle (Gainesville, Va./Nations Capital Swim Club), 1:52.02
3 – Sadie Buckley (Fairfax, Va./Nation’s Capital Swim Club), 1:53.14
White on her race: “I aimed to adhere closely to my race plan. I’ve been focusing on staying in my lane rather than watching others, maintaining an offensive mindset. I believe I executed it effectively and I’m pleased with my time. It’s been a while since I swam short course, so I was uncertain of what to expect.”
White on her weekend experience: “I felt considerable pressure this weekend to achieve my best times. Gaining racing experience, the energy at the pool, and not having my teammates present to cheer for me – everything contributed to my fastest times. I’ve worked on focusing solely on myself and delivering strong swims independently, rather than depending on external factors.”
Men’s 200y Backstroke – FINAL
1 – Bradley Dunham (Hoschton, Ga./Swim Atlanta), 1:39.33
2 – Blake Rowe (Traverse City, Mich./Purdue University), 1:42.38
3 – Jack Dahlgren (Victoria, Minn./Aquajets Swim Team), 1:43.06
Dunham discussing his meet performances and retirement: “I feel very fulfilled, as that was likely my last (competitive) swim ever. I aimed to finish under 1:40, and I came very close to my best time, which makes me extremely happy. Reflecting, I’m incredibly grateful for all the friends, rivals, coaches, and teammates I’ve had throughout the years.”
Women’s 100y Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Maddy Parker (Spanish Fork, Utah/Southern Methodist University), 48.09
2 – Chloe Stepanek (Northport, N.Y./Texas A&M University), 48.44
3 – Zita Szoke (Hodmezovasarhely, Ohio/Bobcat Swim Club), 48.59
Men’s 100y Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Brady Samuels (Muncie, Ind./Purdue University), 42.27
2 – Drew Kibler (Carmel, Ind./New York Athletic Club), 42.30
3 – Breno Correia (Brazil/Wolfpack Elite), 42.81
Samuels reflecting on his weekend races: “I’m leaving (the meet) quite motivated and eager to return to training on Monday to hopefully maintain this momentum into the collegiate season.”
Women’s 200y Breaststroke – FINAL
1 – Caroline Agee (Warrenton, Va./Nations Capital Swim Club), 2:10.32
2 – Kaidy Stout (Lewisville, N.C./Greensboro Swimming Association), 2:10.37
3 – Aliz Kalmar (Hungary/Fresno State University), 2:10.65
Agee discussing her race: “Prior to the race, I visualized it and imagined achieving the time I recorded. I really went out there telling myself to swim to the best of my ability, giving it everything I had, and whatever the outcome, would be okay.”
Men’s 200y Breaststroke – FINAL
1 – Charlie Egeland (Minneapolis, Minn./Yale University), 1:53.74
2 – Logan Kelly (Austin, Minn./Unattached), 1:54.44
3 – Mariano Lazzerini (Chile/Penn State University), 1:54.46
Egeland reflecting on his race: “I think maintaining a high tempo has significantly benefited me this week. I focused on the third 50 – aiming to stay with everyone for the first 100 and then trying to pull ahead on the third and fourth 50.”
Women’s 200y Butterfly – FINAL
1 – Rachel Klinker (Lexington, Ky./Cal Aquatics), 1:54.58
2 – Emerson Callis (Richmond, Va./Quest Swimming), 1:57.38
3 – Emma Cigna (Warrenton, Va./Nations Capital Swim Club), 1:58.79
Klinker discussing her race: “This was my first domestic meet since Trials. I wanted to go out there and enjoy myself, assess my training outcomes, and understand what felt right. Overall, I’m delighted with that swim.”
Men’s 200y Butterfly – FINAL
1 – Vili Sivec (Croatia/California State University Bakersfield), 1:43.18
2 – Patrick Branon (Lutherville Timonium, Md./Unattached), 1:43.43
3 – Quinn Cynor (Woodstock, Ill./Unattached), 1:45.04
Women’s 4x100y Freestyle Relay – FINAL
1 – Nations Capital Swim Club, 3:21.48
2 – Queens University, 3:21.81
3 – Marshall University Aquatics, 3:26.67
Men’s 4x100y Freestyle Relay – FINAL
1 – Loyola University Maryland, 2:55.88
2 – Purdue University, 2:56.21
3 – Queens University, 2:57.29
